In Week 5, the ACC's best team went to Death Valley and beat Clemson 41-13, Florida State produced an impressive win to move to 3-2, and Wake Forest is trending upward. Pitt improved to 5-0, but the quarterback who got them there is now done for the year. Let's take a look at where the ACC stands in an honest reality check.
Week 5 ACC reality check
Miami is king
No. 4 Miami is 5-0 and 3-0 in the ACC after a 28-point win against Clemson. Darian Mensah threw for 227 yards and logged two total TDs. Mark Fletcher Jr. returned from a one-game absence and ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns, the defense recorded six sacks, held Clemson to 55 rushing yards, and got a 39-yard pick-six from freshman JJ Dunnigan. It was clear that the Hurricanes are now the kings of the ACC.
The one price was injuries for Miami as Marquise Lightfoot, who is the Hurricanes' tackles and sacks leader, left in the second quarter and did not return.
Pitt is undefeated, but what is the Panthers' ceiling?
Pittsburgh is 5-0 after winning in Blacksburg 35-33, but Mason Heintschel, a sophomore in his second year starting, left on the fourth play of the second half after a sideline hit from cornerback Cam Chadwick. An MRI confirmed a torn ACL, and Pat Narduzzi announced Saturday that he is out for the remainder of the season.
Heintschel had completed 66.2% of his passes for 1,304 yards, 14 touchdowns and one interception. Fifth-year Holden Geriner, who has played at Auburn and Texas State, came on and completed 8 of 12 passes for 78 yards and a 29-yard touchdown to Cataurus Hicks. That was his second career touchdown pass.
What to make of Wake Forest and Florida State
Florida State scored 38 unanswered points on Saturday to put away Virginia 38-7. Ashton Daniels ran 17 times for a career-high 136 yards and five touchdowns (Florida State quarterback record). The Seminoles piled up 464 yards and recorded 10 sacks after managing seven in the first four games. They held a Virginia team that had been averaging 192.8 rushing yards to just 37 yards on 40 carries. With the Noles' only losses coming to SMU and Alabama, maybe they deserved to be looked at differently? Time will tell, but FSU played some good football in Week 5.
Wake Forest, whose only loss is to Miami, destroyed Stanford 57-3 for the largest margin of victory in an ACC game in school history. Gio Lopez was sharp, throwing for 265 yards, rushing for 88 more and accounting for five touchdowns. The Demon Deacons missed out on the Top 25 this week, but another win would almost surely boost them up and into the rankings.
The rest of the ACC
- NC State beat Louisville 31-28 behind a career-high 373 passing yards from CJ Bailey and 493 yards of total offense. The Cardinals have now lost by three to Ole Miss, three to Wake Forest and three to NC State.
- SMU won 25-16 against Boston College with five sacks, and the 27-24 road win over Florida State looks better after what the Seminoles did to Virginia.
- Syracuse finally got an FBS win, escaping UConn 42-41 in overtime.
- California lost 39-31 at UNLV and is 2-3, with its only FBS win still against Syracuse.
- North Carolina hung around with No. 3 Notre Dame before losing 37-26.
Buy, Sell, or Hold
Buy: Miami as the ACC's clear No. 1 team
Three of five wins are on the road, all three conference wins are on the road, and the Hurricanes lead the ACC in scoring offense and scoring defense.
Hold: Pittsburgh
Pitt's record sets the Panthers up with some cushion but the offense is going to have a lot of work to do. The 14-point road comeback was impressive, but a torn ACL for the quarterback who was playing great football is tough to replace.
Buy: Wake Forest
Wake Forest will face more challenges as the year goes on, but they are the best team Miami has played this season and they have taken care of business in their other matchups.
Hold: Florida State
The Virginia win lets Norvell see another week, but the college football world will probably need to see more before it buys into FSU.
Sell: Clemson, now and in the future
Clemson is not a College Football Playoff team this year, and the 2024 playoff appearance feels like a different lifetime with the rapid pace that college football evolves.
Sell: Stanford
Wake Forest, Duke and Miami have taken turns destroying Stanford. They are still at least one year away from being competitive.
Hold: Virginia Tech
The Hokies outgained Pitt by 204 yards, led 14-0, and lost on a missed 36-yard field goal and four turnovers. Not to make any excuses, but it's impressive that Virginia Tech was even in that game. Maybe some expectations got a little high for James Franklin's first year after the 4-0 start, but they are still a very talented group.
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