Ranking Best ACC Football Matchups of Week 6
What do you do for an encore the week after Clemson and Louisville's Saturday night battle royale?
Well, it's not an easy task. But that doesn't mean the ACC is devoid of quality games this weekend. Two games this weekend will feature ranked opponents and one humongous rivalry.
In Chapel Hill, North Carolina will try to build off last week's last-second upset of Florida State by whipping up on a surprise, upstart Virginia Tech team that has just one loss under first-year head coach Justin Fuente.
Meanwhile, in Coral Gables, first-year Hurricanes head coach Mark Richt will try to continue his spotless start against an embattled Seminoles team. All the while, they'll keep an eye on the weather as a real hurricane (Matthew) could pose big weekend problems.
Other key ACC games will take place as well as the real quality teams separate themselves from the posers. Let's take a look at the top conference games of Week 6.
5. Clemson at Boston College
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It would take a monumental letdown for a stacked No. 3-ranked Clemson team that travels to Chestnut Hill on Friday night to drop a league game to Boston College.
But funky things happen on weeknight road games, don't they?
That's why it's worth watching as Eagles head coach Steve Addazio's team tries to snap a 10-game ACC losing streak against head coach Dabo Swinney's loaded Tigers, who are riding high and oozing swagger after last weekend's win over Louisville.
This is a bit of a trap game for the Tigers, who must face North Carolina State before a bye week and a huge showdown with Florida State. Are the Eagles good enough to take advantage of the spot?
They're coming off consecutive nonconference wins over Wagner and Buffalo, but neither of those will offer any indications of what kind of test this will be, especially with Heisman Trophy candidate Deshaun Watson's renewed entry into a race that looked to be all Lamar Jackson's until last weekend.
"We are way into Clemson, and Clemson is a phenomenal football team, and I'm making an understatement here," Addazio told the Boston Herald's Rich Thompson. "It is hard to find any weaknesses when you look at them on either side of the ball, and they have tremendous athletes at every position."
Offensively and defensively, Clemson appears superior. But the Tigers must overcome a raucous environment on Friday night, one in which Swinney said he knows will have plenty of fans who are excited about them coming to town.
4. Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh
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Everybody is about to see if Georgia Tech's 3-2 record is misleading or if the Yellow Jackets can expect a mediocre season after a disappointing one a year ago.
They're coming off consecutive losses to Top 15 opponents—Clemson and Miami—and now they'll take their first true road game of the year to the Steel City to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pitt must find a way to stop head coach Paul Johnson's triple-option attack.
The last time the Panthers tried, they were unsuccessful, allowing 417 rushing yards to Navy in last year's 44-28 Military Bowl loss. This season, Pitt's rush defense is fourth nationally allowing just 69.8 yards per game.
Something's got to give.
"Preparing for this type of offense is something that we focused on and needed to get good at," Panthers head coach Pat Narduzzi said, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Doug Roberson. "I feel much more comfortable coming into this game than we did a year ago. I think that will help as we move forward defending the option."
Pitt also has lost to two solid teams, 45-38 to Oklahoma State on the road and 37-36 to North Carolina at Chapel Hill. So, both of these teams probably feel like they're better than their records show.
We'll find out this weekend who is.
3. Notre Dame at North Carolina State
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A week after Notre Dame fired defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder, they beat Syracuse 50-33. Now, the Irish will play their third consecutive game against an ACC foe as they travel to Raleigh to play an improving North Carolina State.
For the Wolfpack, this is an important game. Last week, they exploited an undefeated Wake Forest team by dispatching the Demon Deacons, 33-16.
Now, head coach Dave Doeren's 3-1 Wolfpack will try to get a vital win before a ridiculous stretch that includes games against Clemson, Louisville and Florida State in a four-week span with Boston College in there, too. A 2-2 record during that stretch would be a success, so this weekend is a necessity.
As well as sophomore quarterback Ryan Finley is playing, this is a good time for the Wolfpack to be playing against a vulnerable Irish secondary. NC State has a bunch of offensive weapons with which Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly must contend.
Sometimes, it's hard not to get caught up in playing the name "Notre Dame," but the Pack are trying.
"As a football fan, you understand the tradition they have," linebacker Airius Moore told the News & Observer's Joe Giglio. "But being a player now, I can't worry about that, all we can worry about is the game."
Added Doeren: "The history of that program has nothing to do with what's going to happen on Saturday."
If the Wolfpack can focus on the game and keep playing the way they have been, Saturday will be an intriguing game.
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2. Virginia Tech at North Carolina
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As much of a legend as former head coach Frank Beamer was, the Virginia Tech program had gotten stagnant the past few years and looked ready for a rebuild.
Few expected that first-year head coach Justin Fuente would be able to build it back so quickly. But here the Hokies stand, 3-1 and 1-0 in the ACC with a massive early-season showdown against North Carolina looming this weekend. Their only loss is to No. 9 Tennessee in the Battle at Bristol.
JUCO transfer signal-caller Jerod Evans is playing at a high level, and now, he's going against another brilliant quarterback in North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky, who is getting plenty of national love after his performance in an upset win over Florida State.
Trubisky is sixth nationally with 1,711 passing yards, and his 182.65 passer rating is also sixth. He's also yet to throw an interception, which means he's a legit Heisman Trophy contender.
"I may be biased, but I don't care," UNC receiver Ryan Switzer told Scout.com's Greg Barnes. "He's got to be top three in the country, quarterback-wise. He doesn't make mistakes. He puts the ball where it needs to be. He's composed. He's got as good of an arm as I've seen. Unbelievable."
Evans is also playing incredibly well, throwing for 970 yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception to go along with 209 rushing yards. He's the biggest reason why Fuente's team is surging.
But this isn't about the quarterbacks. Both of these teams have huge aspirations, and this is a pivotal Coastal Division game. The winner likely will hold the upper hand on this side of the ACC along with Miami.
1. Florida State at Miami
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This is arguably the worst defensive start in the history of Florida State football, and coordinator Charles Kelly must turn it around quickly or some difficult decisions await head coach Jimbo Fisher.
The Seminoles have given up 35.4 points per game, 105th nationally. They're also allowing 6.98 yards per play, which is the most of any Power Five team in college football, according to the Tallahassee Democrat's Wayne E. McGahee III.
But is it all Kelly's fault? According to SB Nation's Bill Connelly, who spoke with Tomahawk Nation's Bud Elliott, the Seminoles have faced by far the best group of offenses in the nation, and they've done so with a slew of injuries.
Even with redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois performing well and Heisman Trophy candidate running back Dalvin Cook surging, the Noles are 3-2. They'll try to reverse those fortunes this weekend against a Miami team that has shocked college football.
Could Richt be returning his alma mater to The U so quickly? He'll have the opportunity to end his program's six-game losing streak to FSU this weekend, and it would be a national declaration. The Seminoles start Miami's brutal stretch of games that includes North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and Pitt.
"I know they have two losses, but they've played some really outstanding football teams,'' Richt told the Miami Herald's George Richards. "You play Ole Miss, Louisville and North Carolina—that's murderers' row in the first five games. We're about to hit our murderers' row. We'll see how we do. I know our fans will be off the chain."
Win this weekend, and the national attention will really be heavy.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
