Ranking Best ACC Football Matchups of Week 12
Pitt's shocking upset of Clemson in Death Valley last weekend is proof that anything can happen in college football.
The Tigers didn't necessarily let their guard down, either. Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi called a stellar game, and senior quarterback Nathan Peterman had the performance of his life in one of the biggest upsets of the season.
Now, it's back to business for the rest of the ACC, as the conference looks to keep pace and put a team in the College Football Playoff.
Luckily for the ACC, there have been plenty of recent upsets and poll shake-ups, so last weekend actually put another program back in the playoff picture along with the Tigers, who aren't out of it yet. That would be Louisville, who crept back into the conversation.
The Cardinals must keep the momentum gained in last week's beating of Wake Forest with a tough out-of-conference trip to Houston on Thursday night. Clemson must rebound against a solid Demon Deacons team, and Virginia Tech must do the same against Notre Dame after losing in a disappointing showing against Georgia Tech.
There are plenty of other intriguing showdowns, too, so let's take a look at this week's ACC slate.
6. Florida State at Syracuse
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In perhaps one of the best NFL draft classes ever in terms of running backs, Florida State junior Dalvin Cook may just be the best if he declares, which seems a foregone conclusion.
The Seminoles star has been a bright spot all season, and he can make things happen every time he gets the ball.
Cook could be primed for a huge game this weekend against a Syracuse defense that has struggled to stop anybody.
According to the Orlando Sentinel's Safid Deen, "Cook is 19 yards shy of breaking Warrick Dunn's career rushing mark of 3,959 yards, and is 59 yards away from become the third college football player ever in the state of Florida to rush for more than 4,000 career yards."
That's an impressive milestone, and Cook leads an offense that can light up the scoreboard.
On the other hand, the Orange can score in bunches, too, and Florida State coordinator Charles Kelly's unit hasn't set the world on fire defensively, either. It may just be a shootout this weekend in Syracuse.
But with Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey "probably doubtful" to play, according to head coach Dino Babers via Syracuse.com's Stephen Bailey, the pendulum swings heavily in the Seminoles' favor, even though they already were expected to win.
If Dungey doesn't go, junior Zack Mahoney will take the reins again, and he'll need to grow after last weekend's loss to NC State.
"Obviously we missed [Dungey] a great deal out there," Babers said after that game. "There would've been a lot of things that could've been taken advantage of."
5. Miami at NC State
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Miami's 4-0 start is a thing of the past, but after four consecutive losses, the Hurricanes have rallied a bit with a few victories and now enter this weekend's pivotal game against North Carolina State with six victories.
Coach Mark Richt's first season at his alma mater hasn't been perfect, but the 'Canes are a good football team, and they need a strong finish against the Wolfpack and Duke to consider the year a success.
NC State is in pretty much the same boat.
Dave Doeren's team has been about as up-and-down as you can imagine this year. The Wolfpack have experienced disappointing defeats to East Carolina and Boston College, enjoyed quality wins against Notre Dame and Wake Forest and endured painful, one-possession losses to Florida State and Clemson.
Doeren told ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson he has seen strides in his program, but the results are disappointing:
"We've made a lot of progress in a lot of ways, but we still haven't put away teams when we had them on the ropes all the time. Going into the season, if someone would have said, 'You're going to outplay Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame and have a chance to win all three games,; I would have been excited about that. When you get there and don't get it done against two of them, there's no moral victory there. There are positive things that are happening here. The guys see it. They know if they stay on track, great things are going to happen. The dam is going to break. We're getting closer. There's progress, there just isn't pleasure.
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Both teams have the opportunity to finish strong and take big steps forward, but this is a must-win game for perception.
The showdown in Raleigh may not be the biggest game in the conference this weekend, but it may be the biggest for both of these programs' seasons.
4. Duke at Pittsburgh
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How do you settle down after such a massive victory last weekend?
That's the challenge facing Coach Narduzzi this weekend as he tries to get his Panthers prepared to play a decent Duke team at home after ending Clemson's 21-game home winning streak last weekend and becoming bowl-eligible in the process.
Peterman had five touchdown passes, and the Panthers scored 43 points.
Still, Narduzzi had the perfect remedy, at least personally: He smothered himself in Blue Devils film. When asked a situational question about the game against the Tigers in his weekly press conference Monday, he responded, "I watched so much Duke tape this morning I forgot."
That's a good thing. Duke head coach David Cutcliffe is one of the best offensive minds in college football, and though it's been a forgettable, injury-riddled year for the Blue Devils, they can certainly sneak up on you.
You don't have to tell North Carolina, who was upset by its rival 28-27 last weekend, which marked Duke's first ACC win of the year. It needs to upset Pitt and close the year with a road win against Miami to become bowl-eligible.
That won't be an easy task, but Duke is used to playing in the postseason, so it would be unwise to count the Devils out.
"We've got young people that don't know anything at Duke but winning, so it's different, no question," Cutcliffe told Adelson prior to the win over North Carolina. "We're so close, but that doesn't matter. There's a reason you're close and you're not winning. It's my job to get us over that hump, and that hump doesn't come easy."
It came against the Tar Heels. Now, Duke must go on the road twice and pull out tough games to keep it going. They'll be ready to add onto last weekend's upset. Perhaps that's why Narduzzi is watching so much film.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
3. Virginia Tech at Notre Dame
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Virginia Tech went from placing 14th in the College Football Playoff ranking to tumbling out of the conversation after a disappointing 30-20 loss to Georgia Tech last weekend.
Considering where the Hokies thought they'd be, however, head coach Justin Fuente's first year has still been a roaring success.
They currently sit at 7-3, and although they squandered an opportunity to clinch the Coastal Division title last weekend, the Hokies can still do that in a few weeks. For now, they'll have to settle for a chance to beat a traditional power having a difficult year.
Notre Dame needs to win its next two games to become bowl-eligible, and coach Brian Kelly's team has struggled all season. Now, the Fighting Irish must take on dual-threat quarterback Jerod Evans and Virginia Tech. Fuente knows Notre Dame is dangerous, despite its tough season.
"We've got to turn the page, just like we talked about when we win ballgames, draw the focus inward and try and get this football team better," Fuente told the Associated Press' Hank Kurz Jr. (via the Virginian-Pilot). "It kind of highlights the slim margin between victory and defeat when you look at the league and the teams that are playing each other."
The Hokies went down 30-7 to Georgia Tech before mounting an unsuccessful comeback attempt. It was a disappointing turn of events, as Evans had two interceptions, which doubled his season total.
Still, the bottom line is this is a good team having a good year, and the post-Frank Beamer era looks bright. If the Hokies turn things around and close strong, that slip-up against the Yellow Jackets will be easy to forget.
2. Clemson at Wake Forest
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No matter how disappointing and frustrating last weekend's home loss to Pitt was, head coach Dabo Swinney's Tigers can take plenty of solace in knowing they are still on the minds of the movers and shakers in the college football world.
Despite suffering its first loss of the season, Clemson was still ranked fourth in the most recent College Football Playoff ranking released Tuesday, and if the Tigers win out, there's no reason to believe they'll be left out of the final four.
They'll need a better performance from star quarterback Deshaun Watson the rest of the way. Though he threw for a conference-record 580 yards in the loss to Pitt, he also tossed three interceptions.
"We're still going to have the same mindset, go out there execute, dominate and try and be the best we can be," Watson told the Associated Press. "That's not going to change."
The first team in their way is Wake Forest, who went toe-to-toe with Louisville last weekend for three quarters before running out of gas in the fourth and losing 44-12.
The Demon Deacons are 6-4 this season, and while they'll go into this weekend as heavy underdogs like they did last weekend, that won't change their outlook on outcomes, head coach Dave Clawson told the Winston Salem-Journal's Dan Collins. He noted his team's disappointment following the loss to the Cardinals.
"The thing I liked about that locker room after the game was that was a wounded locker room. Sometimes when we've had those games, I don't know if those kids really thought they could win. They went on the road to play an elite team as a whatever, 35-point underdog, and those kids were heartbroken they didn't win. So we’re past the moral victory stage of our program, which I think is a major step.
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The step after that is coming through with a massive win. Getting one this weekend would qualify.
1. Louisville at Houston
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There's no question who the Heisman Trophy favorite is. Lamar Jackson has held that distinction for a while now.
But the Louisville quarterback has shown he's capable of sputtering, and when he does (as he did in the first three quarters of last weekend's eventual runaway win over Wake Forest), the Cardinals are not a College Football Playoff contender.
Luckily for coach Bobby Petrino's team, Jackson is mostly on fire.
He'll need to be this Thursday, when Louisville travels to Houston to take on coach Tom Herman's Cougars. Houston had a brief lull during its season, but it has rebounded nicely and is starting to show signs of life again.
The game has lost a bit of luster, as the Cougars aren't the favorite to win the American Athletic Conference anymore, but Louisville still has the ACC championship and a playoff berth in the cards.
Petrino told WDRB.com's Rick Bozich that his team can't worry about all the things they can't control.
"I think for our players, they just have to understand they need to go out and play well. Play the type of football we're capable of playing. Really, that's what we need to do our last two games. Whatever happens, happens. We can't control any of that. We've just got to go play the way we're capable of playing. Obviously we know it's on national TV. Nobody else is playing. Everybody else will be watching it.
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Regardless of the swoon, Houston is still 8-2 with a victory over Oklahoma on its resume. That's not something Louisville can take lightly. Considering the Cardinals are fifth in the latest College Football Playoff ranking, there's still a prime opportunity to do some major damage.
Making a statement in a game everybody will be watching would be a positive step in gaining some of the momentum necessary to leap into the top four.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
