1. Miami

WIN 2OT 43-35 vs Florida State

Facing their first adversity of the season, Miami did what they needed to do to avoid etching their name onto the list of upsets around college football this weekend. While their defense was tested and bailed out by questionable calls at the end of the game, the Miami offense shined. Malachi Toney took over with 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, while Javian Mallory came in for an injured Mark Fletcher Jr. and had 108 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns himself, including a 25-yard run to tie the game in overtime. For the first time since 2002, Miami is the No. 1 team in the AP Poll.

Next Matchup: SAT noon vs Pittsburgh

2. Wake Forest

WIN 41-7 @ California

The Gio Lopez Heisman campaign continues to gain traction. Lopez threw for 267 yards and 4 touchdowns in the rout against California, while adding 51 more yards on the ground. Freshman tight end Dominick Barry caught 3 of these touchdowns, recording 102 receiving yards in a career game. For reference, he has 116 total receiving yards this season. Life is good for the Demon Deacons, who are now the No. 17 team in the AP Poll.

Next Matchup: Oct. 31 vs Virginia

3. Louisville

WIN 34-26 @ Syracuse

It was an ugly win for Louisville. The Cardinals allowed 462 yards of offense to Syracuse and Lincoln Kienholz threw 2 interceptions. The run game, which is the calling card for the Louisville offense, only put up 116 rushing yards. However, the defense snatching 2 interceptions won the game for the Cardinals. Louisville finds themselves with a winning record again at 4-3.

Next Matchup: BYE

4. SMU

WIN 23-13 vs Virginia

It was another low scoring affair for SMU coming out of their bye week. The Mustangs had only 9 offensive drives and only scored touchdowns on 2 of them. With these long offensive drives, having to settle for field goals or not converting on 4th downs leaves much needed points on the board. SMU jumps a spot to No. 23 in the AP Poll.

Next Matchup: SAT noon vs California

5. Clemson

WIN 37-0 vs Charleston Southern

Tait Reynolds and Trent Pearman both got action at quarterback in this FCS buy game. Despite the blowout win, Reynolds did not light up the stat sheet and Pearman threw 2 interceptions. However, the Clemson defense forced 4 sacks and 2 turnovers. They return to ACC play next week against Virginia Tech.

Next Matchup: SAT 7:00 p.m. vs Virginia Tech

6. North Carolina

WIN 24-20 @ Duke

North Carolina got out to a 17-0 lead, and despite letting Duke come back and take the lead, the Tar Heels fought back and ended the game with an interception to win. Billy Edwards Jr. continues to do a good job leading the offense and didn’t turn the ball over. Bill Belichick now has his team on the brink of a top 25 ranking.

Next Matchup: SAT 7:30 p.m. vs Syracuse

7. Florida State

LOSS 2OT 43-35 @ Miami

Florida State gave Miami all they could handle and came out on the losing side. They also lost star running back Ousmane Kromah for the season due to a nasty ankle injury. Consistency is still an issue on both sides of the ball. The defense made life difficult for Darian Mensah all game, but had no answer in overtime after taking the lead with their first drive. The offense struggled schematically when Mike Norvell chose to go for it on 4th down within the 5-yard line twice and failed both times. Time will tell for when Florida State can play to their ceiling.

Next Matchup: Oct. 31 vs Clemson

8. Virginia Tech

WIN 34-24 vs Georgia Tech

Virginia Tech ends their two game skid with a win over Georgia Tech. Que’Sean Brown had 182 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Jeffrey Overton Jr had 114 scrimmage yards and also scored a touchdown. The key to this game was that Ethan Grunkemeyer protected the ball and went 15/22 for 250 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Also, John Love went 2-2 on his field goals. The mistakes Virginia Tech had been making during their losing streak were fixed in this game.

Next Matchup: SAT 7:00 p.m. @ Clemson

9. Virginia

LOSS 23-13 @ SMU

The offensive struggles continue for Virginia. Beau Pribula threw for only 137 yards and the offense as a whole recorded 258 total yards. Being within three points going into the 4th quarter, the defense allowed a touchdown and the offense was stagnant after that. Outside of the  Syracuse game last week, Virginia has not been able to perform late in close games, making next week’s game against Duke an intriguing matchup.

Next Matchup: FRI 7:00 p.m. vs Duke

10. NC State

BYE

Next Matchup: FRI 10:30 p.m. @ Stanford

11. California

LOSS 41-7 vs Wake Forest

Despite not starting, Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele returned from injury and went 15-18 for 110 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Cal’s offense has not been up to par as they only recorded 266 yards of total offense against Wake Forest. Their defense had no answer for Wake Forest and did nothing to put pressure on them. Beyond the quarterback situation, Cal has many more questions to answer going into next week’s game against SMU.

Next Matchup: SAT noon @ SMU

12. Boston College

WIN 27-21 vs Pittsburgh

Boston College finally picks up their first ACC win and makes a big jump in the power rankings. Receiver Landon Wright led the way with 122 yards and a touchdown. The Boston College defense forced 3 turnovers and despite allowing a 75-yard touchdown on the first play of the game, the unit turned things around quickly and did not allow a touchdown the rest of the way. Sitting at 3-3, Boston College will look to take their momentum on the road against Georgia Tech.

Next Matchup: SAT 3:30 p.m. @ Georgia Tech

13. Pittsburgh

LOSS 27-21 @ Boston College

That is now two straight losses for Pitt after starting the season undefeated. True freshman Corey Dailey started at quarterback, but had a poor showing going 11-25 for 193 passing yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. They settled for 4 field goals and went 2-10 on 3rd downs. The impact Mason Heintschel had on this offense is evident given the results these last two weeks. Pitt now sits in the bottom tier of the ACC power rankings.

Next Matchup: SAT noon @ Miami

14. Georgia Tech

LOSS 34-24 @ Virginia Tech

Georgia Tech let this game get away from them in what ended as a 10 point loss. After going down 24-3, the Yellow Jackets cut it to 24-17, but the defense’s inability to make timely stops took away their chance of winning. Alberto Mendoza and the offense had a solid outing, as he went 29-38 passing for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns, despite an interception. Late game improvements will need to be made to take down Boston College Saturday.

Next Matchup: SAT 3:30 p.m. vs Boston College

15. Duke

LOSS 24-20 vs North Carolina

Duke’s defense gave up the lead with two minutes to play in what became their second consecutive loss. While Nate Sheppard had 175 total yards and a touchdown, the rest of the offense did not do much. Their only other touchdown came on a defensive scoop and score. A 4-0 start has now gone south, but Duke has a chance against Virginia to get back on the winning end.

Next Matchup: FRI 7:00 p.m. @ Virginia

16. Syracuse

LOSS 34-26 vs Louisville

Malachi Nelson made his second straight start and ended 26/39 for 215 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a fumble. Three turnovers against a team that capitalizes off of momentum killed Syracuse’s chances in this game. Umari Hatcher had a 224 yard receiving game with a touchdown and Ahmad Miller had 123 rushing yards with a touchdown, being the few bright spots of the night.

Next Matchup: SAT 7:30 p.m. @ North Carolina

17. Stanford

WIN 34-7 vs Elon

Stanford had 515 yards of offense against Elon, and 231 of those yards came via Micah Ford. He scored all 4 of Stanford’s touchdowns. Maybe this performance against an FCS team will empower Stanford to take down NC State in a Friday night matchup and rise from the bottom of the ACC power rankings.

Next Matchup: FRI 10:30 p.m. vs NC State

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