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What happened on Saturday night, uhh... happened. It sucked. It sucked hard.
Anyways, somehow despite the end result, the SP+ computatin’ machine thought highly of it. NC State moved up from 23rd to 20th in the SP+ rankings this week, with the Wolfpack’s rating increasing from 14.1 to 14.8. Technically, that puts NC State in a tie with Arizona State, but I’m assuming there are some missing decimal places that would break the tie.
Anyways, here’s the ACC this week:
ACC Standings By SP+
| Team | Wk 11 SP+ (Rk) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Wk 11 SP+ (Rk) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
| Clemson | 19.9 (7) | -- | 57 | 3 |
| Pitt | 17.7 (9) | 1 | 10 | 20 |
| NC State | 14.8 (20) | 3 | 44 | 12 |
| UNC | 12.3 (26) | -1 | 4 | 78 |
| Miami | 11.7 (32) | -4 | 22 | 47 |
| Wake Forest | 10.6 (35) | -1 | 7 | 79 |
| Louisville | 9.6 (37) | 9 | 26 | 62 |
| Virginia | 8.7 (43) | -8 | 11 | 83 |
| Virginia Tech | 8.7 (44) | 6 | 67 | 25 |
| FSU | 7.2 (53) | -5 | 51 | 51 |
| BC | 5.3 (60) | 3 | 52 | 64 |
| Syracuse | 4.4 (65) | -9 | 70 | 45 |
| Georgia Tech | 1.4 (76) | -4 | 60 | 81 |
| Duke | -8.3 (99) | -2 | 90 | 108 |
Boston College was the latest ACC team to clinch bowl eligibility with their win over Georgia Tech last weekend. For GT, the loss secures a bowl-less year. Duke also secured their stay-at-home postseason ticket with their loss to Virginia Tech.
The big news from the weekend was Wake Forest putting themselves one win away from the Atlantic Division title and a spot in the ACC Championship Game. For State fans, the hope is for the Wolfpack to win out (obviously), as well as for Clemson to do the same, and for Wake to drop their final two games (at Clemson and at Boston College). That would set up a three-way tie for the division title. Gimme that glimmer of hope!
In the Coastal Division, the big game this coming week will be Virginia at Pittsburgh. A Pitt win will put the Panthers in the ACC Championship Game. A Virginia win will put the Cavaliers in the drivers’ seat in the division, setting up a pretty intense rivalry game against a now headless Virginia Tech squad.
If the Atlantic plays out in State’s favor and results in a three-way tie, there’s also a chance that there would be a three-way tie in the Coastal Division, too, between Pitt, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. If my understanding of the rules is correct, a three-way tie in the Coastal between those three teams would have VT going to the ACC Championship Game. LOL at the thought of VT firing Fuente only to have the team play for the conference title.
What can you say about the ACC this year except... parity, I guess? Sure.
In the College Football Playoff Rankings, the Wolfpack will retain the little number next to their name for another week, falling four spots but staying ranked at #20. Wake moves back up into the Top 10 at #10, while Pitt moves back up into the Top 20 at #18.
' #CFBPlayoff pic.twitter.com/UuRcUXTHex
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 17, 2021
And old friend Mississippi State jumps into the rankings at #25.