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Each week in the ACC is an experience, and I say “experience” because it sounds better than “borderline disaster.” And besides, the games tend to be fun to watch even if the results don’t end up being so good for the league.
Pittsburgh went and lost a home game to Western Michigan, 44-41, a week after winning at Tennessee, which is a very Pittsburgh thing to do. Confusing? Sure. Bad for the ACC? Absolutely. Fun to watch? Yes, yes it was.
The Clemson and Georgia Tech game, not so much, but it did not affect the Tigers’ standing at the top of the ACC in SP+.
ACC Standings By SP+
| Team | Wk 3 SP+ (Rk) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Wk 3 SP+ (Rk) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
| Clemson | 23.6 (5) | -1 | 15 | 4 |
| UNC | 18.9 (11) | 1 | 3 | 47 |
| Miami | 12.4 (25) | -4 | 32 | 33 |
| NC State | 9.6 (36) | 11 | 58 | 23 |
| Virginia Tech | 9.6 (37) | -15 | 34 | 44 |
| Pitt | 9.5 (38) | -2 | 54 | 30 |
| BC | 74 (50) | 10 | 21 | 85 |
| Virginia | 5.7 (55) | -23 | 36 | 73 |
| Louisville | 5.1 (57) | 1 | 18 | 94 |
| Wake Forest | 2.8 (67) | 1 | 63 | 70 |
| FSU | 2.6 (69) | -5 | 51 | 83 |
| Georgia Tech | 1.4 (72) | -6 | 85 | 45 |
| Syracuse | -1.1 (80) | 9 | 97 | 53 |
| Duke | -4.8 (89) | 3 | 96 | 81 |
Miami got itself blown out at home by a middling Michigan State team, and I dunno, maybe it’s time to stop just putting the Hurricanes in the preseason top 20 until they can actually prove they deserve a ranking of any kind. I’m not buying that there is any particular difference between Miami and VT/NCSU/Pitt/UVA.
The Hokies also provided some disappointment in a loss at West Virginia, but it was close at least!
Louisville delivered the best non-conference win of the week, in addition to one of the highlights of the week, by walking off UCF with a pick-six. Duke beat Northwestern in Durham, Boston College won easily at Temple, Syracuse had no trouble with Albany, and of course, NC State pummeled Furman.
In league play, Wake Forest had little difficulty with a beleaguered Florida State team that is now 0-3 and has fans calling for Mike Norvell’s head. UNC put up 59 points on UVA, and if nothing else it looks like the Heels’ elite offense will make them the second-best team in the ACC this year. Which doesn’t mean they’ll win the Coastal, mind you. If anything, that decreases their odds.
It’d be nice if the ACC were a deeper league, but on the bright side we can expect all sorts of chaos on a weekly basis. That’s a decent consolation, at least.