ACC Breakdown: Virginia Tech in the ‘hot seat,’ Clemson still at the top

Week six of the college football season continued to prove the No. 4 slot as the hot seat in these rankings, as then-No. 25 Maryland was demolished by No. 6 Florida State, 63-0. The week before, Georgia Tech lost to Virginia Tech after climbing to No. 4 in my rankings. 

This week, Pitt may benefit from the Hokies’ ranking, as the Panthers travel to Blacksburg, Va., for a matchup with Virginia Tech. 

Once again, Clemson retains the top spot after it shellacked Syracuse, 49-14, while the No. 13 Miami Hurricanes jumped the Seminoles for this week’s second-place slot.

Here’s this week’s ACC Breakdown:

Clemson

ACC newcomer Syracuse provided no challenge to the conference’s top team. The Tigers were up 35-7 at halftime and cruised to a 49-14 victory. Senior quarterback Tajh Boyd kept himself near the front of the Heisman race with a 20-of-27 day for five touchdowns.

Miami

Georgia Tech jumped out early on the Hurricanes and led 17-7 — the largest deficit Miami has faced all season. Behind four second-half touchdowns, Al Golden’s squad pulled away from the Yellow Jackets for a 45-30 win.

Florida State

The Seminoles made Maryland’s trip into the top 25 a short one with their 63-0 victory. From 10:26 in the second quarter to 9:55 in the fourth, Florida State scored a touchdown on all eight of its possessions. Defensively, the Seminoles forced a pretty good Maryland offense to punt 11 times.

Virginia Tech

At 5-1 after its 27-17 win over North Carolina, Virginia Tech is finding its stride. It hasn’t been pretty for the Hokies, and it wasn’t again last Saturday against the Tar Heels. The Hokies were outgained by UNC in yardage and needed three turnovers to secure a win. 

Pitt

With two weeks to prepare for Virginia Tech, the Panthers have a huge opportunity. A win in Blacksburg, Va., would put Pitt neck-and-neck with Miami for the Coastal Division crown. Virginia Tech’s talented defensive line will put a lot of pressure on Pitt’s young offensive line.

Georgia Tech

It’s hard to drop the Yellow Jackets far after a loss to Miami. The Hurricanes have proven to be a top-three ACC squad. Georgia Tech played the Hurricanes well, but it wasn’t enough. The Jackets are 34-4 under head coach Paul Johnson when scoring more than 28 points. This team needs the defense to get back to what Johnson is used to seeing.

Maryland

The Terrapins’ game against Florida State was a chance for them to cement themselves higher in the rankings. A decent performance would have gotten them a lot of respect — they didn’t even need to win. Now, Maryland’s just a 4-1 team without an ACC win, and its weak out-of-conference schedule calls into question just how tough those four wins were.

North Carolina

If Virginia Tech truly is a top-four ACC squad, UNC’s 27-17 loss to the Hokies is nothing to be ashamed of. The Tar Heels played with them and, as I said above, even outgained them in yardage.

North Carolina State

For the sixth straight time at Wake Forest, the Wolf Pack lost. This time, it was a 28-13 loss to the terrible Demon Deacons. I’ll give North Carolina State the benefit of the doubt partly because no other schools deserve to be ranked in the single digits and partly because sometimes supernatural forces just don’t let certain teams win at certain stadiums.

Boston College

The Eagles’ offense continues to be a dangerous weapon for Boston College. A week after scoring 34 points against Florida State, Boston College ran by Army with a 48-27 victory. Offensively, Boston College will challenge a lot of the ACC defenses.

Syracuse

The Orange were beat up by the conference’s bully. Most expected a loss. The more troublesome part of the loss for ’Cuse was the performance of its quarterback. Terrel Hunt was 8-of-24 for 52 yards and three interceptions. Once again, head coach Scott Shafer has a quarterback decision to make.

Duke

With games the next two weeks against Navy and Virginia, the Blue Devils could easily be 5-2 headed into their last five games. Although Duke hasn’t looked great this year, it could need just one win in its final five games to become bowl eligible. After advancing to a bowl game last year, the Blue Devils are trying to go to back-to-back bowl games for the first time ever.

Wake Forest

Wake moves out of the bottom spot in a big way after its win over North Carolina State. The Demon Deacons showed some life as senior quarterback Tanner Price beat up on the Wolf Pack both through the air and on the ground. Price passed for 268 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 82 yards and one touchdown.

Virginia

Virginia’s defense is supposed to be its strong unit, but the Cavaliers went and gave up 48 points to Ball State. The 48-27 loss to the Mid-American Conference school firmly plants Virginia in last place in the ACC and head coach Mike London directly on the hot seat.