ACC Breakdown: Florida State shines as top team in lackluster week of ACC play

The ACC did not have a good week by any stretch of the imagination.

No. 7 Miami and No. 9 Clemson both struggled to pull away from inferior competition, albeit in wins. No. 14 Virginia Tech scored 10 points on a terrible Duke defense and lost. Pitt played decent football before losing embarrassingly to Navy.

At least the conference’s other 13 schools can ride the coattails of No. 3 Florida State’s national title aspirations. The Seminoles give the conference something to be proud of — at least for now.

Here’s this week’s ACC Breakdown:

1. Florida State 

With Miami looming Saturday, Florida State faced a major trap game against North Carolina State. The Seminoles put up 35 first-quarter points and cruised to a 49-17 victory over the Wolf Pack.

2. Miami

For the second-straight week, the Hurricanes needed a late drive to win. Running back Duke Johnson’s 1-yard touchdown in the fourth put Miami ahead for good, 24-21. The Hurricanes travel to Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend in a possible preview of the ACC Championship.

3. Clemson

A week after its demoralizing loss to Florida State, Clemson struggled to pull away from Maryland. The Tigers had just a six-point lead heading into the fourth before pulling away with two quick touchdowns in the final quarter.

4. Virginia Tech

As quickly as the Hokies rose up the ACC rankings early in the season, they have fallen after last week’s 13-10 loss to Duke at home. The upset proved everyone right who said that the Hokies didn’t belong in the top-tier of ACC teams.

5. Georgia Tech  

The Yellow Jackets’ 35-25 win against Virginia Tech was their second consecutive conference win. Defensively, Georgia Tech couldn’t stop a Virginia passing attack that has been below average all season. The Jackets can’t overlook Pitt, which just faced Navy, a fellow triple-option-based team.

6. Maryland 

Even without their quarterback, star wide receiver and other offensive players, the Terrapins hung around with Clemson. In a down week in the conference, Maryland’s loss was one of the better performances. If the Terps get some of their injured players back, they could earn a bid in a competitive bowl game.

7. Duke

Since allowing 58 points to Pitt on Sept. 21, the Blue Devils are 4-0. With its impressive win at Virginia Tech, Duke is bowl-eligible for the second-straight year. The last time Duke went to back-to-back bowls was…never.

8. Wake Forest

Like Maryland, Wake Forest is going to benefit from staying with a top team. The Demon Deacons kept up offensively with the Hurricanes, but late in the game Wake’s run defense disappeared, allowing Miami to steal the game.

9. Pitt

If Pitt can beat Georgia Tech based on what it learned from its 24-21 loss to Navy, the loss to the Midshipmen won’t mean much. That’s a big if, since the loss removed a significant amount of leeway in the Panthers earning a bowl game. The Panthers can’t afford any more slipups against teams they should beat, and stealing a game like the one this weekend at Georgia Tech would help greatly.

10. North Carolina

A 34-10 victory over Boston College doesn’t say much about the Tar Heels, but at least it was a win North Carolina was supposed to get. That’s something UNC hasn’t done this year. The Tar Heels’ five remaining games are all winnable, so don’t be surprised to see UNC’s talent take over and lead a winning streak.

11. Virginia

The Cavaliers alternated scores with Georgia Tech last Saturday. Unfortunately for them, the Jackets scored first and last. Virginia’s once-praised defense has allowed 35 points in back-to-back weeks, and the offense simply doesn’t have the talent to score that much.

12. North Carolina State

It’s hard to tell what kind of team the Wolf Pack is after a loss to Florida State. While the Seminoles scored only 49 points, they scored 35 first-quarter points and called the dogs off. We can only imagine how bad the game could have been.

13. Syracuse

The Orange have had two weeks to think about their 56-0 loss to Georgia Tech. Syracuse hosts Wake Forest this weekend, and with just three wins, the Orange need to improve down the stretch if they want to go bowling.

14. Boston College

Boston College’s loss to North Carolina was the real proof that the Eagles aren’t a good team. If it can’t pull off the home upset of Virginia Tech this weekend, Boston College can chalk up this season as a loss.