Yeah, I know, there’s one game left, but I trust you can make that update on your own
1. SMU (last week: 38-6 W vs California)
Unquestioned #1 in the league, which is a wild thing to say considering the program was playing in the AAC last year. A perfect 8-0 ACC record puts this team at the top. They’ll take on the team that’s been the most dominant in the conference over the last decade for the right to hang a banner back in Dallas next year.
2. Clemson (last week: 14-17 L vs South Carolina)
This feels like a bit of a cop-out to rank Clemson #2, but there’s really no clear cut team to take that spot. You could go with Miami, but they’re deeply flawed and didn’t play a ranked team all year. Two of the Tigers losses were against ranked SEC foes (Georgia, South Carolina), while the other loss was against a strong Louisville team.
3. Miami (last week: 38-42 L @ Syracuse)
The Hurricanes played with fire all year, pulling out some close wins against some inferior teams (sometimes with the help of the ACC). Eventually that was going to catch up to them, and it did as Miami lost two of their last three to miss a spot in the conference title game and put their CFP chances in jeopardy. Both losses were by one score, but… man, what a let down.
4. Louisville (last week: 41-14 W @ Kentucky)
Aside from shooting themselves in the foot with their loss at Stanford, the Cardinals other three losses were to Notre Dame, SMU, and Miami. That’s perfectly acceptable. All four losses came by one score, which is even tougher. A 2-4 record in one-score games screams of bad luck, but as with the Stanford loss, sometimes you create your own bad luck. Jeff Brohm is now 18-8 in his early Louisville tenure, and is definitely an upgrade over the last two coaches to lead the program.
5. Syracuse (last week: 42-38 W vs Miami)
The loss to Stanford early in the season seems even more confusing now. Aside from that setback, the only losses were at Pitt (back before the wheels fell off for the Panthers) and at Boston College. What an incredibly strong debut for Fran Brown, but next year will be tough having to replace QB Kyle McCord and WR Jackson Meeks. RB LeQuint Allen could also bolt early for the NFL, but there’s a chance the offense could return Allen plus WR/TE Oronde Gadsden and WR Trebor Pena. Before they have to worry about that, the Orange will look for win #10 in their bowl game.
6. Georgia Tech (last week: 42-44 L @ Georgia)
I still don’t get how GT lost that game to Georgia, but let’s not dwell on that. It’s a shame Haynes King was banged up for the Notre Dame and Virginia Tech games, otherwise this could have been a really special season for the Rambling Wreck. In the bowl game, Brent Key’s group will look to secure the Yellow Jackets first season above seven wins since 2016.
7. Duke (last week: 23-17 W @ Wake Forest)
First-year head coaches really had a phenomenal year in the ACC, and Manny Diaz is no exception. Mike Elko turned his two years in Durham into a huge gig at Texas A&M, yet Diaz is poised to put up just the second 10-win season in school history in their upcoming bowl game. That’s not to say this team is better than either of those Elko fielded, but they’ve made the most of their opportunities, going 6-1 in one-score games. This is a very flawed team with a limited offensive profile, but good for Diaz.
8. Boston College (last week: 34-23 W vs Pittsburgh)
Raise your hand if you thought this BC team would finish among the bottom three in the conference. If your hand isn’t raised, you’re either related to someone on the Eagles or you’re lying. Bill O’Brien did a great job, albeit against a weak schedule. The team finished strong, though, pushing Louisville and SMU while topping Syracuse and Pitt and also running over UNC. This wasn’t expected to be a bowl team, yet they have a chance for the first 8-win season for the program since 2009.
9. Virginia Tech (last week: 37-17 W vs Virginia)
A 6-6 record with all six losses being by a single score each. That is rough. This was probably the best Hokies team since the 2017 team went 9-4 under Justin Fuente, but it still put Brent Pry on the hot seat. Next year is going to be huge for Pry and he’ll have to do it without top offensive weapon, RB Bhayshul Tuten. If QB Kyron Drones doesn’t hit the transfer portal and makes a step forward, next year could be the breakout campaign Hokies fans have been waiting for… or they’ll be hiring a new coach. Excitement in Blacksburg either way.
10. Pittsburgh (last week: 23-34 L @ Boston College)
I debated putting Pitt way further down considering they’re on a five-game losing streak since opening the season with a 7-0 record, but they played a pretty strong schedule down the stretch (that loss to Virginia notwithstanding), so we’ll give them a little slack. It also didn’t help losing QB Eli Holstein. With Holstein back next year, Pitt should be in decent shape.
11. NC State (last week: 35-30 W @ North Carolina)
All we asked for from this flawed NC State team was one more win, and they delivered when it mattered. No doubt, this season was a disappointment from the potential that it held before the opening kick, but the Wolfpack are bowl eligible for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Dave Doeren will look to secure his 10th winning season in 12 years in Raleigh in the bowl game, but he’ll have to break a four-game bowl losing streak to do so.
12. Omarion Hampton (last week: 30-35 L vs NC State)
Could you imagine how bad UNC would have been without Omarion Hampton this year? He scored 17 of the team’s 49 offensive TDs on the year and single-handedly kept them competitive this year. With Hampton off to the NFL and Mack Brown off to forced retirement, whoever takes over the gig in Chapel Hill will have some serious rebuilding to do.
13. California (last week: 6-38 L @ SMU)
The season-ending thumping from SMU aside, this was a competitive Cal team all season long. A 2-5 record in one-score games tarnishes that, but it was a better than expected team. That’s especially true considering RB Jaydn Ott was banged up all year and ineffective when he was able to play. Add a healthy Ott into the mix and this Golden Bears team might have won 10 games. Crazy, right?
14. Virginia (last week: 17-37 L @ Virginia Tech)
It’s pretty clear the Tony Elliott experience in Charlottesville isn’t working out – and isn’t going to work out – but it appears Virginia’s going to let it play out for another year. Maybe Anthony Colandrea puts it together, although he’d probably be best served starting over elsewhere, especially with top offensive playmaker Malachi Fields exhausting his eligibility. The Cavs will be looking for a new coach this time next year, if not sooner.
15. Wake Forest (last week: 17-23 L vs Duke)
Has Dave Clawson run out of magic in Winston-Salem? After going 19-8 across the 2021 and 2022 seasons, the Deacs have posted back-to-back 4-8 campaigns. There’s no easy answer with QB Hank Bachmeier and WR Taylor Morin graduating, but RB Demond Claiborne could be back if he doesn’t turn pro or transfer. Either way the program is not pointed in the right direction, which was clear to anyone who watched Wake play this year.
16. Stanford (last week: 31-34 L @ San Jose State)
Next year’s going to be a make-it-or-break-it year for Troy Taylor now that he’s posted 3-9 records of each of his first two years with the Cardinal. Stanford was pretty terrible this year, yet still pulled a couple rabbits out of their hat with wins over Syracuse and Louisville. Go figure. That’s more than can be said for…
17. Florida State (last week: 11-31 L vs Florida)
There better be some deep dives into what happened this year with Florida State. They went from first to last in a single season in league play. Their only wins on the year were a 5-point home win over Cal and a blowout win over a 1-11 Charleston Southern team from the FCS ranks. Mike Norvell has next year and only next year to figure it out, and he better have things looking much better early or he’ll get a pink slip quickly.