Miami defeats #13 Duke 46-34

Chaos Week struck the FCFB world again in Week 8 as half of the Top 10 fell. The ACC mostly avoided it as #4 VT and #7 GT won but #13 Duke flinched first in the Race for the Coastal as they got upset at Miami. Just as the Coastal gains some clarity, the Atlantic is wide open again as Florida State knocks off Atlantic leader 35-23 as UL still has to take on BC and NCSU in a few weeks.

1.) Virginia Tech– 7-1 (3-1), +1 from last week, defeated Clemson 20-17. Virginia Tech survived the ultimate trap game on a walk off field goal to move to 7-1 on the season. In the coach’s last 13 games against 11 coaches, he has gone 11-2 with wins against every coach he has played in that time. VT starts a 3 game home stand this week as they take on North Carolina.

2.) Georgia Tech– 6-2 (5-1), -1, defeated North Carolina 40-7. Georgia Tech bounced back from their loss to Duke by absolutely brutalizing UNC this week by outgaining them 465-165. They regain control of their destiny with Duke falling to Miami. It is GT’s turn to take on the ultimate trap as they host Clemson this week.

3.) Virginia– 5-3 (3-2), +1, defeated Pittsburgh 31-7. UVA shut down the Pitt offense this week holding them to 131 total yards. UVA is very much alive in the ACC Race and even the playoff race. They finish up OOC play this week as they take on a Troy team who has scored 49+ points in 4 of their last 5 games.

4.) Duke– 5-3 (3-2), -1, lost to Miami 46-34. Welcome back classic Duke Defense. Duke had a classic letdown game this week after beating GT as Miami beat them in a game where if you just look at the stats, Duke should’ve won easily. Outgained Miami by over 50 yards and won the turnover battle by 2 but they just didn’t. Giving up 36 1st half points is a good way to lose. They get to take a trip to South Bend to take on a surging Notre Dame team.

5.) NC State– 5-3 (2-3), +1, defeated Wake Forest 32-0. NC State took care of business this week as they dominated in-state rival Wake Forest. NC State can really shake up the Atlantic race these next few week as they take on Boston College and Louisville these next 2 weeks.

6.) Boston College– 5-3 (2-2), +1, defeated Tennessee 21-9. Boston College finished up OOC play this week by winning against Tennessee despite being shut down by the Volunteer defense. They still control their destiny to the ACC title but it won’t be easy with their final 4 games coming against NCSU, VT, Louisville, and Syracuse.

7.) Louisville– 4-4 (4-1), -2, lost to Florida State 35-23. Louisville may be #1 in the Atlantic but they aren’t the best team there. This is a by-product of their backloaded conference schedule as their final 2 ACC games are against NC State and Boston College. This game against Pitt is a much needed weaker opponent as UL needs to bounce back after 2 losses in a row.

8.) Miami– 4-4 (3-3), +3, defeated #13 Duke 46-34. Miami’s offense exploded this week against the Duke defense as they pulled off the upset to move to .500 on the season and in ACC play. They get a break from ACC play this week as they take on a struggling Georgia Southern team.

9.) Florida State– 4-4 (2-3), +3, defeated Louisville 35-23. Florida State is on fire right now as they have won 3 games in a row including wins over BC and UL. This is the 2nd longest active win streak in the ACC. Yes, FSU, has the 2nd longest winning streak in the ACC right now. They look to make it 4 in a row as they take on the worst team in the ACC in Wake Forest.

10.) Clemson– 3-5 (2-3), -2, lost to #4 Virginia Tech 20-17. Clemson nearly played spoiler to VT this week but 2 missed 48 yard field goals ended up being huge. They just made too many mistakes in VT territory to be able to pull off the upset. Clemson’s defense put in work holding VT to their lowest point total of the season. They get a chance at redemption this week as they take on Coastal leader Georgia Tech in a rivalry game.

11.) Syracuse– 4-4 (3-2), -2, defeated Louisiana-Monroe 24-23. Syracuse survived against ULM this week to move back to .500 this season and get their 1st OOC win of the season. They finish up OOC play this week as they take on a collapsing Temple team in what should be an interesting showdown.

12.) North Carolina– 3-5 (2-4), -2, lost to #8 Georgia Tech 40-7. Yeah…UNC never stood a chance this week against a pissed off GT team after a loss. They just got ran all over and couldn’t get anything going on offense and since the scheduling gods are cruel they take on VT this week.

13.) Pittsburgh– 2-6 (0-4), 0, lost to Virginia 31-7. Pitt’s offense was a trainwreck this week only gaining 131 yards on the day. This team’s only accomplishment this season has been derailing Temple’s season. Since the scheduling gods are so cruel they take on the Atlantic leader this week in UL, the Coastal leader in GT next week, and VT the week after.

14.) Wake Forest– 1-7 (0-4), 0, lost to NC State 32-0. CONGRATULATIONS WAKE FOREST! You are the 1st team in the ACC who has clinched a losing record this season. A season filled with hope shortly followed by disaster. The BC collapse W1, the close calls against Texas State and Louisville. Now just disaster, this team hasn’t cared or been competitive since week 4. 2nd time shutout in 4 weeks. They take on a hot Florida State team this week.