Another Saturday in the Atlantic Coast Conference, another slate of madness. From a 77-point avalanche in Winston-Salem to a field-goal festival inside the JMA Wireless Dome, Week 10 proved once again that this league never lets you get comfortable. But the headline came from a stadium no ACC team calls home.
No. 1 Miami went to Notre Dame Stadium and lost 31-24, and the scoreline flatters the Hurricanes. They trailed 24-3 early in the third quarter, played their first game without Heisman Trophy hopeful Malachi Toney (ankle surgery on Thursday), and watched a first-and-goal from the 1-yard line turn into a field goal when three straight runs went nowhere.
CJ Carr carved them up for 319 yards and three touchdowns, all of them in the first 33 minutes. Darian Mensah rallied Miami with three touchdown passes, but Irish defensive back Luke Talich picked him off in the third and then ripped away a potential tying touchdown from tight end Elija Lofton on a fourth-down throw with 3:36 left.
Undefeated season over.
Here's the thing, though: none of that touched the ACC standings.
Miami is still 6-0 in league play, still alone at the top, and still holds its own automatic-bid path. Win the ACC, and the Hurricanes are in the Playoff. The loss costs them margin for error on the bye-line conversation, not their seat at the table.
What it does change is the mood.
For two months, Miami was the league's alibi for every national skeptic: the ACC had a real No. 1. Now the Hurricanes head home to face a Duke team with a grudge and a defense that hasn't allowed a touchdown in 11 straight quarters, and they'll likely do it without Toney again.
Mario Cristobal said it himself about that goal-line stand: "We took points, but you'd like to get that ball in the end zone." Without their best playmaker, finishing drives is now the whole question.
And behind Miami, the race is a mosh pit. Wake Forest (5-1) just hung 77 on Merrimack with a backup quarterback. Louisville (5-2) has won four straight. SMU (5-2) scored on its first eight possessions Friday night. Duke and Clemson (both 4-2) are lurking.
Next Saturday, Wake Forest visits SMU at noon in what amounts to a semifinal for the second spot in Charlotte.
So did Miami lose anything that matters?
The aura, yes.
The invincibility talk, absolutely.
But the road to the ACC title, and the Playoff bid that comes with it, still runs through Coral Gables. The Hurricanes just have to prove they can drive it without Toney in the passenger seat.
Updated ACC Standings (Post-Week 10)
| Rank | Team | ACC Record | Overall Record | Streak | Next Matchup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 6-0 | 8-1 | L1 | vs. Duke (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 2 | Wake Forest | 5-1 | 8-1 | W6 | @ SMU (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 3 | Louisville | 5-2 | 6-3 | W4 | @ North Carolina (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 4 | SMU | 5-2 | 7-2 | W1 | vs. Wake Forest (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 5 | Duke | 4-2 | 7-2 | W3 | @ Miami (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 6 | Clemson | 4-2 | 6-3 | W2 | vs. Georgia Tech (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 7 | Pitt | 3-3 | 6-3 | W1 | vs. Florida State (Fri., Nov. 13) |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 3-3 | 6-3 | L1 | vs. Stanford (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 9 | North Carolina | 2-3 | 5-4 | W1 | vs. Louisville (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 10 | Florida State | 2-4 | 4-5 | W1 | @ Pitt (Fri., Nov. 13) |
| 11 | Stanford | 2-4 | 4-5 | L1 | @ Virginia Tech (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 12 | Virginia | 2-4 | 4-5 | L3 | vs. California (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 13 | NC State | 2-4 | 4-5 | L1 | vs. Syracuse (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 14 | Boston College | 2-4 | 4-5 | L2 | @ Notre Dame (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 15 | California | 2-4 | 3-6 | L3 | @ Virginia (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 16 | Syracuse | 2-5 | 4-5 | L1 | @ NC State (Sat., Nov. 14) |
| 17 | Georgia Tech | 1-5 | 2-7 | L4 | @ Clemson (Sat., Nov. 14) |
Standings order follows the official ACC standings page as of Sunday morning. Tied teams are listed in the conference's order, not a final tiebreaker ruling.
Tiebreaker watch: Louisville and SMU are both 5-2, so the Wake Forest-SMU result is the swing game of the week. A Mustangs win pulls Wake back into a three-way logjam at two league losses. A Deacs win puts Wake Forest one game clear of everyone with two weeks left.
Weekend Recaps: Team-by-Team Breakdown
Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Miami 24 (Saturday, South Bend)
The Story: Miami fell behind 24-3 early in the third quarter, clawed within a touchdown twice behind Mensah, and came up one disputed catch short, although I thought it was incomplete. Notre Dame's Talich had the interception and the game-saving breakup.
Key Metric: Mensah was 6-of-12 for 49 yards in the first half. Miami had averaged 27 first-half points in its first eight games and went to the locker room with three. Cooper Barkate caught two of Mensah's three touchdown passes after the break.
What It Means: Nothing in the ACC race, everything in the national perception. Miami is 6-0 in league play and still controls its path to Charlotte and the automatic Playoff bid. Toney is expected to miss at least four to six weeks, which is a huge loss.
No. 14 Wake Forest 77, Merrimack 0 (Saturday, Winston-Salem)
The Story: Making his first career start in place of the injured Gio Lopez, Steele Pizzella threw for 432 yards, all in the first half, and Wake led 49-0 at the break. It was the most points by a Wake Forest team in the modern era and the program's first shutout since 2015.
Key Metric: Pizzella went 23-of-28 for 432 yards and three touchdowns, adding 63 rushing yards and a score. His 495 total yards were 15 shy of the NCAA record for a single half. Wake piled up 730 total yards, second-most in program history. Jack Foley caught six passes for 162 yards, and Kam Shanks added a 79-yard punt return touchdown.
What It Means: A sixth straight win, 8-1 overall, and the clearest evidence yet that Jake Dickert's program has depth at the most important position, but Merrimack is far from SMU. The good news is that Dickert has expressed optimism that Lopez can return this weekend.
Louisville 44, Georgia Tech 17 (Saturday, Atlanta)
The Story: Louisville led 27-10 at halftime and never let Georgia Tech breathe, handing Jeff Brohm the 100th win of his head coaching career.
Key Metric: The Cardinals ran for 251 yards and totaled 456. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 182 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 81 more. Tre Richardson scored twice, including a 52-yard run, and TreyShun Hurry posted his first 100-yard receiving game as a Cardinal (eight catches, 104 yards). Clev Lubin had two sacks.
What It Means: Four straight wins and a 5-2 league mark keep Louisville squarely in the title-game hunt. Georgia Tech has lost four straight and sits at 1-5 in the ACC.
SMU 51, Virginia Tech 28 (Friday, Dallas)
The Story: SMU scored on each of its first eight possessions and bounced back from the Syracuse loss emphatically. The Mustangs are now 12-0 in ACC home games.
Key Metric: Kevin Jennings threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns, three of them to Yamir Knight (six catches, 103 yards). SMU racked up a season-high 569 yards, the most allowed by Virginia Tech since 2020. Marques White had two sacks and a strip that set up a touchdown. For the Hokies, Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran for 123 yards and two scores.
What It Means: Rhett Lashlee's team is back in the thick of it at 5-2, with Wake Forest coming to Dallas next. James Franklin's Hokies fall to 3-3 in league play. "We got humbled," Franklin said. Hokies safety Tyson Flowers was ejected for targeting in the second quarter.
Duke 41, NC State 3 (Saturday, Raleigh)
The Story: Duke scored the final 17 points of the second quarter to lead 31-3 at halftime, capped by Andrew Pellicciotta returning a missed NC State field goal 100 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the half.
Key Metric: Nate Sheppard ran for 217 yards and three touchdowns, setting Duke's single-season rushing touchdown record (17) and becoming the first Blue Devil with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. Duke held NC State to 217 total yards, 32 rushing yards and 3-of-14 on third down.
What It Means: Duke is 7-2 for the first time since 2014 and has outscored its last two opponents 88-5. Manny Diaz now takes that defense to Miami, the program that fired him. NC State drops to 2-4 in the league and must find two more wins for bowl eligibility.
Clemson 18, Syracuse 13 (Saturday, Syracuse)
The Story: Nolan Hauser kicked four field goals and Jahiem Lawson scooped up a backward pass and returned it 22 yards for the game's first touchdown. After Syracuse scored with 3:12 left in the game, Tait Reynolds converted a 3rd-and-8 with a 10-yard quarterback draw to help close it out.
Key Metric: Clemson went 3-of-3 in the red zone but scored zero offensive touchdowns. Hauser hit from 32, 36, 37, and 54 yards, giving him a school-record four 50-plus-yard field goals this season. Bryant Wesco Jr. caught six passes for 100 yards, and Jarvis Green, starting in place of injured Gideon Davidson, ran for 85 yards, 53 of them on the first snap. Ashton Hampton intercepted Steve Angeli in the end zone on 3rd-and-goal from the 3.
What It Means: Clemson is bowl-eligible at 6-3 and 4-2, and Dabo Swinney passed Bobby Bowden for the most regular-season ACC wins. But settling for field goals won't beat the top of this league. Fran Brown's Syracuse falls to 2-5 in league play.
Florida State 31, Boston College 24 (Saturday, Chestnut Hill)
The Story: In its first game since firing Mike Norvell, Florida State erased a 17-7 deficit and won on Amari Thomas's 11-yard touchdown run with 2:29 left. It made interim coach Rick Stockstill a winner in his debut and snapped a program-record 12-game road losing streak.
Key Metric: Kicker Gabe Panikowski scored on a one-yard fake field goal, a lateral from holder Carter Jula, and is now 23-for-23 on field goals in his FBS career. Thomas set career highs with 19 carries and 98 yards. Safety Ja'Bril Rawls had two interceptions.
What It Means: Both teams are 4-5, but the Seminoles can still reach a bowl. Bill O'Brien's Eagles, with Notre Dame and Miami still left, face a much tougher path. FSU center Bradyn Welch-Joiner was carted off with a right foot or ankle injury.
North Carolina 38, UConn 21 (Saturday, East Hartford)
The Story: In Bill Belichick's return to New England, UNC forced three turnovers and turned them into 21 points to snap a two-game losing streak.
Key Metric: Billy Edwards Jr. went 29-of-38 for 255 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Jelani Thurman caught two scores to tie UNC's single-season record for a tight end, with eight. Linebacker Timir Hickman-Collins had a 62-yard pick-six and a fumble recovery. UNC held the ball for 36:23.
What It Means: At 5-4, the Tar Heels have already passed last season's win total and need one more for bowl eligibility. Louisville comes to Chapel Hill next.
Open Dates: California, Pitt, Stanford, Virginia
Four teams were idle. Pitt (6-3, 3-3) is already bowl eligible and gets a short week before hosting Florida State on Friday. Virginia and Cal have each dropped three straight, and Stanford (4-5) needs two more wins to reach the postseason.
The Week Ahead: Week 11
Game of the Week: Wake Forest at SMU — Noon ET, ESPN
Miami-Duke carries the drama, but this is the game that decides who chases the Hurricanes. Wake Forest (5-1 ACC) has won six straight. SMU (5-2) is a perfect 12-0 in ACC home games and just dropped 569 yards on Virginia Tech. The key matchup is SMU's pass rush against whoever plays quarterback for Wake. White and the Mustangs pressure the passer better than almost anyone, and they've racked up 151 sacks since the start of 2023, the most in FBS. Pizzella was surgical against Merrimack, but Ford Stadium is a different world. If Wake wins, it's one game clear of everyone but Miami. If SMU wins, the race for the second spot in Charlotte becomes a three-way scramble with Louisville.
Conference Games
Florida State at Pitt — Fri., Nov. 13, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN. Stockstill's Seminoles try to stack road wins for the first time in years on a short week. Pitt is coming off a bye and is 5-1 at home this season.
Duke at Miami — Sat., Nov. 14, Noon ET, ABC. Diaz returns to the program that fired him, and Mensah and Barkate face the team they starred for last season. Miami opened as roughly a three-touchdown favorite, but Duke's defense hasn't allowed a touchdown since Oct. 23. The line is currently Miami -13.5.
Syracuse at NC State — Sat., Nov. 14, Noon ET, ACC Network. Both teams are 4-5 and need two more wins to get to a bowl. NC State has to fix a run game that managed 32 yards against Duke.
Georgia Tech at Clemson — Sat., Nov. 14, 12:30 p.m. ET, The CW. Clemson returns to Death Valley needing touchdowns, not field goals. Georgia Tech has lost four straight and is 0-3 on the road.
California at Virginia — Sat., Nov. 14, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network. Two teams on three-game losing streaks. Virginia is 4-1 at home, while Cal is 1-3 on the road and needs to win out for a bowl.
Louisville at North Carolina — Sat., Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN 2. Louisville's four-game streak meets a UNC team that needs one more win for bowl eligibility. Kienholz and the Cardinals' 251-yard rushing day are the matchup to watch against UNC's front.
Stanford at Virginia Tech — Sat., Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network. The Hokies need to regroup after getting run over in Dallas. Stanford is 0-4 on the road this season.
Non-Conference Games
Boston College at Notre Dame — Sat., Nov. 14, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC and Peacock. The Eagles head to South Bend one week after the Irish knocked off Miami. BC needs two more wins with Notre Dame and Miami still on the schedule.
Open Date
All 17 ACC teams are scheduled to play this week, so there are no byes.
