Week six failed to answer any questions surrounding the ACC and instead brought up even more questions surrounding the conference. Who in the ACC, outside of Miami and maybe Wake Forest, are contenders? Who is leading the race to meet Miami in Charlotte in December? I can't answer those, but I can rank the teams where I think they currently sit; here it is:
17. Boston College (2-3, 0-2 ACC)
Boston College is back at the bottom of the ACC following its bye week. The Eagles still haven't picked up their first conference win, and it won't come easy, with Pitt, Duke, Florida State, and Miami still left on the schedule. Quarterback Mason McKenzie has looked rather unappealing five games in, as he ranks 118th in the country in QB rating with a 36.2
16. Stanford (2-4, 1-3 ACC)
Stanford took a 58-7 beating at the hands of No. 2 Notre Dame in week six marking the second straight game where the Cardinal have lost by at least 50 points. The Stanford defense allowed 598 total yards on 8.1 yards per play. On the bright side, the remaining schedule for the Cardinal appears easier than the opening stretch.
15. Syracuse (2-3, 0-3 ACC)
Syracuse outgained Virginia 430-288, won the time of possession battle by over 10 minutes, and led for over 28 minutes of game time, yet still lost 28-25. With third-string quarterback Malachi Nelson starting, the Orange nearly stunned the Cavaliers in Scott Stadium. After barely escaping in overtime with a win against UConn last week, Syracuse nearly upset Virginia while being over 10-point underdogs. That begs the question: is Syracuse better than they have appeared, or is Virginia just not that good?
14. Georgia Tech (2-3, 1-1 ACC)
Georgia Tech pulled off an upset of previously undefeated Duke for its first conference win in week six. In the win, running back Trelain Maddox had 81 yards on 10 carries, while adding three touchdowns. The Yellow Jackets look to build some momentum as they travel to Virginia Tech this week before hosting Boston College.
13. NC State (3-3, 1-2 ACC)
After upsetting Louisville, NC State returned to form by getting blown out by Wake Forest at home. The Wolfpack had no answer for Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez, who threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns.
12. California (3-3, 2-1 ACC)
Cal pulled off the upset against Virginia Tech behind an impressive performance from backup quarterback Jackson Brousseau and a defensive shutdown of the Hokies' run game, as they held them to 3.5 yards per carry. The Golden Bears have a tough stretch coming up, as they have Wake Forest and SMU in back-to-back weeks.
11. Florida State (3-3, 1-2 ACC)
Florida State stormed into Louisville and took an early 14-0 lead, before surrendering 35 unanswered points en route to a 44-20 loss. The Seminoles now have to travel down Miami to play in-state foe and the No. 3 Hurricanes this Saturday.
10. Virginia (4-2, 2-1 ACC)
Virginia came back down 10 to escape with a win against Syracuse, and it wasn't pretty, but a conference win is a conference win. Quarterback Beau Pribula continued to underperform in another game with a sub-60% completion percentage and only 119 passing yards. The Cavaliers have a tough road matchup coming up against No. 24 SMU.
9. Virginia Tech (4-2, 1-2 ACC)
A deflating effort and result for Virginia Tech in its 25-20 loss to Cal and its backup quarterback, Jackson Brousseau. The Hokies took a 20-19 lead with 1:18 left, but the Golden Bears drove the field with the help of two penalties to score the game-winning touchdown with 18 seconds left. Penalties, lack of a run game and the inability to force turnovers once again cost this Virginia Tech team, which has now lost two in a row. James Franklin's group in Blacksburg may not be an ACC contender after all.
8. Pitt (5-1, 2-1 ACC)
The loss of quarterback Mason Heintschel hurt Pitt more than many anticipated, as they fell to North Carolina 21-17 in the first game without their starting signal caller. In the loss, backup quarterback Holden Geriner threw two interceptions, which inevitably cost the Panthers.
7. North Carolina ( 3-2, 1-1 ACC)
North Carolina knocked off undefeated No. 25 Pitt for the first ranked win of the Bill Belichek era in Chapel Hill. It was against a last-ranked Panthers team, which lost their starting quarterback a week ago against Virginia Tech, so that may require an asterisk, but a ranked conference win is big for any program. Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. threw two interceptions, but he did just enough to pull out the 21-17 win. The Tar Heels have a major opportunity to pick up another quality win against in-state rival Duke this Saturday.
6. Clemson (3-2, 2-1 ACC)
Despite having an open weekend, there is an argument to be made that Clemson won week six. Following Duke, Pitt and Virginia Tech losses, the ACC is wide open at the moment, and the Tigers have a good chance to hit the ground running to get back into the ACC Championship Game.
5. Louisville (3-3, 2-2 ACC)
Isaac Brown: 17 carries, 235 yards, two touchdowns. Behind that all-time-level performance from Brown, Louisville stormed back down 14-0 to beat Florida State 44-20. The Cardinals have a rather easier schedule to close out the year, in which they will need to finish strong to stay in contention.
4. Duke (4-1, 1-1 ACC)
Duke managed to waste an impressive performance from running back Nate Sheppard, who rushed for 99 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 91 more yards through the air in the Blue Devils' 28-25 loss to Georgia Tech. Duke has a good chance to get back on track as they host North Carolina, coming off a ranked win.
3. SMU (4-1, 2-1 ACC)
SMU had an open week, and they will need to play much better than they have in the previous five games as they host Virginia this weekend. The 10-point loss to Louisville they suffered in September continues to look worse as the season progresses.
2. Wake Forest (5-1, 3-1 ACC)
Wake Forest scored 31 unanswered points to beat NC State 38-14 behind an incredible performance from quarterback Gio Lopez. Lopez threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns, and added another touchdown on the ground. Wake Forest seems to be the frontrunner to contend for the ACC Championship Game come December.
1. Miami (5-0, 3-0 ACC)
What can I say that hasn't already been said? The new No. 3 team in the country, Miami, is coming off its bye week as it hosts Florida State this Saturday. Behind the incredible play from quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Malachi Toney, who are both rightfully in the Heisman conversation, the Hurricanes have steamrolled every opponent they have played through six weeks of football.
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