Miami is sitting pretty at #1 in the country right now, absolutely living up to their hype after being national runner-up last year. They’re 6-0 and a consensus top-four pick for the national championship. But don’t let that fool you into thinking the ACC as a whole is balling out, because this league has a rough 6-11 record against other power-conference teams plus Notre Dame. It’s truly a tale of two leagues: one team crushing it, and everyone else struggling to keep up.
The Only Teams Earning Their Keep
Seriously, Miami has met expectations at nearly every turn, proving they’re for real. After that 6-0 start, the big storyline now is whether they can close strong and win the conference for the first time ever. That’s some serious pressure, but they’ve looked up to it so far.
Then there’s Wake Forest, the true feel-good story of the season. They’ve absolutely flown out of the gate to a 5-1 start, with their only blemish being a 13-point loss to those same Miami Hurricanes. Nobody expected them to be this good, and now the talk around Winston-Salem is all about how close the Demon Deacons could be to having a truly banner year. These two are the only honor roll candidates in a league with very few of them.
The Rest Are on the Struggle Bus
While Miami and Wake are celebrating, a good chunk of the ACC is facing some real problems. We’re talking multiple hot-seat situations, some Year 1 hires off to rough starts, and just a whole lot of frustrating losses.
Boston College, for example, is sitting at 3-3 overall and 1-2 in conference play, earning a C- grade. Saturday’s home win at Pitt definitely helped, backing up a couple of weeks of improved play with a much needed positive result. They had a “slop-fest” 21-14 loss to Virginia Tech, then fought hard but were out-manned in a 25-16 loss at SMU. You could tell the defense was getting better, and dual-threat quarterback Mason McKenzie was figuring things out, but storming back from a 12-0 deficit to beat the Panthers is what puts a much more positive spin on their midseason grade.
California is another team that’s just been a dizzying mess of inconsistency. They’re 3-4 overall and 2-2 in conference, changing quarterbacks and play-callers all over the place trying to find answers. They’re definitely falling short of expectations, and the problems are piling up.
The ACC’s got some serious work to do in the back half of the season. Miami’s carrying the banner, but can the rest of the league step up and pull their grades out of the gutter? Or will it be another year of a few bright spots in a sea of mediocrity?
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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