The first College Football Playoff Top 25 was not kind to the ACC, to the point that, for the time being, anyway, the conference may have to rely on the automatic-qualifier route to the CFP.
The highest-ranked team in the initial rankings was #14 Virginia, which leads the ACC with an 8-1, 5-0 ACC record.
Virginia’s only loss was to NC State (in a non-conference game).
That’s the same Wolfpack team that drilled previously unbeaten Georgia Tech, 48-36, on Saturday.
The fact is, the ACC does not have many non-conference marquee wins.
Florida State’s opening-game win over Alabama may be the only signature win for the league to date, and the opportunities for big non-conference wins are now limited.
Miami did beat Notre Dame on Labor Day, but Miami’s luster is diminishing by the week.
#16 Georgia Tech plays #5 Georgia in both teams’ season finale. The rub here is that GT gave up the home game and moved the contest to Mercedes-Benz Stadium, where the Bulldogs will have a decisive fan advantage.
#Pitt will host #10 Notre Dame on Nov. 15. The problem is the Panthers really don’t have a home-field advantage playing in an NFL stadium (Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers), and Notre Dame fans are everywhere.
Slim pickings, for sure.
Miami, FSU and Clemson have certainly not lived up to their pre-season hype.
The Hurricanes, after winning the ND game, went on to win the state championship with victories over FSU and Florida.
Hardly headline news.
The ACC isn’t in great shape to repeat last season’s multi-team entry into the initial 12-team CFP tourney.
The season’s not over yet, and multiple teams have an opportunity to rise in the rankings, but they also have a chance of falling.
Sorry, but Notre Dame at #10 is ridiculous
In Week 1 of the CFP rankings, Notre Dame is on the inside to make the College Football Playoffs.
They shouldn’t be, at least not at this point.
I’m not sure what the selection committee is seeing in a two-loss Notre Dame team.
Maybe green.
Not in the color of the unis but in what having Notre Dame in the field would do for TV ratings.
Green, as in $.
Notre Dame’s lone remaining challenging game could be at Pitt on Nov. 15.
So, likely the Irish finish 10-2.
Perhaps the committee wanted everyone to become accustomed to seeing ND in the field, early on.
Brand matters.
Virginia is the only win-and-in ACC team remaining
Currently, Virginia sits atop the ACC standings at 5-0in conference action.
Georgia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, SMU and Duke all have one conference loss.
The top two teams in the regular season qualify for the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte.
There are multiple paths to secure a spot in the championship game.
First, Virginia is the only team that completely controls its destiny.
Win out, and the Cavaliers are Charlotte-bound.
However, if three or more teams are tied with the same record, or two or more teams are tied with the second-most wins, then you can visit theacc.com to read the tiebreaker scenarios.
Warning: Have plenty of time reserved to do so.
ACC Power Rankings
- Virginia
- Louisville
- Georgia Tech
- Duke
- SMU
- Pitt
- Miami
- Florida State
- NC State
- Wake Forest
- Cal
- Clemson
- Syracuse
- North Carolina
- Virginia Tech
- Stanford
- Boston College
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