The ACC, already struggling to keep pace with the SEC and Big 10, did what many believed possible on Saturday: they consumed themselves.
Two of the ACC’s three CFP-ranked teams (Louisville and Virginia) suffered damaging home losses to unranked teams.
#14 Virginia watched its seven-game winning streak end, almost instantly, when quarterback Chandler Morris was taken out by not one, but two late hits by Wake Forest, on the same play.
The Cavaliers lost 16-9 in Scott Stadium, unable to convert offensive drives into touchdowns. Virginia was held to a measly three field goals.
Credit Wake for some of the Cavalier offensive ineptness, but Virginia was guilty of numerous self-inflicted mistakes.
UVA entered the game with no fumbles lost this season, but had three Saturday.
On the other hand, the UVA defense was stellar, not surrendering a touchdown either. Wake’s lone visit to the endzone came on an 88-yard punt return score.
Entering Saturday evening, Virginia was the favorite to win the regular-season ACC race, which they are still very much capable of doing.
Where the loss hurts most is in the CFP poll.
At No. 14 before the loss, UVA likely won’t fall out, but they will fall significantly.
Not a good Saturday in either of the commonwealths
#15 Louisville couldn’t shake Cal, despite numerous opportunities.
Cal, an 18.5-point underdog, passed for 350 yards to stun the Cardinals 29-26 in overtime.
The game was close the entire way, with four ties and three lead changes.
Like Virginia, Louisville spent the majority of the game being its own worst enemy.
The Cardinal offense stalled on numerous possessions, which resulted in field goals instead of touchdowns.
The lone bright spot for Louisville and Virginia is that, because other teams at the bottom of the poll lost, both teams should still be ranked in the CFP poll on Tuesday.
However, the path for both teams to make the playoffs clearly must include a win in the ACC Championship game.
In other words, no wiggle room from here out.
Georgia Tech and Pitt won, while not playing
The Yellow Jackets and Panthers both had bye weeks and will reap the benefit of the Virginia and Louisville losses.
#17 Georgia Tech will not only leapfrog both the Cavaliers and Cardinals in the CFP rankings, but Georgia Tech is now tied again for the ACC regular-season lead.
GT joins four other teams as one-loss squads.
ACC One-Loss Club
- Georgia Tech 5-1
- Virginia 5-1
- Pitt 5-1
- SMU 5-1
- Duke 4-1
A simple peak at the remaining ACC schedule reminds us that the one-loss club is going to get much smaller, very soon.
Virginia faces Duke next, while #25 Pitt and Georgia Tech square off in Atlanta on Nov. 22nd.
The Panthers have a chance to move up the poll rapidly in their final three games.
In addition to the GT game, Pitt hosts #Notre Dame this Saturday, and closes the season with a home game against #18 Miami.
Indeed, opportunities await the Panthers.
Sneaky SMU
The Mustangs, also a member of the ACC one-loss club, may have the smoothest path for a return trip to the conference title game.
SMU, after a bye this coming Saturday, concludes the season hosting Louisville and traveling to Cal.
While neither game should be a cakewalk for the Mustangs, a sweep would move them to a final 7-1 regular season mark and almost certainly clinch a top-two spot in the regular season, and a return trip to Charlotte.
At 7-3 overall, SMU will have to win the championship game to make a second-straight CFP appearance, but it’s well within reason.
Not bad for a program that had to pay its way into the ACC.
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