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After a quarter of the season, the ACC tiers are becoming apparent.
Clemson is still Clemson. There is no reason to think Notre Dame isn’t one of the 3 best ACC teams. Miami hasn’t faced a great opponent, but they’ve dominated who they have played. They are solid.
Pittsburgh proved with a loss to NC State as a double digit favorite they still can’t put a consistent season of football together. Drop them into the tier with Louisville, Boston College, Virginia, Syracuse, and NC State jockeying for position in middle of the ACC.
Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Wake Forest are a mish-mash of bad football teams at the bottom.
Where do we place UNC and Virginia Tech? Certainly they aren’t in the bottom tier. Both sit 2-0 without exactly looking dominant, but there are reasons for that.
UNC started the season with a solid, but slow-starting 31-6 win over Syracuse. The talented offense seemed a bit off, but there’s was plenty of time to get it on track. The Heels game with Charlotte was cancelled, and then a BYE week came. Finally the Heels played today and had to hold off Boston College 26-22. North Carolina is ranked in the top 15, but the offense hasn’t been as explosive as we’ve expected. I would say that’s due to lack of game reps, but it is a question. The defense seems improved, but Syracuse and BC are not exactly offensive juggernauts.
When you look at Virginia Tech, they had a double digit win over NC State that just beat Pittsburgh. Saturday was a bit of a struggle against winless Duke 38-31. In Virginia Tech’s defense both games had the Hokies missing more than 20 players. The offensive line seems as good advertised, and Virginia Tech has it’s first legitimate rushing offense in years.
How good can UNC be when the offense gets going? It’s one of the most talented in the ACC. When Virginia Tech is a more fully equipped team are they the fourth ACC team that should be in the top 15 rather than UNC?
That’s what make next week’s matchup between the two so compelling. I think both teams’ best football is potentially ahead of them, but how high the ceiling is yet unknown. The winner of next week’s game could have their season take off.
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