After Week 12 of the College Football season, we're truly coming down the final stretch of the season as most programs are left with just two games to play. The ACC has turned into the conference of chaos this season, as each week sees a playoff contender stunned bringing more parity to a wide open league.
As enter the final stretch of the season, the race for Charlotte is still up in the air and impossible to predict based on what we've seen this season. The next few weeks will determine whether or not this conference can find a way to get two teams into the playoff, or if disaster leaves the ACC out of the picture completely.
ACC Power Rankings: Miami is the clear No. 1
The Syracuse Orange spent the weekend on the bye, and with the way the season has fallen apart, it was well needed. This team has fallen apart without quarterback Steve Angeli, and Fran Brown needs to find a way to get anything he can out of this offense in the final few weeks. Fran Brown is still one of the most exciting young coaches, but he'll need to go into next season with a far better plan at quarterback than he had this season.
Bill O'Brien's team had a great chance to pick up their first win in ACC play on Saturday as they took an 11 point lead into the 4th quarter. The Eagles instead struggled to sustain drives and it allowed the Yellow Jackets to close the game on a 19-6 run to win the game. The Eagles enter the bye week, but they'll have a chance to win their first ACC game of the year in the finale against Syracuse.
The Stanford Cardinal spent the weekend on the bye after a close loss to North Carolina last weekend. This season was always going to be tough on Stanford after the turnover in the offseason, and all eyes will turn to the offseason as Andrew Luck will hire the next leader of the program.
Bill Belichick's team showed that their two game winning streak was thanks to the teams they played as Wake Forest shut them down. Gio Lopez took care of the football, but struggled completing passes while the rushing attack gave him no help with just 2.3 yards per carry. Winning the final two games to make a bowl seems impossible, but UNC needs to win one of these In-State rivalry games otherwise the noise around Belichick won't go away.
Virginia Tech has no answer for Florida State's rushing attack, and it ended up sinking them on Saturday. The Hokies offense turned the ball over twice, and with the level of talent they have it takes a clean game to find wins. The good news for the Hokies is that it appears they're closing in on James Franklin who could build this team into a contender rather quickly.
Mike Norvell picked up another important win as his job hangs in the balance with the end of the season rapidly approaching. Florida State controlled this game on the ground with 237 yards and 3 touchdowns on 46 carries. Winning the final two games of the year against NC State and Florida is important for Mike Norvell as it'll determine his fate and the future of the program.
After knocking off Georgia Tech, everyone thought NC State might be able to do it again against the Miami Hurricanes before they got completely dominated. The rushing attack only managed to pick up 1.2 yards per carry putting far too much pressure on CJ Bailey who couldn't deliver. These final two games could prove to be important for Dave Doeren as finishing below .500 could end his time at NC State.
All week long, everyone talked about the chance that Duke could win the ACC with 4 losses on the season seemingly forgetting that the Blue Devils are a bad team. Duke was dominated as two touchdowns when the score was 31-3 made the final score look far more respectable. If Darian Mensah returns next season, Duke is going to need to add more weapons for him as this team doesn't have the talent needed on offense.
Wake Forest continues to look like a team on the rise as they picked up a win over North Carolina on Saturday. The defense was dominant shutting down North Carolina's rushing attack while holding the Tar Heels to just 12 points on 4 field goals. Jake Dickert has done an incredible job in year one which sets this program up for an exciting offseason.
For the second week in a row, the Louisville Cardinals dropped a game they easily could've won turning this team from Playoff contenders to out of the race. The kicking game cost Louisville the game as a missed extra point and 3 missed field goals proved to be the difference. The Cardinals will now try to play spoiler as they can eliminate SMU from the ACC hunt before trying to keep Kentucky out of a bowl game.
Following their thrilling overtime win over Louisville, Cal spent the weekend on the bye week. Next week brings "The Big Game" against Stanford before the season ends against SMU where Cal could play spoiler once again. This team has shown plenty to be excited about for next season, and could build momentum heading into the offseason in these next two games.
The Pitt Panthers were shown where they stand compared to the top Playoff contenders on Saturday as Notre Dame handed them a 37-15 loss. The Pitt defense held on for as long as they could early, but the offense wasn't able to get going costing this team. The good news for Pitt is that the final two weeks could determine their Playoff fate as they face Georgia Tech and Miami.
On Friday Night, Dabo Swinney's team proved once again that they have the talent to win any game as they knocked Louisville out of College Football Playoff contention. Despite all of their struggles in the redzone, Clemson's 4th quarter touchdown proved to be just enough to win the game. This season has been a massive disappointment, but the Tigers are still fighting to ensure they make a bowl game showing they haven't given up on their coach or the program yet.
The SMU Mustangs spent the weekend on the bye ahead of an important final stretch to end the season. Rhett Lashlee's team still has a chance to make the Playoff, but they need to focus on the part they can control which is winning the final two games of the year.
Virginia was able to knock Duke out of the ACC Championship race while moving one step closer to the ACC Championship Game on Saturday. Chandler Morris returned from his concussion, and while he threw a pair of interceptions, the offense looked far better. The Cavaliers now spend the weekend on the bye before an important game against Virginia Tech.
Georgia Tech still controls its path to the ACC Championship Game, but on Saturday, it almost slipped up and cost itself any chance at the College Football Playoff. The Yellow Jackets needed to rally late in the 4th quarter in order to knock off a Boston College team that's now 1-10 on the season, and winless in ACC play. Next week's game against Pittsburgh is a must win for the Yellow Jackets as it'll send them to the ACC Championship where they can punch their ticket to the Playoff.
The Miami Hurricanes most likely won't make the ACC Championship Game, but they're far and away the best team in this conference. Saturday saw the Hurricanes dismantle NC State 41-7 as the offense played a clean game, which gave the Wolf Pack no chance of winning the game. Mario Cristobal's team still has a great chance of earning an At-Large bid into the Playoff, but they need to avoid slipping up again.