Week 5 in the ACC: A Few Statement Wins

Now that conference play is in full swing, we're beginning to see which teams are really going to contend for each division crown. While UVa's conference record remains perfect, a few teams are already digging big holes for themselves, while others are clearly showing they're the cream of the crop. What does this mean for the Wahoos? 0-0 in the conference is technically better than 0-1 or 0-2, so the Hoos are already in better shape than say, Georgia Tech, the presumed favorite in the Coastal. Plus, as always, the fewer bowl eligible teams, the better bowl options for the Hoos, were they to win six games.

Miami 23 - Cincy 34

Miami suffered their first loss of the season on the road against a sort-of-decent Cincinnati team. While the out of conference loss doesn't really mean much for the Canes in the long run, they should definitely be concerned about their suspect pass defense (and a questionable late 4th down gamble by Coach Golden.

Notre Dame 22 - Clemson 24

They needed a 2 point conversion stop at the end of the game to get there, but the Clemson Tigers scored a big time signature win Saturday by beating the Fighting Irish. DeShaun Watson was more impressive overall with his running than his passing, but the team's defense allowed for Clemson to build a big lead in the first three quarters (before almost blowing said lead in the fourth).

FSU 24 - Wake 16

Dalvin Cook is really really good. The FSU tailback looked dominate again on the road this week, but when he left the game with a leg injury, the Noles looked much less impressive. Wake Forest made a game of it, but has now fallen to 0-2 in the conference.

Pitt 17 - VT 13

Much like last week, no amount of UVa football mediocrity will lessen the deliciousness of Hokie tears. Pitt's running game looked great, even without their all-star tailback James Connor. Qadree Ollison had 122 yards and a score for the Panthers, who came up with a ton of critical sacks to stall VT drives late in the game.

Louisville 20 - NCSU 13

The Cardinals scored their first conference win - a big one on the road - while proving that the previously-undefeated Wolfpack weren't prepared to live up to their hype. While the cupcake scheduling sets them up well to make a bowl game, State looked like a lower-tier division team on Saturday.

BC 7 - Duke 9

Good lord. Look at that score. Honestly, I'm not sure it makes sense that 3 field goals beats a touchdown. Regardless, what a garbage game from both sides. While they looked unimpressive, Duke got the W and now sit at 2-0 in the conference.

UNC 38 - GT 31

The Heels came back from a 21-0 deficit on the road to win an enormously important division match up against the Yellow Jackets. After allowing GT to score a touchdown on their first three drives, the Tar Heels apparently figured out how to defend against the option and Marquise Williams put any potential quarterback controversy to rest with a strong performance. The Heels look like the team to beat in the Coastal, though this only gets them to 1-0 in the ACC.