Week 5 of ACC football was definitely an exciting one. The Louisville – Clemson contest kept the every college football fan on his/her seat until the final whistle. In addition, the league had a few other upsets and surprises that people will be talking about all week long.
Here is a list of five takeaways that we learned from last weekend’s action on the gridiron.
5. The ACC is much deeper than people thought it would be
Make no mistake about it: the ACC is one of the deepest conferences in the land. Sure, some of the teams at the bottom of league have struggled at times this season, but for the most part, the conference is rock solid from top-to-bottom. Virginia showed that it’s not a bottom-feeder by upsetting Duke – which beat Notre Dame last week – by two touchdowns. Likewise, North Carolina State handed Wake Forest its first loss of the season, 33-16. While that might not sound like a big deal, remember that the Deacons beat Indiana – the same team that upset perennial top 15 team Michigan State on Saturday – last weekend.
Simply put: the conference is loaded with great teams, which means that there’s no such thing as an “off” week in the ACC. You either bring your “A” game or you’ll get beat. That’s quite a difference from where the league was just five years ago.
4. Ryan Finley is one of the more under-appreciated quarterbacks in the nation
If the first five weeks of the season have taught us anything, it’s that the ACC is loaded with great quarterbacks. While Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, and Mitch Trubisky get the most media attention, just about every team in the league has a solid signal caller under center.
North Carolina State certainly has one in Ryan Finley. Although his numbers aren’t as gaudy as the players listed above, Finley has put quietly put together a fine season. In four games, he’s completed 84 of 115 passes (72.4%) for 1,014 yards and nine touchdowns with zero interceptions. He’s also been rock solid on third downs, completing 19 of 30 passes (63.3%) for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
Saturday was more of the same. Facing a Wake Forest defense that recorded five interceptions against Indiana the week before, Finley connected on 63% of his throws for 300 yards and three touchdowns.
It’s tough to argue with those results. Don’t be surprised if he leads the Wolfpack to an upset or two before the season is over.
3. North Carolina is still the favorite in the ACC Coastal Division
A lot of people gave up on the Tar Heels as a league championship contender after they dropped the season opener against Georgia. Even more of them thought that UNC would lose against Florida State, since the ‘Noles defeated Ole Miss, which crushed Georgia.
Once again, North Carolina proved everyone wrong. For the second straight week, the ‘Heels rallied to win the contest in the final seconds, marching 38 yards in 20 seconds to get in position for the game-winning field goal. Mitch Trubisky turned in another solid performance, completing 31 of 38 passes for 405 yards and three touchdowns.
This rally shows that no lead is safe against North Carolina. Whether it needs to score twice in the final five minutes for the win or move the ball 40 yards in a short amount of time to earn a victory, the Tar Heel offense has come through with flying colors in ACC play this year.
If that’s not a league championship contender, I don’t know what is.
2. Louisville is still in the College Football Playoff picture
Please note that I am not saying that the Cardinals will get there. However, the fact remains that Louisville did nothing to hurt itself in the national championship picture. Yes, a win would have been better, but the Cardinals showed that they were just as good as Clemson, falling just three yards short of a victory.
While I absolutely despise the term “good loss”, I could see the Selection Committee giving Louisville credit for its solid showing against the Tigers in Death Valley. If – and it’s a big if – a couple of the Power 5 conference champions were to finish with more than one loss, the committee would have to consider putting the Cardinals in the field, especially if they were to defeat Houston on Nov. 17. Louisville’s record on the road would be too good to ignore.
Of course, the only way we’ll find out is if the Cardinals were to win out. Based on what we saw against Clemson, that seems extremely likely.
1. Clemson’s offense is just fine
Going into Saturday night’s contest against Louisville, many people questioned how good the Clemson offense really was. Even though the Tigers seemed to make just enough plays to win every week, it didn’t resemble the explosive unit from last season that ranked 11th nationally in total offense (514.5).
If people had doubts about the Clemson offense going into the game, they’re definitely not worried about it now. Playing against a Cardinal defense that ranked in the top 15 nationally in total defense, tackles for loss, sacks, and third down conversion percentage, the Tiger offense turned its best performance of the season, racking up 507 yards (8.18 yards per play). More importantly, the Clemson offense was at its best with the game on the line, scoring twice in the final eight minutes of the contest to earn the victory.
In other words: the Tiger offense proved that its every bit as explosive as it was last year. With the running game finally clicking (31 carries, 201 yards), Clemson will be very tough to beat down the stretch.
