(Ten observations from this week's action around the ACC)
1. Without Jacory Harris, Miami is up a creek. Harris might be one of the more maddening, inconsistent and erratic players in the ACC. He's also arguably the most valuable. That's the conclusion to take from Miami's musical quarterbacks after Harris left the 24-19 loss at Virginia with an injury. Until the closing minutes, Miami could do little against arguably the ACC's least talented team.
It's already a disappointing season for The U at 5-3, and it's not like Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (or Maryland, for that matter) will roll over. If Harris misses considerable time, it will be a decided step back for Randy Shannon in just the year fans expected him to move the program forward.
2. N.C. State might be the Atlantic Division favorite. Granted, that title could be gone once the Wolfpack gets done with Clemson. But Tom O'Brien's team gets Wake Forest and North Carolina the two weeks after that (and he's owned the Tar Heels the last three years), so there's a real chance N.C. State will stay atop the division for a while.
State has the tiebreaker over Florida State, the quarterback to make things happen and a defense that acquitted itself well in the second half against the Seminoles. There's no guarantees, but the Wolfpack is the division's most accomplished team to date.
3. Meanwhile, Maryland at least has earned a place in the division race analysis. No, the Terrapins' ACC victories don't make for a thick resume. But at 3-1, Maryland at least deserves a mention in the discussion.
The Terps can split the next two games and still control their own Atlantic Division destiny --- and do so with the final two games of the season at Byrd Stadium. This is not to say Maryland is the most accomplished team; it isn't. But it is probably going to get its chance to have a say in matters in the Atlantic, and that means the Terps should be part of the debate.
4. Regardless of what is to come, Virginia can say it had a successful season. The Cavaliers have surpassed last year's win total, have a trip to Duke coming up and then get Maryland in Charlottesville the week after that. Win both --- plausible, if not necessarily likely --- and the Hoos could be 6-4 and needing one win in the final two weeks to reach a bowl game.
It's not a big thing, but the fact Virginia could even entertain thoughts of a bowl berth this season is a credit to Mike London. Beating Miami was a significant win for the Cavaliers, the first time they've done something quite that surprising in a few years. For those still paying attention, Virginia has some hope --- and that's quite a change.
5. Frank Spaziani got a victory he desperately needed. Boston College had to have some wiggle room heading into November, and it got it with a 16-10 defeat of Clemson. The schedule is quite favorable going forward (trips to Wake Forest, Duke and Syracuse, a visit from Virginia), and the Eagles need three wins to clinch a bowl berth.
If BC was going to beat anyone remotely decent, it was going to have to be in the fashion it knocked off Clemson. The Eagles' defense is still plenty good --- the four touchdowns scored on them the last two weeks were a pick-six and three Maryland drives that started in BC territory --- and the offense still has Montel Harris to move the pile against more malleable run defenses even if the passing game is scattered at best. Duke (No. 103 nationally against the run), Virginia (No. 111) and Wake Forest (No. 115) all qualify as malleable. November set up all along for a stealthy push. It won't result in a division title for the Eagles, but the season can still be modestly salvaged.
6. Clemson's new coach isn't much different than its old coach --- at least where tight games are concerned. Remember that old Clemson coach with the famous surname who could never quite get the Tigers over the hump in close games? Well, Dabo Swinney is starting to give Tommy Bowden a run for his money in fan frustration.
Clemson fell to 3-9 in one-possession games under Swinney with its 16-10 loss at Boston College, and that's with the loosest definition of "one-possession" (eight points). Scale it back to seven, and the Tigers' Music City Bowl 21-13 defeat of Kentucky is removed from the discussion. In any case, Clemson has a close game problem, and that's the sort of scenario where coaching goes under the microscope.
7. Johnny White is one of the ACC's best stories this year. It's not a surprise Montel Harris leads the ACC in rushing. But White, a complete afterthought before suspensions wrecked North Carolina's season, checks in at No. 2 with 89.1 yards a game.
White had 164 yards Saturday against William & Mary, including a game-clinching gallop in the fourth quarter to help the Tar Heels escape. While there's a lot to poke fun at (or worse) with the Tar Heels' run-in with the NCAA, White's opportunity to enjoy a strong senior year after managing 21 carries in 2008 and 2009 combined is something anyone can appreciate.
8. David Cutcliffe kidnapped Peyton Manning for a day. He had to have, right? Sean Renfree, who had thrown 15 interceptions during a six-game skid, torched Navy for a 28 of 30, 314-yard performance that included three total touchdowns (one passing, two rushing). Given Renfree's struggles, conspiracy theorists might want to consider the possibility of a ringer.
It was in many ways the conference's most out-of-nowhere performance of the season (at least when T.J. Yates unloaded on Louisiana State, the Tar Heels were behind; Josh Harris' 241-yard day against Virginia Tech is in the disccusion, too). It's a great sign for the Blue Devils, who at 2-6 probably didn't just start a five-game winning streak to end the season. But some opportunities for wins exist (Virginia, Boston College and North Carolina all at home), and getting Renfree back on track is a good start in avoiding an 0-for-8 in the ACC.
9. Wake Forest might have hit rock bottom. While Maryland deserves credit for the pummeling it administered in a 62-14 shellacking, the Demon Deacons were flat-out awful. They had two punts blocked, two interceptions returned for touchdowns and allowed Maryland to match a school record for points scored in an ACC game while coming off a bye week.
The Demon Deacons are in a dreadful Catch-22 right now. They can't ask freshman quarterback Tanner Price to win a shootout every week, but their defense is inexperienced and, for now anyway, terrible. Wake might just lose out --- Boston College, N.C. State, Clemson and Vanderbilt remain --- but it's tough to believe things will look worse than they did in College Park. As someone who's had an up-close look at three of the four struggling ACC teams (Boston College, Duke and Wake), the Demon Deacons were clearly the most inept of the bunch.
10. Virginia Tech avoided the weekend's carnage --- and is sitting pretty after a crazy Saturday. Miami's loss made the Hokies' path to a Coastal Division title a lot easier to navigate. Sure, the Hokies still have Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina to face, but with a two-game lead there's a built-in cushion entering the final month of the season.
While the Atlantic could be muddled to the final weekend, Virginia Tech can assure itself a spot in Charlotte on Dec. 4 with wins the next two weeks and a Miami loss to either Maryland or Georgia Tech. That's not a bad place to be in after an 0-2 start overall.
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