3. ACC
Following the Ohio State loss, the ACC is the only conference in the nation with two teams in the top five, but can’t quite match the depth of the Big Ten or SEC.
No. 3 Clemson got a week off to recover from its scare against NC State heading into a huge matchup against No. 12 Florida State next Saturday night. The Tigers would be in excellent shape to make the playoff with a win, while a Florida State victory could lead to a chaotic finish in the Atlantic down the stretch.
Heisman frontrunner Lamar Jackson and Louisville bounced back from a struggle against Duke with a 54-13 domination of North Carolina State. The Cardinals took advantage of losses by Ohio State and Texas A&M to move up to No. 5 in the AP Poll and are still very capable of making the playoff should one of the top four fall.
No. 21 North Carolina took care of business against Virginia to remain half a game up on Virginia Tech for first place in the Coastal division. The Hokies took over the No. 25 spot after destroying Miami and own a comprehensive win over the Tar Heels, although the loss to Syracuse in Week 7 looms large.
Wake Forest and Pittsburgh are solid enough teams, but there isn’t much after that. Miami’s quick fall is particularly disappointing, while the Wolfpack could be headed for a quick fall after the crushing loss to Clemson.
The five ranked teams match the Big Ten and fall just one shy of the SEC, so the gap between the top three isn’t insurmountable. Next week’s game at Doak Campbell will determine exactly where the ACC lies in the playoff picture.