College football Week 10 watchability rankings: ACC Chaos is just beginning with Pitt vs. SMU
The idea of the Atlantic Coast Conference getting more than two teams into the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff seems farfetched. But here we are. With November approaching, the league has four teams ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll and four teams with unblemished records in conference play.
Clemson and Miami are here, of course. The Tigers paced by one of the best running backs in college football in Phil Mafah and a resurgent Cade Klubnik, and the Hurricanes led by a superhero quarterback in Cam Ward.
And then there’s Pitt and SMU, ranked 18th and 20th respectively in the AP Poll this week, each unbeaten in conference play. The only loss between the two teams is a three-point defeat that SMU suffered in Week 3 at the hands of BYU.
After the worst season of Pat Narduzzi’s decade-long tenure at Pitt last year, the Panthers have been rejuvenated by a new offensive coordinator and transfers at quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Redshirt freshman Eli Holstein – a transfer from Alabama – might be the best Pitt quarterback since a guy named Dan Marino, and he leads an offense that is sixth nationally in scoring.
SMU is somehow still unbeaten in ACC play after escaping Wallace Wade Stadium with a one-point overtime win over Duke after losing the turnover battle 0-6.
For the ACC, the favorites to advance to the conference title game in Charlotte and ultimately represent the league in the playoff are Miami and Clemson. The Hurricanes and the Tigers control their own destiny: win out, and they’re in the ACC championship and probably safely in the playoff too.
But these two teams, Pitt and SMU, they have work to do and might need some good old fashioned ACC chaos to help them break into the field. Because the rest of SMU’s schedule is relatively soft – with games against Boston College, Virginia and Cal – they need to beat Pitt and win those three games to even think about the playoff.
Should Pitt win on the road against SMU, and then win the following week at home against Virginia, that would set up one of the biggest regular season games in the ACC in a while, when Clemson visits the Steel City on Nov. 16. That could function as a play-in game of sorts for the conference championship.
There’s also a possible messy situation in which Clemson, Miami and SMU all finish ACC play 8-0. Tiebreaker factors would determine who gets to play for the ACC crown in Charlotte. As Chapel Fowler explained this week, who gets to play in Charlotte could come down to the combined win percentage of opponents, some strange analytics rating, or a random draw by Commissioner Jim Phillips.
Simply put, ACC chaos is just beginning. And as we all predicted, the real race for the playoff starts Saturday when the Panthers take on the Mustangs in Dallas at 8 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.
Best Game of the Week: No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – FOX
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
It’s put-up or shut-up time with Penn State. Is this going to be a business-as-usual season for the Nittany Lions where they dominate the rest of the Big Ten but stumble against Ohio State and Michigan? Or is James Franklin’s team finally going to emerge as a legitimate contender?
Game that might have an impact on the College Football Playoff: No. 13 Indiana at Michigan State
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – Peacock
Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti leads the Hoosier onto the field before the start of the Indiana versus Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
This is only here because Kurtis Rourke might not play and the Hoosiers’ schedule isn’t about to get easier with games against Michigan and Ohio State approaching. To stay in the playoff picture, Indiana needs to take care of business in East Lansing.
Weird Weeknight Game of the Week: San Diego State at No. 15 Boise State
Friday, 8 p.m. ET – FS1
Marco Garcia-Imagn Images
The weeknight slate this week is, well, weak. But hey, Ashton Jeanty is playing in this game, so tune in to watch him run all over a San Diego State defense that ranks 86th national against the rush.
Awesome Group of Five matchup worth watching: Toledo at Eastern Michigan
Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – ESPNU
Matt Bush-Imagn Images
A good MAC game? A good MAC game, y’all. MACtion is back.
Both of these teams are 5-3 and equipped with old, fun quarterbacks. EMU’s Cole Snyder – on his third team in six seasons – leads the MAC in passing yards with 1,822. Toledo’s Tucker Gleason – on his second team in five seasons – leads the MAC in touchdowns responsible for with 18.
Sickos Guilty Pleasure Game of the Week: North Carolina at Florida State
Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ACC Network
(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Fact: In the entirety of his coaching career, Mack Brown has never beaten Florida State. Not during his first stint as the coach of the Tar Heels and not during his second – and he never faced FSU while coaching Texas. Is this the year Mack gets a win in Tallahassee amidst a disastrous FSU season?
Tune into see if UNC can get another Thicc-Six, then stick around to feel the collective anxiety and disappointment of these two fanbases as this game unfolds. The Tar Heels are chasing bowl eligibility, while Florida State is trying put something interesting on the field so the camera doesn’t pan to the guy reading his book in the bleachers.
Also watch…
Air Force at No. 21 Army: Saturday, 12 p.m. ET – CBS/Paramount+
Florida vs. No. 2 Georgia: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN+
Texas Tech at No. 11 Iowa State: Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET – ESPN
No. 10 Texas A&M at South Carolina: Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET – ABC/ESPN+