It's time to bring out the red pens and grade each of the ACC Football teams on their work so far this season.
Wake Forest (4-0, 0-0) – A+
Outside of Clemson no ACC team has performed more consistently early in the season. The offense and QB Jamie Newman are going to be a headache for ACC defenses all year.
Clemson (4-0, 2-0) – A+
They don’t rebuild they reload, and should cruise into the playoffs. Before the season most thought the Texas A&M \ Syracuse back to back games would push them. They didn’t.
Virginia (4-0, 1-0) – A
Yea they looked shaky against ODU, but they won. That would have been a loss a couple of years ago. At 4-0, they have done what few ACC teams could do – just not lose. Notre Dame next week is an enormous opportunity.
Louisville (2-2, 0-1) – B+
Scott Satterfield has made Louisville looked an actual football team. After last season, that’s a real accomplishment. They won’t a lot of games, but you can already see improvement.
UNC (2-2 , 0-1) – B
The Heels have lost 2 in a row. It will be 3 in a row after their game with Clemson, but when you are coming off a 2 win season, anything is an improvement, and this team can reach a bowl game.
Pittsburgh (2-2, 0-1) – B
You try predicting Pittsburgh… 2-2 with both losses to ranked teams, but the win over UCF was truly special. They nearly knocked off Penn State too. There’s a chance Pitt could have a 8-4 type season with the toughest part of their schedule behind them.
Duke (2-1, 0-0) B
Duke is right on schedule. You don’t really count losing to Alabama, and they’ve blown out the other two teams they’ve played. Virginia Tech next week is actually a pretty big game.
Miami (2-2, 0-1) – C+
The Canes had chances to beat Florida and UNC. They didn’t look good against Central Michigan either. Their defense should keep them in every game they play the rest of the year. They are just a handful of plays from being 4-0 and ranked around 12.
Florida State (2-2, 1-0) – C+
Florida State is tough to gauge. There’s talent, and they played well for large portions of their 4 games. They sit 2-2, and can go in either direction. Maybe the comeback win against Louisville can jump start their season?
NC State (3-1, 0-0) – C+
The Wolfpack are 3-1, but that loss to West Virginia left a mark. The QB situation feels like it could be a problem most of the year. The game next week with FSU is a pivotal one.
Boston College (3-1, 1-0) – C
If Boston College had lost to Rutgers, I would have given them an F. That Kansas loss was embarrassing though. They haven’t shown the defensive toughness a lot recent BC teams have had.
Virginia Tech (2-1, 0-1) – C
The loss at BC loss looks pretty bad, and there’s no running game. The Hokies narrowly avoided a horrible loss to Furman, but they are 2-1 which they can work with. A running game would certainly help.
Georgia Tech (1-2, 0-1) – C-
Most pre-season expectations were low for Georgia Tech, and thus far they haven’t even met those. The offense is completely dysfunctional, and the loss to the Citadel was their worst in at least 30 years.
Syracuse (2-2, 0-1) – D
Dino Babers can still coach, but Syracuse is the league’s biggest disappointment. The defense is a mess, and the Cuse didn’t come close to meeting pre-season expectations. This season is currently a big let down.
