What are the big questions for week 11 of ACC football?
Is there a realistic path for an ACC team to reach the playoffs?
No – The ACC’s realistic chances of having a playoff team died at South Bend. Now I think Clemson and UNC can get close. Notre Dame is ranked #20 and if they win out including beating USC they can get into the teens which softens the blow of Clemson and UNC losing to them. If #10 Clemson wins out over Louisville, Miami, and South Carolina and wins the ACCCG – I can see them getting as high as 5 or 6. If #15 UNC wins out, they still play a possible top 15 NC state team and a top 15 Clemson. That would be enough to get them to 6 or 7. There would have to be several unlikely upsets to even have a chance. It’s not happening this year for an ACC team.
Can Louisville win at Clemson to continue their surge?
You bet they can… It wasn’t just that Clemson was taken to the woodshed by Notre Dame, they simply aren’t playing good football. The Irish are a decent team, but they aren’t world-beaters and they could have named the score against the Tigers. Clemson played 2 1/2 sloppy quarters against Syracuse and nearly lost, and that was following a 4th quarter that almost saw them collapse against Florida State. Louisville is a red-hot team, that has put a slow start behind them. Malik Cunningham is the type of QB that can break contain, and that has undoubtedly been a weak spot in Clemson’s defense.
Is Florida State fixing to run the table starting with Syracuse?
All year Florida State had shown flashes of being a top-20 caliber team, but they just lacked consistency – until now. Florida State is crushing inferior teams (ala Georgia Tech and Miami) by wide margins. That’s what really good teams do. Syracuse is a shell of the team they were a month ago, and the Noles look like a confident team that is peaking. I get the feeling it’s very possible FSU could run Syracuse out of their home stadium.
