After a number of shut ACC wins this season for unbeaten Georgia Tech, the dam lastly broke defensively throughout Saturday evening’s 48-36 loss at NC State, the second stunner in convention play to spotlight Week 10 following SMU’s additional time overcome Miami.
The Wolfpack had the Yellow Jackets on the ropes all through the second half, countering each punch with uppercuts within the type of touchdowns of their very own by way of red-hot quarterback CJ Bailey and a big-play offense enjoying with out two of its high skills — tailback Hollywood Smothers and tight finish Justin Joly.
NC State piled up 583 yards of complete offense — together with a career-best 196 yards speeding from Duke Scott — and despatched Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1) to a powerful first setback. Virginia (8-1, 5-0) is the ACC’s lone remaining unbeaten in convention play and clinches a spot within the convention championship sport with wins over Wake Forest, Duke (5-3, 4-1) and Virginia Tech to complete out the common season.
With Georgia Tech’s sudden loss, the ACC doubtless won’t have a workforce inside the highest 10 of the School Soccer Playoff Rankings when the choice committee unveils its first high 25 on Tuesday evening until the Hurricanes (6-2, 2-2) get the advantage of the doubt since they’ve posted three wins over ranked groups.
Louisville (7-1, 4-1) and SMU every have one loss in convention play, however a kind of two can be eradicated from reaching the title sport once they meet on Nov. 22 in Dallas. That leaves one-loss Virginia and Duke, who play each other on Nov. 15, to try to fill the opposite aspect of the equation within the first weekend of December.
One of the best Georgia Tech can end is in a multi-team tie for first, after which it might come down to varied tiebreakers below the ACC’s coverage, that was enacted in 2023 with convention growth.
With the choice committee’s new power of schedule metric set to debut this week, the ACC can be far decrease than the SEC and Massive Ten within the pecking order and certain the Massive 12, as nicely. Virginia’s lone ranked win this fall got here in opposition to Florida State, whereas Georgia Tech beat Clemson for its high quality win and Louisville beat Miami.
The ACC champion will get an automated bid to the playoff, however these within the combine for considered one of seven obtainable at-large spots can be battling in opposition to the likes of the SEC and Massive Ten’s runner-up, others inside these leagues with double-digit victories and a possible 10-win Notre Dame.
Greatest-case for a two-bid state of affairs for the ACC could be Georgia Tech beating Georgia in Atlanta throughout rivalry weekend, however dropping the next weekend in opposition to considered one of these one-loss in convention challengers. That will imply the Yellow Jackets are 11-2 total with a pair of ranked wins, and will let the chips fall the place they might with the choice committee throughout at-large deliberations.
SMU earned the ACC’s second bid in final 12 months’s first 12 months of growth after dropping its second sport of the season to Clemson within the league title sport, however this time round, it may take mass chaos the remainder of the month exterior of the convention to warrant inclusion for a league’s second choice.
That is partly why ACC commissioner Jim Phillips was a robust advocate for additional growth over the summer season, understanding his league was a bit top-heavy and wanted robust showings from its preseason elites to get there. As a substitute, Clemson has flatlined, Florida State has struggled and Miami has misplaced two of its final three video games after beginning 6-0.
There can be no microphone holding this time round for the convention it seems, until a lot falls within the ACC’s favor over the ultimate weeks.
