Around the ACC: Week 2
The Atlantic Coastal Conference started its season with a 7-7 record in Week 1 of the college football season.
Four teams enter the AP Top 25 Polls entering the weekend, with some teams entering for the first time this season while others take huge hits.
North Carolina drops to No. 24 after reaching the top 10 in the preseason polls for the first time since 1997, Miami goes from No. 13 to No. 22 after Alabama throttled the Hurricanes, and Clemson drops down to No. 6.
Virginia Tech, who was previously unranked, enters as the No. 19 team in the nation after beating UNC at home.
With national contenders like Clemson losing its first game of the season against then No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs and North Carolina falling to Virginia Tech, the conference turns the page to another week of football with success running through the minds of their teams.
Clemson heads back to Death Valley for a non-conference game against South Carolina State. Head coach Dabo Swinney looks to get the sour taste out of his mouth and gets back into the win column against an inferior FCS school.
After being upset by Rocky Lombardi and Northern Illinois, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets look for their first win as they face Kennesaw State. The Yellow Jackets try to find an answer at quarterback after Jeff Sims exited Saturday night with a left shoulder injury.
Virginia posts an 11 a.m. kickoff against Illinois who became grounded from a loss from UTSA. The Cavaliers look to continue their winning ways after shutting out William & Mary.
The Pittsburgh Panthers head down to Knoxville to take on a new Tennessee offense. Pitt struggled with offensive miscues against UMass but still came out victorious in blowout style.
No. 19 Virginia Tech takes on Middle Tennessee after an impressive team win against North Carolina. The Hokies look to Brock Burmeister to lead the offensive charge once more as their defense looks to cause more turnovers.
Speaking of the Tar Heels, Mack Brown’s team heads back to Chapel Hill to take on Georgia State. Sam Howell looks to bounce back after tossing three interceptions in their loss against Virginia Tech.
Syracuse goes back to the Carrier Dome to face off against Rutgers in “alliance play”. Both teams come off blowout victories against FCS schools and try to bolster their records early on in the season.
Boston College comes off a dominant victory over Colgate 51-0 last weekend. Phil Jurkovic and company look forward to UMass this weekend as the Eagles open up as 37-point favorites on the road.
No. 22 Miami looks to move past the Alabama game as they take on Appalachian State. Head coach Manny Diaz will make tweaks to the team to aid D’Eriq King as they help him recover from his ACL injury.
NC State heads down to Starkville to take on the Bulldogs of Mississippi State as one of the nightcap games. The Wolfpack looks to continue their winning ways after shutting out USF 45-0.
After the McKenzie Milton comeback tour commencing last week in their overtime loss to Notre Dame, the Florida State Seminoles look to get into the win column against Jacksonville State. The offensive line will look to improve after letting Fighting Irish defenders through the trenches.
Louisville looks to revamp their offense without Tutu Atwell as they face Eastern Kentucky. At the start of the second half, quarterback Malik Cunningham led the team in passing, receiving, and rushing yards for the Cardinals.
Finally, Wake Forest takes on Norfolk State after dominating Old Dominion 42-10. Quarterback Sam Hartman ledthe offensive charge with 188 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Jonathan Draeger is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. You can contact him at jrd6052@psu.edu.
