No. 12 Clemson’s visit to Georgia Tech, No. 5 Miami hosting No. 18 South Florida headline ACC slate
No. 12 Clemson’s visit to Georgia Tech, No. 5 Miami hosting No. 18 South Florida headline ACC slate
Things to watch this weekend in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 12 Clemson (1-1) at Georgia Tech (2-0), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN).
It’s hard to know what to expect of the preseason ACC favorite Tigers, who lost their opener at home to highly ranked LSU then found themselves in a 16-0 hole at home against Troy before rallying. The Tigers — who haven’t had top receiver and preseason AP All-American Antonio Williams since exiting early against LSU with a hamstring injury — rank 120th in the Bowl Subdivision ranks in total offense (288.5) and 110th in scoring (18.5).
The Yellow Jackets were picked fourth in the league. They won at Colorado behind quarterback Haynes King, who was a last-minute scratch due to a nagging injury before last week’s home win against Gardner-Webb.
The undercard
No. 18 South Florida at No. 5 Miami. This instate tussle arrives with the Bulls having beaten ranked Boise State and Florida teams, allowing them to crack the AP Top 25 poll for the first time since 2018. Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes beat Notre Dame in the opener then cruised last week against Bethune-Cookman.
Old Dominion at Virginia Tech. Pressure is rising in Blacksburg, where the Hokies have their first 0-2 start in 15 years and are staring at the potential for their first 0-3 start since 1987. The losses came to now-No. 11 South Carolina and Vanderbilt as the Hokies were looking for a bump in Brent Pry’s fourth year. The only silver lining comes in the form of trivia: the last 0-2 Virginia Tech team recovered for a perfect league record en route to winning the 2010 ACC title game.
Impact players
— Darian Mensah, Duke. The Blue Devils (1-1) made one of the offseason’s notable additions by landing the former Tulane quarterback. Now Mensah — ranked second nationally with 361.5 yards passing per game — will reunite with the Green Wave in Saturday’s road game.
— Dylan Lonergan, Boston College. The Eagles (1-1) are coming off a double-overtime loss at Michigan State, where Lonergan threw for 390 yards and four touchdowns. The Alabama transfer has eight TD passes against no interceptions entering Saturday’s game at California.
Inside the numbers
SMU’s loss to Baylor in double overtime dropped the ACC to three teams in the AP Top 25. No. 10 Florida State has an open date this week. … North Carolina (1-1) faces Championship Subdivision opponent Richmond this week. It’s the first meeting since the Spiders’ 27-18 home win in 1978. … California (2-0) hosts Minnesota on Saturday. It marks the program’s first home game against a Big Ten team since losing 52-34 to then-No. 4 Ohio State in September 2013. … Virginia (1-1) hosts FCS team William & Mary in an instate series going back to 1908. The Cavaliers have won six straight and 12 of 13 going back to 1988, with the Tribe’s lone win coming in 2009.
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football
By AARON BEARD
AP Sports Writer
