Virginia stunned top-10 and previously undefeated Florida State on Friday night in Charlottesville, and the Atlantic Coast Conference’s pecking order is on a roller-coaster ride as Week 5 is in full swing.
In a wild game, the Cavaliers moved to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in league play with a 46-38 victory over the No. 8 Seminoles in double overtime, dropping FSU to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in conference competition.
While it’s still not even halfway through the 2025 season, Florida State could find itself in a little bit of trouble. On Oct. 4, the Seminoles will host No. 2 Miami, which has a bye Saturday.
Should the Hurricanes knock off FSU on the road, that would drop Florida State to 0-2 in ACC games, which is problematic as the Seminoles try to get to the league’s title contest in early December.
Speaking of Miami, the Hurricanes’ path to the ACC championship game looks even better now. The ‘Canes only face one currently ranked team, Florida State, and if Miami takes care of business there, it could be smooth sailing for the Hurricanes through the remainder of the 2025 campaign.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the Syracuse Orange and the Duke Blue Devils all have a chance to reach 2-0 in ACC contests in Week 5. No. 16 Georgia Tech is probably the biggest beneficiary of Florida State losing on Friday evening.
The Yellow Jackets are 4-0 and travel to Wake Forest on Saturday afternoon. Georgia Tech has already beaten Clemson, and the Yellow Jackets don’t play Miami. Georgia Tech has its rivalry game against No. 5 Georgia in late November, but even a loss there doesn’t impact the Yellow Jackets’ standing in the ACC.
Syracuse, Duke and Louisville have big opportunities
On Saturday afternoon at the JMA Wireless Dome, Syracuse will host Duke. The Orange are 3-1, and a win over the Blue Devils will push up Syracuse in the ACC standings. However, the Orange are rolling with a backup quarterback in redshirt sophomore Rickie Collins, so we’ll have to see how things shake out in Central New York.
Don’t sleep on Virginia. After that upset triumph over the Seminoles, the Cavaliers do have a quartet of road games coming up, against Louisville, North Carolina, California and Duke. But a top-10 conquest is massive for UVA’s resume.
Another ACC team to monitor is the Louisville Cardinals (3-0). They travel to Pittsburgh in Week 5. Louisville, Miami and Georgia Tech represent the remaining undefeated squads in the ACC.
Still, the Cardinals’ schedule entering Week 5 hasn’t been daunting, and Louisville has road dates with Miami and SMU, while hosting Virginia, Clemson and in-state rival Kentucky.
More clarity could arrive after Saturday’s slate of games. Then again, given UVA’s wild win over Florida State, the ACC could be in for more chaos Saturday.
