In the ACC, FSU is toast and three teams are standing out

So much for Florida State being a top team in the Atlantic Coast Conference. While the Seminoles are mightily struggling, other league members are making moves to improve their position in the ACC’s pecking order.

No. 2 Miami, No. 13 Georgia Tech and No. 19 Virginia are the ACC’s three best teams as the 2025 season passes the midway point. Granted, both the Hurricanes and the Cavaliers had a bye this past weekend, while the Yellow Jackets knocked off Virginia Tech at home, 35-20.

Following Week 7, five teams are undefeated in league play. They are Miami, Georgia Tech, Virginia, Duke and SMU. The Blue Devils and the Mustangs, however, each have two losses in non-conference play.

The Seminoles started the 2025 campaign at 3-0, vaulting into the top 10 nationally due to a season-opening triumph over Alabama. However, No. 25 Florida State has lost three straight, the most recent being on Saturday to Pittsburgh in Tallahassee, 34-31.

What is the state of the ACC heading into Week 8?

FSU is 0-3 in ACC contests. Unless the Seminoles win out in the regular season, they really have no shot to get to early December’s league championship game in Charlotte, N.C.

Several other conference teams that are further down in the standings have gotten on a roll lately. Pittsburgh has won two straight to move to 4-2 overall. The same goes for Wake Forest. Clemson, the preseason favorite to win the ACC, has rattled off two straight triumphs to reach 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference competition.

Louisville and California, both on byes this weekend, are 4-1 and 4-2 overall, respectively. With half the season still left, a lot can happen, but Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia look like the teams to beat so far.

In Week 8, multiple ACC matchups will prove important to monitor for the league standings. This Friday night, Miami hosts Louisville. Georgia Tech has a huge battle at Duke, and one of those two squads will have a conference setback after Week 8.

SMU is at Clemson, as the Mustangs eye a victory in Death Valley, while the Tigers look to continue their recent resurgence. Virginia, meanwhile, has a non-conference encounter in Charlottesville against Washington State, which is 3-3 overall.