Describing every ACC team’s season in three words or less

The ACC had quite an offseason. Not only did Clemson and Florida State continue their seemingly never-ending crusade to escape the conference, but Cal and Stanford, who notably border the Pacific Ocean rather than the Atlantic, along with SMU became full-fledged members of the conference. All of this before a game was played.

In honor of the borderline insanity these teams produce every week, I’ve decided to encapsulate each team’s season in only three words. Teams will appear in alphabetical order because nothing seems to stabilize this conference, but I’ll give it my best shot.

Boston College: BOB the Builder

Bill O’Brien took over this offseason as the head coach of BC, and so far it’s gone pretty well. The Eagles opened the season with an upset win over No. 10 Florida State and almost did it again two weeks later against No. 6 Missouri on the road. BOB is building something special in Beantown with a 4-2 record.

California: Belief in Cal-gorithm

Justin Wilcox had the team off to a 3-0 start. They played so well College Gameday came to Berkeley for the first time ever and they went toe-to-toe with No. 8 Miami. Exciting times in bear territory.

Clemson: Not Dead Yet

Everyone wrote this team off and said they were dead after the season opener against Georgia. In their next four games, they averaged 48.5 points per game. They are currently ranked No. 10 in the AP poll and knocking on the door for the playoffs.

Duke: On Fraud Watch

Don’t let their 5-1 record deceive you, because this team has not played to that record. Duke has one score wins over UConn, Northwestern and UNC and still has two ranked teams left on their schedule. Things could get ugly for the Blue Devils.

Florida State: Norvell Hot Seat?

If you told college football fans before the year that Florida State would be worse off than the Florida Gators, they would stare at you as though you grew an extra arm. Alas, the Noles are currently 1-5 after starting the year at No. 10 and have only scored more than 20 points in a game once this year.

Georgia Tech: Brent’s the Key

Brent Key was hired as the interim head coach in 2022 and made the most of his shot. During his tenure, the Yellow Jackets have notched multiple upsets of top 25 teams and even won their first bowl game since 2018 last year. They also secured the commitment of the highest-rated recruit in program history over the offseason.

Louisville: So Many Questions

Louisville started the year off 3-0 with two cupcake wins and a double-digit victory over Georgia Tech, but they have now lost back-to-back games. Is this team terrible? No, but they are not in the upper tier of the ACC either. It will be interesting to see what the Cardinals can do given their preseason expectations.

Miami: Back with Swagger

One of the hallmarks of the Miami teams in the early 2000s was their swagger. This team has that confidence led by Heisman frontrunner Cam Ward. Miami currently sits at 6-0 and 2-0 in ACC games. This is probably the best Hurricanes team since 2017 that went to the ACC Championship Game.

NC State: Totally Off Kilter

This might be the most puzzling team in the conference. The defense is giving up 33.7 points per game, the offense has turned the ball over 11 times already and that’s not like the Wolfpack.

UNC: Pack Up Mack

It’s safe to say the game has passed Mack Brown by at this point. He already threatened to resign after losing to James Madison 70-50.

Pitt: Ring the Bell

Kade Bell was brought in during the offseason to be the new offensive coordinator. Much like their baseball-playing in-state counterparts in Philadelphia, Pitt can score with the best of them. The Panthers have scored the third most points among ACC teams this year.

SMU: The Dark Horse

The Mustangs were a media darling coming into the season and expected to immediately contend for a conference title. They are 2-0 in conference play, coming off a ranked win and only face one ranked team for the rest of the year.

Stanford: Getting Airline Points

Stanford joining the ACC means that conference games on the road require a flight. This season they make three trips to the Eastern Time Zone and could unlock some rewards from whatever airline they fly on.

Syracuse: McCord is Juiced

Kyle McCord has thrown 17 touchdown passes this year through five games. He threw 24 total all last year. Safe to say that Syracuse has helped him revive his career.

Virginia: Tough Road Ahead

Virginia’s schedule contains four teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25. Three of those games are on the road and three of them take place consecutively. Things could get bumpy for the Cavs.

Virginia Tech: Horse Gone Dark

Remember how SMU was the dark horse of the ACC? That was Virginia Tech before the season, and things only went dark. Early season losses to Vanderbilt and Rutgers have derailed any momentum the Hokies had before the season.

Wake Forest: Has No Defense

This team simply refuses to play defense and it has cost them multiple games already. They have given up 31 points per game and 460 yards per game on average and lost to Louisiana at home. There is no excuse to give up 41 points at home to a Group of Five team as a team in the Power Four.

Nathan Johns is a first-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jzn5275@psu.edu.