After just the initial week of the college football season, what appeared to be a tough three-team contest in the ACC has swiftly turned into a solitary sprint. Miami’s overwhelming victory over Florida has cemented their position at the top, while Florida State and Clemson both suffered early defeats.
From 2004, six teams have won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship. During that time, Florida State won the championship five times, Virginia Tech four times, and Clemson an astonishing eight times, with Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, and Pitt each winning once. Miami and Virginia Tech joined the ACC in 2004, coming from the now-defunct Big East, where they had combined for six titles, with Miami contributing four.
Given Miami’s supremacy in the early 2000s, when they competed in two national championships and won one, many expected them to be consistent ACC title candidates. However, the Hurricanes have only had one ACC Tournament physical form, in 2017.
Is 2024 the year to finally believe in Miami’s resurgence, or are we set up for another disappointment? If there was ever a season for the Hurricanes to capture their first ACC title, this might be it. Although it’s just one game into the season for No. 12 Miami (1-0, 0-0), the first week of college football, particularly in the ACC, has been eye-opening, with the conference teams collectively posting a 15-5 record. However, two of those losses were suffered by Florida State, who dropped games in Week Zero and Week 1. Not only have the Seminoles lost back-to-back ACC matchups against Georgia Tech and Boston College, but their hopes of making the College Football Playoff are virtually nonexistent, along with their chances of winning the conference.
The Seminoles provide insight extremely terrible, especially at the line of possession. Their offensive line suffers with run blocking, while their line of defense is unable to stop the run. While anything can happen in a passionate rivalry like Miami-Florida State, the Hurricanes are expected to be big favorites when they play on October 26 at Hard Rock Stadium. Clemson has only played one game, but it was a brutal reality check as they were completely outplayed and humiliated by a superior Georgia squad. The Tigers scored three points in Atlanta, totaling only 188 yards of offense and being outscored 28-3 in the second half.
Clemson’s loss was in non-conference play, thus they might still pose a threat to Miami, but only in the ACC championship game, as the two teams do not meet in the regular season this year.
