May 3, 2024
Things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 7:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 25 Miami at No. 12 North Carolina. The Tar Heels (5-0, 2-0 ACC) are off to their best start since winning the first eight games in 1997, which was the final year in coach Mack Brown's first tenure in Chapel Hill before leaving for Texas.
The Tar Heels, led by star quarterback Drake Maye, are coming off probably their most complete performance in a romp against Syracuse. Now they’re hosting the Hurricanes (4-1, 0-1), who are coming off a crushing last-second home loss to Georgia Tech.
UNC has won all four meetings since Brown returned for his second coaching stint, with three of those games decided by three-point margins.
BEST MATCHUP
Defense likely will stand out in No. 17 Duke's home game against North Carolina State.
The Blue Devils (4-1, 1-0) have allowed just seven touchdowns so far and rank fourth in the Bowl Subdivision ranks by allowing 11.2 points per game. Defense has been a multi-year strength for the Wolfpack (4-2, 1-1) under coordinator Tony Gibson, led by linebacker Payton Wilson as one of the nation's top tacklers (fourth at 11.7 per game).
LONG SHOT
Pittsburgh entered the week as a 7 1/2-point underdog at home against No. 14 Louisville, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The Cardinals (6-0, 3-0) are coming off a win against Notre Dame while the Panthers (1-4, 0-2) are off to their worst start in coach Pat Narduzzi's nine seasons after winning 20 games the past two seasons with an ACC title in 2021. But Pitt has beaten at least one ranked opponent in each of Narduzzi's past seven seasons.
Narduzzi made a quarterback change Monday from Boston College transfer Phil Jurkovec to Christian Veilleux, a Penn State transfer.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
There are 14 unbeaten teams remaining nationally, with three — FSU, UNC and Louisville — in the ACC. That matches the Big Ten and Pac-12 for the most in the country. ... N.C. State's 48 points last week against Marshall marked the program's best total against a non-Championship Subdivision opponent since 2018. ... Wake Forest's trip to Virginia Tech this weekend is only its third since last winning in Blacksburg in 1983. ... Syracuse is in the midst of playing three straight true road games for the first time since 1996. ... The Cardinals have their best start since starting 6-0 in 2013 in a 12-1 season. ... Duke's last win against N.C. State came in 2013, which marked the last time the Wolfpack made the drive to nearby Durham.
IMPACT PLAYER
Fourth-ranked Florida State got a big boost out of the transfer portal by luring Keon Coleman from Michigan State. The receiver had nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns against LSU in the opener, then had two more scores against Clemson.
His six touchdown grabs are tied for the league lead heading into Saturday's visit from Syracuse.
