I’ll just leave this here to the collective wisdom of the board:
Kenny Pickett and Pitt survived a marathon against Virginia, 48-38, to secure its second trip to the ACC title game since 2018. It's always good to see a city that considers French fries a condiment have some college football success.
The Atlantic Division, on the other hand? That's where the chaos is this season. Clemson and Florida State have represented the Atlantic in the ACC's championship game every season since 2009. And that could still happen this year -- at least for Clemson.
The Tigers' win over Wake Forest leaves the door open for three teams to win the Atlantic. Wake can clinch with a win against Boston College next week. A loss, however, would put NC State in the driver's seat. Of course, the Wolfpack, who throttled Syracuse on Saturday, would still need to beat rival North Carolina. If both NC State and Wake lose, then we're right back where we started, with Clemson heading to Charlotte with sights set on a seventh straight conference championship.
But here's a possible twist: ACC commissioner Jim Phillips offers the slot to Notre Dame instead, if only the Irish are willing to join the league full time. Notre Dame gets a chance to bolster its playoff résumé, the ACC lands its big fish, everyone's happy. Except Clemson, Wake and NC State.
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Atlantic Anarchy, Coastal Calm
How's this for a topsy-turvy 2021? The ACC's Coastal Division, which had seven different champions in seven years from 2013 through 2019 (and, informally, an eighth in Notre Dame, as the ACC played without divisions last year), is all settled with a week to play.Kenny Pickett and Pitt survived a marathon against Virginia, 48-38, to secure its second trip to the ACC title game since 2018. It's always good to see a city that considers French fries a condiment have some college football success.
The Atlantic Division, on the other hand? That's where the chaos is this season. Clemson and Florida State have represented the Atlantic in the ACC's championship game every season since 2009. And that could still happen this year -- at least for Clemson.
The Tigers' win over Wake Forest leaves the door open for three teams to win the Atlantic. Wake can clinch with a win against Boston College next week. A loss, however, would put NC State in the driver's seat. Of course, the Wolfpack, who throttled Syracuse on Saturday, would still need to beat rival North Carolina. If both NC State and Wake lose, then we're right back where we started, with Clemson heading to Charlotte with sights set on a seventh straight conference championship.
But here's a possible twist: ACC commissioner Jim Phillips offers the slot to Notre Dame instead, if only the Irish are willing to join the league full time. Notre Dame gets a chance to bolster its playoff résumé, the ACC lands its big fish, everyone's happy. Except Clemson, Wake and NC State.
Show-Me Saturday: The week college football finally started to come into focus
In a season of chaos, Saturday was something altogether different. Saturday was sanity.
