Around the Conference Table: ACC College Football 2025 - Week 10

Presented by Headlands On Campus

Welcome back to Season 2 of Cal in the ACC. Let’s take a look at what our neighbors on the East Coast are doing.

North Carolina at Syracuse (North Carolina wins 27-10)

TD_24 - Boy Syracuse’s season is off the tracks after losing Steve Angeli. Not much they can do about it, just a lost season. But hey UNC won a game!

@RexVolcano - Yay for Billdon (Jorll? Get back to me here…) but the actually interesting storyline to me is Syracuse’s regression in year 2 under Fran Brown. I realize upstate New York is not an easy place to program-build, but he seemed legit, and they’ve suddenly fallen off a cliff.

Nick Kranz - Until last week Fran Brown was on my pipe dream list of coaches I’d have liked to see at Cal, but the way he handled the QB situation prior to and during this game moved him way down my imaginary list. Throwing a walk-on lacrosse player to the wolves is a disservice to that player and to his entire team.

Ben - The North Carolina Tar Heels football team (often known as the “Tar Heels”, “North Carolina” or simply “Carolina”) represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) in the sport of American football.

The Syracuse Orange football team represents Syracuse University in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

They met on the grid iron this week and played a football game that resulted in a score of 27-10. By losing, Syracuse improved their draft position which should be exciting given the next year’s class.

Callie - Does this make UNC a quality win for Cal? No? Oh okay. Well anyway, this one was a battle for the worst team in the ACC, and Bill Belichick wanted it less. Syracuse looks like a complete shadow of themselves.

Piotr T Le - When you trot out a walk on Lacrosse player you’re going to have a good time. You must know it killed Bill to win against someone playing his favorite sport. On the flip side, that’s UNC’s new slot receiver.

Jesse Miller-Gordon - Crabs in a bucket game of the week? Happy for the kids on UNC who are trying to put as much good football on tape before the portal opens back up. It’s funny that nobody thinks the the guy who won by 17 points should have his job next year, and it wouldn’t be totally insane if the losing coach was in Happy Valley by spring camp.

8 Georgia Tech at NC State (NC State wins 48-36)

TD_24 - oh Georgia Tech defense......then again weird things do happen at Carter Finley Stadium. NC State has to be the most volatile team in the ACC in terms of what they can give you any week.

@RexVolcano - Was Georgia Tech caught looking ahead to their game against Cal in 2027? Impossible to say. Loyal readers will know I have voiced my support for NC State QB CJ Bailey several of the times I remembered to submit my answers for this on time, and he continues to vindicate my early investment.

Nick Kranz - Georgia Tech’s defense was probably going to bite them at some point but I figured it was going to be the Georgia game rather than NC State.

Ben - I was standing by my window
On a cold and cloudy day
When I saw the hearse come rolling
For to carry my Playoff Georgia Tech away.

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by Lord, by and by
There’s a better home awaiting
In the sky Playoff Georgia Tech, in the sky.

Callie - Incredible upset. Shame I didn’t get to watch it.

Piotr T Le - Haynes King is great, but he cannot be accounting for 511 of the 559 yards Tech produces. That’s just unsustainable. Also it is hard to win when your defense gives up 48. Will NC State keep their powder dry with Dave Doeren for this cycle?

Jesse Miller-Gordon - Sunsetting coach Dave Doran will not go quietly into the night. Haynes King must to be protected, his life is in jeopardy.

10 Miami at SMU (SMU wins 26-20)

TD_24 - Oh Mario Cristobal.......some things never change

Maybe this win finally kicks SMU into high gear.

@RexVolcano - It’s easy to say in hindsight that this was a classic Miami trap game…but it kinda was? Canes QB Carson Beck immediately going negative towards his coaching staff at press conference with that “I just run the plays, man” answer after the *slightest* hint of adversity was very funny, although not in a way that anyone there should feel very good about.

Nick Kranz - Do you think if Miami had gone after Fernando rather than Carson Beck, that the Hurricanes would still be undefeated and cruising to an ACC title? Or do you think that Mario Cristobal still would’ve found a way to screw it all up, like he does with every other season?

Ben - Well, I went back home, home was lonely
For my Playoff Miami she was gone
And all my family there was cryin’
For out home felt sad and alone.

Will the circle be unbroken
By and by Lord, by and by
There’s a better home awaiting
In the sky Playoff Miami, in the sky.

Callie - Massive win for an SMU team that sputtered a bit against their Big 12 opponents. While it’s still obvious SMU is nothing like who they were last season, it’s clear that they have a foundation for a long tenure at the top of the ACC. Much like last year for Miami, they’ve looked beatable for a while. Carson Beck played at about standard Carson Beck levels, however without a Georgia level offensive team around, he did not look as good as he used to. Fortunately for NFL teams, he has made it known that he’s just a system QB.

Piotr T Le - lol. lmao even. Carson Beck wyd bro. Great win for SMU but this all but kills the chance for the ACC to have more than 1 team in the CFP.

Jesse Miller-Gordon - The key bump clash of titans did not disappoint, and the guys editing in crowd shots were as ready as the students rebounding from halloween festivities the night before. Miami’s defensive line is a monster who is not being served by the offense, and Carson Beck’s draft capital is slipping expeditiously. The decision to oust Mario Cristobal the way that they did is looking funnier by the week. SMU must be happy to wreck someone’s good time making gutsy play calls the week after extending their head coach.

12 Notre Dame at Boston College (Notre Dame wins 25-10)

TD_24 - I know this is a rivalry but I’m surprised BC wasn’t road raced considering their season to this point.

@RexVolcano - This feels like exactly the correct score for this matchup. Hard to fully explain why? You gotta feel like Notre Dame is gearing up for yet another backdoor playoff run…

Nick Kranz - Notre Dame used three different kickers in this game, all three missed a kick each, and TWO of them missed extra points! What a fun way to get to 25. Well, fun for us, not so much fun for Notre Dame.

Ben - Oh neat Bill O’Brien is going to get fired and this offseasons gonna get even nuttier.

Callie - No surprise here.

16 Louisville at VTech (Louisville wins 28-16)

TD_24 - I am NOT looking forward to seeing Cal try to take down Isaac Brown this week.

@RexVolcano - Louisville is strengthening their position as the 2025 ACC team I am most jealous of. We *will* be doing all of that stuff soon, with that little number next to our name. I know it deep within my soul. In the meantime, I don’t want to think about them very much. Hey, who does Cal play this week?

Nick Kranz - Louisville held Tech to 4.1 yards/run, and magically that meant that Tech couldn’t do much of anything on offense. Will wonders never cease?BenIT SHOULD HAVE BEEN US.PNG

Callie - Also no surprise here.

Piotr T Le - We’re so boned against Louisville’s defense. They are incredible and know how to stop the zone read!

Jesse Miller-Gordon - *Girds loins for this weekend* This past weekend’s loss at Memorial didn’t strike me the way it did for a large portion of the Cal fanbase, but this result held up next to the overtime loss in Blacksburg does not sit right.

Duke at Clemson (Duke wins 46-45)

TD_24 - This game was completely off the rails. Duke needed this win and now Clemson may miss a bowl game altogether.....wow.

@RexVolcano - I still think Dabo at Stanford in 2026 is a very funny thing to imagine, but it’s also becoming a tiny bit more realistic each week in a way that’s starting to make me very uncomfortable. Something to monitor going forward.

Nick Kranz - It’s my understanding that there was some kind of horrible call in this game that benefitted Duke, and I’d just like to say to Clemson that you get exactly none of my sympathy I hope you enjoy a bowl-less New Year with your stone age coach.

Ben - Thank you Duke for creating the funniest possible ACC Network matchup next week. We are truly in your debt.

Also does Dabo get poached or canned?

Callie - Clemson what happened to you???? On paper, Clemson should’ve won this game. Clemson had 10 minutes more with possession of the ball, had more passing and rushing yards, and had (in my mind) better QB performance than Duke (QBR notwithstanding). The only place Duke did better than Clemson was in penalties and turnovers. Clemson scored 3 consecutive TD’s to go from done by 14 to up by 7, only to allow Duke to tie things up in under a minute. Defensive failures on both sides kept both teams in the fight, and unfortunately Clemson let what could’ve been a quality win slip their fingertips thanks in part to being unable to stop a 2-point conversion and a 100 yard kickoff return TD they gave to Duke in the 3rd.

Piotr T Le - lol Dabo. Just lol.

Jesse Miller-Gordon - Duke is good, and Clemson might not go bowling. Excited to watch them play FSU in a “why were we feeling so litigious?” showdown.

Pitt at Stanford (Stanford loses 20-35)

TD_24 - They had me in the first half on this one, still think the Big Game is closer than we’d like to see.

@RexVolcano - I already kinda said this on Twitter, but we are reaching diminishing returns on how much Stanford losing can make me feel better on Saturdays. They’re *deeply* flawed this year, but also kind of making the absolute most out of what they have?

Nick Kranz - Ben Gulbranson started this game and in some ways was better than usual (7.6 yards/attempt isn’t amazing, but it’s pretty great for this Stanford team) and in some ways was even worse than normal (three picks, one a pick-six that ended the game as a competitive affair).

Ben - I Love Pitt.

Callie - Thank you Pitt for reminding Furd of their place in the ACC.

Piotr T Le - Stanford had fewer (sack included) rushing yards than you and I had over the weekend. Unless you somehow had fewer than -11 yards on the ground. In that case: bro.

Jesse Miller-Gordon - Pitt is looking like a monster since they starting playing freshman Mason Heintschiel, who looks awesome. A lot of programs would be happy to have him right now. He’s a 3 star that chose Pitt over Coastal Carolina and Liberty. Talent evaluation is an inexact science.

Wake Forest at Florida State (Florida State wins 42-7)

TD_24 - Wake Forest got lost in the travel to Tallahassee, its the only explanation for this. Wake has made their butter in close games then got maced into the ground.

@RexVolcano - Pretty textbook “maybe we aren’t as ahead of schedule as we thought” regression game for Wake, but I don’t think this changes much about how they feel about this season. You can sorta say the same thing about Florida State, who amassed some very nice tape for their upcoming transfer portal highlight videos.

Nick Kranz - SMU is going to kick themselves for ages if their lose to Wake keeps them out of the ACC title game. Meanwhile, Cal is no longer the last team to hand Florida State an ACC win and for that I am thankful. Also, next week’s “we hate everything that has happened this year” bowl between Clemson and FSU will be delightful to ignore - don’t tune in and give those teams a ratings boost.

Ben - sigh.

Callie - I don’t even know what to say about FSU anymore. Are they good? Are they bad? It remains unclear. One day they go out and put belt to ass against Wake Forest, another day they forget they’re playing Stanfurd. Crazy team.

Piotr T Le - Wake! Welcome to the club that gave FSU their only wins of the 24-25 era. Come we have snacks. No, the cognac is mine.

Any other thoughts?

TD_24 - Imagine telling a Clemson fan they’d score 45 at home and lose.

Nick Kranz - Virginia, Georgia Tech, Pitt, Louisville, SMU, and Duke all have one or fewer losses, and all of them have plausible routes to the ACC title game. Also, there are only three games left matching up two of those six teams (UVA/Duke, Louisville/SMU, and Pitt/Georgia Tech). It’s going to be hilarious to see what kind of absurd tie-breaker will be needed to split between these very evenly matched teams, and anybody who pretends that the two teams that make it are meaningfully better than the other teams in the race is fooling themselves. But somebody’s gonna get a playoff spot and an 11 seed!

Callie - No one rules the ACC, and although the championship is well out of reach for the Golden Bears now, it seems anyone in the top tier of the conference has a shot at it.

Piotr T Le - ACC is so bad and we’re somehow aligned with it.