In a jam-packed Saturday in college football, the ACC still made its presence known with two close games. One was expected to be a barnburner and delivered, while the other proved to be a massive upset. In addition, Clemson and North Carolina each punched their tickets to the ACC Championship Game, perhaps the most exciting matchup involving the Tigers in years. Let’s take a look around the league for Week 11 in the ACC.

Pitt 37, Virginia 7

This game was over before it started, as Brennan Armstrong inexplicably threw two pick-sixes in two plays to put the Panthers up 14-0 16 seconds into the match. From there the game felt rather lifeless, with Pitt being able to move the ball and the Cavaliers failing to do much of anything in the first half. Despite the gaudy final score, the Virginia defense didn’t play terribly, but an anemic offense like one seen on Saturday from the Cavaliers will never be enough to win a game.

Duke 24, Virginia Tech 7

Same story, different week for the Hokies. Despite the defense not playing poorly, the offense simply cannot get anything going, not running a play in the red zone all night. Missed field goals, interceptions and turnovers on downs doomed Virginia Tech’s chances to score, and despite not playing their best, the Blue Devils pulled away with a victory. On the bright side for the Hokies, they didn’t get penalized at all in this game, but simply not beating yourself isn’t going to win games alone.

Clemson 31, Louisville 16

Oh, what could have been in this game. Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham clearly was not 100% healthy in the first half, and he eventually was ruled out for the game with a shoulder injury. Clemson was able to take advantage and jumped out to an early lead, which it never relinquished. The running game for the Tigers was outstanding, tallying nearly 250 yards at over five yards per carry. It was slightly concerning, however, that Clemson wasn’t able to pull away in this game where it clearly outmatched its opponent. Give credit to Louisville’s defense – it played hard all afternoon. But this was a game you’d like to see Clemson win by more than 15 points.

Boston College 21, NC State 20

I was wondering when this game might come for the Wolfpack, who, despite being 7-2, have had some close calls after the injury to Devin Leary. That being said, I didn’t expect the trip-up to come against Boston College, the team with decidedly the lowest lows in the conference. The Eagles may have found someone in true freshman Emmett Morehead, who, despite throwing two interceptions, willed Boston College to a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. For NC State, this was the day the offense decided to die, as the Wolfpack scored just two field goals for the rest of the game after two opening touchdowns. Ugly game for the Wolfpack, who had been playing with fire and finally got burned.

Miami 35, Georgia Tech 14

The stat lines for the quarterbacks in this game tells you everything you need to know about the final result. Jacurri Brown took care of the ball and threw three touchdowns for the Hurricanes, while the two Zachs for Georgia Tech – Gibson and Pyran – combined for four interceptions. This game was actually close up until the fourth quarter, where Miami broke the dam and scored 21 points. Despite this season being less than ideal for Mario Cristobal’s squad, the Hurricanes need just one more win to secure bowl eligibility.

North Carolina 36, Wake Forest 34

This game was actually subdued compared to the last two matchups between the two teams, which tells you everything you need to know about the state of these programs over the last few years. The Tar Heels and Demon Deacons started off on fire in the first half, trading touchdowns en route to a 27-21 halftime lead for North Carolina. The scoring slowed down after the break, with Wake Forest leading for much of the fourth quarter, but a go-ahead field goal by the Tar Heels sealed the deal on the Coastal division crown. North Carolina is now 9-1, which by all means is an extremely successful season and could be made even sweeter depending on how Drake Maye fares in the eyes of Heisman voters.

Florida State 38, Syracuse 3

I’ve focused a lot the past few weeks on Syracuse’s downfall, so let’s instead end the article on a positive note by talking about how dominant the Seminoles looked. Jordan Travis completed an incredible 91% of his passes, and Florida State ran the ball down Syracuse’s throat to the tune of 230 yards. Defensively, the Seminoles held down the fort both on the ground and through the air, holding Syracuse to fewer than 100 yards in each category. The Seminoles are clearly dangerous and might be the hottest team in the conference not named Clemson or UNC.