The college football season is about one month in, and some teams have already begun to establish themselves as leaders in their conferences. In the ACC, several teams have emerged as possible contenders in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. However, two teams currently lead the pack: the Clemson Tigers and the Miami Hurricanes.
1. Clemson Tigers (AP No. 15)
The Clemson Tigers have shown flashes of excellence on both sides of the ball, but their key to success for the rest of the season will be finding consistency on offense and defense.
The Tigers suffered a tough 34-3 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in their season opener. At first glance, it might seem like there were no positives from that game. However, Clemson’s defense held one of the nation’s top offenses to just six points in the first half, courtesy of two field goals.
The following week, against Appalachian State, the Tigers’ defense forced two turnovers and showed flashes of excellence in both games.
Offensively, there are still questions surrounding Clemson. They’ll be looking for consistency after scoring just three points in their opener, then putting up 66 points in their second game.
However, Clemson has the talent to be a great offense.
The Tigers boast one of the deepest wide receiver groups in the country, with eight players competing for valuable playing time. Thirteen Clemson receivers caught a pass against Appalachian State, illustrating this depth.
They also feature one of the nation’s top running backs in Phil Mafah, who erupted for 118 yards, including an 83-yard touchdown against App State.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik delivered one of the best first-half performances of all time against Appalachian State, completing 24 of 26 passes for 378 yards and seven total touchdowns in the first half alone.
Klubnik followed up that game with another great performance against NC State, where he became the first quarterback in college football history to post back-to-back games with a 99-plus QBR.
For Klubnik and the Tigers’ offense, their momentum carried over when they hosted Stanford last weekend. Stanford hung around early, but Clemson ended the night with a dominating 40-14 victory.
In their last three games, Clemson has scored 165 points, averaging 55 points per game. If Clemson can keep up this scoring pace, expect the Tigers to run through the rest of the ACC.
2. Miami Hurricanes (AP No. 8)
Every year, the Miami Hurricanes seem to have a lot of potential heading into the season, but they often fail to live up to the hype. However, 2024 could be the year the Hurricanes reclaim ACC dominance.
Miami is currently 5-0, and through their first five games, they’ve boasted one of the most dominant offenses in the country.
The Hurricanes opened their season with a commanding 41-17 win over in-state rival Florida in one of the toughest environments in college football—The Swamp.
Miami’s offseason acquisition of transfer quarterback Cam Ward, widely regarded as the top QB in the transfer portal, has been key to their success this season.
Against Florida, Ward completed 26 of 35 passes for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, while also rushing for 33 yards.
Ward excelled again against FCS opponent Florida A&M, completing 20 of 25 passes for 304 yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown in a 56-9 victory.
In their third game, Miami hosted Ball State and dominated all four quarters, winning 62-0. Ward completed 19 of 28 passes for 346 yards and five touchdowns.
They followed that win with a dominating 50-15 victory against South Florida.
After four blowout wins, college football fans had their eyes on Miami and Cam Ward. However, in a Friday night showdown against Virginia Tech, the Hurricanes nearly fell apart and were a hail mary away from losing their first game of the season.
Ultimately, Miami came away with a 38-34 victory and will look to remain undefeated against an underrated Cal team this weekend.
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