No. 8 Miami tries to clinch its title-game spot at Syracuse as the ACC wraps up the regular season

Things to watch this week in the Atlantic Coast Conference:

Game of the week

No. 8 Miami at Syracuse, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

It’s a simple scenario for the Hurricanes: win this one and earn a trip to the ACC championship game. Miami (10-1, 6-1 ACC) beat Wake Forest in its home finale last weekend and move within a victory of facing No. 9 SMU in Charlotte on Dec. 7. A Miami loss sends No. 12 Clemson (9-2, 7-1), which has already completed its league slate and hosts No. 16 South Carolina.

Syracuse (8-3, 4-3) has won two straight and has started Fran Brown’s tenure with the program’s winningest season since winning 10 games in 2018.

The undercard

Virginia at Virginia Tech, Saturday at 8 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

Fittingly, the Cavaliers and Hokies end the season with a renewal of their instate rivalry with bowl eligibility on the line for both teams with matching records (5-6, 3-4).

The Cavaliers have lost two straight games to No. 5 Notre Dame and SMU since beating Pittsburgh. The Hokies have yet to win in November, falling at Syracuse in overtime, at home to Clemson and last week at Duke to find themselves stuck a win shy of bowl eligibility.

Not PARSE.LY: College football

Arkansas heads to No. 23 Missouri for matchup of SEC teams trying to improve bowl destinations

 

No. 22 Illinois tries to reach 9 wins for 1st time since 2007 when it meets Northwestern at Wrigley

 

Revenge is on the mind of No. 2 Ohio State in the rivalry game against unranked Michigan

 

Impact player

RB Brashard Smith, SMU. The Mustangs (10-1, 7-0) close the schedule at home against California in a game that has no impact on the title-game chase. Smith is third in the ACC in rushing (99 yards per game) while running for 1,089 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Inside the numbers

Louisville’s Ja’Corey Brooks leads the ACC by in receiving (1,013 yards) and has nine touchdown catches entering Saturday’s cross-conference rivalry meeting with Kentucky. ... Duke visits Wake Forest on Saturday ranked second in the country in tackles for loss (9.0 per game) and tied for fifth in sacks (3.27, 36). ... Georgia Tech visits No. 6 Georgia on Friday with coach Brent Key having a 6-5 record against ranked foes, including handing No. 8 Miami its only loss this year. ... The ACC has 3-2 records against both the Big Ten and the Big 12 this year while five of the league’s eight wins against other Power Four teams have come on the road.

Brown’s home farewell

The N.C. State-North Carolina rivalry has a couple of added storylines this year. In addition to the Wolfpack needing a win for bowl eligibility, the Tar Heels are playing their final home game under coach Mack Brown.

The school announced Tuesday that Brown won’t return for a seventh season in his second tenure in Chapel Hill, though he would coach against the Wolfpack in Saturday’s home finale.

The Tar Heels (6-5, 3-4) had won three straight to return to bowl eligibility before last weekend’s lopsided loss at Boston College. N.C. State (5-6, 2-5) lost at Georgia Tech last week to set up this all-or-nothing trip about a half-hour west on Interstate 40 to Chapel Hill when it comes to becoming bowl eligible for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons.

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