Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday - for Football | Syracusefan.com

Orangeyes Daily Articles for Wednesday for Football

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No recent Cali or Iggy awards; Mr Irrelevant
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Welcome to Do Something Nice Day!

Yesterday you may have celebrated International Toot Your Own Flute Day, where you spent the day being selfish and thinking only about yourself. Today is a day to be selfless and think about others. Not only should you think about them, but you should put your thoughts into actions by doing something nice for them. Whatever you do should be done not because it will evoke a positive response from someone else, but because your are doing it from your heart. So often we go through our days in a hurry and don't think about the effect on someone else that stopping and pausing to do something nice will have. Today is a day to set a foundation of kindness that hopefully will stay long after this day has passed.

SU News

Syracuse football: Notable Pro Football Focus stats from the first five games (TNIAAM; De Guzman)


If you’re a normal reader of the site this football season, you’ll know that I usually do grades here for the latest Syracuse Orange football game on Tuesdays.

But after that “game” against Wagner, do you really need to see grades?

If you want grades, every unit gets an A except for the offensive line, which gets a B because penalties are a thing.

So in lieu of that, and with Bye Week U coming up this week, let’s take a look back at the season so far at the good, the bad, and the future through the lens of Pro Football Focus. We’ve been a fan of PFF’s ratings for the past few seasons since they introduced college football stats. PFF does a great job of helping us put performances into perspective.

Without further ado, let’s jump in:

Virginia v Syracuse
Photo by Bryan Bennett/Getty Images

An All-Around Team

If you’re going to go undefeated this far into the season, you need a lot of players to pull their own weight. Fortunately for the Orange, the numbers back up that theory.

I’ll be talking a lot about PFF’s ratings throughout this. For those who aren’t familiar with it, a score of 60.0 signifies the starting or average score for a player.

The impressive thing for Syracuse is that a significant number of starters and players have a season rating above 60. 26 of 35 offensive players sit at a 60 or higher, and 25 of 35 defensive players enjoy an above average rating.

Boil it down to the starters and the numbers are equally as impressive. Nine of 12 players with over 100 snaps on offense have an above 60 rating, while eight of 13 players on defense have the above average rating.

The most impressive number is that only two players on offense have a rating below 50 (I’ll get to one of those guys in a bit) and no one on defense has a rating below 50. No one on the team has a rating below 40 either. So while some players are performing below PFF’s average line, there aren’t too many players who are playing at an extremely low level.
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Which Players Need to Step Up Moving Forward? – Orange Fizz – Daily Syracuse Recruiting News & Team Coverage (orangefizz.net; Eads)

The calendar month has turned to October and Syracuse Football is STILL undefeated. SU hasn’t accomplished this feat since 1993. This season has already been a massive success and one that the team and fans should be very proud of.

With that said, “you can’t come this far just to come this far.” Yeah, the Orange are off to an insane 5-0 start including a 2-0 beginning to ACC play which is the program’s best ever in the conference. However, nobody wins trophies for getting through September undefeated or for being one of the final handful of teams without a blemish one month into the season.

Here’s the reality, Syracuse has seven chances to earn one win to claim bowl eligibility. At this point though, the expectations need to be altered. This is an SU team that took Louisville to the woodshed, overcame on of the best programs in the Big Ten West, and prevailed amidst all kinds of adversity against Virginia.

This is a ‘Cuse team that could contend for the ACC Atlantic Title, perhaps the ACC title too. At the very least, Syracuse needs to come out on top against one of the six (plus Notre Dame) conferences foes it sees in Spooky Season and November. So if the Orange want to do just that, who needs to step up their game in the back half of the schedule?

SEAN TUCKER AND THE RUN GAME

Before Syracuse played a glorified high school football team last week, the ground game was sputtering like a 1930s Model T. Sean Tucker was all but clogged up against Purdue and Virginia. The running back garnered just 102 yards on 39 carries which is under a 3 yards per carry average.
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Christopher Peralta Details 'Great' Syracuse Visit (SI; McAllister)

Class of 2024 West Orange (NJ) Seton Hall Prep linebacker Christopher Peralta is on the radar of several power five programs. Over the weekend, he was on the Syracuse campus for an unofficial visit and to attend the game against Wagner.

"It was great," Peralta said. "Hope to be back up there soon."

The 6-1, 215 pounder enjoyed the game day atmosphere at the JMA Wireless Dome.

"Cuse played great," Peralta said. "They couldn't be stopped on offense and their defense just played great. The atmosphere was amazing and loud, which made the game very fun to watch."


During the game, Peralta paid close attention to the Syracuse linebackers.

"They stayed patient by buzzing their feet and reading their keys," Peralta said.

On the visit, Peralta spent time speaking with members of the Orange staff.

"I spoke to coach Ahmad and coach Johnson," Peralta said. "Didn't get a chance to speak to any other coaches. Me and coach Ahmad just talked about my football league, my team progress and me a little bit. Coach Johnson was just telling me to play hard and how the coaching staff watches film. He got to know me a little more."
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What convinced me to rank SU in the AP Top 25? It certainly wasn’t the schedule (PS; $; Mink)

More than a dozen voters left Syracuse off their AP Top 25 ballots, unconvinced it has done enough to earn a spot in college football’s weekly beauty pageant.

There’s no regional bias at work here. They live on the West Coast, in the Deep South, Midwest, Rust Belt, Mid-Atlantic and for the Worldwide Leader.

I nearly joined them.

But Syracuse won me over this week, and it had very little to do with a bugaboo-free, 59-0 undressing of Wagner and more to do with the carnage across the country involving previously ranked teams.

We got more data points on Washington, Texas A&M, Oklahoma and Minnesota that suggest they’ve done little to differentiate themselves from the Orange, even if one’s eye-test would deem them a favorite in a head-to-head matchup.
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Syracuse Football: Comparing 2022 to the undefeated 1987 season (itlh; Fiello)

In this column, I’m going to take you back 35 years to reminisce about an extremely special Syracuse football team.

Picture this. It’s 1987. Dirty Dancing is making people want to vacation in the Catskills. The beautiful and talented Whitney Houston just “wants to dance with somebody” and you probably listened to it on a cassette tape or taped it off the radio.

Micro Machines, GI Joe and Omnibot were at the top of kids’ Christmas lists. And the Syracuse Orangemen were undefeated and ended the season with a tie in the Sugar Bowl (dang you Auburn).

As the 2022 Syracuse football team has started 5-0, for the first time since 1987, I can’t help but think back to the team that likely solidified my love of the Orange.

Don’t get me wrong, I was 15 at the time and I watched it before this. I remember being a young kid who loved both basketball and football, especially the story of the 44s and seeing it on the field.

But I think something clicked in me that season with them on the brink of a championship that unfortunately they may not have ever had a chance to win, but I was enamored and hooked.

Taking a look at the current Syracuse football team as compared to that magnificent 1987 squad.

To this day, if you put a gun to my head and ask me who my favorite Syracuse football player I ever watched play is, I’m likely to say Don McPherson. I probably would have even become a Philadelphia Eagles fan if things had worked out better there (kind of like some younger fans likely are due to Donovan McNabb being successful in both places at a time that resonated with them).
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‎Locked On Syracuse - Daily Podcast On Syracuse Orange Football & Basketball: MAILBAG: Syracuse Is Winning, Why Isn't The Dome Packed? on Apple Podcasts (apple.com; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)


Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine take time on your episode to answer your questions! The guys scour Twitter, YouTube comments, and their email inbox to bring you the latest questions from the Syracuse faithful.


Does Syracuse Have A Chance To Host College Gameday? (youtube; podcast; Locked on Syracuse)

Matt Bonaparte and Owen Valentine break down Syracuse chances to host College Gameday for the first time in program history. Heading into the bye week, they also explore the biggest surprises and disappointments through the first five weeks.

Syracuse football: Let’s talk about College Gameday (TNIAAM; Wall)

The Syracuse Orange are 5-0 and ranked in the Top 25 with a big game waiting for them after this bye week. Many fans have spent the last couple of weeks talking themselves into ESPN’s College Gameday making their first-ever visit for a Syracuse football game.

Yesterday’s news that the Syracuse game against NC State will be a 3:30 start and shown on the ACC Network seems to close the door on a Gameday visit. If ESPN was thinking about sending Ree, Desmocnd, Kirk, Corso and Pat McAfee’s black tank tops to the 315 they probably would have put a 7-day hold on the game.

Let’s take a look at what CuseSports44 had on Twitter and break down the points.

Here's my take on the current position that Syracuse is in to host @CollegeGameDay for the first time ever. Let me know what I got wrong. @jimmyg44 @MinkNate @NunesMagician @ReceDavis @KirkHerbstreit @emleiker @ccarlsononSU @McAllisterMike1 @WildhackJ @MattPark1 @BrentAxeMedia pic.twitter.com/hOTd2kgsgq
— CuseSports44 (@CuseSports44) October 3, 2022

Now things can change based on the outcomes of games this weekend but those are the four games that feature teams ranked higher than Syracuse-NC State. The only one of those four to be shown on ABC/ESPN is Oklahoma State at TCU and I think right now we’d say Alabama-Tennessee is the top game on the slate with Penn State-Michigan not far behind.
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ACC News

Ranking 2022 ACC FB Rosters (RX; HM)


Ranking 2022 ACC FB Rosters

Things are starting to come into focus now that the football season is 1/3rd over. Do the results match up to the roster "star ratings"? From Fox College Football:


These are the most talented ACC teams this season according to 247Sports ⭐

Which team has impressed you the most through Week 5? pic.twitter.com/bKAxqHtgot
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 3, 2022
Here's their data in a simple table, with a column added for total "Blue Chip" players:
RkTeam5*4*Blue
Chip
1Clemson123951
2Miami (FL)24446
3N Carolina32932
4Florida St03030
5Georgia Tech01717
6NC State01515
7Boston Coll.01212
8Pittsburgh088
9Virginia Tech099
10Virginia077
11Louisville066
12Duke022
13Syracuse033
14Wake Forest044


At first glance this looks good - until you realize that Virginia Tech and Wake Forest are both ranked lower than they should be! If we assume we are simply ranking by number of Blue Chip players on the roster, this is how it should look:

RkTeam5*4*Blue
Chip
1Clemson123951
2Miami (FL)24446
3N Carolina32932
4Florida St03030
5Georgia Tech01717
6NC State01515
7Boston Coll.01212
8Virginia Tech099
9Pittsburgh088
10Virginia077
11Louisville066
12Wake Forest044
13Syracuse033
14Duke022


At the top: Clemson is 5-0. North Carolina and Florida State are both 4-1... but Miami is 2-2.

At the bottom: Duke is 4-1, Syracuse is 5-0, and Wake Forest is 4-1. What gives?
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Win% Since 2013 Expansion (RX; HM)

Win% Since 2013 Expansion

From an idea posted by ken_d on CSNBBS [LINK]:


Football records since Pitt and Syracuse joined ACC
TeamWin%ACC%OOC%
Clemson0.8800.8920.856 *
Florida State0.6460.5970.744 *
Miami0.6190.6160.625
Louisville0.5750.5410.643 *
NC State0.5710.4590.795
Pitt0.5700.5870.536 *
Virginia Tech0.5650.5540.587
UNC0.5130.5140.511
Boston College0.5000.3920.716
Wake Forest0.4950.3750.735
Duke0.4910.3510.771
Georgia Tech0.4640.4380.516 *
Virginia0.4270.3840.513
Syracuse0.3850.2840.587


Syracuse P5 OOC games since 2013

2013 3
2014 2
2015 1
2016 1
2017 1
2018 1
2019 1
2020 2 (only 1 played, Rutgers forfeited due to COVID
2021 1
2022 2

* denotes teams which usually schedule 2 P5 OOC games.
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Still Unbeaten 2022 Oct 4th (RX; HM)

Still Unbeaten 2022 Oct 4th

Here's the list of FBS teams which haven't lost a game yet this season:


ConfUnbeaten Team(s)
AACnone
ACCClemson, Syracuse
XIIKansas, Oklahoma State, TCU
B1GMichigan, Ohio State, Penn State
USAnone
INDnone
MACnone
MWCnone
PacUSC, UCLA
SECGeorgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Ole Miss
SBCCoastal Carolina, JMU


Of course, the ACC lost three teams from the unbeaten ranks over the last two weekends due to conference match-ups. This will ultimately happen to the other P5 conferences as well.
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Which of these teams do we think are legitimate contenders, and which simply played a soft early schedule? From ESPN+ "Ranking college football's 16 remaining unbeaten teams", here is their ranking:



Rank

Team
SP+
Rank
FPI
Rank
12-0
Odds
16Coastal Carolina57802.20%
15Syracuse58350.10%
14James Madison3463

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FCS upsets of P5 teams, CFP era (RX; HM)

FCS upsets of P5 teams, CFP era

When an FBS team loses to an FCS one, it's embarrassing. When the loser is a Power Five (P5) team, it's downright humiliating. That said, it's happened 17 times during the CFP era alone - including once this season and four times last year. Here are the P5 losses to FCS teams over the last 8+ seasons:


FCS wins vs. P5 teams during the CFP era:
DATEFCS TEAMSCOREFBS TEAM
2022 season
Sept. 17Southern Illinois31-24Northwestern
2021 season
Sept. 4Montana13-7#20 Washington
Sept. 4East Tennessee State23-3Vanderbilt
Sept. 11Jacksonville State20-17Florida State
Sept. 18Northern Arizona21-19Arizona
2020 season
2019 season
Sept. 14The Citadel27-24 OTGeorgia Tech
2018 season
Sept. 1Nicholls State26-23 OTKansas
2017 season
Sept. 2Liberty48-45Baylor
2016 season
Sept. 3Eastern Washington45-42Washington State
Sept. 3Northern Iowa25-20Iowa State
Sept. 3Richmond37-20Virginia
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Syracuse 5-0 for First Time Since 1987 - Gridiron Heroics (gridironheroics.com; White)

If you’re a college football fan and you remember Ronald Reagan’s famous Berlin Wall speech, that was the last time the Orange started off their season 5-0. Yes, it was 35 years ago, in 1987…

For perspective, TV shows like “The Simpsons” and “Full House” made their debuts on national television that year. Beverly Hills Cop 2 had just hit the box office. Michael J Fox was the “teenage heartthrob” of Hollywood. “Walk Like an Egyptian” was one of the hottest songs on the radio. Gas was 89 cents a gallon…

I’m only 23, but even I feel old hearing some of this stuff. To think that it took less time to build the Great Wall of China (24 years) than for Syracuse football to become relevant again baffles me. Thankfully I didn’t have to wait that long, but for the Syracuse fans that did, this article is dedicated to you. Cheers to you Otto’s Army, it’s been a long time coming.

The Last Time Syracuse was this Good…

For reference, Syracuse football has gone 5-0 only two other times in history. The first came in 1959, when the then “Orangemen” went 11-0 and won the national championship against Texas. Led by their Heisman Trophy-Winning running back Ernie Davis, Syracuse would easily win every game by nearly double digits. That team was by far, the most dominant Syracuse had ever had on the gridiron.

The second 5-0 start came in 1987, with quarterback Don McPherson at the helm. As a matter of fact, McPherson would finish as the runner up to the Heisman Trophy that year, in one of the biggest snubs in college football history. Regardless, he was the top signal caller in the country, evident by his 1987 Davey O’Brien trophy. Having won some tough games that year (many of which were come from behind), McPherson and Syracuse would finish their season with another perfect 11-0 regular season. Now Syracuse would finish undefeated that year, but they wouldn’t win all their games, either. Let me explain.
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Around the Northeast CFB: Boston College gets a rare win; Syracuse becomes ranked (dailycampus.com; Calhoun)

Week 6 is coming up, which means the first half of the regular season is almost over. In golf terms, Weeks 5 through 7 are like the Amen Corner of college football, where you’re halfway through but the toughest matchups begin. Let’s look at what top Northeast teams exceeded expectations, and which teams didn’t.

No. 11 Penn State hands Northwestern another loss, 17-7

Northwestern has not won since Week 0’s thrilling win over Nebraska, and they weren’t going to win on Saturday as Penn State entered the top 10 following their 17-7 win in Happy Valley. It was pouring in State College, but that didn’t faze defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, who stopped Northwestern quarterback Ryan Hilinski before the end zone in the fourth quarter. That removed any remaining momentum for the Wildcats, as Penn State’s defense was the difference-maker. The Nittany Lions’ defense forced three turnovers, setting the offense up to score 14 points. Despite James Franklin’s team playing sloppy, they prevailed with a 10-point win. Penn State has this week off, which gives the players rest and time to prepare for a huge matchup against Michigan.

Georgia Tech shocks No. 24 Pittsburgh, 26-21

In his coaching debut, Brent Key had a tough challenge with a road game against Pittsburgh. However, Georgia Tech prevailed with a great defensive performance and a strong running game. The defending ACC champions had three turnovers, and Hassan Hall rushed for 157 yards. It’s the second loss for the Panthers this season, as they previously lost to Tennessee during Week 2. Gavin Stewart had four field goals, two set up by linebacker Charlie Thomas, who forced two of Pitt’s three turnovers. Kedon Slovis put the Panthers within one possession with 1:57 as he passed to Jaden Bradley in the end zone. When the Yellow Jackets got the ball back, Hassan Hall rushed for 63 yards on the first play to put his team in field goal position. Quarterback Jeff Sims threw a touchdown shortly after that. A very late Pitt touchdown gave them hope, but the Panthers could not recover the onside kick. As a 22-point home favorite, the Panthers are out of the AP Top 25. They’ll look to bounce back as they host Virginia Tech on Saturday.

WHEN IT SEEMS THERE IS NO WAY OUT…

MAKE THE CHOICE TO LEAD. PIC.TWITTER.COM/MC4OCGCIAP
— Boston College Football (@BCFootball) October 4, 2022
Syracuse demolishes Wagner, 59-0

It’s safe to say that running back Sean Tucker was pleased with his performance in the Orange’s rout over northeast opponent Wagner, who fell to 0-4 on the season. Tucker rushed for 232 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run. Syracuse enters Week 6 ranked for the first time since Week 2 of the 2019 season. Quarterback Garrett Shrader shined as well, passing for 238 yards and three total touchdowns. He was a perfect passer on Saturday, going 17-for-17. The offense was so dominant, freshman running back LeQuint Allen rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown on four carries, including a 90-yard run. Darian Chestnut added another touchdown on a pick-six. Wagner faces crosstown rival Columbia on Saturday, while Syracuse has their bye week. The Orange will face top-15 ranked NC State in the JMA Wireless Dome for Week 7.
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Film Room @ Clemson - Don’t Blame the OC edition (backingthepack.com; Essad)

Bottom line up front, let’s call it for what it is. NC State got flat out beat by Clemson on Saturday. After reviewing the game, it doesn’t appear to be because of scheme, but the Wolfpack simply lacked the players to stack up against Clemson, and they didn’t have the dudes. This applies to offense, specifically. The NC State defense can stack up against just about anyone, but there’s only so much they can do. When they would get consistent stops, the offense would go three and out, forcing the defense back out there. But let’s dive into it.

Let’s go to the video tape!

1. On Clemson’s first drive they drove nearly the length of the field. But when it mattered most, the Pack got a third down stop. Mobile QB’s have largely been neutralized in the Tony Gibson scheme. Payton Wilson played the spy through most of the game, and here he brought two buddies along to make sure DJ Uiagalelei was down. Another split second and DJ might have noticed that Will Shipley had slipped open to the goal, a quick flip to him would have resulted in an easy score. State holds Clemson to just a field goal and we’re feeling pretty good.

1._1q_third_down_stop.gif



2. NC State’s first drive started with two Jordan Houston runs that netted -1 yard. A(nother) false start penalty pushed the Pack third and long, resulting in this beauty of a throw to Thayer Thomas.
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3 Things We Know | ACC Football So Far (youtube; video; ACCDN)

As we approach the halfway point of the ACC football season there are a few things we know. The Atlantic Division is one of the toughest in CFB as they boast all four of the squads currently ranked in the AP Top 25. The greatest collection of quarterbacks is housed right here as seven ACC quarterbacks rank in the top 32 in QBR. We also know that the 5-0 Clemson Tigers are back and on the warpath. In the last two weeks they have defeated two top-25 opponents.

Boston College Football vs. Clemson: Gambling Odds and Prediction (bcinterruption.com; Caliguri)

Well, last week was quite the ride for the Boston College football team as they were able to squeak by Louisville to secure their first ACC win of the season with a 34-33 win.


Like a responsible gambler, I stayed the hell away from this one and boy was that the right decision. The ending results of the match was a gambler’s worst nightmare as the Eagles were able to cover the 15.5 spread, obviously, and absolutely destroy the Over of 51 which I originally guessed was set a tad bit too high.

Nonethless, not betting on the game allowed me to simply watch the game as a true fan and Alum and enjoy the spoils of victory.

A few quick observations going forward: The run game looked significantly improved, the O-line looked surprisingly improved (?) despite there being an additional lineman added to the injury report prior to kick-off, and Big Play Zay is practically unstoppable.

Now, moving forward, the Eagles will have their biggest test to date as they welcome in the #5 Clemson Tigers Saturday night for the annual Red Bandana game. As to be expected, the Eagles are coming into their own home game as a +20.5 underdog and O/U at 48.5.
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Duke football: Riley Leonard is turning into one of the ACC’s best (balldurham.com; Barris)

The quarterback for Duke football isn’t having his name mentioned in the same breath as North Carolina’s Drake Maye or Sam Hartman of Wake Forest. Unlike some other quarterbacks in the conference, he isn’t considered good simply because of the uniform he wears. But make no mistake, Riley Leonard has quietly turned into one of the ACC’s best.

He’s gotten pretty good at this quarterback thing

It didn’t take long for the sophomore from Alabama to establish himself as a weapon who can use both his arm and legs. He’s thrown for 1176 yards, seven touchdowns, and has just two interceptions-one of which Elko said was not Leonard’s fault. He has the highest completion percentage in the ACC (72%). His 261 yards rushing (good for fourteenth in the conference) and 6.4 yards per carry average tell you he’s dangerous regardless if it is a designed run or scramble.



There is an awful lot I like about Leonard. One of the things I like is the way he takes care of the football. He takes what a defense gives and does not force passes. A lot of young quarterbacks don’t do this. Coaches love quarterbacks who know when to throw the ball. Wanna know what they love even more? A quarterback who knows when to NOT throw the ball. Leonard’s decision making has been outstanding so far. His command of the offense has been outstanding as well and is not lost on head coach Mike Elko, “He’s allowed us the way he’s played these first five games … he’s allowed us to open up a little bit more because he’s showing that we can trust them and that he can execute the offense at a really high level.”
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Around the ACC: Week 6 (SI; Bowles)

The race for each division is shaping up in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) entering Week 6.

Florida State (4-1) travels to No. 14 NC State (4-1) as both are jockeying for position in the Atlantic.

In addition to the Wolfpack, three other ACC programs (Clemson, Wake Forest and Syracuse) are ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll, with the Tigers headlining at No. 5.

Here is everything you need to know about the ACC slate this weekend.

Atlantic:

Boston College (2-3) vs. No. 5 Clemson (5-0) - Oct. 8, 7:30 p.m.

In front of a national audience, junior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers defended their home field with a 30-20 win over NC State. Uiagalelei produced three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) and led Clemson in rushing with 73 yards. After throwing nine interceptions in 2021, Uiagalelei's thrown just one interception this season.

Senior wide receiver Zay Flowers hauled in five catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the Eagles' 34-33 win against Louisville in Week 5. It was Boston College's first ACC win this season.
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The Clemson Reign Atop ACC Football Is Back On Schedule (lastwordonsports.com; Knight)

The Clemson reign atop the ACC football mountain ended last season after six straight conference championships. That absence from the top appears as it will only last one year. The Tigers have won back-to-back games against their two most likely contenders this season. After escaping Winston-Salem with an overtime victory on September 24th, they came home and defeated N.C. State this past weekend. Consecutive wins over ranked opponents is always an impressive feat, but even more eye-opening is the varying ways that Clemson obtained those victories. They beat Wake Forest in a shootout where both offenses had their way all game. Then they turned around and outlasted the Wolfpack in a slugfest where the Tigers pulled away late in the contest.

The Clemson Reign atop ACC Football is Back on Schedule

Clemson had questions coming into the season, and some of those answers are still being searched for. However, there is also plenty of evidence to quiet some of the talk about vulnerabilities this team may have had. The offense is improving each week, and the defense still can dominate. Showing that they can win games in a multitude of ways is a good sight for Dabo Swinney, while serving as a warning for the rest of the ACC. Five weeks into the 2022 campaign and it appears that the Clemson reign over the ACC merely hit a speed bump last year, not a stop sign.

Quieting the Doubters

The biggest question mark for this team heading into the fall was surrounding the offense. Most notably, doubts were hanging over quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei ‘s ability to step up and lead this team. He struggled mightily as a sophomore and even scuffled a bit to begin this season. That has all changed in the past two games. The junior signal-caller has been excellent recently, making the right decisions, making accurate throws, and most importantly taking care of the football. The California native has continued to be a factor with his legs as well. He has 120 yards and two scores on the ground in the last two contests.

Virginia Tech fans must watch ACC Network special on legendary coach Frank Beamer (gobblercountry.com; Manning)

If you’re feeling a bit nostalgic or struggling to come to terms with the current state of the Virginia Tech football program, then the ACC Network can make you feel better.

The ACC Network debuted “ACC Legends: Frank Beamer” on Monday and replayed it throughout the day Tuesday. As expected, it was excellent.

The biggest critique is it’s only 30 minutes in length.

The documentary begins with Coach Beamer in Hillsville before he gets in the car and drives over to Fancy Gap. If you’re from Southwestern Virginia, you know these places well. Once he arrives in Fancy Gap, where he grew up, he strolls his old homeplace, telling stories of his childhood and taking care of the animals, and working in the hayfields.

Then, Coach Beamer gets emotional when discussing the fire from his childhood. His brother, who saved his life, spoke about that day and Coach Beamer’s life.

The documentary then covers Coach Beamer’s entire tenure in Blacksburg, from all of his years on the sideline to his continued presence in the community. Among those who spoke were his son and South Carolina head coach Shana Beamer, Michael Vick, Dwight Vick, Brandon Flowers, Eddie Royal, Bud Foster, Brent Pry, Xavier Adibi and Pierson Prioleau.
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Ohio State is No. 1? Concerns for Georgia? Analyzing 5 overreactions for college football's Week 5 (usatoday.com; Timanus)

A college football weekend rarely disappoints as far as providing observers with things to discuss. This one was certainly no different with a plethora of big plays, several unexpected results and a few near misses.

There’s a natural tendency to overreact to the most recent events, and many of those analyses will get echoed and amplified until we see the next thing. Of course, commenting on the results from the field is part of the fun, right?

Here are the top overreactions from Week 5, including notes on a couple of playoff hopefuls and a few words of caution for some teams on hot streaks.

The Buckeyes have had no issues since pulling away from Notre Dame late in Week 1. While both Alabama and Georgia have now had close calls, Ohio State has rolled along.

But as Han famously said to Luke, "Great, kid. Don’t get cocky." The Buckeyes haven’t had to leave the friendly confines of the Horseshoe, and their first road trip to Michigan State next week isn’t likely to test their mettle either, as the Spartans are now on a three-game skid. We aren’t likely to learn how this team handles adversity until the end of the month when the Buckeyes visit Penn State. Yes, of course the Buckeyes are in the playoff hunt as we figured they would be, but being voted No. 1 in the polls does not confer a particular advantage when facing elite competition once the postseason arrives.
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ACC race is wide open

The Coastal Division certainly is, especially in the aftermath of defending league champion Pittsburgh’s disastrous effort against Georgia Tech. Any number of teams could emerge, but none appears to be even a remotely significant favorite.

In reality though, the conference race is likely over. Yes, there are four ACC Atlantic teams currently in the Top 25 and a fifth, Florida State, that could work its way back in. But Clemson already owns wins against two of them, and it seems unlikely the Tigers will lose twice the rest of the way or that Syracuse will somehow upset things. Clemson will then be heavily favored against whoever survives the Coastal – North Carolina? Duke? – in the conference title game.
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Luring Micron to Syracuse: Dinner in Armory Square, runs along the creek, lots of land and money (PS; Knauss)


Every time Onondaga County was rejected for a chip fab, County Executive Ryan McMahon doubled down, buying more land and betting that it would someday help him win the jackpot. Tuesday, it did.

Micron Technology on Tuesday announced what McMahon and a bone-tired team of state, federal and local advocates have known for a couple weeks: The company plans to spend up to $100 billion to build what could be the biggest chip fab in the country a few miles outside Syracuse.

The project would create up to 9,000 high-paying tech jobs plus as many as 40,000 jobs in construction, support services and supply chain companies.

“This is life-changing for the people of our state,’’ Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

It took nearly a year and a half of negotiation to win Micron’s favor, and it could not have happened without federal incentives championed by U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer and state subsidies pushed by Hochul.

But along the way there were many smaller moments as a team of Micron executives based in Boise, Idaho, got to know and like Syracuse. Dinner in Armory Square. Runs along the Creekwalk. A trip to the JMA Dome. Chats with local business owners.

The hardest negotiations were about money. New York state is a relatively expensive place to build, and Micron’s board would never approve the project here unless the cost came down in line with other states like Texas.

McMahon and others say the talks sometimes got tense.

But along the way, through all the months of meetings, Central New York satisfied another Micron demand that really could not be negotiated: The Micron team decided Syracuse seemed like a good place to live.
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