ACC is a chaotic mess following Week 10

Week 10 in the Atlantic Coast Conference didn't clear anything up, and which two teams will make it to the league's championship game on Dec. 6 in Charlotte, N.C., is anybody's guess after a frenetic Saturday.

The most significant outcomes involved the conference's two top-10 teams. No. 8 Georgia Tech, the last unbeaten squad left in the ACC, fell to NC State on the road, 48-36. If that wasn't enough of a stunner, No. 10 Miami saw its ACC title and College Football Playoff aspirations take a huge hit when the Hurricanes fell at SMU, 26-20.

No. 15 Virginia is now the only remaining ACC team without a conference setback. The Cavaliers beat California in Berkeley, 31-21. That's how wild the ACC is in the 2025 campaign. UVA is in first place, yet the Cavaliers were picked to finish 14th in the ACC, according to the league's preseason media poll. That goes to show you why preseason polls are, for the most part, rather silly.

Contenders and pretenders in ACC race

Here's the breakdown heading into Week 11. Virginia has zero conference losses. Those with one ACC setback are Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Louisville, SMU and Duke.

Miami has two league defeats. The Hurricanes must win out and likely receive help from other teams to reach the ACC Championship Game.

Louisville looks like the real deal. The Cardinals' toughest remaining test is a date with SMU in Dallas. The result of that encounter will have significant implications for the ACC's 2025 pecking order. The Mustangs, meanwhile, have two non-conference losses but have won four of their past five encounters.

Whether the Pittsburgh Panthers are a true contender in the ACC remains to be seen. On one hand, Pitt has captured five straight victories, albeit against weak competition. On the other hand, the Panthers' three remaining games are against three ranked teams in Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami. Pittsburgh has chances to prove the naysayers wrong.

Similar to SMU, Duke has two non-conference losses. The Blue Devils are 4-1 in their last five games, with their only setback to Georgia Tech. On Nov. 15, Duke will host Virginia. If the Blue Devils prevail, they can get to the ACC title game. Should the Cavaliers prevail, it's another step toward Charlotte for UVA.

In Week 11, key ACC contests include Miami hosting a struggling Syracuse, SMU traveling to Boston College, Duke at UConn in a non-conference duel, Virginia hosting Wake Forest and Louisville facing California at home.