Florida St. spirals, Miami dominates ahead of key Week 4 ACC clashes

The race for an Atlantic Coast Conference title in the 2024 season, and a likely top-four seed in the expanded 12-team College Football Playoff ("CFP"), looks wide open at this juncture.

However, one thing is fairly certain: Florida State, which won the ACC championship last year and was the preseason favorite to repeat in 2024, is all but toast.

The Seminoles fell to 0-3 after losing to Memphis at home. After going undefeated in the 2023 regular season but getting shut out of the four-team CFP, Florida State looked to dominate the ACC again in 2024 and secure a CFP spot.

At this juncture, Florida State will need some help to capture the 2024 ACC crown. The Seminoles are already 0-2 in conference games.

No. 10 Miami, meanwhile, moved to 3-0 after crushing Ball State at home. It's still early, but the Hurricanes sure appear to be the squad to beat in the ACC race.

No. 24 Boston College, playing at No. 6 Missouri out of the Southeastern Conference on Saturday, held an early lead against the Tigers but ultimately lost by six points in a hard-fought battle.

Arguably the most exciting encounter in Week 3 that involved an ACC team centered on Pittsburgh hosting West Virginia in the "Backyard Brawl." The Mountaineers held a 10-point edge late in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers rallied for two touchdowns in the final three minutes to prevail, 38-34, catapulting Pitt to 3-0 this season. It's worth noting that the Panthers went 3-9 in 2023, so Pittsburgh is off to a strong start this term.

Looking ahead to Week 4, there are some key matchups to monitor in the ACC. N.C. State heads to No. 22 Clemson in a game where both squads already have one loss, and each was forecast to finish in the top four of the ACC standings.

Georgia Tech, which cruised in Atlanta over VMI on Saturday, will travel to No. 19 Louisville in the league opener for the Cardinals. The Yellow Jackets and Louisville both look to make noise in the ACC in 2024.

Miami has yet to play an ACC game. This Saturday, the Hurricanes will wrap up their non-conference docket by competing at in-state rival South Florida, which is coming off a 49-24 domination at Southern Miss. Miami will want to head into ACC competition unblemished.

Syracuse, in a Friday-night showdown, will host new ACC member Stanford at the JMA Wireless Dome. The Orange seek to continue their hot start, buoyed by the excellent play of senior quarterback Kyle McCord.

Two ACC schools will go toe-to-toe with Big Ten Conference foes in Week 4. Rutgers (2-0) is at Virginia Tech, while Michigan State (3-0) goes to Boston College.

Last but not least, new ACC member California (3-0) will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to square off with winless Florida State. Not many folks would have figured the Bears to be the undefeated group in this conference collision.