Yesterday’s win over Louisville certainly left a bitter taste is all of our mouths and the Amway Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports showed it didn’t matter much at all. Notre Dame began the week as the No. 4 ranked team and moved up one spot as No. 2 Alabama beat No. 3 Georgia, swapping spots with the losing Bulldogs.
A win is a win, the best part of going 4-0 is the opportunity to go 5-0, but Brian Kelly’s squad has a lot of issues to work out. Most of them fall on the offensive side of the ball, as the passing game has regressed so far this year. Regardless, the Irish are benefactors of the huge SEC contest Saturday night.
Around the ACC, Clemson’s hold on the number one spot got stronger, as Trevor Lawrence and company blitzed Georgia Tech 52-7 by halftime and cruised to a 73-7 victory. North Carolina head coach Mack Brown has a history of dropping games he shouldn’t and that reared it’s ugly head once again as the No. 5 Tar Heels lost to Florida State, 31-28 in Tallahassee. Miami, FL, ranked No. 13, had a sluggish start, the Clemson hangover, but ultimately staved off upset minded Pittsburgh 31-19. The other ranked ACC team was No. 24 Virginia Tech, who cruised to a 40-14 victory over Boston College.
Aside from North Carolina falling from the unbeatens, the shocker in the ACC was Syracuse. They hosted Liberty, and got waxed at home 38-21. Yes, the Flames are 5-0 now, but they have no business going into the Carrier Dome and putting a hurt down on Dino Baber’s squad.
Here is the full Coaches Poll, with the ACC teams in bold and last weeks ranking in parenthesis.
1 Clemson (1)
2 Alabama (2)
3 Notre Dame (4)
4 Georgia (3)
5 Ohio State (5)
6 Oklahoma St. (7)
7 Penn. St. (8)
8 Florida (9)
9 Texas A&M (11)
10 Cincinnati (10)
11 Miami, FL (12)
11 BYU (13)
13 North Carolina (6)
14 Wisconsin (15)
15 Oregon (16)
16 SMU (18)
17 Michigan (19)
18 Iowa St. (20)
19 Kansas St. (22)
20 Virginia Tech (23)
21 Minnesota (25)
22 North Carolina St. (NR)
23 USC (24)
24 Coastal Carolina (NR)
25 Marshall (NR)
(Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics)