Here’s how the US LBM Coaches Poll sees the top of the ACC after a wild weekend.
USA TODAY Sports released the updated US LBM Coaches Poll on Sunday, and with no undefeated teams left in the ACC, all semblance of order in the conference left the room.
The Miami Hurricanes, after completing double-digit comebacks over Virginia Tech, California, and Duke in the second half, finally came up short when star quarterback Cam Ward fumbled the ball away against Georgia Tech in the final two minutes. The Yellow Jackets ran out the clock for a 28-23 win, giving them another marquee victory for the season and knocking Miami down to 12th in the rankings.
Nine days ago, the Clemson Tigers would have been seen as the natural successor to Ward and the Hurricanes. However, after last week’s loss at the hands of Louisville, the Tigers trailed Virginia Tech by seven points at halftime on Saturday. While Clemson eventually put the victory away, the Tigers still only moved up to 16th.
Now, the SMU Mustangs stand as the last team without a loss in conference play. Rhett Lashlee and his program, now 13th in the Coaches Poll, control their own destiny for the College Football Playoff. And if Duke football fans squint, they can see a vote for the Blue Devils at the very bottom of the results.
Check out the complete results of the new US LBM Coaches Poll below:
Rank
Team
Record
Points
1
Oregon Ducks
10-0
1,375 (55)
2
Ohio State Buckeyes
8-1
1,314
3
Texas Longhorns
8-1
1,262
4
Tennessee Volunteers
8-1
1,138
5
Penn State Nittany Lions
8-1
1,113
6
Indiana Hoosiers
10-0
1,057
7
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
8-1
1,038
8
BYU Cougars
9-0
994
9
Alabama Crimson Tide
7-2
899
10
Georgia Bulldogs
7-2
887
11
Ole Miss Rebels
8-2
877
12
Miami Hurricanes
9-1
820
13
SMU Mustangs
8-1
691
14
Boise State Broncos
8-1
691
15
Texas A&M Aggies
7-2
597
16
Clemson Tigers
7-2
536
17
Army Black Knights
9-0
466
18
Washington State Cougars
8-1
385
19
Kansas State Wildcats
7-2
332
20
Colorado Buffaloes
7-2
329
21
Missouri Tigers
7-2
277
22
LSU Tigers
6-3
257
23
South Carolina Gamecocks
6-3
118
24
Louisville Cardinals
6-3
109
25
Iowa State Cyclones
7-2
92
Dropped Out
No. 23 Pittsburgh; No. 25 Vanderbilt
Receiving Votes
Tulane 85; Louisiana 42; Arizona State 30; Pittsburgh 28; UNLV 17; Memphis 11; Navy 3; James Madison 2; Illinois 2; Duke 1
Seven days after the Blue Devils built a 28-17 lead in Miami only to watch the Hurricanes score five second-half touchdowns, Duke scored the first 12 points of the game in Raleigh.
“It set up the scenario that, if we could have scripted it, we really couldn’t have asked for it any better,” head coach Manny Diaz said after the game. “Up two scores on the road again in league play and could we close? And could we finish?”
When the Wolfpack tied the game at 12 points apiece with a fourth field goal midway through the third quarter, any Duke fans watching at home might have felt a pit in their stomach.
Instead, the offense and defense made the plays they needed on Saturday. [autotag]Maalik Murphy[/autotag] and [autotag]Jordan Moore[/autotag] converted a second-and-20, Murphy ran for a 3-yard touchdown, and safety Terry Moore intercepted a pass.
When Murphy and Sahmir Hagans connected for a 9-yard touchdown after Moore’s pick, the Blue Devils had a 14-point cushion with 14 minutes to play. Kicker Todd Pelino even expunged some demons with a 49-yard field goal with 2:06 to play, making it a two-score game and effectively icing the Wolfpack on their own senior night.
Just two weeks after he missed three kicks against SMU, Duke’s Todd Pelino played a key role in Saturday’s 29-19 victory over NC State.
Two weeks ago, Duke kicker [autotag]Todd Pelino[/autotag] experienced one of the worst feelings possible for his position.
The Blue Devils lost to a ranked SMU team in overtime after Pelino went 1/4 for the game. The third-year kicker missed an extra point, pulled a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, and had a 30-yarder blocked on the final play of regulation during a game that needed extra time to decide.
Despite the performance, head coach [autotag]Manny Diaz[/autotag] never sounded anything other than confident in his kicker.
“I believe in Todd Pelino,” Diaz said after the game. “I would feel very comfortable putting him in that situation. I believe he would knock it right through the pipes.”
Well, wish granted and vision fulfilled during Saturday’s victory over the NC State Wolfpack. Pelino made all three of his extra-point efforts and made field goals of 50 and 49 yards during the 10-point win.
The first of those two kicks ensured the Blue Devils would score points after an early fumble, and the second made it a two-score game with 2:06 left to play. A miss would have set the Wolfpack up about 60 yards from the end zone with only seven points to make up, but Pelino instead knocked it through to effectively end the game.
“To play that position, you have to have a short memory,” Diaz said after Saturday’s win. “I’ve got 100% confidence, and our team does, in Todd and his ability, and we needed him tonight.”
Pelino is now 13/18 on the year, giving him a career percentage of 81.3%, with 27 conversions on his 28 extra-point attempts in 2024.
The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the year on Tuesday with five ACC teams in the top 25.
The College Football Playoff selection committee released its first rankings of the 2024 season on Tuesday night, and the Miami Hurricanes predictably led the five ACC teams included in the top 25.
The undefeated Hurricanes, who scored five second-half touchdowns to beat the Blue Devils 53-31 on Saturday, start the playoff cycle in fourth behind the Oregon Ducks, Ohio State Buckeyes, and Georgia Bulldogs.
While the Clemson Tigers spent much of the season in position for an at-large berth in the 12-team field, Louisville beat them in their own stadium last weekend to knock Dabo Swinney’s team all the way down to 23rd. Without a strong run to the conference title, Clemson is likely out of contention.
The SMU Mustangs, on the other hand, are very much not out of contention. SMU beat Duke in overtime just two weeks ago after blocking a 30-yard field goal on the final play of regulation, but a dominant 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh moved them up to 13th.
While the Hurricanes would be the only team from the conference in the projected playoff bracket as of Tuesday, another upset or two could bump SMU into an at-large spot.
Pittsburgh starts the playoff cycle at 18th while Louisville moved itself up to 22nd after its big win.
After a crazy Week 10 slate, a new ACC team emerged as the biggest threat to the Miami Hurricanes atop the conference.
For most of the 2024 college football season, ACC fans believed that the Miami Hurricanes and Clemson Tigers were on a crash course for the conference championship game.
Miami owned the most productive offense in the country thanks to Heisman Trophy frontrunner Cam Ward, and the Tigers (with two national championships under their belt since 2016) had looked absolutely unstoppable since their Week 1 loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Other teams around the conference looked impressive, but there was a clear top two. Right?
Well, not so much after Saturday.
The Louisville Cardinals left Death Valley with a 33-21 victory over Clemson, leaving tattered dreams of the College Football Playoff bracket in their wake. While the Hurricanes shifted up one spot to No. 4 in the newest AP Poll, the Tigers slid all the way down to No. 19 with a second loss on their resume.
The Clemson loss left an opening in the ACC power vacuum, and the SMU Mustangs vaulted forward to fill it with a 48-25 victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers. In their first year as members of the conference, the Mustangs have now won their first five ACC games with wins over Louisville, Duke, and Pittsburgh on their ledger, and it helped them climb seven spots to No. 13 in the new AP rankings.
The 2024 U.S. Open champion has been busy since his victory at Pinehurst No. 2 in June. Whether it’s playing on the LIV Golf League, various media appearances or recording content for his YouTube channel, DeChambeau has been everywhere, and the U.S. Open trophy has accompanied him for many of the journeys.
On Saturday, DeChambeau took the U.S. Open trophy to the SMU football game against Pittsburgh, a ranked matchup featuring two of the top teams in the ACC this season. He was honored during the game, but the highlight came when DeChambeau was shown with the trophy in the student section.
Professional golfer Bryson DeChambeau rides onto the field in a Mustang car with two SMU cheerleaders and the US Open trophy before the game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Imagine going to a football game with your friends, and all of the sudden you look up and it’s one of the best golfers in the world holding a major championship trophy while celebrating a touchdown.
Eli Pancol finished with 11 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown against SMU for a Duke team that desperately needs a top option.
Duke receiver Eli Pancol needed less than two seconds to get open in overtime against the SMU Mustangs.
The Blue Devils started their first overtime possession in need of a touchdown, and quarterback Maalik Murphy never looked like he debated where to go with the football. For the 14th time on Saturday, he hit the back of his drop and tossed the ball in Pancol’s general direction.
The fifth-year wideout blew right past SMU defensive back Jaelyn Davis-Robinson on a go route, and thanks to the air Murphy put under the throw, he jumped over the Mustangs corner to come down with the needed score.
While Murphy and Pancol couldn’t connect on the potential game-winning 2-point conversion, the receiver’s monster game against SMU highlighted something Duke football fans knew the team needed: a go-to outside target.
Entering the 2024 season, everyone in Durham knew the passing offense would run through senior Jordan Moore. The former quarterback led the team with 62 catches, 835 yards, and eight touchdowns in 2023, and he earned some ACC Preseason Player of the Year votes. Everyone presumed he’d become the school’s first 1,000-yard receiver in a decade.
After Moore started the season with back-to-back 100-yard performances, everything seemed to be proceeding as scheduled. Pancol caught four touchdowns in the first three games, but Moore was among the ACC leaders in every category.
In Week 3, however, Moore briefly left the game after a hard landing on a jump ball against Connecticut. While Moore returned to the field that night and has still caught a pass in every game this season, the star wideout has clearly been on some snap limitations. He’s caught 11 passes over the past five games after 23 receptions through Week 3, and he only played 12 snaps against the Florida State Seminoles in Week 8.
The passing offense, through a combination of increased competition and Moore’s absence, took a noticeable dip as it tried to replace his role. Other names stepped forward, from redshirt freshman Que’Sean Brown’s 11 catches against Connecticut to tight end Nicky Dalmolin’s first 100-yard game against Middle Tennessee, but Murphy’s aerial stats felt Moore’s absence.
Weeks 1-4
Weeks 5-8
Pass Yards/Attempt
7.11
5.44
Comp. Pct
64.6%
50.6%
Pass Yards/Game
256.0
161.3
Touchdowns/Game
2.75
1.00
On Saturday, however, the Murphy from September flickered back into the picture. The former Texas Longhorn threw three touchdowns for the first time since Week 4 en route to a career-high 295 yards, nearly half of which came from Pancol.
The 6-foot-3 Pancol looked dominant in multiple different ways against SMU. Eight of his 11 catches went for a first down, including a few passes he caught short of the sticks before breaking tackles to move the chains. He won downfield as well, bringing in a 22-yard over-the-shoulder shot on the game-tying touchdown drive before his overtime score.
He finished the game with 138 yards, and for the first time since Week 3, the Blue Devils felt like they had a reliable three-level threat on the perimeter.
Between a late-season injury in 2022 and a season-ending injury while preparing for the 2023 campaign, Pancol had missed 17 of Duke’s previous 18 games before the opener against Elon. He hadn’t played football since December 28, 2022, and he hadn’t caught a touchdown since November 13, 2021.
Offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer doesn’t think it’s an accident that the veteran Blue Devil looked better after he spent more time on the field.
“Eli’s such a strong football player,” Brewer said during his Monday press conference. “He has such confidence in what he’s doing right now. It’s probably him coming back from all the injuries and then now he’s starting to get his legs into playing.”
Through eight games this season, Pancol leads the team with 36 receptions, and his six touchdowns are second among ACC wideouts. Both of those numbers are already career highs, as are his 446 receiving yards. If he plays a potential bowl game, his pace sets him up for 58 receptions and more than 700 yards.
When Pancol spoke after the game himself, however, he focused more on the team’s overall offensive success. The Blue Devils finished with 393 yards of offense, their third-most in a game this season, and bounced back in a strong way after a difficult 180-yard showing against Florida State.
“That’s the team that I knew we had,” Pancol said after Saturday’s game against SMU. “In practice, that’s how we play, so I’m glad we got to put that out there for everybody to see.”
With the undefeated Miami Hurricanes next on the schedule, Pancol and his fellow receivers will need to step up again. The Miami secondary has allowed 6.0 yards per pass attempt, second only to the Blue Devils among ACC teams, and even with a positive Moore update on Monday, Duke will need reliable people to target.
No matter how many snaps Moore plays, however, Murphy will have at least one safe option on Saturday.
“There’s a little bit of security that Eli’s going to get open,” Brewer said.
Despite a close overtime loss to SMU in Week 9, three Duke Blue Devils were named to Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week.
Despite falling to the SMU Mustangs by one point in overtime this weekend, a handful of Duke football stars still shined bright. Included among them were the three players named to the Pro Football Focus ACC Team of the Week on Sunday.
Linebacker Tre Freeman III led the way on the National Team of the Week after he forced a fumble and picked off a pass. He finished with six total tackles, and his fourth-quarter interception set the Blue Devils up for a go-ahead field goal attempt. Wide receiver Eli Pancol and cornerback Chandler Rivers joined him on the conference squad.
Pancol caught 11 passes for 138 yards and one touchdown, including a 25-yard scoring grab in overtime when he won a contested catch over a Mustangs defensive back. He also snagged the game-tying 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter.
On Rivers’ side of things, the star cornerback had two solo tackles and two assisted tackles. Most notably, though, he made a diving interception in the final five minutes to give the offense a chance at victory in regulation. It marked two weeks in a row that Rivers snagged an interception after he returned one for a touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles in Week 8.
Duke linebacker Tre Freeman made the PFF National Team of the Week on Sunday after he finished with six tackles and an interception.
Duke fell to the SMU Mustangs 28-27 in overtime during Week 9 of the college football season, but several Blue Devils shined to help the team come within a play of the upset. Most notably, linebacker Tre Freeman was named to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week on Sunday.
The junior recorded six total tackles, two solo and four assisted, against the Mustangs. He contributed to Duke’s six turnovers twice, forcing a fumble near the end of the first half before intercepting a cross-body throw from SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings in the final 10 minutes of the fourth quarter. The latter takeaway set up the offense in Mustangs territory, and if not for a missed 42-yard field goal, it would have provided Duke with the winning margin.
Freeman joined Liberty’s Joseph Carter as one of two linebackers on the national team. Freeman also, inherently, made the ACC Team of the Week for the same position. North Carolina Tar Heels edge rusher Kaimon Rucker was the only other ACC defensive player to make the national list.
Through eight games this season, Freeman has recorded 50 tackles (25 solo, 25 assisted), 3.0 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks, two interceptions, one pass deflection, and one forced fumble.
Duke offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer confirmed what fans saw with their own eyes on Saturday: the 2-point play was almost perfect.
In case any Duke football fans needed a reminder of how close the Blue Devils came to upsetting the SMU Mustangs on Saturday night, offensive coordinator Jonathan Brewer made the margin very clear during his Monday press conference.
Brewer said he and the offense worked on the play design for the climactic 2-point attempt as early as the third day of offseason practice. Eli Pancol, who caught a 25-yard touchdown pass on the previous play to set up the conversion, and tight end Jake Taylor ran a mesh concept, running crossing routes at each other from opposite sides of the field in hopes of getting at least one defender lost in the traffic.
“It’s pretty much what you would want to call versus a man coverage,” Brewer said. “We just didn’t execute. We didn’t have guys rub the mesh the right way and set up the mesh the right way.”
Murphy, who needed to scramble to his right after the SMU defensive line broke into the pocket, tried to find Pancol, but with Mustangs cornerback Jaelyn Davis-Robinson running with the wideout in stride, the ball sailed just past Pancol’s reach for an incompletion.
“It’s those details, those small details, that come back to haunt you because it’s the difference between probably about a foot. If he (Pancol) has a foot of separation between the defender and himself, he probably catches the ball and we win the game.”
Brewer, in his first year at the helm of the Duke offense, made it very clear which party deserves any blame for the mistake.
“It’s one of those things that showed up earlier in the game and we didn’t get it corrected,” he continued. “And that’s on us as coaches.”
