On paper, Week 7 of the college football season doesn’t have many marquee ACC matchups. Of course, last week looked like a dud of a week across the entire sport, and instead we were rocked with massive upset losses by Alabama, Tennessee, Michigan, and USC…more proof that anything can happen once the clock starts.
11 of the ACC’s 17 teams are in action during Week 7, with the top ranked team (Miami) and the league’s biggest disappointment (Florida State) among those getting the week off.
Neither of the two ranked teams in action appear in real danger of getting upset, with the No. 10 Clemson Tigers heading to Winston-Salem to take on a 2-3 Wake Forest team coming off a road win over NC State, while the No. 22 Pitt Panthers host the 3-2 Golden Bears of Cal.
Stanford doesn’t seem like a strong candidate to knock off No. 11 Notre Dame in South Bend – although crazier things have happened – and at this point Georgia Tech at North Carolina and Syracuse at NC State both just feel hard to stomach.
That leaves us with one intriguing conference matchup that could have real ramifications on bowl eligibility and the top of the league standings: Louisville at Virginia.
Louisville Cardinals at Virginia Cavaliers
Louisville fell out of the top 25 after a tough home loss to ACC newcomer SMU, 34-27, in Week 6. That was the second loss in a row for the Cardinals, who are sliding out of the picture to win the ACC and earn a bid in the College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, Virginia is looking to move to 5-1 for the first time since 2017 and win its first three ACC contests for the first time since 2007.
Both teams have difficult remaining schedules, making this a pivotal game for each program’s hopes of making a bowl game this postseason.
The matchup will come down to how effectively Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough can attack the Cavaliers in the air. Virginia struggles defending the pass and could even more so with injuries impacting a trio of starters in the secondary – not to mention nickel back Malcolm Greene deciding to redshirt and enter the transfer portal.
This game is set to kickoff on Saturday, October 12th at 3:30 PM ET and will be available on the ACC Network.