ACC Week 3 Takeaways: The league isn't boring, but is anyone but Louisville good?

Say what you will about the ACC, but it definitely wasn’t a boring weekend for the conference. There was a lot going on, good, bad and ugly. In case you missed any of it, let’s take a look at some of the biggest headlines and takeaways from Week 3 of the season.

Cardinals are king

Louisville was triumphant in an early-season battle between two of the ACC’s best teams. The Cardinals won a back-and-forth battle with SMU, 41-31, as the Mustangs hurt themselves with three turnovers. On the heels of that win, the Cardinals could consider themselves the new team to beat in the ACC.

Downgraded to a tropical storm

Part of Louisville’s rise to the top is related to Miami’s subpar performance on Friday. The Hurricanes looked dominant in the first half against Wake Forest, only to get outscored 13-9 in the second half, struggling to put the Demon Deacons away. Miami is still a top-5 team, but they may not be as far ahead of the pack as some thought.

Disaster class

What in the world was CJ Bailey doing, and what was NC State thinking with that play call? Mere seconds from notching a win over Vanderbilt, Bailey attempted to waste time before taking a safety, only to fumble the ball in his own end zone. With Vanderbilt recovering, the Wolfpack snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in one of the worst ways to lose a game imaginable. It was equal parts ugly and head-scratching, while depriving the ACC of a win over an SEC team.

Mixed results

Unfortunately, NC State wasn’t the only ACC team to lose a non-conference game. Florida State, rather predictably, couldn’t hold onto an early lead against Alabama, although the Seminoles at least beat the spread in a 50-36 loss in Tuscaloosa. More disappointing was Virginia’s 38-27, neutral-site loss to West Virginia. The Cavaliers had made their way into the top 25 and looked like a possible contender in the ACC, but not so much after that performance. On the bright side, James Franklin’s Virginia Tech team helped the conference save face, knocking off Maryland, 35-26.

Tiger rally

The rumors of Clemson’s demise may have been slightly exaggerated. Dabo Swinney’s team endured a 17-3 deficit and a weather delay of more than two hours to beat North Carolina 28-20, outscoring the Tar Heels 22-3 after halftime. Clemson doesn’t exactly pass the eye test, but this was a game the Tigers had to win to stay relevant in the ACC, especially with games against Cal and Miami on the horizon.

FCS fun

Yes, ACC teams are still playing FCS teams. Georgia Tech took care of Mercer 44-11, while Cal took down Long Island’s finest, Wagner, 49-7. On the other hand, Boston College barely escaped disaster, only beating Maine 22-16. For what it’s worth, Maine got crushed by Appalachian State 55-3 two weeks ago and also lost to Merrimack last week, so they’re not exactly a tough FCS opponent, which says a lot about Boston College.

Smart guy battle

Other than Syracuse’s disastrous loss to Pitt on Thursday night, the only other ACC game this week was a showdown between Stanford and Duke, two schools known more for academics than football. Of course, the Blue Devils are still the reigning conference champs, and they took care of business against the Cardinal, winning 35-7, as Stanford seems intent on challenging Boston College as the worst team in the league.

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