By Grace Raynor, Manny Navarro and Matt Baker

The race to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game has a clear-cut leader: Virginia.

But there’s a jumbled mess of one-loss teams right behind the Cavs: Georgia Tech, Louisville, Pittsburgh, SMU and Duke. How will it shake out? It’s anyone’s guess at this point.

But that’s not the only topic on your radar as we enter November. Let’s dive into the mailbag.

Note: Submitted questions may have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Why have writers been so wrong about the return of Miami to a top-level program? — Rm C.

Writers are wrong about a lot of teams, not just Miami. It’s amazing how many teams we’ve been wrong about this season alone. Penn State, Clemson, South Carolina, Florida, Kansas State and Iowa State all began the season ranked in the AP Top 25. Each has lost at least four games.

Miami is also a disappointment at 6-2, especially after looking so dominant in September. Six losses as a double-digit favorite in four years under Mario Cristobal have been tough to stomach for Hurricanes fans. But Miami is still a College Football Playoff contender and mathematically in the race for the ACC Championship Game. The Canes were last year, too, until they bottomed out in November.

Cristobal has recruited well, and the program has spent a lot of money on name, image and likeness deals to put itself in position to contend. But coaching matters, too, and Cristobal’s teams have faded down the stretch, with a 4-11 record after the calendar turns to November. What I see is ACC opponents doing a good job of figuring out Miami’s scheme. Does that mean writers should know better by now? Probably. But I guess some of us thought talent would prevail over bad coaching. We were wrong. — Manny Navarro

If Pitt wins out, does Mason Heintschel become a legitimate Heisman candidate? — Ebonk

I don’t see it happening. Heintschel has been a revelation, as Pitt has won all five of his starts, and I don’t want to downplay his success. But he has already thrown as many interceptions (five) as Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza combined. His passing efficiency (150.8) would rank in the 30s nationally … if he had enough attempts to qualify. He’ll have marquee showcase opportunities against top-20 teams Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and Miami, but he’s too far behind to catch up in the Heisman race. — Matt Baker

Mason Heintschel is so electric
pic.twitter.com/CCwYP92GsK

— Max Chadwick (@CFBMaxChadwick) October 11, 2025

Pitt continues to receive very little attention. Yet the Panthers can reach (and win) the ACC title game. It’s the highest-scoring offense in the conference, and a healthy defensive unit is arguably the most dynamic, too. What are the chances it takes down Georgia Tech and Miami? — Robert A.

Georgia Tech and Miami? Not high. Smart opposing staffs like the one at Georgia Tech will start to figure out Heintschel more, and the Hurricanes are still hard to beat because of their talent advantage.

Georgia Tech or Miami? I like those odds. — Baker

How do the tiebreakers shake out in the ACC? Outside of Virginia, who controls their own destiny? — Jeremy W.

The tiebreakers are a bit tricky — and there are some differences if it’s a two-team versus a three-team (or more) tie — but here’s what you need to know. There are three huge head-to-head meetings left involving the top six teams in the league: Virginia at Duke (Week 12), Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech (Week 13) and Louisville at SMU (Week 13).

As far as head-to-head wins among the top six teams, Virginia has one over Louisville, Georgia Tech has one over Duke, and Louisville has one against Pittsburgh.

After head-to-head results, win percentage against common opponents is the next tiebreaker. After that, it’s win percentage against common opponents based on their order in the ACC standings.

Louisville appears to be in the best spot to be rewarded in the next tiebreaker — combined win percentage of conference opponents. The Cardinals’ ACC opponents have the best combined win percentage in league play.

Here’s where the combined win percentage of conference opponents stand for the top six teams entering Week 11: Louisville (.536, 22-19), Duke (.476, 20-22), Virginia (.450, 18-22), Georgia Tech (.418, 18-25), Pittsburgh (.404, 17-25), SMU (.357, 15-27). — Navarro

North Carolina finally beat a Power 4 team. Can I celebrate, or should I focus on the fact that their victory came against a Syracuse team that was starting a walk-on freshman at quarterback? — Jonathan, Fletcher, N.C.

Hello from a fellow western North Carolina native who is also struggling with how to view the Tar Heels. I think the answer to your question is … both?

You’re smart to point out that UNC beat a Syracuse team that was starting a lacrosse star at quarterback and has a whole bunch of questions head coach Fran Brown will need to answer down the stretch. But the most encouraging part about the Tar Heels’ win Friday night was that Bill Belichick’s group finally found a way to finish. We’ve seen some progress these past several weeks — taking Cal and Virginia down to the wire — and Friday was further proof that this team is improving. Maybe the Tar Heels don’t deserve the benefit of the doubt after the disastrous start to the season, but Belichick at least looks like he cares now, and that might be a win. — Grace Raynor

Is what Brent Key is building at Georgia Tech sustainable? He has done a great job since taking over and has excelled at building a culture as well as you can within the NIL era, but is GT becoming a big enough brand to retain key staff, attract blue-chip recruits and be competitive with NIL? — Craig M.

I don’t think the Yellow Jackets are going to become the next Clemson, but I do think this is sustainable enough for Georgia Tech to become a steady upper-middle-class program in the ACC. To the extent that location still matters in recruiting, being in Atlanta is great. The off-field investments (staffing, facilities) are showing up, too. But what happens when Haynes King runs out of eligibility? Georgia Tech wouldn’t be the first program to slide after losing a quarterback like him.

Staffing turnover is inevitable with success (an assistant like offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner earning a head-coaching job is the best-case scenario). So my question is more about whether Georgia Tech can attract top talent to replace any staffers who leave.

The unknown variable in your question is Key. How much power does coaching at his alma mater hold? Only Key can answer that. Either way, he has elevated the program’s floor, which is a good sign for its long-term prospects. — Baker

Who is the projected ACC player of the year, defensive player of the year and freshman of the year? Haynes King, Rueben Bain and Malachi Toney are strong contenders. Also, who is the best new coordinator hire? — H.I.

King looked like the runaway favorite for the league’s player of the year award before the Yellow Jackets were upset by NC State this past weekend. I’d say King is still the best bet, but I wouldn’t rule out Heintschel at Pitt or Darian Mensah at Duke if they can rally their teams to a spot in the league title game. Louisville receiver Chris Bell and Miami receiver Malachi Toney also deserve consideration among non-quarterbacks.

As good as Bain has played for Miami, he has logged only two sacks and five tackles for loss through eight games. Knowing voters, they’ll hold it against him even though the Hurricanes lead the ACC in scoring defense by 5 points per game, and he’s primarily why. That said, Louisville’s Antonio Watts or Virginia’s Kam Robinson are also certainly worthy of consideration.

Toney might be the best freshman in the country, but Miami’s late-season slide could open the door for Heintschel. As for a coordinator hire, Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman has done the best job. Gus Malzahn’s offense at FSU is also the highest scoring in the league, but Florida State is 4-4. — Navarro

Is James Franklin a realistic target for Virginia Tech? — Chris K.

He should be! I’d be curious to know what Franklin and his super agent, Jimmy Sexton, think his market is and if he thinks he can hold out for a bigger job, considering how many have opened this season. But Franklin to the Hokies makes too much sense for Virginia Tech not to go all in on trying to land him. He’s a proven builder, recruits the state of Virginia as well as anyone and wouldn’t be under the microscope at Virginia Tech like he was at Penn State. Maybe he thinks he has a shot to move to the SEC or stay in the Big Ten, but he’d be smart to hear out Virginia Tech if (when?) the Hokies call. — Raynor

Any chance Dabo Swinney leaves for LSU or Florida (or Penn State)? He gives the impression that the love affair between him and Clemson isn’t what it used to be. With some high-profile (and high-paying) jobs available, could all parties decide it’s time for a clean break? — Todd B.

Swinney is one of the top coaches in the country and just one of three active coaches with a national championship (along with Georgia’s Kirby Smart and Ohio State’s Ryan Day). He’d be an interesting candidate if he ever left Clemson, but I’d be surprised if this were the year he and the Tigers called it quits. (Clemson almost certainly won’t fire him.)

For one, even though he has one of the most impressive resumes in college football, I’m not sure how many SEC or Big Ten fan bases would be excited about hiring him *this year*. Clemson was a trendy pick to compete for Swinney’s third national championship, but the wheels have really fallen off for the Tigers, who have now lost six consecutive home games to Power 4 opponents dating back to last season and are already guaranteed to have Swinney’s worst season since 2010. One of LSU’s three Power 4 wins this year before things went south for Brian Kelly was against … Clemson.

For as good as Swinney has been historically, he has to prove he can win in this era of the sport, and the optics of hiring him after (at least) five losses this year would be a tough sell. I don’t want to speak for Swinney, but I’d also be surprised if he wanted to leave Clemson this way. Swinney has spent about 17 years building the Tigers into a national power. This is his life’s work and his legacy. Clemson is his home. For as frustrating as this season has been, I could see him wanting to right the ship with the Tigers before thinking about what’s next. — Raynor

It’s possible that one or two other people are Boston College fans. We had hoped to build off last season with Bill O’Brien and imagined we might be on the path toward eight-win seasons again. Not asking for impossible things. You know, treading water in the league and not losing to lousy UConn at home, by double digits, for the first time ever. Is there any road here? Is it with O’Brien? Is there any talk about this program at all? Bueller? — David D.

Your best bet as a Boston College fan is to hope with everything you have that the Eagles can sign quarterback Femi Babalola next month. Babalola is one of the hottest up-and-coming high school QBs and would be quite the get for the Eagles if someone doesn’t flip him. Other than that, I’m not sure where Boston College goes from here. O’Brien won seven games a season ago, but college football in this era is only getting harder. — Raynor