Read all you want into ‘Crushing Expectations’ as it has mixed connotations. It would be easy to say ACC + 1 teams have been surprising this season but in reality the topsy-turvy nature of the conference’s football teams has been, well, spot on.
There were plenty of questions regarding which team would rise to challenge Clemson’s dominance as, quite frankly, not everyone was as convinced the Tigers were ‘the team’ this season. Now Clemson fans, don’t pretend there weren’t mountains of doubt surrounding the offense going into the year, specifically how Uiagalelei would perform. Toss in two new coordinators and you wouldn’t have been human if your weren’t anxious at the start of the season.
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Let’s throw in the potential and expectations everyone had for NC State, Miami, Wake Forest, North Carolina and Pitt. And obviously, when it comes to the ACC + 1, Notre Dame. Well, here we are well past the middle of the season and wow do things look different. All of that is reflected in the ACC Nation Power Poll for Week 8.
Expectations
Which teams are crushing expectations….you know, the positive side of the equation? Definitely Clemson. Wake Forest is as good or better than we had imagined. Sadly, the Deacs don’t get their just desserts when it comes to media coverage. We’re guessing that a thrashing of an opponent in a bowl game will help with that end of things. How about the ‘Cuse? Sure, there’s a bit of luck thrown into this recipe but nonetheless it has been an exciting season thus far.
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Florida State certainly has to be included in this list as the ‘Noles have begun to emerge from a long winter’s nap. It will be exciting to see how the growth plays out in bowl action.
| RANK | TEAM |
| #1 | CLEMSON |
| #2 | WAKE FOREST |
| #3 | NORTH CAROLINA |
| #4 | SYRACUSE |
| #5 | FLORIDA STATE |
| #6 | PITT |
| #7 | NC STATE |
| #8 | MIAMI |
| #9 | NOTRE DAME |
| #10 | DUKE |
| #11 | GEORGIA TECH |
| #12 | LOUISVILLE |
| #13 | BOSTON COLLEGE |
| #14 | VIRGINIA |
| #15 | VIRGINIA TECH |
When you reach the middle of the pack there’s more of an emphasis on ‘crushing’. There’s no doubt fans expected more this season from Pitt, NC State, Miami and Notre Dame. It just hasn’t materialized. The remaining games on the schedule will determine how this year’s version of all these programs are viewed.
We’d be remiss in not noting that both Duke and Georgia Tech have shown glimmers of hope. A first year coach and interim have helped their teams make great strides in short order and exceeded expectations.
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There has been more than the lion’s share of disappointment for Louisville, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech this fall. Chalk the latter two teams up to first year coaches and new schemes. The fans in Louisville and Boston are not as happy with the outcome so far and that’s put the coaches on, to say the least, warm seats. Depending upon who you ask, those are hot seats in the eyes of many who believe they haven’t lived up to expectations.
