Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where stubborn old Iowa can rank last in the nation in yards per play (2.8) and still not feel the need to make a quarterback change:
MORE DASH: Frost Fired | Who’s Next? | Scenic Stadiums
THIRD QUARTER
SIGNS OF LIFE
There are some early stirrings of success in unusual locales, and some comebacks from forgotten people and places. A Dash breakdown of what’s going well that we might not have seen coming:
The Atlantic Coast Conference (21) has eight undefeated teams and a 19–4 nonconference record. Last year, just five ACC teams made it to 2–0. For a league known for many years as Clemson or Bust, it’s good to have some more schools making headlines. (Three other ACC teams are ranked, after the No. 5 Tigers: No. 13 Miami, No. 16 North Carolina State and No. 19 Wake Forest.)
On Saturday the ACC took the show on the road and held up well, going 5–1 in nonleague play. That included upset victories by Duke and Louisville, plus the return of Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman earlier than some had expected to lead the Demon Deacons past Vanderbilt. North Carolina won consecutive road games and is averaging 51.3 points despite leading receiver Josh Downs missing the past two contests (freshman quarterback Drake Maye is legit).
The most surprising ACC teams to date:
Florida State (22). The Seminoles very nearly blew a sure victory against LSU in the final minute Labor Day night, but nevertheless held on for a rare ACC victory over the SEC. (Last year the record was 8–1 in favor of the SEC.) FSU is off to its first 2–0 start since 2016, which tells you how bad it’s been in Tally in recent
