The craziest day of the 2026 college football season is one week in our rear-view mirror. Five of the top seven teams in the AP Top-25 were beaten and Miami needed two overtimes to survive in-state rival and 21.5-point underdog Florida State, 43-35.

But the Hurricanes somehow emerged unscathed and they bring a No. 1  ranking into Saturday’s home game against a Pitt squad that has lost its past two games. 

Miami’s game kicks off at 9 a.m. PT, the same as Cal’s visit to No. 23 SMU. And with two games set for back-to-back ESPN broadcasts on Friday, four of the ACC’s seven games this week figure to be complete before 1 p.m. PT on Saturday.

Time to tackle that garage cleanup you’ve been avoiding or, better yet, find something fun outside with the Bay Area weather expected to dry out and warm up by Saturday.

*** Cal junior defensive back Isaiah Crosby talks in the video above about returning to his home state of Texas. Crosby is among eight Golden Bears from the Lone Star State.

THIS WEEK IN THE ACC

Point spreads by DraftKings

Friday

Duke (plus-2.5) at Virginia, 4 p.m., ESPN

The Blue Devils (4-2, 1-2) and Cavaliers (4-3, 2-2), both headed in the wrong direction, meet again after squaring off twice last season. Virginia won 34-17 at Duke in mid-November but the Blue Devils prevailed 27-20 in overtime at the ACC championship game, claiming its first outright conference title since 1962. 

NC State (minus-6.5) at Stanford, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

It says something about NC State (3-3, 1-2) that Stanford (3-4, 1-3) is just a 7-point underdog, even at home. The Cardinal beat Georgia Tech as a 3 1/2-point underdog, but in its past four games otherwise vs. FBS opponents has failed to cover hefty point spreads by a combined 97 points.

Saturday

Pittsburgh (plus-19.5) at No. 1 Miami, 9 a.m., ESPN

The top-ranked Hurricanes (6-0, 4-0) lead the nation in both scoring offense (49.6 points) and scoring defense (9.8). The Panthers (5-2, 2-2) have dropped two in a row, coinciding with the loss of quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending ACL injury.

Cal (plus-19.5) at No. 23 SMU, 9 am., CW Network

The Mustangs (5-1, 3-1), 10-0 at home in conference play since joining the ACC for the 2024 season, features Cal transfer Kendrick Raphael, who is averaging 89.5 yards per game at 5.4 yards per attempt. As a team, the Bears are rushing for 90.3 yards per game at a 3.3-yard clip.

Boston College (plus-4.5) at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m., ACC Network

The Eagles are coming off a 27-21 win over Pitt but have lost 10 of their past 11 road games. The Yellow Jackets (2-4, 1-2) have dropped three of their past five home games. 

Virginia Tech (plus-2.5) at Clemson, 4 p.m., ESPN

The host Tigers (4-2, 2-1) play their first ACC game since absorbing a 41-13 loss to Miami on Oct. 3. Since then, they apparently haven’t impressive the oddsmakers with a bye and a 37-0 win over Charleston Southern. The Hokies (5-2, 2-2) beat Georgia Tech 34-24 last week to snap a two-game skid.

Syracuse (plus-8.5) at North Carolina, 4:30 p.m., ACC Network 

Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels (4-2, 2-1) seem to be making program, already having matched their win total from his debut season year ago. One of those victories was a 27-10 verdict over Syracuse (2-4, 0-4), which averaged 54 points in win over New Hampshire and UConn but has scored at just a 20.5 clip in four ACC games.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. 

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