Can Cal Add To Chaos In the ACC's Postseason Picture?

Tuesday was not a good day for ACC football. Cal can make things worse by posting an upset victory at Louisville on Saturday.

As the first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings were released, the ACC didn’t make an appearance until Virginia landed at No. 14.

Three more teams were ranked among the top-20 with Louisville at No. 15, Georgia Tech at No. 17 and Miami at No. 18. Pittsburgh checked in at No. 24.

Twelve teams will be included in the expanded CFP tournament and only Virginia, as things currently stand, would be included in the bracket at a No. 11 seed as the fourth highest-ranked conference champion.

The chances of the league securing two berths seem increasingly unlikely, especially if ACC teams continue to knock each other off. NC State should be proud of its 48-36 win over previously undefeated Georgia Tech, but there is cost to the conference at large.

Likewise, SMU’s 26-20 win over Miami put another ACC team on the brink.

So with just four weeks remaining in the regular season, Virginia, Louisville, Georgia Tech and Miami suddenly have little or no wiggle room.

With Cal set to visit Louisville on Saturday evening, the Bears have a chance — a long-shot chance, according to the oddsmakers — to be a spoiler not only for the Cardinals but the ACC.

Here are the Week 11 matchups in the ACC:

(Point spreads provided by DraftKings)

SATURDAY

— SMU (minus-10.5) at Boston College, 9 a.m., ACC Network

Boston College (1-8, 0-5) has dropped eight games in a row, the past five by an average of more than 23 points. That suggests SMU (6-3, 4-1) will cover the spread here, even on the road.

— Syracuse (plus-28.5) at No. 18 Miami, 12:30 p.m., ESPN

After starting the season 5-0, the Hurricanes (6-2, 2-2) have lost two of three, albeit by three points and in overtime. The Orange (3-6, 1-5) has bigger problems, with five straight defeats and chaos at quarterback since starter Steve Angeli tore his Achilles in the team’s most recent victory.

— Duke (minus-9.5) at UConn, 12:30 p.m., CBSSN

Duke (5-3) is the third ACC opponent — and the last — that independent UConn (6-3) will face this season. The Huskies lost at Syracuse, won at Boston College, but will have trouble limiting Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who has passed for 2,572 yards with 21 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

— Stanford (plus-7.5) at North Carolina, 1:30 p.m., CW Network

When coach Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels were sitting at 2-3, their three defeats came by an average margin of 29 points. Then a 3-point loss at Cal and a 1-point defeat to Virginia before a decisive win over Syracuse. Clearly, UNC (3-5, 1-3) has improved. Stanford (3-6, 2-4), has lost two in a row and its past five defeats were not close. This will be a tough one.

— Wake Forest (plus-6.5) at No. 14 Virginia, 4 p.m., ESPN

Cal fans saw the Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0) are vulnerable. They also saw a team that figures out how to win close games. Wake (5-3, 2-3) was nowhere close to winning last week in a 42-7 beatdown by Florida State.

— Cal (plus-19.5) at No. 15 Louisville, 4 p.m., ESPN2

Another Top-25 opponent, another team the Bears have never faced. Facing the same circumstances last week, but at home, Cal (5-4, 2-3) lost to Virginia. The Cardinals (7-1, 4-1) are without star ball carrier Isaac Brown but lesser running backs have carved up the Bears’ run defense recently.

— Florida State (plus-1.5) at Clemson, 4 p.m., ACC Network

Back in August it wouldn’t have been a stretch to project this as a duel for first place in the ACC. Instead, the Seminoles (4-4, 1-4) reside in 15th place in the conference standings and the Tigers (3-5, 2-4) are tied for 12th after a 46-45 defeat to Duke last week. College football is a crazy business these days.

Follow Jeff Faraudo on Twitter, Facebook and Bluesky

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