After pulling off a 20-16 upset of Clemson last Saturday night on the road, James Franklin and the Virginia Tech football team will be on a much-needed bye this weekend for Halloween. However, that doesn't mean that there are not some good games and games for Hokies fans to keep an eye around Trick-or-Treating.
Here is the Virginia Tech fans' guide to some bye-week watching of ACC football on Saturday.
Week 9 ACC watch guide for Virginia Tech fans
8. California at NC State, 12:00 p.m. | ACC Network
The Golden Bears travel to Raleigh to play a Wolfpack team that fired head coach Dave Doeren following a loss last weekend at Stanford. Cal is coming off a beatdown at the hands of SMU in Dallas, and given each team's situation, it's basically an elimination game for bowl contention for the loser.
7. Boston College at Duke, 12:00 p.m. | CW Network
The Eagles improved to 4-3 last weekend with a rout of Georgia Tech in Atlanta and are surprisingly just two wins away from bowl eligibility. Meanwhile, Duke rallied for a win in Charlottesville last Friday night and is looking to keep their ACC Championship Game hopes alive after winning it in 2025.
6. Stanford at Louisville, 3:15 p.m. | ACC Network
The Cardinal head to Kentucky after picking up an upset of NC State last Friday night at home. Louisville is coming off a bye with some tough games coming up over the final two weeks. If Louisville wants to coast into a bowl game after Thanksgiving Weekend, then taking down Stanford is a must at home.
5. Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh, 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
A struggling Brent Key Yellow Jackets team heads into Pittsburgh against a Panthers team on a three-game losing streak, and they haven't won since coach Pat Narduzzi begged for his team to be ranked after a win in Blacksburg earlier this month. If the Panthers can't win this game, then the Narduzzi downfall after beginning 5-0 will be tough to quietly ignore.
4. No. 19 SMU at Syracuse, 12:00 p.m. | ESPN2
The Mustangs head to Central New York to play an Orange team coming off an overtime win over Bill Belichick and UNC in Chapel Hill last weekend. SMU will host Virginia Tech next weekend, on a short week, on Friday night in Dallas.
3. Clemson at Florida State, 7:00 p.m. | ACC Network
Two coaches who are in desperate need of a win when Dabo Swinney brings his Tigers to Northern Florida to play Mike Norvell and the Seminoles. This game is hard to figure out, and both coaches can't afford a loss, as the noise surrounding their job security would get louder. This might be an underrated game under the lights to keep an eye on.
2. No. 1 Miami at North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. | ABC
The top-ranked Hurricanes head to play the Tar Heels in a primetime game in Chapel Hill. One question surrounding this game is whether or not Miami is looking past Belichick and the Tar Heels before next weekend's showdown in South Bend against Notre Dame. Unlikely, but you never know.
1. Virginia at No. 14 Wake Forest, 3:45 p.m. | ESPN2
Virginia Tech is in the thick of the race for a spot in Charlotte in December, and they could use a Cavaliers win over the Demon Deacons in Winston-Salem. A double-digit underdog that is banged up, Virginia is 4-4 and looking to stay within striking distance of becoming bowl-eligible by the end of the season.
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