Miami survives at North Carolina as Syracuse knocks off No. 19 SMU

No. 1 Miami is still unbeaten, but only just. The Hurricanes left Chapel Hill with a 38-35 win over North Carolina in Miami at North Carolina, a game the market priced as a two-touchdown margin. The desk's tickets had Miami laying 14.5 and North Carolina getting 15.5. The Tar Heels covered either number and came within a field goal of the biggest result of the ACC season.

Miami is now 8-0 and 6-0 in conference, one game clear of the field. The margin matters less than the record in November, but a three-point escape against a 4-4 team is the closest anyone has come.

The upset the Hurricanes avoided arrived elsewhere. Syracuse beat No. 19 SMU 30-27, and that result reshaped the chase behind Miami more than anything in Chapel Hill.

What happened

SMU at Syracuse: Syracuse 30, SMU 27. The Orange won outright as underdogs of 9 to 9.5, and SMU drops to 6-2 and 4-2 in conference.

Miami at North Carolina: Miami 38, North Carolina 35. The Hurricanes stay perfect; North Carolina falls to 4-4 with a cover and nothing else to show for it.

Virginia at Wake Forest: Wake Forest 51, Virginia 7. The No. 14 Demon Deacons moved to 7-1 and 5-1 in conference, alone in second.

Boston College at Duke: Duke 47, Boston College 2. A 45-point margin against a line of 7.5; Duke is 6-2.

Stanford at Louisville: Louisville 52, Stanford 24. The Cardinals are 4-2 in conference and level with SMU.

Clemson at Florida State: Clemson 36, Florida State 24. Sixty combined points cleared a total of 50.5, and Florida State sits last in the conference at 1-4.

Cal at NC State: NC State 31, Cal 10. The Wolfpack return to .500 at 4-4; Cal is 3-6.

Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh 34, Georgia Tech 11. Pitt is 6-3, and Georgia Tech falls to 2-6.

Rankings and standings

Three ACC teams played the weekend ranked: Miami at No. 1, Wake Forest at No. 14 (up from No. 17) and SMU at No. 19 (up from No. 23). Miami and Wake Forest both won. SMU's loss at Syracuse puts its spot at risk when the next poll is released.

The conference table now reads Miami 6-0, Wake Forest 5-1, then SMU and Louisville at 4-2. Behind them sits a crowded 3-2 group of Duke, Virginia Tech and Clemson, with Pittsburgh at 3-3. Virginia Tech did not play this week.

The bottom half is tight. Boston College, NC State and North Carolina are 2-3; Syracuse, Stanford, Virginia and Cal are 2-4. Florida State is alone at 1-4.

The desk

A rough week for the desk as a whole, 2-6 combined, and all of the damage came from three of the four.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski went 2-0 by taking points in the two games where the favorite looked most comfortable on paper. Syracuse +9.5 won outright, and North Carolina +15.5 covered by 12. She is 13-11 on the season.

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins was on the other side of both: Miami -14.5 and SMU -9. Neither favorite covered, and one lost. He drops to 11-14.

Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman went 0-2 on unders that were never close. Clemson and Florida State finished at 60 against 50.5, and Virginia at Wake Forest reached 58 against 49.5, nearly all of it from one side. She remains the desk leader at 14-11.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti took 7.5 points twice and lost both by wide margins, with Boston College beaten by 45 and Georgia Tech by 23. He is 8-16.

What's next

Miami carries a one-game conference lead into November, with Wake Forest the only team within a game and SMU and Louisville a further step back. The 3-2 group of Duke, Virginia Tech and Clemson still has room to climb, and Syracuse's win keeps the Orange at 4-4 and in the hunt for bowl eligibility. The full Week 10 schedule and kickoff times are on the scores page, and prices for every conference game will be posted as the market opens.