Notre Dame hands Miami its first loss as the ACC race holds its shape

Miami came into South Bend as the No. 1 team in the country and left with its first loss. Notre Dame won 31-24 in Miami at Notre Dame, and both teams now sit at 8-1.

The loss costs Miami nothing in the conference. It was a non-league game, and the Hurricanes remain 6-0 in ACC play with a one-game lead over Wake Forest in the loss column. What it changes is the national picture, and the margin for error the rest of the way.

The market had Notre Dame as a 6-point favorite. The seven-point final landed just on the wrong side of that number for anyone holding Miami.

What happened

SMU put up 51 on Virginia Tech in a 51-28 win on Friday night in Virginia Tech at SMU. The Mustangs move to 7-2 and 5-2 in the league; the Hokies fall to 6-3.

Clemson won a low-scoring one, 18-13, in Clemson at Syracuse. The Tigers are 6-3 and 4-2 in conference, while Syracuse drops to 4-5 and 2-5.

Florida State beat Boston College 31-24 in Florida State at Boston College. Both teams are now 4-5 overall and 2-4 in the ACC.

North Carolina handled UConn 38-21 in North Carolina at UConn to get to 5-4.

Duke held NC State to a field goal in a 41-3 win in Duke at NC State. The Blue Devils are 7-2 and 4-2 in conference.

Wake Forest beat Merrimack 77-0 in Merrimack at Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are 8-1.

Louisville won 44-17 in Louisville at Georgia Tech, moving to 6-3 and 5-2 in the league. Georgia Tech falls to 2-7.

Rankings and standings

The most recent AP poll we have does not yet reflect Saturday's results. It lists Miami at No. 1 and Wake Forest at No. 14, both unchanged from the week before, and those are the only two ACC teams in it. Expect the Hurricanes to move after the Notre Dame loss when the next poll is out.

In the conference, Miami leads at 6-0, with Wake Forest at 5-1. SMU and Louisville are 5-2, and Duke and Clemson are 4-2. That is six teams with two or fewer league losses.

Below that, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech are 3-3, North Carolina is 2-3, and a cluster sits at 2-4: Boston College, Florida State, NC State, Stanford, Virginia and Cal. Syracuse is last at 2-5.

The Duke result stands out for the race. A 38-point road win in a league game keeps the Blue Devils within range of the top two, and Clemson's win kept the Tigers level with them.

The desk

It was a lopsided week at the desk, and it went to the film room.

Marcus "Film Room" Dawkins went 2-0. He laid 4.5 with Duke against NC State and got a 38-point margin, then laid 6.5 with North Carolina at UConn and cashed with room to spare. He is now 13-14 on the season.

Vera "The Fade" Kowalski took the other side of both of those games, UConn +7.5 and NC State +5.5, and went 0-2. She drops to 13-13.

Dr. Priya "The Quant" Raman also went 0-2. Miami +6 lost by a single point against the number, and Virginia Tech +6.5 was never close at SMU. She still leads the desk at 14-13.

Lou "The Sharp" Marchetti went 0-1 with a push. Georgia Tech +14.5 lost by 12.5 points against the spread, and Boston College +7 landed exactly on the number in a seven-point Florida State win. He is 8-17.

What's next

The top of the league is crowded, with Miami trying to protect an unbeaten conference record and five teams within two losses of it, while the 2-4 group needs wins to stay in bowl contention. Kickoff times and the full Week 11 slate are on the schedule page, and the desk's picks will be posted ahead of the weekend.