In this episode of Virtual Tailgate, we cover a week of ACC football and start with our player shoutouts. We recognize Pitt freshman Damon Ferguson Jr. for his rushing performance, Virginia Tech tight end Luke Reynolds for a productive game, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah for his record-setting completion streak, and SMU running back Kendrick Raphael for carrying the offense against Louisville.

We then move to the power rankings, with Miami still at number one, followed by Louisville, SMU, Virginia Tech, and Duke. At the bottom, we discuss Boston College, Syracuse, and Stanford, along with the confusion caused by a few incorrect game references in the rundown. We also revisit NC State’s loss and talk through what it means for their season.

From there, we preview several games. We discuss Virginia Tech’s trip to Boston College and agree that the Hokies are the stronger team, with Boston College struggling to score. We then look at Wake Forest at Louisville and note that Wake has shown fight in recent games, but Louisville’s offense and overall talent still make the Cardinals the pick.

We also preview Clemson at Cal, where the main question is whether Clemson’s late comeback against North Carolina can carry over on the road. Some of us think Cal is the better team, while others still trust Clemson’s talent and defense. We end with quick-fire picks, including NC State, Georgia Tech, SMU, and Virginia, and close with a few final jokes and sign-off lines.

0:08 Intro and Irony

0:53 Walking Taller Awards

1:29 Carolina Collapse Recap

4:46 Mensah Takes Over

8:48 Power Rankings Shuffle

15:25 Season Standings Check

17:13 Hokies at BC

23:54 Wake Visits Louisville

31:23 Clemson Faces Cal

37:39 Quick Fire Bets

43:52 Closing and Sign-Off

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Season 16 of Virtual Tailgate opens with light talk before moving into the week’s ACC player awards, including standout performances from Miami, Virginia Tech, Cal, and Duke. The hosts then debate their top five and bottom three power rankings, placing Miami at No. 1 and Syracuse, Stanford, and Boston College at the bottom.

The episode also reviews betting records and previews the week’s biggest games, including North Carolina at Clemson, Virginia vs. West Virginia in Charlotte, and SMU at Louisville, along with several quick-fire picks. It closes with praise for Duke’s road win over Illinois, brief discussion of Florida State coaching speculation, and the hosts’ usual sign-off.

0:08 Intro and Sponsors

1:39 Running and Confidence

3:40 Weekly Player Picks

8:09 Power Rankings Shuffle

12:29 Betting Standings

14:31 UNC-Clemson Preview

22:03 Virginia-West Virginia Matchup

26:39 Duke's Mayo Classic

29:25 SMU-Louisville Showdown

35:28 Quick Fire Bets

39:58 Duke Shout-Outs

42:08 Closing Banter

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The Virtual Tailgate opens Season 16 with Week 1 ACC discussion, starting with game balls for standout performances from Pitt quarterback Mason Henschel, Miami receiver Malachi Toney, and Miami quarterback Darian Mensah. The hosts then break down Miami’s roster strength, Duke’s transfer losses, and Nate Shepard’s role for Duke before Jarred reads his top five and bottom three in the ACC, including Miami at No. 1 and Clemson and NC State near the bottom.

The episode also turns into a broader debate about Clemson’s slide, Dabo Swinney’s job status, and the impact of NIL and the transfer portal before ending with previews and picks for Georgia Tech-Tennessee, Duke-Illinois, Rutgers-Boston College, Syracuse-Cal, Georgia Southern-Clemson, NC State-Richmond, and Pitt-UCF.

0:06 Boot Giveaway Banter

2:25 Power Outage and Standouts

9:02 Space-Time Nonsense

10:41 ACC Power Rankings

21:33 Sponsor Reset and Rankings

23:48 Week Two Betting Slate

34:10 Ugly Game Spotlight

43:53 Quickfire Bets

47:49 Closing Out The Tailgate

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.