@ Georgia 15, Ga. Tech 12
This might have been Chan Gailey's only chance to beat Mark Richt. The Jackets went into this game after a three-week vacation against N.C. State, UNC and Duke. They were the Coastal Division champions and two wins clear of Gailey's magic number seven.
Plus, it was Georgia Tech's four-year starter at quarterback vs. UGa's freshman quarterback. That's a freshman QB, albeit the talented Matthew Stafford, against Jon Tenuta's defense.
So what happens? Reggie Ball. Check out this stat line: 6 of 22, 45 yards, zero touchdowns, two interceptions.
That means the team with the best ACC record (7-1) can't beat the sixth-best team in the SEC.
Akron 20, @ N.C. State 17
It's not that N.C. State lost to a Mid-American Conference team at home. It's how they lost — the mindless celebration penalty and the subsequent defensive collapse — and the ridiculous excuse from Chuck Amato that ensued.
Even more damaging than Amato's PR-disaster was the fact that the Zips just weren't that good of a football team. They finished the season 3-5 in the MAC and 5-7 overall. Their other wins came against North Texas, Miami, Bowling Green and Buffalo — four teams who combined to win 11 games.
@ West Virginia 45, Maryland 24
Disaster. Pure and simple disaster for Maryland and Ralph Friedgen. West Virginia's Steve Slaton and Pat White put on a speed clinic for ESPN, running around and past the Terps' defense as if it wasn't there.
It honestly looked like the Washington Generals against the Harlem Globetrotters in the first half, like there was a script to make the Mountaineers look that good.
Only some garbage second-half touchdowns made the score look closer than the game actually was.
Kudos to Maryland for winning six of its next seven games, but this was a primetime PR hit to a program, and the league.
Western Michigan 17, @ Virginia 10
Again, there's nothing inherently wrong with losing to a MAC team, but Virginia's home loss — a week after the Akron win at State — only compounded the league's damaged image.
At least Western Michigan had the sense of decency to finish the season 8-5.
Richmond 13, @ Duke 0
Look, Duke's not a good football team. We all get that but to get shutout at home by a Division I-AA team? There's no excuse. And Richmond went 6-5 last season so this wasn't a I-AA power.
Bottom line, a league gets judged by both how good its best teams are and how bad its worst teams are. In the ACC's case, this loss was crippling, even by Duke's standards.
South Florida 37, UNC 20
South Florida went on to acquit itself nicely, winning at West Virginia, but the Bulls entered the UNC game with a 4-2 record, with a loss to Kansas and wins over feared powers McNeese State, Florida International and Central Florida.
After UNC takes a 7-0 lead, the Bulls chase UNC out of a half-empty Kenan Stadium and start the wheels in motion for John Bunting's demise (the Virginia loss the next week would be the final straw).
