NC State, Wake Forest climbing after ACC road wins

Wait a second, is this really going to happen?

Are we here in ACC land headed for an Atlantic Division title game on Nov. 13 in Winston-Salem? It sure looks that way. After N.C. State’s dominating 33-7 win over Boston College on Saturday, the Wolfpack remain undefeated in league play and 2-0 versus Atlantic Division foes.

The only other undefeated team in the division? The Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake Forest defeated Syracuse on the road, 40-37, in overtime on Oct. 9. If both teams continue to find ways to win like they have, the annual showdown next month could be the biggest one yet.

For now, what both teams have done has been good enough to jump in my Top 25 poll. Both teams are in my top 20. Wake Forest, open last week, moved up to No. 16 (thanks to some losses ahead of them) and N.C. State is right behind them at 17.

The Wolfpack went on the road as a ranked team and won for the fourth time under head coach Dave Doeren. Speaking of the ACC, Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0) makes it into my Top 25 for the first time this season. The Panthers also went on the road, defeating Virginia Tech, 28-7.

As it stands, the Demon Deacons, Wolfpack and Panthers are the front-runners to make it to the title game in Charlotte in December.

It’s never an uneventful week in the Top 25 as No. 2 Iowa was thumped by Purdue, 24-7. I wasn’t ready to crown the Hawkeyes as the second-best team in the nation last week (I stuck with Alabama) and they proved me right.

Georgia and Alabama keep rolling and appear to be on another collision course for Atlanta. Michigan State makes its way into my Top 10, as Mel Tucker somehow has the Spartans quietly climbing each week.

Here’s a look at my top 25 ballot after week 7: