Pittsburgh-Duke matchup headlines ACC’s 6th week

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Here are things to watch in the Atlantic Coast Conference in Week 6:

GAME OF THE WEEK

Pittsburgh at Duke. The Panthers’ visit to surging Duke _ the only matchup of ACC teams with winning records _ shapes up as the most attractive matchup on a light schedule that includes just three other games. Pitt (3-2, 0-1) has won four straight in the series and last year claimed a wild 54-45 victory over the Blue Devils (3-1, 1-0). Duke has been dominant in a three-game winning streak, with an average margin of victory of 30 points, and is coming off a 45-10 romp at Virginia Tech.

BEST MATCHUP

Boston College and RB AJ Dillon vs. Louisville’s run defense. Dillon averages an ACC-best 125.4 yards rushing and has three straight 150-yard performances, most recently rushing for a season-high 159 yards against Wake Forest. The Cardinals (2-2, 0-1) have held their last three opponents to 140 yards rushing or fewer after surrendering 230 yards on the ground in the opening loss to Notre Dame.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

No. 22 Wake Forest is the 11th ACC team to earn a spot in the AP Top 25 since the start of the 2018 season _ the most of any conference. The Demon Deacons’ entrance into the poll _ their first ranking since 2008 _ came three weeks after No. 23 Virginia cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season. The only ACC schools that have not appeared in the poll during the past two seasons are Louisville (last ranked in 2017), North Carolina (2016) and Georgia Tech (2015).

LONG SHOT

Maybe Georgia Tech can catch North Carolina on a letdown. The Yellow Jackets are 10-point home underdogs to a Tar Heels team that fell a two-point conversion short of potentially knocking off Clemson _ and still knocking the Tigers from the top spot in the poll. The rebuild has not exactly been smooth for new Tech coach Geoff Collins, whose only victory has been against a South Florida team that hasn’t beaten a Bowl Subdivision opponent in more than 11 months.

IMPACT PLAYER

Keep an eye on Miami RB Deejay Dallas this week against struggling Virginia Tech. Dallas is a candidate for a strong bounce-back game after managing just 34 yards rushing two weeks ago against Central Michigan after finishing with at least 95 yards rushing in each of the Hurricanes’ first three games. The Hokies’ defense has been uncharacteristically leaky, ranking 13th in the ACC against the run after allowing Duke to rush for 234 yards last week.