The College Football Playoff situation in the ACC has already changed dramatically following 10th-ranked Florida State’s startling loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland to end Week 0. The defending ACC champions had no answer for Georgia Tech’s ground-and-pound style in the run game and struggled to generate explosive plays against a Yellow Jackets club that defeated a top-10 opponent for the first time in almost ten years. The Seminoles, who were preseason favorites to win the league, must now win against a conference slate that includes Clemson and Miami in order to have a chance of winning the ACC title game and making the playoffs again.

Meanwhile, Georgia Tech will crack the top 25 when the new AP Poll is issued after Week 1 for the first time in the Brent Key era, and it will control its own destiny in advancing to the conference championship game.

How about an ACC opening weekend surprise? Florida State’s loss is good news for the Tigers, Hurricanes, NC State, and Virginia Tech, all of which were projected to finish behind the Seminoles in league title races.

Given that the ACC has no divisions and the two teams with the best conference records will travel to Charlotte in December for a chance to win a title, Mike Norvell’s team’s start of 0-1 does not speak well for their end-game aim of making the playoffs. Both NC State and Virginia Tech, two teams just outside the top 20 with ACC title hopes, will not face the Seminoles this season, and both have — comparably — favorable schedules to reach the final. Georgia Tech’s hardest ACC game is now behind the Yellow Jackets, and their remaining three regular-season games before facing Georgia will most likely determine their ACC standing. Georgia Tech goes to Virginia Tech and then hosts Miami and North Carolina