Week 10 of ACC play kicked off with what was expected to be a high-octane quarterback duel between Virginia Tech and SMU.

Ethan Grunkemeyer and Kevin Jennings were highly productive for the Hokies and Mustangs, but the game became one-sided in the second half. SMU held a 23-14 halftime lead and scored touchdowns on each of its first three second half possessions en route to a 51-28 victory.

The matchup between CJ Carr and Darian Mensah delivered in Notre Dame's 31-24 survival of Miami, although it was a tale of two halves. Carr and the Fighting Irish held a 21-point lead early in the third quarter that Mensah and the Hurricanes later chiseled down to a touchdown. Miami had a potential game-tying touchdown pass ruled incomplete late in the fourth quarter.

Far and away the best quarterback matchup of the ACC's Week 11 slate is in the early window between No.13 Wake Forest and SMU. Gio Lopez and Kevin Jennings are signal-callers on offenses that have scored no fewer than 20 points in any game all season, and the matchup is critical for both teams' ACC Championship hopes.

A compelling quarterback duel may occur in the conference's nightcap between Stanford and Virginia Tech. Davis Warren is quietly piecing together a strong campaign with the Cardinal while Ethan Grunkemeyer and the Hokies continue to hum along offensively.

Below, we rank the eight best ACC quarterbacks entering Week 11 of the 2026 college football season.

8. Walker Eget

Eget cracks our rankings for the first time this season after guiding Duke to a 41-3 win at NC State. Per usual, the Blue Devils leaned on Nate Sheppard and their rushing attack, but Eget consistently found targets near the sidelines when they needed a lift in the passing game in his 208-yard performance.

The Blue Devils are on the road again at Miami in Week 11 (Noon EST, ABC). The Hurricanes have NFL talent across their defense but have played weaker than advertised over the last month.

7. Billy Edwards Jr.

Edwards Jr. capitalized on shorter passes in his 255-yard, three-touchdown effort in North Carolina’s 38-21 win at Connecticut. He bounced back from an early interception and managed the game nicely for the Tar Heels, throwing a long completion of 23 yards on a screen to Demon June. 

The Tar Heels are back in Kenan Stadium for their penultimate home game against Louisville (7 p.m. EST, ESPN2). The Cardinals have been inconsistent on defense for much of ACC play but are coming off one of their better showings of the season in their blowout of Georgia Tech.

6. Davis Warren

Warren and Stanford sat idle in Week 11 for a second time due to their Week 0 matchup against Hawaii. In the Cardinal’s first nine games, Warren threw for 2,203 yards, 14 touchdowns and three interceptions.

Stanford heads east for the last time this season for a test at Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m. EST, ACC Network). The Hokies allowed Kevin Jennings and SMU to hang 569 yards and 51 points on them last Friday.

5. Ethan Grunkemeyer

Virginia Tech needed Grunkemeyer to keep it in a shootout with SMU. He threw for 291 yards and a touchdown and rushed for another score in the first half, but it wasn’t enough; he lost a fumble late in the first half, and he threw a pick on a pass he forced into a tight window in the final minutes.

The Hokies return to Lane Stadium for a meeting with Stanford (7:30 p.m. EST, ACC Network). The Cardinal defense has been lackluster all season; it allowed 545 total yards in its 52-24 loss at Louisville two weeks ago.

4. Kevin Jennings

Jennings put the pedal to the metal in the second half of SMU’s rout of Virginia Tech. He completed 24 of his 32 pass attempts for 350 yards and four touchdowns, connecting with Yamir Knight six times for 103 yards and three of those four scores. His only mistake was an interception on a pass tipped at the line of scrimmage.

The Mustangs home finale is against Wake Forest this week (Noon EST, ESPN). The Demon Deacons rightfully receive ample attention for their offensive efforts, but the defense hasn’t surrendered more than 14 points in a game since the end of September.

3. Lincoln Kienholz

Louisville’s 44-17 blowout of Georgia Tech was another one where the run game took over. Kienholz finished 17-of-25 passing for 182 yards and two touchdowns, the second of which he fit in a tight window to TreyShun Hurry. He also led the Cardinals on the ground with 81 of their 251 rushing yards.

The Cardinals head east to North Carolina in Week 11 (7 p.m. EST, ESPN2). The Tar Heels have dropped two consecutive ACC games to Syracuse and Miami at home, both of which were among their worst defensive showings of the season.

2. Gio Lopez

Lopez got the week off for precautionary measures in Wake Forest 77-0 blanking of Merrimack. He has thrown for 2,176 yards, 18 touchdowns and just one interception and run for 317 yards and six touchdowns in eight games with the Demon Deacons.

The Demon Deacons head to SMU for a monstrous ACC battle in Week 11 (Noon EST, ESPN). The Mustangs have dominated at home this season, though they had one of their weaker defensive showings of the year against Virginia Tech last week.

1. Darian Mensah

The first weekend of life without Malachi Toney resulted in a loss for Mensah and Miami. He threw a season-high 19 incompletions in the loss, but his 269 yards, three passing touchdowns and connections with Elija Lofton and Cooper Barkate were integral in giving the Hurricanes life late in their loss to the Fighting Irish.

The Hurricanes return to Hard Rock Stadium for a matchup with Mensah’s old team, Duke (Noon EST, ABC). The Blue Devils field one of the ACC’s stronger defenses, allowing a combined five points in their wins over Boston College and NC State.