ACC Football Power Rankings: Week Five
Week Four was an eye-opening week in the ACC.
Clemson has the early lead for the ACC Atlantic division with their tough road win over Wake Forest. The Tigers will have to survive their toughest test yet vs NC State, but they took a big step in winning the division by beating the Demon Deacons.
Miami on the other hand completely embarrassed themselves and the entire conference by losing to Middle Tennessee on Saturday. The Hurricanes are off this week and they sure do need it to help fix their offense.
Florida State and NC State stayed undefeated, Duke took their first loss, Georgia Tech lost and fired their head coach, and North Carolina continued to play zero defense in their loss to Notre Dame.
So how did all of these results shape up the ACC power rankings ahead of week five?
14. Georgia Tech (1-3, L vs UCF 27-10)- Last week: 14
Georgia Tech went on the road and came up short vs UCF
It was a closer game than the score indicated, but terrible red zone offense and another blocked punt would be the reason the Yellow Jackets went down on the road. Now, Geoff Collins is no longer the head coach and Tech is starting a search for a new athletic director as well.
I am not sure of the kind of energy you will see from the team going forward, but a tough road game vs Pitt is a daunting challenge for this team on Saturday.
13. Boston College (1-3, L vs Florida State 44-14)- Last week: 13
I really thought about putting Boston College last on this list because of how bad they look right now and the argument could be made. This team looked lifeless vs Florida State and it is starting to look like the bottom is falling out on this team in 2022. A game vs Louisville is not going to make things easier on Saturday.
12. Miami (2-2, L vs MTSU 45-31)- Last week: 4
Miami takes a pretty massive fall this week after losing as a 26 point favorite at home vs Middle Tennessee State. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke looks lost right now, offensive coordinator Josh Gattis has not been effective so far, and the defense was torched over and over again when in man coverage.
Oddly enough, this team still has a lot to play for. They have not played in an ACC game yet and can still make it to Charlotte. They are going to have to figure out a lot between now and their next game vs North Carolina on October 8th.
11. Virginia Tech (2-2, L vs West Virginia 33-10)- Last week: 11
Virginia Tech took another loss this week, but don't move down any in large part because of Miami's ineptitude to do anything so far. The Hokies had a massive struggle vs West Virginia last Thursday and are now sitting at 2-2. The offense can't move the ball right now, but if there is any team that can help fix that issue, it is North Carolina. Virginia Tech travels to Chapel Hill this weekend to see if they can stay undefeated in ACC play.
10 Virginia (2-2, L vs Syracuse 22-20)- Last week: 12
Brennan Armstrong has not been the same player that he was last year for Virginia
Courtesy of Miami and Virginia Tech looking terrible, the Cavaliers move up two spots because they lost to a better team this past weekend. Virginia offensively just can't do much right now and quarterback Brennan Armstrong doesn't look great for Tony Elliott's offense right now and this passing attack is a shell of what it was last year. Virginia has to go back on the road this week to face an upstart Duke team.
9. Duke (3-1, L vs Kansas 35-27)- Last week: 9
Duke went on the road and had a tough test vs Kansas on Saturday and hunger around against the potent Jayhawks offense. Quarterback Riley Leonard continues to impress and Duke will have an excellent chance to start conference play with a win vs Virginia this week.
8. North Carolina (3-1, L vs Notre Dame 45-32)- Last week: 8
North Carolina's defense is one of the worst that I have laid eyes on. The Tar Heels allowed Notre Dame, a team that could barely score 20 points in any game this year, to score 45 points and move the ball on them. The story is the same as it is every week: Quarterback Drake Maye looks great, but the defense can't get enough stops.
7. Louisville (2-2, W vs South Florida 41-3) - Last week: 10
Louisville crushed South Florida on Saturday and gets a bump because the teams in front of them lost. The Cardinals have games vs Boston College and Virginia and could get to 4-2 before their next big test vs Pitt.
6. Pittsburgh (3-1, W vs Rhode Island 45-24)- Last week: 6
Pittsburgh's Israel Abanikanda is carrying the Pitt offense right now through four weeks
Pittsburgh is dealing with injuries right now and got caught napping a little bit this past weekend vs Rhode Island. However, running back Israel Abanikanda is playing like one of the top players in the conference right now. The Panthers will get a Georgia Tech team that is dealing with a lot of outside noise in the wake of this week and with Miami and North Carolina also losing, it could be Pitt's turn again this week.
5. Wake Forest (3-1, L vs Clemson 51-45 2 OT)- Last week: 5
Wake is not going to drop after their great effort vs Clemson on Saturday. Sam Hartman was brilliant and the wide receivers were even better. The defense could not get the key stops it needed to win the game though and now Wake must get ready to go on the road to face an undefeated Florida State squad.
4. Syracuse (4-0, W vs Virginia 22-20)- Last week: 7
It was not pretty, but the Orange kept on winning and now have a game against Wagner on Saturday that is going to get Syracuse to 5-0 and on the verge of a bowl game. After that, it is the bye week and then a two-game stretch vs NC State and a trip to Clemson. That will prove whether Syracuse is just a decent team or one to take seriously in the Atlanta Division.
3. Florida State (4-0, W vs Boston College 44-14)- Last week: 3
The Seminoles continue to look good and completely dominated Boston College on Saturday. Quarterback Jordan Travis was able to play and Florida State is a much better team with him in at quarterback. A big test at home this weekend against Wake will let us know whether Flordia State can contend in the ACC Atlantic this year.
2. NC State (4-0, W vs UConn 41-10)- Last week: 2
NC State took care of business on Saturday vs UConn and now is faced with one of the biggest games in school history. The Wolfpack have a chance to be able to beat Clemson for the second straight year in a row and announce themselves as not only the best team in the ACC but a playoff contender as well. NC State better be prepared for rough weather this Saturday in Clemson however.
1. Clemson (4-0, W vs Wake Forest 51-45 2 OT)- Last week: 1
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei threw for five touchdowns on Saturday vs Wake Forest
It was not pretty and Clemson was short on some guys, but the Tigers took Wake Forest's best shot on the road and still found a way to win. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was fantastic and threw for five touchdowns and the offense looked good. The defense will rebound once they get their secondary figured out. A massive game against NC State awaits on Saturday and that is a game that is likely to be played in a downpour. Win that and the Tigers should probably start booking their trip to Charlotte in December.
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