ACC Football Power Rankings: Week Five

How do the ACC Power Rankings shape up after week four action?

Sep 21, 2024; Clemson, South Carolina, USA; Clemson Tigers running back David Eziomume (24) runs the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images / Ken Ruinard-Imagn Images

After another week of ACC play, we have a similar story as the first few weeks of the season. Miami and Clemson continue to look dominant, while the rest of the conference is in flux. Louisville survived a test vs Georgia Tech, Syracuse was upset by Stanford, Boston College had a comeback win vs Michigan State, and Florida State finally got a win when they defeated Cal.

So how do the ACC Power Rankings look after a crazy week four?

17. Wake Forest (1-2, 0-1). Last week: 16

Wake Forest was off this week, but move down to the last spot due to FSU winning. Wake faces Louisiana this weekend.

16. NC State (2-2, 0-1). Last week: 15

It continues to be a rough season for NC State. The Wolfpack quickly found themselves down 28-0 vs the Tigers and it was 45-7 at the half in a game that was not competitive. They were able to score a little bit in the second half, but it was an ugly day all around for NC State. They face Northern Illinois next Saturday.

15. Florida State (1-3, 1-2): Last week 17

It was not pretty by any means, but FSU got their first win of the year. The defense shut down Cal's offense and only let them score nine points, but the Seminoles offense still looks dreadful. Can they string some wins together and beat SMU on Saturday?

14. Virginia Tech (2-2, 0-0). Last week: 11

Like NC State, Virginia Tech has been a very disappointing team and that continued on Saturday when they lost to Rutgers at home. Bhayshul Tuten had a strong game on the ground, but the Hokies passing game remains a weakness and the defense gave up nearly 300 yards to Rutgers, a team that struggles to throw the ball. It is only going to get harder for Virginia Tech, as they have their ACC opener on Friday night vs Miami.

13. North Carolina (3-1, 0-0). Last week: 7

When you give up over 50 points in the first half to James Madison and then proceed to give up 70 in the game, you drop six spots. It was a horrible performance by North Carolina and their defense, something they had hoped was fixed coming into the year. Can the Tar Heels get things turned around quickly when they face Duke on Saturday?

12. Virginia (3-1, 1-0). Last week: 12

Tip your hat to Virginia, they bounced back from their loss to Maryland by beating Coastal Carolina on the road and getting their third win of the season. The Cavaliers are off next weekend.

11. Stanford (2-1, 1-0). Last week: 14

The Cardinal got their first ACC win in their first ever ACC game when they kicked a last second field goal to beat Syracuse on the road. Stanford has to go on the road next week to face Clemson, so big challenges remain for the Cardinal.

10. Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2). Last week: 9

The Yellow Jackets had their chances on the road vs Louisville, but they made too many critical mistakes in the loss to the Cardinals. A backwards pass returned for a touchdown, a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, a missed field goal, and multiple failed 4th down conversions kept Brent Key from getting another ranked ACC win. The Yellow Jackets are off next week.

9. SMU (3-1, 0-0). Last week: 13

SMU got a blowout win vs TCU on Saturday in what was arguably their best performance of the season. The Mustangs play their first ever game in the ACC on Saturday night when they host Florida State.

8. Syracuse (2-1, 1-1). Last week: 5

The Orange came back down to earth after a loss to Stanford, a game in which their passing attack did not look as sharp as it did to start the season. Kyle McCord turned the ball over and Syracuse could not run the ball for most of the game. The Orange should get back on track Saturday when the play Holy Cross.

7. Cal (3-1, 0-1). Last week: 6

Cal drops a spot for losing a very ugly game to FSU and the Golden Bears still have issues on offense. The Justin Wilcox era has been defined by good defensive play and an offense that can't keep up. Cal is off next weekend.

6. Duke (4-0, 0-0). Last week: 10

The Blue Devils are 4-0 after their win over Middle Tennessee State and after the performance North Carolina put up on Saturday, Duke has to be thinking they can get a win over their arch rivals. Is this the 6th best team in the ACC? I don't know, but you have to give them credit for winning the games on their schedule and getting off to a good start.

5. Boston College (3-1, 1-0). Last week: 8

The Eagles looked like they were going to drop their second straight game, but they found a way to comeback and beat Michigan State to reach 3-1. Western Kentucky comes to town next week in the final non-conference game of the year for the Eagles.

4. Pitt (4-0, 0-0). Last week: 4

It was only Youngstown State, but the Pitt offense continues to roll and the Panthers remained undefeated to start the season. Pitt is off next week and then begins ACC play.

3. Louisville (3-0, 1-0). Last week: 3

The Cardinals played a little sloppy in their win vs Georgia Tech, but the passing game looked explosive and their run defense limited Georgia Tech to 98 yards on the ground. This team still looks like an ACC contender and they will have a chance to show it on the road vs Notre Dame next weekend.

2. Clemson (2-1, 1-0). Last week: 2

For the second straight week, the Tigers took their opponent to the woodshed, except this time it was an ACC team and not App State. Clemson handled NC State and the offense looked good for the second straight week after a dismal performance vs Georgia. They look like an ACC contender and playoff contender and their next opponent is Stanford at home.

1. Miami (4-0, 0-0). Last week: 1

The Hurricanes remain No. 1 and they actually trailed South Florida 15-14 in the game yesterday in the second quarter. They ended up winning 50-15 and the offense looks like one of the best in the country with Cam Ward having 400 yards and three touchdowns through the air. Miami has their ACC opener vs Virginia Tech.