ACC Football Power Rankings: Week Seven

Who sits on top of the ACC Power Rankings heading into week seven?

Louisville’sTyler Shoughis sacked by SMU’s Jayden Milliner-Jones this Saturday. Oct. 5, 2024 / Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What a wild, wild week in the ACC.

Miami escaped with one of the wildest comebacks in recent memory and remain the top ranked team in the ACC. It was far from perfect for the Hurricanes, but Heisman contender Cam Ward and the offense put the team on their back and got the win.

Elsewhere, SMU stepped up and got a win on the road vs Louisville. Clemson got a road win vs Florida State, and Pitt remained undefeated. The conference race is getting very interesting and there is some competition to try and make the title game.

So how do the power rankings shake out after week six?

17. NC State (3-3, 0-2). Last week: 15

NC State continues their dreadful season and the latest chapter was a loss to Wake Forest, who had lost to Louisiana just the week before. Quarterback Grayson McCall got injured and the team dropped a game to fall to three. The Wolfpack host Syracuse next week.

16. Florida State (1-5, 1-4). Last week: 16

New quarterback, same results. The Seminoles were not able to muster much of anything in their loss to Clemson and now the Seminoles are nearly out of room to make a bowl game. Florida State is off next week.

15. Wake Forest (2-3, 1-1). Last week: 17

Huge credit to Dave Clawson for getting his team up for a win after a loss to Louisiana the week before. The offense continues to play well and the Demon Deacons got the win in Raleigh. Now, they face an enormous challenge by hosting Clemson.

14. North Carolina (3-3, 0-2). Last week: 14

The Tar Heels showed up with a lot of fight against Pitt this week, but it was not enough to stop their three-game losing streak. The Tar Heels season has slipped away from them and now they have to welcome in a Georgia Tech team that is going to want to get a win vs their former coach. Is this team even going to make a bowl game?

13. Stanford (2-3, 1-2). Last week: 12

Stanford hosted Virginia Tech this weekend and was not able to get anything going on the offensive side of the ball. The defense was not able to stop any of Virginia Tech's playmakers either and that led to a 31-7 loss. A rivalry game vs Notre Dame awaits next week.

12. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1). Last Week: 13

The Hokies did not let the ending of the Miami game affect them today vs Stanford. It was not a perfect game, but the Hokies got an efficient game from Kyron Drones and a good game from Bhayshul Tuten on the ground. The defense also did well to keep Stanford out of the end zone for the majority of the game. The Hokies are off next weekend.

11. Cal (3-2, 0-2). Last week: 8

Oh Cal. They seemingly had a victory against No. 8 Miami locked up when they took a 35-10 lead, but the team just utterly collapsed after that. A program changing win for Justin Wilcox was taken away and despite all of the good they did in the game, they were grounded to a halt in the second half of the game. They have a long road trip to Pittsburgh up next.

10. Boston College (4-2, 1-1). Last week: 7

The Eagles are another team that had a big lead in the second half, but they let it slip away vs Virginia in the 4th quarter. Thomas Castellanos looked good early, but the offense could not sustain anything after a certain point. Bill O'Brien's team is off next week.

9. Duke (5-1, 1-1). Last week: 4

Duke is no longer unbeaten after going on the road and losing to Georgia Tech. The offense could not get anything going aside from a 65-yard touchdown in the second half and the defense could not stop the Georgia Tech ground game. Manny Diaz and his team are no longer undefeated and they now have a week to get ready for Florida State.

8. Virginia (4-1, 2-0). Last week: 11

What a win for Tony Elliott and Virginia. The Cavaliers were projected to be one of the worst teams in the league, but are 2-0 in conference play after a comeback win over Boston College. Elliott came into the year on the hot seat, but he is playing himself right off of it. Can UVA find a way to hang with Louisville next weekend?

7. Georgia Tech (4-2, 2-2). Last week: 10

It was a good win for the Yellow Jackets, even if it was far from perfect. Brent Key's team ran the ball well and played good defnese against the Duke Blue Devils. It was a good rebound from the Louisville loss and now a visit to Chapel Hill is on deck for Georgia Tech. It was a good return to form for Jamal Haynes, who had more than 100 yards.

6. Syracuse (4-1, 1-1). Last week: 9

Syracuse was a touchdown underdog on the road vs UNLV, but the Orange came away with a thrilling win in overtime over the Rebels. Kyle McCord continues to throw the ball around well and LeQuint Allen scored multiple touchdowns this week. Can the Orange go on the road and beat a struggling NC State team next week?

5. Louisville (3-2, 1-1). Last week: 5

Yes, Louisville did not drop down after their loss to SMU, but team has a lot to figure out after losing at home to SMU. Now, Louisville is going to be facing an uphill battle to make the ACC title game and the defense, especially the secondary, has a lot of issues. Louisville goes on the road to Virginia.

4. Pitt (5-0, 1-0). Last week: 3

The Panthers went on the road to beat North Carolina and are now 5-0. The Panthers offense once again played well, with quarterback Eli Holstein throwing for 381 yards and running back Desmond Reid racked up 155 receiving yards and continued his breakout season. Pitt has to face one of the top passing defenses in the country next week when they host Cal.

3. SMU (5-1, 2-0). Lasta week: 6

SMU has firmly announced their arrival in the ACC with a road win vs Louisville. The offense remains explosive and the defense came up with the timely stops it needed when it mattered most. Rhett Lashlee has his team playing well heading into their bye week and they are starting to get hot at the right time.

2. Clemson (4-1, 3-0). Last week: 2

It looked like the Tigers were really going to put it on FSU when they went up on the Seminoles 17-0 in the first quarter, but they only won 29-13. A win is a win, but it was not the kind of dominant win they have had in the last few weeks since the Georgia loss. Wake Forest has a good offense and can pose some problems next week if Clemson is not careful.

1. Miami (6-0, 2-0). Last week: 1

The Hurricanes were behind by 25 points in the second half, but Cam Ward played a phenomenal fourth quarter and the defense got the stops they needed. Miami has to find a way to stop giving up so many explosive plays if they want to remain undefeated. They have a bye week before a road trip to Louisville.