ACC Football Power Rankings: Week Three

How did week two shake up the ACC Power Rankings?

Jackson Caudell | Sep 12, 2022

Week two did not see a lot of movement in the ACC. The top teams, Clemson, Miami, and NC State all won, but Pittsburgh went down in overtime to Tennessee in their big matchup of the week.

Sam Hartman returned for Wake Forest and led the Demon Deacons to a win. Malik Cunningham bounced back and got a road win against UCF. Duke looks much improved after beating Northwestern as an underdog this week.

So who moved up and who moved down in the ACC power rankings after week two? Let's find out.

14. Georgia Tech (1-1, W vs Western Carolina 35-17)- Last week: 13

Georgia Tech running back Dontae Smith had three touchdowns vs Western Carolina / Georgia Tech Athletics

Georgia Tech was able to pull out a win against Western Carolina, but that is not going to keep them from dropping to last in this week's power rankings. With Duke getting a win over Northwestern, the Yellow Jackets will have to occupy the last spot. Ole Miss is on deck for this Saturday at 3:30

13. Boston College (0-2, L vs Virginia Tech 27-10)- Last week: 11

The Eagles take another drop in this week's ranking after losing to Virginia Tech 27-10. The Eagles thought they were going to take a step further this year under Jeff Hafley, but the offense has been a struggle so far through two games and they could not run the ball against the Hokies. BC should get a win over Maine but there is a chance this team is going to miss a bowl game entirely.

12. Virginia (1-1, L vs Illinois 24-3)- Last week: 10

After beating Richmond in week three, Virginia took a loss on the road to Illinois and the team struggled to do anything offensively. Brennan Armstrong was only 13/32 for 180 yards and the running game was terrible. The Cavaliers play Old Dominion this week and that is anything but an easy win.

11. Duke (2-0, W vs Northwestern 31-23)- Last week: 14

Duke stars Riley Leonard and Jordan Waters — Duke got a big win over Northwestern this weekend with a solid offensive performance / Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Duke moves from last place in the rankings up to 11 and there is a decent chance that this team is 4-0 after games against NC A&T and Kansas. Running back Jordan Waters had 91 yards and two touchdowns on Saturday and the offense did enough to win the game. Head coach Mike Elko has done a solid job and the Blue Devils will look to keep winning in the coming weeks.

10. Virginia Tech- (1-1, W vs Boston College 27-10)- Last week: 12

The Hokies bounced back from their loss to Old Dominion and got a conference win over Boston College. The defense limited the Eagles to 155 total yards and the offense did just enough to win. This team still has a lot of questions, but it is always good to get a conference win at home. Virginia Tech should be 2-1 after playing Wofford this week.

9. Louisville- (1-1, W vs UCF 20-14)- Last week: 9

The Cardinals did get a win over UCF, but don't move up any this week because of the teams in front of them taking care of business. Quarterback Malik Cunningham got the team the win over the Knights and the defense was good enough. Louisville has another big matchup on a Friday night when they face Florida State this week.

8. Syracuse- (2-0, W vs UConn 48-14)- Last week: 8

Syracuse got another win this week against an overmatched UConn team and this team is looking pretty good through two weeks. Quarterback Garrett Shrader is commanding the offense and the defense remains good. A tricky home game against Purdue awaits next week.

7. North Carolina- (3-0, W vs Georgia State 35-28)- Last week:7

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye continues to impress early in the season / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina stayed consistent this week. The defense did not have a good game again, but quarterback Drake Maye continues to be impressive through the early part of the season. Maye threw for 282 yards and four touchdowns. The Tar Heels get a bye week this week before welcoming in Notre Dame.

6. Pittsburgh (1-1, L vs Tennessee 34-27)- Last week: 4

The Panthers had the biggest game in the conference this week but fell just short against the Volunteers. Quarterback Kedon Slovis was injured in the game, as was backup Nick Patti. It is uncertain when either quarterback is going to return and that could devastating for the season if both miss significant time. Pitt has a revenge game against Western Michigan this week.

5. Wake Forest- (2-0, W vs Vanderbilt 45-25)- Last week: 6

Star quarterback Sam Hartman returned this week and looked great. Wide receiver A.T. Perry had a terrific game and the Demon Deacons should get a win against Liberty this week before the biggest game of the season against Clemson on the 24th.

4. NC State (2-0, W vs NC State 55-3)- Last week: 5

The Wolfpack got an easy win over Charleston Southern 55-3 and a tricky game against Texas Tech is on deck this Saturday in Raleigh.

3. Florida State (2-0, Bye Week)- Last week: 3

Florida State was off this week. They have a big matchup with Louisville on Friday night.

2. Clemson (2-0, W vs Furman 35-12)- Last week: 2

Clemson did not have to sweat too much in their win against Furman and it is likely to stay that way this week against Louisiana Tech. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei looked a little bit better, but he is going to have to do it against better competition.

1. Miami (2-0, W vs Southern Miss 30-7)- Last week: 1

Miami running back Henry Parrish II — Miami running back Henry Parrish Jr is off to an impressive start to the 2022 season. / Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Miami did not play well this week, but no other ACC team has done enough to knock them out of the top spot. Running back Henry Parrish Jr had another good game and the defense completely locked down Southern Miss. Miami has a huge test against Texas A&M this week.

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