ACC Power Rankings: Week Five

How does the ACC stack up after a wild week four?

Jackson Caudell | Sep 24, 2023

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Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Week five is in the books and the ACC officially has a clear leader.

Florida State has been at No. 1 in these power rankings since the preseason, but there were some who wanted to see if they could go on the road and beat Clemson for the first time since 2014. It was a huge win for the Seminoles and just as big of a loss for Clemson. The Tigers are now 2-2 this season and 0-2 in the ACC. This is not the start the Tigers wanted, but it will be interesting to see how they respond in the weeks to come.

So how did the rest of the ACC shake out? Let's take a look.

14. Virginia (0-4). Last week's ranking: 14

The Cavaliers came close to getting a big win against NC State, but it was not meant to be and now Tony Elliott's team is now 0-4. I will say, it is encouraging to see this team fighting despite how the season has gone and they have not given up yet. The offense has looked a bit better recently but commits too many turnovers. UVA has a chance for a win this weekend vs. Boston College.

13. Virginia Tech (1-3). Last week's ranking: 13

Things are not going well in Blacksburg right now under Brent Pry. It was surprising to see them as a near-touchdown underdog to Marshall, but the Thundering Herd left little doubt about who was the better team. The offense continues to be a disaster for the Hokies and the defense is a far cry from what it used to be. This program sank under Justin Fuente, but Pry is driving it deeper into the ground. VT has a chance to get a win next week against Pitt.

12. Boston College (1-3). Last week's ranking: 12

It is pretty clear who the worst teams are in the ACC and Boston College is clearly one of them. The Eagles looked lifeless on defense and quarterback Thomas Castellanos could not replicate the same amount of magic as he did against Florida State. Jeff Hafley's team is now 1-3 and it is looking like they will miss a bowl game yet again. They have a chance to get their second win of the season this weekend against Virginia.

11. Pitt (1-3). Last week's ranking: 10

You could make the argument for Pitt to be lower, but those other three teams make it hard to do that. No matter who is at quarterback, the Panthers have been unable to do anything with the ball and the passing attack is among the nation's worst. Pat Narduzzi has built a strong program at Pitt, but after a 1-3 start, it is looking like the Panthers are not going to be able to make a bowl game this year.

10. Wake Forest (3-1). Last week's ranking: 8

Wake Forest nearly pulled off a comeback against Georgia Tech, but could not block the Yellow Jackets front. Georgia Tech forced five turnovers from Wake and sacked quarterback Mitch Griffis eight times. The offense could not get going and that is uncharacteristic from a Dave Clawson-coached team. Wake is off this week.

9. NC State (3-1). Last week's ranking: 9

NC State had a very unimpressive win over Virginia on Friday and the offense continues to look unimpressive. The passing attack has not been able to find its rhythm and that is not the place they wanted to be. The Wolfpack are still 3-1, but there are some glaring holes on this team right now. They have a big test this weekend against Louisville.

8. Georgia Tech (2-2). Last week's ranking: 11

Malik Rutherford — Georgia Tech is now 2-2 after a win over Wake Forest / Nathaniel Caudell

Georgia Tech has not been a great defense this season, but they showed up on Saturday night against Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets had eight sacks and forced five turnovers. There were great individual performances from Kyle Kennard (four sacks) and Jaylon King (two interceptions) and the offense did just enough to get the road win. Georgia Tech faces Bowling Green next week.

7. Clemson (2-2). Last week's ranking: 5

Clemson fought hard, but could not finish off Florida State when they had the chance. Dabo Swinney's team is now an unfamiliar 2-2 and now 0-2 in the ACC. The offense played better, but turnovers played a part in letting Florida State come back and win. Clemson's playoff hopes are officially done and it is going to be a fight to get back in contention in the ACC. They will have an interesting game on the road against Syracuse.

6. Syracuse (4-0). Last week's ranking: 7

Syracuse looked like they were in trouble against Army on Saturday, but the Orange got going in the second half and pulled off a win. After four relatively easy non-conference games, Syracuse will now begin their ACC schedule and get a chance to prove they are for real in the conference. The Orange outscored Army 26-6 in the second half.

5. Louisville (4-0). Last week's ranking: 5

Louisville had their best game of the season in a blowout win over Boston College. Quarterback Jack Plummer had a great day throwing for 388 yards and five touchdowns and the Cardinals put up 56 points. Louisville continues to win and they have a big game this week against NC State

4. Duke (4-0). Last week's ranking: 4

Duke took care of business against UConn and now, the Blue Devils get to host College Gameday for the first time in school history when Notre Dame comes to town next Saturday. Ever since beating Clemson, Duke has had a favorable schedule and the game next week against the Fighting Irish is going to be one of the biggest in school history and another chance to see where Duke stands among the rest of the country.

3. North Carolina (4-0). Last week's ranking: 3

The Tar Heels took care of business against Pitt this weekend and quarterback Drake Maye once again looked the part. Maye threw for 296 yards and one touchdown and the Tar Heels defense bottled up Pitt's poor passing attack. North Carolina ends September 4-0 and has plenty to be happy about heading into their bye week.

2. Miami (4-0). Last week's ranking: 2

It was a quick week for Miami, who won big on the road at Temple 41-7. The Hurricanes ran for over 300 yards and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke had another tremendous performance as well. The defense shut down the Owls offense and now, Miami heads into their bye week 4-0. A showdown with North Carolina in a few weeks looms large.

1. Florida State (4-0). Last week's ranking: 1

Keon Coleman — Florida State is now 4-0 after beating Clemson / David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

It did not always look good on Saturday, but the Seminoles found a way to get it done on the road against the Tigers. The offense was clutch when it needed to be and wide receiver Keon Coleman had a great day. The defense has a few concerns, but the main point is that Florida State has wins in their two biggest games of the year and heads into their bye week squarely in the playoff picture and as the ACC's top team.

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