ACC Power Rankings: Week Nine

How do the ACC Power Rankings Look After the Week Eight Games?

Oct 19, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish safety Rod Heard II (2) tackles Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Malik Rutherford (8) in the fourth quarter at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Week eight is in the books and there is still a clear top four in the ACC right now.

MIami continues to outscore their opponents and arguably got their best win of the year yesterday by beating Louisville. Clemson won 48-31 vs Virginia and the Cavaliers gave them an early fight. SMU blew out Stanford and Pitt was off. Those four teams have yet to lose an ACC game and remain the cream of the crop right now.

Figuring it out after that top four is tough.

Here is how I see the ACC after eight weeks.

17. Florida State (1-6, 1-5). Last week: 16

Florida State lost a miserable game on Friday night vs Duke and they just continue to look worse and worse. The only win the Seminoles might get the rest of the season is against Charleston Southern. Rival Miami awaits them next week.

16. Stanford (2-5, 1-3). Last week: 14

Ever since their win over Syracuse, it has been pretty ugly for Stanford, with the latest loss being a blowout vs SMU on Saturday night. They have a chance to get a win next week vs Wake Forest, but Troy Taylor's team is getting blown out left and right right now.

15. Wake Forest (3-4, 1-2). Last week: 15

Wake got a win on Saturday vs UConn, but it was mostly due to their defenese, as their offense was held in check by the Huskies. If they want to reach a bowl game, the matchup vs Stanford is probably a must win next Saturday.

14. Cal (3-4, 0-4). Last week: 11

Boy, does Cal know how to lose close ACC games. The Golden Bears have lost all four ACC games by one score and they allowed a struggling NC State team to come back from a double-digit defecit yesterday. Can Cal recover and find a way to beat old Pac-12 rival Oregon State next week?

13. North Carolina (3-4, 0-3). Last week: 13

North Carolina was off this week and will return to action next week vs Virginia.

12. NC State (4-4, 1-3). Last week: 17

Congrats to NC State for climbing out of the power rankings cellar and moving up to No. 12. It looked like another loss was coming for the Wolfpack, but they clawed out of a double-digit hole in the fourth quarter and got the win vs Cal. They are off next week and will be back in action in November.

11. Boston College (4-3, 1-2). Last week: 10

The Eagles attempted to come back in the third quarter vs Virginia Tech, but they fell short and lost 42-21 and now they have lost two straight ACC games. The defense could not stop the Virginia Tech running game and turnovers killed Boston College in this game. A Friday night home test vs Louisville is up next.

10. Virginia (4-3, 2-2). Last week: 8

Virginia fought hard yesterday against Clemson, but they did not have enough to beat the Tigers on the road yesterday. This team continues to look improved and a bowl game is still on the table, but the defense is going to need to play better down the stretch. They host North Carolina next week, a team that has lost four straight games.

9. Georgia Tech (5-3, 3-2). Last week: 7

Georgia Tech was shorthanded in yesterday's loss vs Notre Dame, but the Yellow Jackets run game and special teams were a no-show. The Yellow Jackets don't know when they are getting starting quarterback Haynes King back and they have a lot of things to clean up and fix ahead of a road game against Virginia Tech.

8. Virginia Tech (4-3, 2-1). Last week: 12

Virginia Tech is starting to look like the team they were supposed to be at the start of the year and now they welcome in Georgia Tech. This team has won back to back games by at least three touchdowns and while their opponents were not great, they are taking care of business.

7. Louisville (4-3, 2-2). Last week: 5

Louisville scored 45 points yesterday vs Miami, but it was not good enough to beat Miami. The Cardinals defense had another bad week and with that loss, Louisville is now likely out of ACC title contention and they still have games against Clemson and Pitt left on the schedule.

6. Duke (6-1, 2-1). Last week: 9

It was not pretty by any means, especially on offense, but Manny Diaz found a way to get Duke its first ever win against Florida State on Friday night and the Blue Devils are now bowl eligible. The defense was awesome in the win Friday and now a big primetime showdown against SMU is waiting for them next Saturday.

5. Syracuse (5-1, 2-1). Last week: 6

Syracuse was off this past week and the Orange have a big game on Thursday night at Pitt.

4. SMU (6-1, 3-0). Last week: 4

SMU handled their business on the road Saturday night vs Stanford and they remain squarely in the mix to make the ACC title game. The offense is rolling right now, but they are going to be tested against an aggressive Duke defense next week. It will also be a matchup between former Miami head coach Manny Diaz and former Miami offenisve coordinator Rhett Lashlee.

3. Pittsburgh (6-0, 2-0). Last week: 3

Pitt was off this week and has a big game on Thursday vs Syracuse.

2. Clemson (6-1, 5-0). Last week: 2

The Tigers had some early struggles vs Virginia on Saturday, but they overcame them to win by 17 points. The offense continues to roll and Cade Klubnik is playing great at this point in the season. Clemson has a bye week coming up before a tough three-game ACC stretch against Louisville, Virginia Tech, and Pittsburgh. Clemson looks like they could be the best team in the conference heading into November.

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

Miami has the top offense in the country and it is led by the best quarterback in the country. The Hurricanes have problems on defense, but they have a chance to beat anyone thanks to the offense. Miami scored 52 points on Louisville Saturday and Cam Ward is squarely in the race to be the Heisman Trophy winner. Miami hosts rival Florida State next Saturday in what could turn out to be one of the most lopsided losses in the storied series history.

Additional Links:

Georgia Tech vs Virginia Tech Odds: Yellow Jackets Open As Near Double-Digit Underdog vs the Hokies

Georgia Tech Football: Brent Key Gives Update on Quarterback Haynes King, Says Injury is Not Season-Ending

Bleav Georgia Tech: Instant Reaction to Georgia Tech's Loss to Notre Dame