ACC Football Power Rankings: 2024 Week 6

An update on the Atlantic Coast Conference landscape through five weeks of the season.

Sep 28, 2024; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils defensive end Kevin O'Connor (50) and defensive end Wesley Williams (97) celebrates during the second half of the game against North Carolina Tar Heels at Wallace Wade Stadium. / Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - We're now entering month two of the the 2024 college football season, as well as the start of conference play all around the FBS. In the Atlantic Coast Conference, the storylines are only getting juicier and the intrigue is intensifying.

Two of the top three teams in the conference are coming off of shaky weekends, while a couple schools outside of the top tier are lurking around hoping to make that jump to contender status. Not to mention that the deck chairs continue to get shuffled in the middle and bottom thirds of the ACC.

With that being said, where do things currently stand in the conference following five weeks of football? Check out our week six ACC power rankings below:

1. Miami Hurricanes

• Record: 5-0, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 1
• Week 5 Result: W, 38-34 vs. Virginia Tech

Sure, Miami somehow found a way to win, but they certainly didn't deserve to. The Canes' defense looked suspect at times against a Virginia Tech offense that has sputtered some, and their offense - while prolific - certainly wasn't perfect at various points. Add in that final play, and The U is very lucky to be unbeaten still.

2. Clemson Tigers

• Record: 3-1, 2-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 3
• Week 5 Result: W, 40-14 vs. Stanford

The more that time passes, the more that Clemson's season opener appears to be an anomaly. Of course, the competition since Georgia hasn't been great, but QB Cade Klubnik has been lighting it up since, and that defense is continuing to look strong. Maybe there is hope for the Tigers, still.

3. Louisville Cardinals

• Record: 3-1, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 2
• Week 5 Result: L, 31-24 at Notre Dame

A concerning trend has popped up for Louisville over the last couple weeks. One can make the argument that they were better than Notre Dame was, but they committed way too many mistakes in order to win. Not to mention they looked sloppy at times against Georgia Tech the week before.

4. Pitt Panthers

• Record: 4-0, 0-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 5
• Week 5 Result: Bye Week

Pitt hs arguably been the biggest (positive) surprised team in the ACC up to this point. Given how UNC has played up to this point, it wouldn't be shocking to see Pitt go 5-0 to start the year and start generating some AP Top 25 buzz.

5. SMU Mustangs

• Record: 4-1, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 7
• Week 5 Result: W, 42-16 vs. Florida State

Way to make a statement in you ACC opener, SMU. Sure, Florida State is hot garbage right now, but the Mustangs' offense looks completely different since making the switch to Kevin Jennings at QB. Not to mention that defense had a bounce back performance after getting lit up in the Iron Skillet.

6. Boston College Eagles

• Record: 4-1, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 4
• Week 5 Result: W, 21-20 vs. Western Kentucky

Well, it appears we found out how reliant Boston College is on QB Thomas Castellanos. Credit to the Eagles and backup Grayson James for mounting a fourth quarter comeback (as well of the defense for bending and not breaking), but that offense looked out of sorts without Castellanos for much of the game. Hopefully he's not out for long.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

• Record: 3-2, 1-2 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 6
• Week 5 Result: Bye Week

Hopefully Georgia Tech did some soul searching during their bye week, as they haven't looked that great against their two most recent power conference foes. It won't be easy to face an undefeated Duke team.

8. Duke Blue Devils

• Record: 5-0, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 10
• Week 5 Result: W, 21-20 vs. North Carolina

Speaking of Duke, it's hard to get a firm read on how good they really are, but 5-0 is 5-0. Especially considering they stormed back from a 20-0 hole to take down their bitter rival. QB Maalik Murphy, RB Star Thomas and that underrated defense has Manny Diaz's rebuilding job ahead of schedule

9. Cal Golden Bears

• Record: 3-1, 0-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 8
• Week 5 Result: Bye Week

It's a shame that Cal chose the worst time to have a stinker, otherwise this weekend's home game vs. Miami could have been a top-25 showdown. At least the Golden Bears got College GameDay for the first time!

10. Syracuse Orange

• Record: 3-1, 1-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 9
• Week 5 Result: W, 42-14 vs. Holy Cross

Just the kind of game to help get Syracuse back on track after a tough loss to Stanford. QB Kyle McCord and the offense were sharp, and their defense enforced their will at the line of scrimmage. Just the momentum they needed ahead of a tough matchup with newly-ranked UNLV.

11. Virginia Tech Hokies

• Record: 2-3, 0-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 12
• Week 5 Result: L, 38-34 at Miami

It's not often that a losing team rises in power rankings, but here we are. Virginia Tech came ready to play on the road against a top-10 team, and arguably looked like the better squad at times. If the botched fake field goal plays out differently, or if the refs didn't overturn that Hail Mary, the Hokies outright win.

12. Virginia Cavaliers

• Record: 3-1, 1-0 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 11
• Week 5 Result: Bye Week

Depending on the status of Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, Virginia has a great opportunity in front of them. Many thought Tony Elliott would be a dead man walking by the end of the season, and the Cavalier have a chance to show real growth in year three under Elliott.

13. NC State Wolfpack

• Record: 3-2, 0-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 13
• Week 5 Result: W, 24-17 vs. Northern Illinois

Considering NIU lost to Buffalo last week to fall out of the AP Top 25, NC State beating them doesn't have the cache that it could have. Not to mention that the Wolfpack offense continues to struggle. At least their defense seems to be trending in the right direction.

14. Stanford Cardinal

• Record: 2-2, 1-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 15
• Week 5 Result: L, 40-14 at Clemson

If it's any condolences to Stanford, a lot of team don't make it out of Death Valley without being dealt a blowout loss. That being said, while the Cardinal did win in their ACC opener the week before, the talent discrepancy between them and the Tigers only amplified how much work still has to be done in Palo Alto.

15. North Carolina Tar Heels

• Record: 3-2, 0-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 14
• Week 5 Result: L, 21-20 at Duke

It's hard to shake the feeling that Mack Brown's days at North Carolina might be numbered. First they gave up 70 points to James Madison, then they blew a three-score lead to their arch rival. Outside of having one of the best running backs in the FBS, not a lot seems to be going right for the Tar Heels right now.

16. Florida State Seminoles

• Record: 1-4, 1-3 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 16
• Week 5 Result: L, 42-16 at SMU

I'm not sure what else needs to be said at this point regarding Florida State. QB D.J. Uiagalelei is continuing to struggle immensely, the Seminoles can't run the ball at all, and their defense got carved up like a holiday ham by SMU. Maybe the Noles will look different with Brock Glen under center?

17. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

• Record: 1-3, 0-1 ACC
• Last Week's Ranking: No. 17
• Week 5 Result: L, 41-38 vs. Louisiana

Losing to a Group of Five school is one thing, doing so at home is another. Wake Forest's offense continues to show a lot of potential, but their defense has some major, MAJOR problems. It's one that could inevitably spell doom for Dave Clawson if it's not corrected soon.

(Photo via Jaylynn Nash - Imagn Images)

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