ACC Power Rankings: Week 2

What teams rose and what teams fell?

Aug 31, 2024; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies safety Mose Phillips III (18) celebrates the miss from the game tying field goal of Vanderbilt Commodores place kicker Brock Taylor (88) during the second half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports / Steve Roberts-USA TODAY Sports

Week one is finally here, and week zero was eventful at the least. #10 Florida State was taken down by an unranked Georgia Tech, in a game that was certainly not a fluke. SMU was also on upset alert against Nevada, and just barely defeated a low-caliber Nevada team. The ACC could seriously be shaken up this year, and there's around seven teams which could realistically compete for the ACC Championship.

Here's how I see the ACC heading into week two.

17. Virginia (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 17

Virginia didn't do much to set themselves apart in week one, they did win a game that was never truly in doubt, but they played Richmond, a fringe top-15 FCS school that has plenty of questions to answer in the 2024 season. Virginia looked solid, Anthony Colandrea finished the game with just shy of 300 passing yards, but question marks still remain. The offensive line needs to improve before Virginia faces in-conference opponents. For the defense, there wasn't really enough to see from the Richmond offense to gauge how good the Hoo's defensive unit is.

16. Stanford (0-1)

Last Week (Week 1): 15

Troy Taylor and the Stanford Cardinal let their game against TCU slip away. After Stanford took the lead 24-20, TCU put the game away by scoring 14 unanswered, and it was too much for Stanford to handle, ending the game 34-27. Ashton Daniels had a 12.5 QB rating and finished the game with 163 passing yards and an interception. Stanford has plenty of room for improvement on both sides of the ball.

15. Wake Forest (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 16

Wake Forest started off the 2024 season with the easiest game on their schedule against North Carolina A&T. Wake Forest limited the Aggies' passing game, and won every aspect of the game. Wake Forest finished the game with 513 total yards and no turnovers. The one place Wake should improve is to generate more turnovers on defense, as North Carolina A&T didn't turn the ball over to the Demon Deacons' defense.

14. Duke (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 12

Duke was much less explosive against Elon than they should have been. The Blue Devils averaged only 2.2 yards per carry, and only had two plays over 17 yards. Maalik Murphy and Duke need to be explosive to beat some high level teams, but Duke raely showed that against Elon. This is an extremly rough start, and could be a sign of offensive woes in the future.

13. Syracuse (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 11

Against one of the weakest FBS teams, Syracuse struggled. The Ohio Bobcats ran all over Syracuse, with Northwestern transfer Anthony Tyus III leading the way with 203 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Kyle McCord was slinging the rock, and could be one of the better passing attacks in the ACC.

12. Cal (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 9

Jaydn Ott was limited against UC Davis, and needs to show up for Cal to have a solid season. He's the best player on the Golden Bears' roster and Cal will need him desperately on offense.

11. SMU (2-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 10

SMU might be questioning the starting quarterback position. SMU is 2-0, but they struggled against Nevada, and then played Houston Christian, a questionable FCS program. Kevin Jennings has looked like the answer at quarterback, outperforming Stone in every stat: completion percentage, yards per completion, yards per attempt, passer rating, touchdown-interception ratio, rushing yards, and yards per rush. It might be time for a change at quarterback.

10. Pitt (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 13

Eli Holstein looks really solid. He threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns against Kent State, but Pitt's defense let the Golden Flashes be very explosive. Pitt has a very rough out-of-conference schedule, facing Cincinnati and West Virginia in the next two weeks. Look for Brandon George to continue to make a big impact on defense, especially if Pitt is gearing up to upset some of the teams on their schedule.

9. Virginia Tech (0-1)

Last Week (Week 1): 3

Virginia Tech came out flat against Vanderbilt, giving Clark Lea his tenth win in his fourth year as the Vanderbilt head coach. Virginia Tech could not stop Diego Pavia's rushing attack, and couldn't get out of the 17-0 they dug themselves in during the first half. This team is still very talented and has a fairly easy schedule to deal with, but this was a very bad debut for the Kyron Drones led team.

8. Florida State (0-2, 0-2)

Last Week (Week 1): 7

DJ Uiagalelei looked questionable yet again. The Seminoles' offense in general wasn't great. Florida State's leading rusher had 11 yards, and the offensive line did not play up to expectations against Boston College. Florida State simply could not guard the wheel route on defense, and didn't mix up the coverage enough to even challenge Boston College in the middle of the game. Florida State is lucky they have a bye week in week two, otherwise they could be reeling.

7. North Carolina (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 8

North Carolina really benefits from the strength of their win here. North Carolina found a way to win against Big Ten opponent Minnesota, when it looked like Minnesota really had the game. Obviously the injury to Max Johnson hurts, and Conner Harrell is probably not the savior, but if North Carolina can rely on Omarion Hampton, they could certainly sneak away with some more wins. Mack Brown and North Carolina's schedule certainly benefits them, as they play a stretch of five winnable games: Charlotte, NC Central, James Madison, Duke, and Pitt. The Tarheels could be undefeated when they invite Georgia Tech to town on October 12th.

6. Boston College (1-0, 1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 14

I predicted if Boston College won some games, Thomas Castellanos would be the main focus of the offense. That was certainly the case against conference foe Florida State. Bill O'Brien ran off of the option heavy, only passing for 106 yards in the game. Thomas Castellanos had fourteen carries, Treshaun Ward had twelve, and Kye Robichaux had nineteen carries to help Boston College run for 263 yards. The Boston College defense was fiesty, and if they an play like this in every game, they could have a shot at the top of the conference.

5. NC State (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 4

Grayson McCall was slinging the rock against Western Carolina, but NC State's defense probably looked weaker than it should've. NC State was trailing their FCS opponent at the begginning of the fourth quarter. NC State and Jordan Waters pulled away late, but the Wolfpack should look to keep their games out of reach, instead of having to claw back against a FCS team in the fourth quarter.

4. Georgia Tech (2-0, 1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 5

If Florida State took care of Boston College easily, Georgia Tech wouldv'e landed at second on this list based off of résumé alone. Georgia Tech took care of in-state opponent Georgia State in week two, as Georgia Tech expanded on their offensive attack. Malik Rutherford, Jamal Haynes, and Eric Singleton Jr all look really solid, but Georgia Tech cannot look past Kyle McCord and the Syracuse Orange to keep themselves high in these rankings.

3. Louisville (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 6

There was not much to learn about Louisville in week one, as Louisville dominated FCS opponent Austin Peay 62-0. Louisville controlled every aspect of the game, but I don't think Austin Peay is an elite opponent, or close. Issac Brown, Duke Watson, and Keyjuan Brown all looked very good, finishing with 24.6 yards per carry, 14.3 yards per carry, and 7.2 yards per carry respectively. Louisville probably didn't show too many of their plays, and won't face their first true test until they take on Georgia Tech at home.

2. Clemson (0-1)

Last Week (Week 1): 2

Clemson faced their first true test against Georgia in week one. The Bulldogs won--handedly. The defense looked decent, especially in the first half, but nobody is competing with Georgia. Peter woods looked elite, he was the only defensive player to take Carson Beck down, and finished the game with a team-high 2.5 tackles for loss. The reason Georgia was able to pull away though was Clemson's defense against the short game. Georgia completely took advantage of Clemson's short pass defense, and had their way in the run game. I'd like to see some quicker adjustment and a higher variety of looks by Wes Goodwin for Clemson to climb the ranks.

1. Miami (1-0)

Last Week (Week 1): 1

Mario Cristobal shows his coaching stripes in week one against the Florida Gators. The immense amount of talent on the Hurricanes truly showed. Cam Ward made some of the best passes of his career, dropping a 23-yard dime to Jacolby George. He looks like the franchise quarterback that Miami has needed. Ward will make a huge difference in Miami's season. The defense looked great too and if Reuben Bain returns, Miami will have the best defensive unit in the ACC. The only room for improvement for the Hurricanes is the run game, as Martinez finished the game with 4.3 yards per carry.