ACC Football Power Rankings: Week 3
This is the first edition of Jack McKenney's ACC Power Rankings, a series that will reoccur on Deacons Daily the rest of the season. Now that each team has a couple of games under their belt, we are starting to get a taste at the identities and talent levels of each school. Let's jump into the rankings:
1. Clemson Tigers (2-0)
Of course, No. 5 Clemson is the team to beat right now in the ACC. But, don’t be fooled by the 41-10 score from Week 1. Georgia Tech went head to head with Clemson and had the ball down a touchdown late in the third quarter of that game.
Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei showed signs of his mistake-ridden 2021 season in this year's opener, throwing a bad interception, fumbling and missing open receivers several times. He was better this weekend against Furman, but that’s the easiest opponent they'll face all year.
On the other hand, the Tigers defense has looked incredible, and boasts arguably the features the best defensive line in the nation, led by Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy. The Tigers will likely be able to dominate almost any ACC team in the trenches, which is their biggest strength.
Clemson hosts Louisiana Tech Saturday night.
2. Miami Hurricanes (2-0)
Miami sits at 2-0 with wins over Southern Miss and Bethune Cookman. The Canes have the potential to be a very good offense this season behind QB Tyler Van Dyke and RB Henry Parrish Jr. To beat their next opponent, they will need to take a step forward.
Up next is a trip to College Station to take on No. 24 Texas A&M, who were ranked sixth in the nation before Appalachian State pulled off the upset on Saturday.
3. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0)
After returning from a blood clot injury, there were doubts that QB Sam Hartman could return to mid-season form against Vanderbilt on Saturday. Well, he did just that, throwing for 300 yards and four TD’s. The Deacons defense also looked pretty solid throughout the game; the backups gave up a late score to make the final score of 45-25 a lot closer than the game actually was.
READ: Takeaways from Wake Forest's 45-25 win over Vanderbilt
READ: Wake Forest vs Vanderbilt: Three Stars of the Game
Wake Forest hosts Liberty this weekend.
4. North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-0)
No. 16 NC State won 55-3 at home against Charleston Southern on Saturday, but the Week One performance against East Carolina won't be forgotten just yet. If the Pirates could have made a kick in that game, the Wolfpack would not be ranked right now. Quarterback Devin Leary looked much better against the FCS squad than he did in the opener.
The Wolfpack have a chance for a quality win on Saturday when they host Texas Tech.
5. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0)
Giving up 24 points to Florida A&M in Week One was a foreshadowing of this team's major flaws on defense. But, quarterback Drake Maye is legit on offense. He's the No. 1 ranked quarterback in the country for passing yards and touchdowns, while his 91.1 adjusted QBR is the best in the ACC. Regardless, the Tar Heels need All-ACC WR Josh Downs to return soon from injury.
Looking back, that tough win over Appalachian State looks better with each passing day. This week, UNC has a bye. They will return to action on Sep. 24 when they host Notre Dame.
6. Pitt Panthers (1-1)
This is a tough team to get a read on, but they enter this week sitting at No. 23 in the AP poll. They were outplayed in Week One against a decent West Virginia team, winning on a pick six that went right through the hands of the Mountaineers top receiver.
The Panthers went toe to toe with a strong SEC team in No. 15 Tennessee on Saturday but came up short, falling 34-27 in overtime. QB Kedon Slovis was forced off the field with an injury late in the first half after taking a big sack.
Next week, the Panthers will likely have to rely on backup QB Nick Patti, who has been in the program since 2019, when they take on Western Michigan.
7. Florida State (2-0)
The Seminoles came strong out of the gates to start the season. Before this past week's bye, Florida State won a nail-biter against LSU in one of the most entertaining games of the year so far. Against a strong Tiger defense, quarterback Jordan Travis threw for 260 yards, while running back Treshaun Ward rushed for 80. The Seminoles were impressive on both sides of the ball, winning the time of possession battle by nearly ten minutes.
Up next, Florida State travels to Louisville for their ACC opener.
8. Syracuse Orange (2-0)
The Orange surprised everyone when, as 5.5 point underdogs, they blew out Louisville 31-7 in Week One. Quarterback Garrett Schrader impressed with 237 passing yards, 98 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.
Syracuse followed that up with a 48-14 win over Connecticut. Running back Sean Tucker is arguably the best running back in the conference, and has started the season well with 210 combined rush yards in the two wins.
The Orange will face their toughest non-conference matchup yet on Saturday, with Purdue making a trip to the JMA Wireless (formerly Carrier) Dome.
9. Louisville Cardinals (1-1)
While I was impressed with the Orange, I was equally disappointed in the Cardinals for the absolute dud of a game they put up in Week One. However, star QB Malik Cunningham bounced back this weekend, passing for 195 yards and rushing for 121 with a TD in a 20-14 win against a solid UCF team.
The Cardinals face a stiff challenge up next with Florida State coming to town, looking to avoid an 0-2 start in ACC play.
10. Duke Blue Devils (2-0)
The Mike Elko era is officially live in Durham! Blue Devils fans should be very pleased with a dominant 30-0 win against Temple, which they followed up with a 31-23 victory at Northwestern. It’s a really encouraging start for the Blue Devils, but the jury is still out on whether they will actually be able to be competitive in the ACC.
Duke will look to keep the momentum going on Saturday against FCS North Carolina A&T.
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-1)
Georgia Tech went head to head with Clemson for almost three quarters in Week One. Their low placement on this list is a reflection of the depth of the ACC. While a 35-17 win over FCS Western Carolina isn't very impressive, the play of dual-threat QB Jeff Sims inspires confidence that this team can potentially win some conference games this year.
The Yellow Jackets are faced with a tough test on Saturday, hosting No. 20 Ole Miss.
12. Virginia Cavaliers (1-1)
Brennan Armstrong was supposed to be one of the best signal callers in the ACC, but the Cavaliers offense was abysmal in UVA's 24-3 loss to Illinois. Armstrong looked awful, throwing for just 148 yards and tacking on two interceptions. The Illini aren't expected to be a high-level Big Ten team this season, which makes the loss look that much worse.
Virginia hosts Old Dominion, a squad that is 1-0 vs the ACC so far this season, next week.
13. Virginia Tech (1-1)
After a deflating loss to Old Dominion, the Hokies bounced back in their home opener against the ACC's punching bag, beating Boston College 27-10.
Losing to the Monarchs to start the season was downright embarrassing, but it's within reason that we could look back on that game and point to it as the spark that lit this group. Junior quarterback Grant Wells will need to step up moving forward; he has been pedestrian at best, throwing twice as many interceptions as touchdowns.
The Hokies face FCS Wofford on Saturday and will look to make a statement with a blowout victory.
14. Boston College (0-2)
I had high expectations for Boston College this season, especially with former Notre Dame QB transfer Phil Jurkovec returning for his senior season. However, the start for the Eagles has been nothing short of a disaster. They opened the season with a heartbreaking 22-21 loss to Rutgers after leading practically the whole game. They followed that game up with an uninspiring performance against Virginia Tech.
One positive for the Eagles - WR Zay Flowers has been a stud, with 14 catches, 196 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the two games combined.
Next up for the Eagles is a home game versus FCS Maine.
Jack is a contributing writer for Deacons Daily