ACC Football Power Rankings: Week 4
1. Clemson (3-0)
The Tigers remain in the top spot after their 48-20 win against Louisiana Tech. Running back Will Shipley is starting to build a Heisman campaign, going for 139 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday's win. This is an encouraging sign for next week — the Clemson ball carriers combined for 333 rush yards against Wake Forest in their home victory last year.
2. NC State (3-0)
The Wolfpack picked up a quality 27-14 win at home against Texas Tech. The NC State defense looked incredibly strong, forcing four turnovers. Defensive captain LB Peyton Wilson led the way with ten tackles, while CB Aydan White had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown. The Wolfpack will host UConn before playing at Clemson, their biggest test of the year.
READ: It's Hard to Win - Wake Forest Escapes Liberty
3. Pittsburgh (2-1)
The Panthers avenged last season’s heartbreaking loss to Western Michigan with a 34-13 victory over the Broncos on Saturday. It’s a good sign that Pitt was able to put up 34 points with third string QB Nate Yarnell filling in for Kedon Slovis and Nick Patti. He certainly received help from junior running back Israel Abanikanda, who rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown. The Panthers will face Rhode Island next week before beginning conference play.
4. Wake Forest (3-0)
It was a tough showing for the Deacs on Saturday, who were outperformed by a Liberty team playing with their third string quarterback. In the second half, the Deacons were outscored by the Flames 28-17, and quarterback Sam Hartman struggled. It’s not an ideal time for Wake Forest to have these issues — the Deacons line up next week against Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy, arguably the best D-Line duo in the nation.
5. North Carolina (3-0)
The Tar Heels had a bye week, which comes at a good time for them. Next week is one of their biggest home games of the year against Notre Dame. The Heels will have a great chance to win on Saturday — the Irish will be without starting QB Tyler Buchner for a second-straight week.
6. Miami (2-1)
The Canes faced their first real test of the season and came up short, losing to Texas A&M 17-9. The team was sloppy, muffing a punt return in the first quarter that led to an Aggies touchdown. More concerningly, the Hurricanes had four red zone trips and didn’t score a touchdown. QB Tyler Van Dyke struggled, completing only 51% of his passes for 217 yards. Miami will host Middle Tennessee State for their final non-conference game of the season next Saturday.
READ: Takeaways and Statistics from Wake Forest's Win Over Liberty
7. Florida State (3-0)
In their 35-31 win against Louisville, the Seminoles put forth another hard fought, gritty performance. However, they lost perhaps their most important roster piece in QB Jordan Travis, who was spotted with a walking boot and crutches after leaving in the second quarter. Sophomore QB Tate Rodemaker came in relief, throwing two touchdowns, including the game winner to Johnny Wilson late in the fourth quarter. Rodemaker will likely have to lead this offense for the foreseeable future, but next week’s game comes against one of the most underperforming teams in the ACC — the Seminoles host Boston College.
8. Syracuse (3-0)
The Orange are rolling after their 32-29 win over Purdue, perhaps their most impressive victory of the season. Dual-threat quarterback Garrett Shrader led the way for Syracuse, passing for 181 yards and three touchdowns, adding another 83 yards on the ground. The question remains: are the Orange a true threat in the ACC? The Orange play UVA next week.
9. Duke (3-0)
The Blue Devils are still undefeated in the Mike Elko era after defeating NC A&T 49-20. Quarterback Riley Leonard was impressive, combining for four touchdowns through the air and on the ground, while only missing one pass. The defense was also dominant, registering 11 tackles for loss and four sacks. Duke has already proved a lot with their 3-0 starting record, but a win in Lawrence against fellow undefeated Kansas would put the ACC on notice leading into conference play.
10. Virginia Tech (2-1)
The Hokies didn’t prove much with their 27-7 win against Wofford, but it seems that they’ve flushed away the nightmare Week 1 loss at Old Dominion with two straight wins. More importantly, QB Grant Wells had his best outing, throwing for 314 yards and completing 74% of his passes. The Hokies will host West Virginia in their final non-conference test next week.
11. Louisville (1-2)
Louisville suffered their second tough defeat of the season in a 35-31 comeback loss to Florida State. It was a back and forth battle, with the Cardinals leading 28-21 late in the second half, but unable to bring home the victory. Florida State being without quarterback Jordan Travis was a golden opportunity for the Cardinals to steal a win, yet they couldn’t get it done. QB Malik Cunnigham had another solid performance, throwing for 243 yards and rushing for 127. The Cardinals will look to bounce back against USF next week before beginning conference play.
READ: Wake Forest's Three Stars From Their Win Over Liberty
12. UVA (2-1)
If not for the game-winning field goal in the final moments, UVA’s 16-14 victory over Old Dominion would have been an embarrassing loss. The offense struggled in the red zone, fumbling twice within the five-yard line. It’s a tough performance to roll into ACC play with — the Cavs will head to the JMA Wireless Dome to take on the undefeated Syracuse Orange.
13. Boston College (1-2)
Following a 51-yard Phil Jurkovec to Zay Flowers touchdown connection, it was all smooth sailing for the Eagles in their 38-17 win over Maine. Junior RB Pat Garwo III made an impact on the ground, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The Eagles will begin conference play next week against Florida State.
14. Georgia Tech (1-2)
Georgia Tech deserves some credit for their Week 1 performance against Clemson, but this weekend was an absolute disaster — a blowout 42-0 loss against Ole Miss. The Yellow Jackets have now been outscored 162-10 in their last 14 quarters against FBS competition, and head coach Geoff Collins is on the hot seat. The road doesn’t get much easier for the Yellow Jackets — they travel to UCF next week before beginning ACC play.
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Jack is a contributing writer for Deacons Daily