ACC power rankings: Week one
Week one is probably way too early to be doing Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) power rankings. Nevertheless, here is how TheWolfpacker.com sizes up the league thus far.
1. Florida State (1-0) – There’s no denying that the Seminoles were the most impressive team in the ACC in week one, demolishing previously top-5 LSU on a neutral field (technically).
2 (tie). Duke (1-0, 1-0 ACC) – There may have been some good fortunes baked into the Blue Devils’ win over Clemson, but a three-touchdown victory is impressive, nevertheless. That’s also a sign that last year’s breakthrough was not a fluke.
2 (tie). UNC (1-0) — If North Carolina has indeed found a defense and new level of physicality up front, this version of the Heels could be the one national prognosticators were expecting two years ago.
4. Clemson (0-1, 0-1 ACC) — In the last 108 games in which Clemson ran for 200 yards and threw for 200 yards in a contest, the Tigers were 108-0. That streak snapped at Duke. The numbers suggest that the loss could be more of an outlier than an indication of serious troubles at Clemson, though.
5 (tie). Miami (1-0) — The Hurricanes took down Miami of Ohio, who reached a bowl last year, in convincing fashion at home. We’ll find out a lot more about the Canes on Saturday against Texas A&M.
5 (tie). NC State (1-0) — A double-digit win on the road against a bowl team returning a ton of production like UConn is not poor, but the Wolfpack also felt underwhelming at times. How much improvement will quarterback Brennan Armstrong and the offense make in a tough challenge at home Saturday against Notre Dame?
7, Louisville (1-0, 1-0 ACC) — The Cards in the second quarter at Georgia Tech looked overrated. The Louisville that showed up in the second half looked like the media darlings they have been in the preseason.
8 (tie). Pittsburgh (1-0) — The Panthers beat up on a bad Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) team. Not a lot to learn from that.
8 (tie). Wake Forest (1-0) — The Demon Deacons played a better FCS team, but things also got a teeny bit dicey in the third quarter at home against Elon.
10 (tie). Georgia Tech (0-1, 0-1 ACC) — Give the Yellow Jackets’ credit for going toe-to-toe at home against Louisville, but the reality is Georgia Tech outscored the Cards 28-0 in the second quarter and still lost.
10 (tie). Syracuse (1-0) — See Pitt, basically.
10 (tie). Virginia Tech (1-0) — The Hokies avenged a bad road loss to Old Dominion last year by turning a 23-17 lead at home in the latter portions of the third quarter into a 36-17 victory.
13. Virginia (0-1) — The Cavs were simply overmatched by Tennessee on the road, but that was to be expected. This weekend’s home game against James Madison may be more telling (the Cavs are an underdog).
14. Boston College (0-1) — Lose at home to a Northern Illinois team that won three games a year ago, and you occupy the last spot in the rankings.
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