2023 ACC Power Rankings: Week Three

Who are the biggest risers and fallers in this weeks ACC Power Rankings?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Updated:
Sep 10, 2023 7:32 PM EDT
Original:
Sep 10, 2023

In this story:

The ACC has had a lot of success against the SEC this year and it continued yesterday in one of the biggest games of the day.

Miami got down early to Texas A&M because of some miscues, but the Hurricanes dominated most of the game. They sent a message that they are a contender in the ACC and they looked the part yesterday.

North Carolina survived another scare from App State, Clemson overcame a slow start to get a dominant win, and NC State could not keep it close for all four quarters against Notre Dame.

So who moved up and moved down in this week's ACC power rankings?

14. Virginia (0-2). Last week's ranking- 14

It is going to be a tough season in Charlottsville.

Virginia battled back to get a lead over James Madison, but a poor fourth quarter lost them the game and now the Cavaliers are 0-2. The lone bright spot was the play of freshman quarterback Anthony Colandrea, who threw for nearly 400 yards. UVA is back in action next Friday against Maryland on the road.

13. Boston College (1-1). Last week's ranking- 13

Even when Boston College won yesterday, it felt like they had lost.

The Eagles were playing Holy Cross at home following a loss to Northern Illinois and it was only a 31-28 win. It was not a great performance from Jeff Hafley's team and to make things worse, Southern Illinois beat Northern Illinois yesterday for the first FCS win over an FBS team this season.

Next up for Boston College is a home game against Florida State.

12. Virginia Tech (1-1). Last week's ranking- 12

Virginia Tech had to fight through a rain delay yesterday in their matchup with Purdue, but the Hokies could not get their second win of the season. Quarterback Grant Wells threw two interceptions and the offense as a whole was ineffective in this game.

I will be interested to see how Virginia Tech looks the rest of the season. Having a lengthy delay is tough to overcome and it did play a role in the games result.

Next week, the Hokies have a must win game against Rutgers.

11. Syracuse (2-0). Last week's ranking-11

Syracuse cruised to another easy win yesterday against Western Michigan and now the Orange are 2-0 to start the season. The tough thing for Dino Baber's team is that All-ACC tight end Oronde Gadsden was injured and they will be waiting to see how that will affect the team. Quarterback Garrett Shrader has played really well to start the year, I am just waiting to see how Syracuse looks against better competition before moving them up. Syracuse travels to Purdue for a prime time matchup with the Boilermakers.

10. Georgia Tech (1-1). Last week's ranking- 10

Georgia Tech got a 48-13 win over South Carolina State yesterday
Nathaniel Caudell

Georgia Tech was another ACC team that had to sit through a delay yesterday, but it did not hinder them at all, although that is mostly due to the caliber of opponent they were playing. The Yellow Jackets toataled nearly 600 yards and quarterback Haynes King threw for four touchdowns and nearly 300 yards and the running game dominated. Sure it was an overmatched opponent, but Georgia Tech did what they were supposed to do.

Georgia Tech faces a huge road test next week against Ole Miss.

9. Pitt (1-1). Last week's ranking- 8

Pitt turned in a disappointing performance against Cincinnati yesterday, a team that was expected to be at the bottom of the Big 12 standings. It was a really rough game for the Panthers offenses as quarterback Phil Jurkovec was 10-32 for 179 yards. This is a disappointing result for a team that wanted to compete for a spot in the ACC Championship game. The Bearcats were also able to run the ball well yesterday. Pitt travels to West Virginia next week for that rivalry game.

8. Wake Forest (2-0). Last week's ranking: 9

Wake Forest took care of business against Vanderbilt yesterday and got the Demon Deacons to 2-0. Wake's offense looked efficient and ran the ball well yesterday, but I still have concerns about how good their defense is. The Demon Deacons should be 3-0 after a game against Old Dominion next week and the Georgia Tech comes to town for their ACC opener.

7. NC State (1-1). Last week's ranking: 6

The Wolfpack were only down seven going into the fourth quarter against Notre Dame yesterday, but the NC State offense could not get going in the final quarter and the defense could not prevent Notre Dame from hitting their big plays. The offense for the Wolfpack has been slow to start through the first two weeks and they will have to find a way to get it going once ACC play befins. NC State plays VMI and Virginia the next two weeks before their next test against Louisville.

6. Clemson (1-1). Last week's ranking: 7

It was not a good start for the Tigers offense again, but they found a way to get going and blow out Charleston Southern. Quarterback Cade Klubnik looked shaky to start yesterday with an interception and coming off of the loss to Duke, that was not what any Clemson fan wanted to see. The Tigers should beat FAU next week before a massive game against Florida State the next week. Clemson could completely change their season if they win that game.

5. Louisville (2-0). Last week's ranking: 5

After beating Georgia Tech in the opener, Louisville had a Thursday night game against FCS opponent Murray State and they handled business. Jeff Brohm's team faces one of the Big Ten's worst teams next week against Indiana and then faces Boston College. The toughest games for Louisville remain ahead.

4. North Carolina (2-0). Last week's ranking: 3

After their big win against South Carolina, North Carolina came home to be an 18-point favorite against App State, but just like last season, the Tar Heels struggled to put away the Mountaineers and Mack Brown's team was lucky to survive. The running game was very good and Omarion Hampton rushed for 234 yards and three touchdowns. I think North Carolina still has a lot of questions to answer, especially after how shaky South Carolina looked today. Minnesota is next on the schedule and the Golden Gophers are not very good on offense, but their defense is solid and could provide a good test.

3. Duke (2-0). Last week's ranking: 2

If not for another team looking very impressive, Duke would have stayed at No. 2 this week. Mike Elko's team cruised to an easy win against Lafayette and the Blue Devils should be 4-0 after games against Northwestern and UConn.

2. Miami (2-0). Last week's ranking: 4

Is the U back? I am not sure about that, but the Hurricanes looked really good yesterday in their win over Texas A&M. After a shaky start that included a blocked punt and a muffed punt, Miami kinda dominated this game. The biggest thing was that Miami's passing offense looked more explosive than it has in quite some time and that was a big question heading into the season. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for five touchdowns and looked like his 2021 self. They still have to be more consistent, but this was a great win for Miami and the Hurricanes could be a contender to make the ACC title game. Huge win for Mario Cristobal and the program.

1. Florida State (2-0). Last week's ranking: 1

There was not hangover for Florida State after their win over LSU. The Seminoles took care of business today and they will be heavy favorites against Boston College this week. The offense looked explosive and the defense remains a strength and Florida State should rise in the polls due to Alabama losing. This team is still the class of the ACC by a good margin right now.

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