ACC Football Power Rankings: Week Eight

Week seven is in the books in the ACC and there were not a lot of big picture changes that came from this week.

Miami, Virginia, and Duke were all on bye weeks and remain at the top of the standings while Georgia Tech got a 15 point win at home against Virginia Tech. Florida State is out of the race now with their third conference loss while Pittsburgh should now be looked at as a darkhorse contender to get to Charlotte, especially since they face both Georgia Tech and Miami to end the season.

With week seven behind us, how did the results shake up the power rankings this week?

No. 17 Boston College (1-5, 0-4 ACC): Last week- 17

Nothing changes at the bottom this week for Boston College. They were blown out at home by Clemson and this season continues to spiral after a promising year one under Bill O'Brien. It would not be shocking to see UConn take down the Eagles this upcoming weekend.

No. 16 North Carolina (2-3, 0-1): Last week- 16

North Carolina was off in week seven and will travel to face Cal this Friday night.

No. 15 Stanford (2-4, 1-2): Last week- 15

Stanford came out of their bye week and traveled to SMU, where they lost and fell to 2-4. It was not a bad performance from quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who threw for nearly 300 yards against the Mustangs defense. Stanford will now welcome in Florida State for a late night ACC game on Saturday.

No. 14 Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2): Last week: 14

Oct 11, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Kyron Drones (1) runs past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg (99) in the fourth quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

When the Hokies went down 18-0 in the first half against Georgia Tech on the road, it would have been easy for this team to lay down and quit, but to their credit, they continued to fight and did not go away. Now, they are still 2-5 and almost certainly going to miss a bowl game, but they have not quit yet and that is notable.

No. 13 Syracuse (3-3, 1-2): Last week- 13

Syracuse was off in week seven and will resume play this weekend against Pittsburgh (7:30 p.m. ET ACC Network)

No. 12 California (4-2, 1-1): Last week- 12

California was off in week seven and resumes play this Friday night vs North Carolina (10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

11. NC State (4-3, 1-2): Last week: 11

NC State Footbal — Oct 11, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; NC State Wolfpack running back Hollywood Smothers (3) tries to break a tackle attempt by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joshua Burnham (40) during the first half at Notre Dame Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael Caterina-Imagn Images | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

For a brief second against Notre Dame, NC State was tied with the Fighting Irish 7-7 and looked like it could be a tough fight on the road. However, the offense could not find the endzone again after that and Dave Doeren's team fell to 4-3 this season. They have a bye week before they get ready for a challenging stretch that includes games against Pitt, Georgia Tech, Miami, and Florida State.

10. Florida State (3-3, 0-3): Last week- 5

The Seminoles continue to fall in the power rankings. After back to back losses to Virginia and Miami, the Seminoles could not get off the mat and end the losing streak, falling at home to Pittsburgh. The Seminoles are now out of the title race and there are a lot of questions swirling around Mike Norvell and his future in Tallahassee. They should beat Stanford next weekend, but any CFP or ACC hopes went out the window on Saturday.

9. Clemson (3-3, 2-2): Last week- 10

Clemson went on the road and smashed Boston College this past weekend and the Tigers have now strung together two strong performances in a row, although they are against the two worst teams in the league. They now host SMU and could throw a wrench in their ACC title hopes with a win on Saturday.

8. Wake Forest (4-2, 1-2): Last week- 9

It would have been easy for Wake Forest to go all the way to Oregon State and lose after they just went on the road and beat Virginia Tech, but the Demon Deacons smashed the Beavers in their place and improved to 4-2. They now have a bye week and then welcome SMU to Winston-Salem. A bowl game is very much a possibility for Wake Forest this season.

7. SMU (4-2, 2-0): Last week- 7

Oct 4, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs wide receiver Jordan Hudson (2) and quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) celebrate a touchdown against the Syracuse Orange during the second half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

SMU continues to fly under the radar, as they defeated Stanford over the weekend and remain unbeaten in ACC play. The Mustangs now travel to Clemson for their biggest ACC test to date. They have a tough road ahead, but don't count out SMU in the ACC race just yet.

6. Pittsburgh (4-2, 2-1): Last week- 8

Welcome to the ACC race Pittsburgh. While they do have a loss to Louisville, the Panthers still have a path to get to Charlotte if they can continue to play well, especially on offense. They travel to Syracuse this weekend and then have NC State and Stanford before a bye week. While still a longshot, the Panthers have to be taken seriously now.

5. Louisville (4-1, 1-1): Last week: 6

Louisville was off in week seven and continues their season on Friday night against Miami (7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).

4. Duke (4-2, 3-0): Last week- 4

Duke was off in week seven and continues their season on Saturday against No. 12 Georgia Tech (12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN).

3. Virginia (5-1, 3-0): Last week- 3

Virginia was off in week seven and continues their season against Washington State on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, CW Network).

2. Georgia Tech (6-0, 3-0): Last week- 2

Georgia Tech raced out to an 18-0 lead against Virginia Tech on Saturday and ended up winning the game 35-20, earning their first 6-0 start since 2011. The Yellow Jackets have a chance to cement their status as the top threat to Miami when they travel to Duke on Saturday, a matchup of two 3-0 teams in ACC play. The winner of that game is going to have a clear path to Charlotte and the ACC Championship game.

1. Miami (5-0, 1-0): Last week- 1

Miami was off in week seven and resumes their season on Friday against Louisville.