ACC Football: Week Seven Power Rankings
There was not a lot of shakeup in the ACC power rankings this week here at AllYellowJackets.com
Clemson remains the best team in the conference by a wide margin, NC State survived losing their starting quarterback vs Florida State, Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda had a historic day running the ball, and North Carolina took an early lead in the Coastal division by beating Miami.
So how do the ACC power rankings look heading into week seven?
14, Virginia (2-4, L vs Louisville 34-17)- Last week: 14)
There is not anything good to say about Virginia right now, especially after this past weekend. Louisville was playing with their backup quarterback and still beat the Cavaliers by three scores. This team looks to be the worst in the Coastal Division and in the conference as a whole right now and it is only going to get tougher from this point forward. Virginia is off this week and then has a Thursday night road trip to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech.
13. Virginia Tech (2-4, L vs Pitt 45-29)- Last week: 13
The Hokies continued to look dreadful in ACC play and could not stop Pitt's rushing attack. Virginia Tech got a standout performance from Kaleb Smith at wide receiver, totaling over 150 yards and the offense looked decent for the first time all year, but they have not been able to put together a complete performance in any game this year. A home game against a reeling Miami team awaits Virginia Tech on Saturday.
12. Miami (2-3. L vs North Carolina 27-24)- Last week: 10
Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke had his best game of the season on Saturday
Miami finally got a good game out of quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, as he threw for nearly 500 yards and three touchdowns vs North Carolina. The thing is, Miami still could not find a way to win. The defense played pretty well given that they were facing the best quarterback in the ACC in North Carolina's Drake Maye, but they still gave up big plays. The running game for Miami was terrible though and the red zone offense is still among the worst in the country. Miami travels to Virginia Tech on Saturday.
11. Boston College (2-4, L vs Clemson 31-3)- Last week: 11
Boston College hung around for longer than most anticipated against Clemson, but the Eagles still could not muster any offense in the loss to the Tigers. There are still games left to play, but it is going to be unlikely that this team makes a bowl game this season.
10. Louisville (3-3, W vs Virginia 34-17)- Last week: 12
Louisville got their first ACC win of the season against a struggling Virginia team, but the fact that they did it with their backup quarterback is impressive. The hot-seat talk around Scott Satterfield is not going to quiet down though and this team is still going to have to win tough games the rest of the year.
9. Duke (4-2, L vs Georgia Tech 23-20 OT)- Last week: 7
Duke lost their first ACC game of the year on Saturday against Georgia Tech and it was largely due to the ineptitude of their offense. Quarterback Riley Leonard had his worst game of the season and the ground game could not get going against the Yellow Jackets. A tough test against hated rival North Carolina is on deck Saturday.
8. Pittsburgh (4-2, W vs Virginia Tech 45-29)- Last week: 9
Pittsburgh running back Israel Abanikanda had a tremendous performance vs Virginia Tech
Pitt ran their way to victory with a great game on the ground from Israel Abanikanda. Abanikanda finished the day with 320 yards and six touchdowns on 36 carries and looks like one of the best running backs in the country. Pitt still has everything in front of them in terms of the ACC Coastal and will head into a bye week this Saturday before getting ready for Louisville.
7. Georgia Tech (3-3, W vs Duke 23-20)- Last week: 8
Georgia Tech has gone 2-0 since firing Geoff Collins
Another win for Georgia Tech and interim head coach Brent Key. The Yellow Jackets won this game because of their defense shutting down Duke and quarterback Jeff Sims having a good day on the ground. This team is feeling confident heading into their bye week and will have a chance at a third straight win in their next game vs Virginia.
6. Florida State (4-2, L vs NC State 19-17)- Last week: 5
Florida State is in a dangerous spot right now. A blow game against NC State was hard to stomach, but now Clemson is coming into town and the Seminoles are at risk of losing three in a row. The offense was not very good outside of some big plays on Saturday and it is disappointing for them that they could not get the win against the Wolfpack after Devin Leary went down with an injury.
5. North Carolina- (5-1, W vs Miami 27-24)- Last week: 6
The offense did not score a touchdown in the second half against Miami, but the Tar Heels found a way to win. Quarterback Drake Maye continues to dominate and while there is not a perfect team in the ACC Coastal division, North Carolina's offense is probably the best unit in the entire division. Another key divisional game against Duke is on deck for Saturday.
4. Syracuse (5-0, Bye week)- Last week: 4
Syracuse was off this past Saturday and now will get ready for a big matchup with NC State. The Wolfpack might be playing with their backup quarterback and that would give Syracuse a chance to get to bowl eligibility at 6-0 and set up a big showdown against Clemson the week after.
3. NC State (5-1, W vs Florida State 19-17)- Last week: 3
The Wolfpack mounted a comeback down 17-3 against Florida State and remain (theoretically) still in the hunt for the ACC Atlantic division. The offense could be in trouble this week if Leary is not able to play, as their passing attack looked shaky in the second half against Florida State. A big game for NC State on Saturday vs Syracuse.
2. Wake Forest (5-1, W vs Army 45-10)- Last week: 2
The Demon Deacons have been impressive since losing to Clemson and especially on defense. Wake Forest gave up 56 points to Army last year and while Army might not be as good as they were last year, holding their triple option attack to just 10 points is a huge improvement. A bye week is coming at a good time for the Demon Deacons before they start their stretch run of the season in hopes of earning an Orange Bowl bid.
1. Clemson (6-0, W vs Boston College 31-3)- Last week: 1
The Tigers took a little bit to get going, but they found their gear and beat Boston College 31-3. Clemson could all but lock up the Atlantic division if they can find ways to beat Florida State and Syracuse in the next two weeks. This team hopes to keep rolling and earn their way into the College Football Playoff.
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