ACC Power Rankings: Week Four

How does the ACC look after the week three results?

Author:
Jackson Caudell
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

In this story:

It was another exciting week in the ACC. The league's top team, Florida State, got taken down to the wire by Boston College. North Carolina took down Minnesota in a matchup of 2-0 teams and Wake Forest fought their way back from a big deficit to win the game against Old Dominion.

A big clash between Florida State and Clemson looms large over the conference next week, with the winner in the driver's seat to be the league's top team (though Miami and Duke might argue).

So how do the ACC Power rankings shake out after week three?

14. Virginia (0-3). Last week's ranking: 14

Virginia remains at the bottom of the rankings this week. The Cavs fought hard against Maryland for a time but ultimately lost 42-14. Tony Elliott's team hosts NC State next Friday and it will probably be a very long season in Charlottesville. The defense completely fell apart against the Terrapins and it is supposed to be the strong point of the team. NC State has issues on offense, so maybe there is a possibility of an upset.

13. Virginia Tech (1-2). Last week's ranking: 12

Virginia Tech drops a spot this week after getting housed by Rutgers on the road. After an encouraging performance against Old Dominion, The Hokies have looked pretty bad in the last two games. The Rutgers offense is not very good, yet managed to score 35 points on Brent Pry's defense and run the ball successfully. A loss against Marshall next week would make things uneasy in Blacksburg.

12. Boston College (1-2). Last week's ranking: 13

It is strange to move a team up after a loss, but Virginia Tech was terrible and the Eagles at least almost pulled off an upset of third-ranked Florida State. BC quarterback Thomas Castellanos had a fantastic game and at the very looks like a promising player to build momentum around for the rest of the year. Jeff Hafley is perhaps on the hottest seat in the ACC and must travel to Louisville next week.

11. Georgia Tech (1-2). Last week's ranking: 10

Haynes King continues to play well for Georgia Tech
Nathaniel Caudell

I considered putting Pitt here, but the Georgia Tech defense is too bad to overlook for the 11th spot. The Yellow Jackets gave up nearly 600 yards to Ole Miss, including 139 yards rushing to Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart. Quarterback Haynes King continued to play well, but this team has a lot to figure out on the other side of the ball. Georgia Tech has a huge game against Wake Forest next week that could determine whether the Yellow Jackets are going bowling.

10. Pitt (1-2). Last week's ranking: 9

Pitt is a really bad football team right now. The Panthers lost the backyard brawl to West Virginia 17-6 and quarterback Phil Jurkovec threw for three interceptions and only 81 yards. It is amazing to think Pitt won the ACC a couple of years ago because of their offense and now the team can't score any points. Pitt hosts North Carolina next week, but this team looks like it could be heading to a non-bowl game season in 2023.

9. NC State (2-1). Last week's ranking: 7

The Wolfpack did get an easy win this week over VMI, but there are still questions about the offense, especially the wide receivers and offensive line. The Wolfpack travel to UVA next week in what should be a win.

8. Wake Forest (3-0). Last week's ranking: 8

It looked like Wake Forest was going to have their first loss of the year today against Old Dominion, but Dave Clawson's team found a way to get the job done. Quarterback Mitch Griffis threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, but also had two picks. The defense continues to be an issue as well. Wake will look to take a step toward a bowl game next week against Georgia Tech.

7. Syracuse (3-0). Last week's ranking: 11

I finally moved Syracuse up after an impressive road win against Purdue. I had been hesitant about moving the Orange up too high just solely based on their record, but Dino Baber's team was impressive and is now 3-0 to start the season. The Orange should be 4-0 next week after facing Army, though those games can be tricky.

6. Louisville (3-0). Last week's ranking: 5

The Cardinals drop one spot after barely getting a win against Indiana. The Hoosiers are among the worst teams in the Big Ten and the Cardinals had a tough time scoring on them. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash continues to be one of the best transfer receivers of the year and had four catches for over 150 yards this week. The Cardinals host Boston College next week.

5. Clemson (2-1). Last week's ranking: 6

Clemson won big this week and now they will get a chance to redeem themselves from an opening week embarrassment against Duke. Florida State rolls to town next week and a win against the No. Seminoles would change the outlook of the season for the Tigers and vault them back into ACC title contention, as well as playoff conversation. Lose and it will not be good for Dabo Swinney in Death Valley.

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

No fault of their own, but Duke is dropping another spot. The Blue Devils dominated Northwestern and should do the same next week against UConn. Mike Elko's team continues to impress.

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

North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye — North Carolina got a big win over Minnesota yesterday.
Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

North Carolina got an impressive win against Minnesota and a vintage performance from Drake Maye, despite the two interceptions. Georgia Tech transfer Nate McCollum had a huge game for the Tar Heels offense and UNC looked much more focused than last week vs. App State. The Tar Heels close out the month with a trip to Pitt, who looks awful at the moment.

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

Miami had an easy week against Bethune-Cookman and the offense looked good again. The Hurricanes travel to Temple next week.

1. Florida State (3-0). Last week's ranking: 1

The Seminoles are lucky to still be undefeated, but what matters to them is that they still are no matter how ugly of a performance. FSU came in as a near four-touchdown favorite against Boston College, who nearly lost to Holy Cross last week, and only won by two points on the road. It was not the best performance from quarterback Jordan Travis either. All eyes go to the road game against Clemson next week in what will be another big test for FSU.

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