ACC Power Rankings Week Six: How did Saturday's Games Change the Conference Picture?

The ACC picture is one big mess right now once you get past the top.

Miami continues to mow down everyone else in the conference, but good luck figuring out who the next best team is. Pitt got a big win over Virginia Tech, but lost quarterback Mason Heintschel for the season. The Panthers and Duke Blue Devils are the only undefeated teams alongside Miami after week six and things are just as jumbled as you might expect.

With week five now behind us, how do the ACC power rankings look?

17. Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1). Last week: 17

Georgia Tech was off this week and they will be back in action at home against Duke next Saturday.

16. Stanford (2-3, 1-3). Last week: 15

After scoring a victory over Georgia Tech last weekend, Stanford could not have looked worse on the road against Wake Forest today. The Cardinal lost 57-3 and looked horrible on every side of the ball and things won't get better next week when they face Notre Dame on the road.

15. California (2-3, 1-1). Last week: 12

There is trouble on the West Coast. Cal entered the season with hopes of being a darkhorse contender in the ACC due to the talent of quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele, but their offense has looked disjointed for most of the season and on Saturday against UNLV, their defense gave up 39 points and the Golden Bears might be in for a really long season. Can they bounce back and defeat Virginia Tech next week?

14. Boston College (2-3, 0-2). Last week: 16

I am aware that moving a team up two spots after they lost a game, but that is just how bad Cal and Stanford were this weekend. At least the Eagles continue to compete, as they fought to the end against SMU and gave them trouble all game. They have a bye week before returning to action on Oct. 17th.

13. Syracuse (2-2, 0-2). Last week: 13

Credit where it is due, Syracuse got the victory over UConn despite things looking grim at the end. The defense had a hard time stopping the Huskies attack, but the offense looked strong under Amari Odom and that could be something that Syracuse could build off of when they travel to Virginia next week.

12. North Carolina (2-2, 0-1). Last week: 10

Credit where it is due, North Carolina hung tight with Notre Dame for much of the afternoon, but could not seriously threaten the Fighting Irish for an upset. North Carolina could not stop the run and could not stop turning the ball over to give themsleves a real chance and now they have to go on the road and face Pitt, who is now without their staritng quarternback.

11. NC State (3-2, 1-1). Last week: 14

NC State has not looked good for the majority of the season, but they came out with their backs against the wall and pulled a nice upset against Louisville because of a nice day from quarterback CJ Bailey. Bailey threw for over 300 yards against a struggling Cardinals defense and if he can continue to play like that, don't be surprised if NC State could claw their way back into the conference picture. Big game against Wake Forest awaits next weekend.

10. Virginia (3-2, 1-1). Last week: 7

Things are not looking good in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers have lost two of their last three games and two of their wins this season have been against Norfolk State and Delaware. Virginia could not stop the Florida State offense, UVA's offense could not get out of their own way, and the Cavaliers might be facing a tough road ahead to just make a bowl game. Can they rebound next week against Syracuse?

9. Louisville (2-3, 1-2). Last week: 6

After a close loss to Ole Miss and a win over SMU, there was talk of if Louisville could win out, they could make the College Football Playoff no matter what happened in the ACC Championship game. Since then, Louisville has lost two straight games to Wake Forest and NC State and the bottom seems to be falling out for this team right now. A tricky home game against Florida State comes next.

8. Clemson (3-2, 2-1). Last week: 9

Not many teams can hang with Miami, and Clemson is one of the teams that can't. It felt like the Tigers fought hard in this game, especially on defense, but the offensive line could not protect Tait Reynolds or open up holes in the run game. This team could still make a run to Charlotte and get to the ACC Championship game, and their bye week is coming at the right time.

7. Florida State (3-2, 1-1). Last week: 11

Perhaps the most surprising result of the weekend in the ACC was FSU's beatdown of Virginia at home. Given the vibes around the program and head coach Mike Norvell, it would have not been surprising to see the Seminoles no-show at home, but quarterback Ashton Daniels played a strong game and FSU ran the ball well against the Cavaliers. Can they go on the road and beat Louisville next weekend?

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

Yes, SMU is moving up, but they did not play well against Boston College at home this weekend, the second straight week that the Mustangs did not play very well against a far inferior opponent. A needed bye week is coming up for Rhett Lashlee's team.

5. Virginia Tech (4-1, 1-1). Last week: 3

The Hokies were oh so close to beating Pittsburgh on Friday night, but a missed field goal at the buzzer, a -4 turnover margin, and a disaster of a third quarter sent the Hokies their first loss of the season, but this team is not out of the running for a spot in the ACC Championship game. The schedule gets tougher coming up, but that might be after a road trip to California.

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

If you wanted to make an argument for Wake Forest to be higher on this ranking, I think one could be made. The Demon Deacons had no leftover effects from their win over Louisville and they demolished Stanford at home. A matchup against NC State comes next week as the Demon Deacons continue to make their case for Charlotte.

3. Duke (4-0, 1-0). Last week: 2

Through no fault of their won, Duke dropped a spot during their bye week. The Blue Devils are back in action next week vs Georgia Tech.

2. Pittsburgh (5-0, 2-0). Last week: 5

The Panthers are the other 5-0 team in the conference after beating Virginia Tech, but the win over the Hokies was overshadowed by the loss of Mason Heintschel to injury. Still, give Pitt credit for being 5-0 and forcing four turnovers on the road against a team that was playing well coming in and now they have to figure out how to reorganize the offense and make a run to the ACC Championship game. They host North Carolina next week.

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

The Hurricanes rolled over Clemson on Saturday night, beating the Tigers 41-13 on the road and entering the bye week still atop the conference standings. The defense sacked Tigers quarterback Tait Reynolds six times and Clemson could not run the ball. A bye week awaits Miami before a rivalry game matchup against Florida State comes next.

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