ACC Football Power Rankings: 2022 Week 5
CHARLOTTE - We had our first heavyweight showdown in the Atlantic Coast Conference this past week.
Clemson and Wake Forest went toe-to-toe in an entertaining shootout, one that went to double overtime and saw the Tigers come out on top over the Demon Deacons at Winston-Salem.
As good as that matchup was, it serves as the undercard for what will be a top-10 showdown in Death Valley between Clemson and NC State. We've haven't even reached the midway point of the year, but this will be a crucial battle in determining the Atlantic Division champion.
Good luck to whoever wins the Coastal Division, considering five of the top six teams in this week's power ranking is on the other side of the bracket after a nutty weekend of games. But we'll get to that later down the line.
Anyways, where do things currently stand in the conference following week four? Check out our updated ACC power rankings below:
1. Clemson Tigers
Record: 4-0, 2-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 1
Week Four Result: W, 51-45/2OT at Wake Forest
For once, it was Clemson's offense that willed the Tigers to victory and not the other way around. D.J. Uiagalelei had one of the best games of his career, throwing for 371 yards and five touchdowns, while Clemson as a whole ran for 188. However, up until the very end, that mighty defense struggled to make a stop. The Tigers' cornerbacks got torched all game long by Sam Hartman and Co., which is something that will have to get remedied moving forward.
2. NC State Wolfpack
Record: 4-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 2
Week Four Result: W, 41-10 vs. UConn
NC State certainly didn't overlook UConn with Clemson on tap this weekend. Not only was their first play from scrimmage a 75-yard touchdown pass from Devin Leary (who threw four total), but 31 of their points came before halftime. Not to mention that the Wolfpack defense held the Huskies to just three points at halftime as well. Sure, UConn is one of the worst teams in football, but it was good tuneup game ahead of the Clemson matchup.
3. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 4-0, 2-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 4
Week Four Result: W, 44-14 vs. Boston College
Considering Florida State is 4-0 for the first time since 2015, they might actually be back. Like NC State did, they set the tone early by returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and never looked back. Jordan Travis - coming off what was though to be a severe injury - had a career night by throwing for 321 yards and a score, while the Noles' defense didn't allow Boston College to cross midfield until the second half when it was already a 31-0 game.
4. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Record: 3-1, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 3
Week Four Result: L, 51-45/2OT vs. Clemson
Wake Forest's achilles heel finally came back to bite them. There's no question that Sam Hartman is one of the best quarterbacks in college football, tying the ACC record for most touchdown passes in a game with six. But their defense, which has had trouble containing teams all season long, had seemingly no answer for a Clemson offense that had some questions coming into the matchup.
5. Pitt Panthers
Record: 3-1, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 5
Week Four Result: W, 45-24 vs. Rhode Island
Israel Abanikanda sure is making a case for best running back in the ACC. With a 177-yard and four-touchdown performance, he now leads the league in rushing yards with 479, which is good for 6th in FBS. Plus, QB Kedon Slovis looked serviceable in his return from injury. Though once again, we saw the Panthers' defense give up a fair amount of points despite doing well in the yardage department. That's something to continue monitoring moving forward.
6. Syracuse Orange
Record: 4-0, 2-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 7
Week Four Result: W, 22-20 vs. Virginia
It's hard to argue with 4-0, but is Syracuse actually this good? The Orange looked dominant in the first half, establishing a 16-0 lead over UVA, but had to hang on for dear life and eventually rally to win the game (again). Thank god for their field goal kicker, Andre Szmyt, who had five field goals in this game. Cuse will have to be a lot more consistant moving forward once they start playing higher caliber teams in the league.
7. Miami Hurricanes
Record: 2-2, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 6
Week Four Result: L, 45-31 vs. Middle Tennessee
If I'm Miami, I'm waiving a massive red flag right now. Not only was their offense completely out of sorts to the point where QB Tyler Van Dyke was benched, but their defense gave up multiple big plays through the air. It'd be one thing if the Canes were playing at Georgia - but they were playing a buy game, at home, against Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders looked like the better team by a wide margin for the entire game.
8. Louisville Cardinals
Record: 2-2, 0-2
Last Week's Ranking: No. 10
Week Four Result: W, 41-3 vs. USF
This is a bounce-back that Louisville needed. Sure, USF isn't that good, but this was a team that was one drive away from knocking off Florida in The Swamp. QB Malik Cunningham is starting to round back into his true dual threat form, putting up four total touchdowns against the Bulls, and the defense did a good job containing an underrated USF run game. Time will tell if the Cardinals can actually be a top-half ACC team like many thought they could be.
9. Duke Blue Devils
Record: 3-1, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 9
Week Four Result: L, 35-27 at Kansas
The Mike Elko era in Durham finally ran into its first bump in the road. But still, Duke looked good against a Kansas team that has potential to be really good in the Big 12. Riley Leonard made some throws in this game that show he can be a good quarterback in the ACC. Something to takeaway here though is that the Blue Devils' run game was largely stood up by Kansas, and their defense struggled early against the Jayhawks.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 3-1, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 8
Week Four Result: L, 45-32 vs. Notre Dame
It really is only a matter of time before defensive coordinator Gene Chizik gets left on the tarmac. Notre Dame has not had a good start to the Marcus Freeman era, and they still put up 45 points in the Tar Heels' building. It's a shame, because it wasted another fantastic showing from QB Drake Maye, who threw for five touchdown passes. Maybe now that WR Josh Downs is back, UNC can just rely on the offense to outscore the defense.
11. Virginia Cavaliers
Record: 2-2, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 12
Week Four Result: L, 22-20 at Syracuse
Virginia was so, so close, but their best performance of the season was not enough. Frankly, they should have lost by more if Syracuse could finish drives. QB Brennan Armstrong is continuing to struggle in this new offense, and looks nothing like the passer that he did last season. The Cavaliers have too many weapons on offense to be this inept on that side of the ball, especially considering that their defense is still suspect.
12. Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: 2-2, 1-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 11
Week Four Result: L, 33-10 vs. West Virginia
This was a game that proves Virginia Tech still has a while to go. West Virginia is by no means perfect, and they looked like a much better team than the Hokies did. Their defense was picked apart by an inconsistent J.T. Daniels and a freshman running back, while QB Grant Wells looked extremely pedestrian and their run game had nothing going.
13. Boston College Eagles
Record: 1-3, 0-2
Last Week's Ranking: No. 13
Week Four Result: L, 44-14 at Florida State
Boston College's offensive line issues reappeared against Florida State in a massive way. Not only could the Eagles not get the run game going or protect Phil Jurkovec, but Jurkovec himself looks like he is starting to struggle due to the OL issues. Not to mention that BC's defense got taken to the woodshed against (what we currently think is) one of the better teams in the ACC.
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Record: 1-3, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 14
Week Four Result: L, 27-10 at UCF
Well, Geoff Collins was finally shown the door. Should have been done over the offseason, but I digress. Does that mean Tech will suddenly get better this season? Probably not, but we'll see. Maybe they can overtake BC and get out of the ACC cellar, but that's really it.
(Photo of Joseph Ngata: Ken Ruinard - USA TODAY NETWORK)
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