ACC Football Power Rankings: 2022 Week 3
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Two full weeks of college football are now in the books, and on paper, it was another successful one for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
ACC schools went a combined 9-2 against non-conference opponents in week two, bumping the league's overall record to 19-4. A few non-con games were not the blowouts many anticipated, but a win is still a win.
Like after week one, there's not much shuffling at the top of the ACC. The only movement was due to Pitt's loss at Tennessee, but they are still amongst the top tier of Clemson, Miami, NC State and Wake Forest.
Also like in week one, there is some more shuffling beyond the top schools because of early season surprises, such as Syracuse and Boston College - albeit for varying reasons. It's still too early for definitive judgements on most teams in the league, so expect this to be a recurring trend over the next couple weeks.
So where do things currently stand in the conference following week two? Check out our updated ACC power rankings below:
1. Clemson Tigers
Record: 2-0, 1-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 1
Week Two Result: W, 35-12 vs. Furman
Sure, it was a win, but Clemson didn't look nearly as dominant as they were expected in this game. D.J. Uiagalelei was much better than he was the week before, but frankly, it's a bit surprising that the Tigers' offense didn't put up more points and yards against their FCS competition. Not to mention that the defense did allow a fair amount of yardage through the air. Still, it's a 23-point victory, and no alarm should be sounded just quite yet.
2. NC State Wolfpack
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 2
Week Two Result: W, 55-3 vs. Charleston Southern
Now *this* is how an elite ACC team should dispatch of an FCS team. Not only did league Preseason Player of the Year QB Devin Leary have a much better game, he demonstrated how deadly he can be, throwing each of his four touchdown passes to different receivers. Oh, and the Wolfpack ran for 217 yards, while the defense held Charleston Southern to a meager 150 yards of offense.
3. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 4
Week Two Result: W, 45-25 vs. Vanderbilt
Welcome back, Sam Hartman. Getting him back in huge if the Demon Deacons have serious aspirations of winning the ACC, and he showed why he is so important to this team with his four touchdown day. Not only that, but the defense did keep Vanderbilt relatively in check for most of the game, and that was their biggest question mark heading into the season. Yes, I know it's Vandy, but they're still better non-con competition than an FCS school.
4. Miami Hurricanes
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 5
Week Two Result: W, 30-7 vs. Southern Miss
The Hurricanes definitely came down to Earth a bit after a dominant performance in their season opener. They were on upset alert early after threatening to trail Southern Miss at halftime, but they were able to pull away in the second half thanks to a steady ground game and stout defense. That being said, there are some things to correct ahead of their showdown at Texas A&M: namely their offensive line play.
5. Pitt Panthers
Record: 1-1, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 3
Week Two Result: L/2OT, 34-27 at Tennessee
Would this have been a different result if Pitt QB Kedon Slovis didn't get knocked out of the game? Maybe, but regardless of who was under center for the Panthers, the offensive line wasn't doing them any favors. RB Israel Abanikanda gave them a chance, but several missed opportunities on offense spelled doom for them. That, and the fact that the defense had another inconsistent performance.
6. Florida State Seminoles
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 6
Week Two Result: Bye Week
A 12-day layover should do wonders for Florida State ahead of their primetime matchup with Louisville.
7. North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: 3-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 7
Week Two Result: W, 35-28 at Georgia State
Maybe North Carolina should stop playing Sun Belt schools on their home turf. After having to stave off a furious comeback from Appalachian State, they faced another one from Georgia State, and had to mount a rally to even win. QB Drake Maye does look like the real deal and RB Omarion Hampton bounced back for a big game, but the Tar Heels' defense looks abysmal.
8. Syracuse Orange
Record: 2-0, 1-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 9
Week Two Result: W, 48-14 at UConn
Yes, I know it's UConn. But this is the second week in a row that Syracuse has looked like the much better team on the field. RB Sean Tucker is still in All-American form, Garrett Shrader continues to look like a much more refined passer, and the Orange defense again looked stifling. Time will tell how Syracuse looks against top tier ACC teams, but it's hard to ignore their hot start so far.
9. Louisville Cardinals
Record: 1-1, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 10
Week Two Result: W, 20-14 at UCF
Talk about a bounce back game. Not only did Louisville look noticeably better after their week one stinker against Syracuse, but they were actually able to take down UCF in their building - something that hasn't happened often recently. QB Malik Cunningham looked like his old self, and that Cardinals defense completely flipped the script to turn in a fantastic performance against a prolific Knights offense.
10. Virginia Cavaliers
Record: 1-1, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 8
Week Two Result: L, 24-3 at Illinois
Not a great first road trip for new head coach Tony Elliott. Virginia took an early lead over Illinois in the first five minutes of the game, then proceeded to get dominated in every facet possible. QB Brennan Armstrong had a terrible outing, throwing only 180 yards and a pair of picks, the ground game only produced 42 rushing yards, and the defense allowed 394 yards. For context, the Cavs beat the Illini 42-14 just last season.
11. Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: 1-1, 1-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 13
Week Two Result: W, 27-10 vs. Boston College
Brent Pry might have stumbled out of the gates as Virginia Tech's head coach, but he was able to take advantage of a down Boston College and pick up win No. 1. It wasn't a spectacular performance per se, but QB Grant Wells did look better, the Hokies' rushing attack was more productive, and their defense got consistent pressure.
12. Duke Blue Devils
Record: 2-0, 0-0
Last Week's Ranking: No. 12
Week Two Result: W, 31-23 at Northwestern
We'll know a lot more about Duke when they get into ACC play, but the Mike Elko era is off to a solid start with wins over Temple and Northwestern on the road. RB duo Jordan Waters and Jaylen Coleman combined for 174 yards and three scores, helping the Blue Devils gets out to an early 21-0 lead. The defense did look porous at times, but got stops when they needed to,
13. Boston College Eagles
Record: 0-2, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 11
Week Two Result: L, 27-10 at Virginia Tech
It's very hard for one position group to be the sole reason a team can't find the win column, but man, Boston College's offensive line is finding a way to do so. They once again couldn't provide any protection for QB Phil Jurkovec against Virginia Tech, and the Eagles had just *four* rushing yards. It's a shame, because BC does have a decent defense, and was a trendy sleeper pick in the preseason.
14. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Record: 1-1, 0-1
Last Week's Ranking: No. 14
Week Two Result: W, 35-17 vs. Western Carolina
It's definitely a lot better than getting your brains beat in by Clemson, but despite the win, Georgia Tech didn't have a great game. QB Jeff Sims had a worse outing than he did against Clemson, and the defense did give up nearly 400 yards to an FCS school. Had it not been for RB Dontae Smith's 102 yards and three rushing touchdowns, the Yellow Jackets might have lost this game, too.
(Photo of Sam Hartman: Christopher Hanewinckel - USA TODAY Sports)
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