ACC Football Power Rankings: 2025 Week 4

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - College football never fails to deliver. Nationally, we were treated to a great slate of week three games, including within the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Miami continues to assert themselves as the dominant force in the ACC with another convincing performance against a ranked foe. But behind them, a few teams are making moves.

Georgia Tech made an emphatic statement with their upset win over Clemson. Cal continues to look better than expected, while NC State joins the aforementioned three teams in moving to 3-0. Also, don't forget about Florida State and Louisville, who spent this week on a bye,

So where do things currently stand in the conference following three weeks of football? Check out our week four ACC power rankings below:

1. Miami Hurricanes

Record: 3-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 1
Week 3 Result: W, 49-12 vs. USF

Maybe USF was a smidge overrated because of how "meh" Boise State and Florida look. But make no mistake, Miami deserves a lot of credit for this result. The Hurricanes' defense bent slightly but never showed signs of breaking, while their offense got almost whatever they wanted through the air and on the ground.

2. Florida State Seminoles

Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 2
Week 3 Result: Bye Week

Florida State has a couple easy matchups in front of them, facing Kent State and traveling to Virginia. As long they take care of business, and Miami doesn't trip up against Florida next week, the Seminoles' matchup with the The U will be appointment television.

3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Record: 3-0, 1-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 7
Week 3 Result: W, 24-21 vs. Clemson

Georgia Tech, you have our attention. Few quarterbacks are willing to put their bodies on the line quite like Haynes King, and is as exciting as they get in the ACC. Not to mention that the fire drill game-winning field goal was perfectly executed. Brent Key might be one of the best coaches in the nation right now.

4. Louisville Cardinals

Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 4
Week 3 Result: Bye Week

Considering how average Louisville's offense looked against James Madison, the bye week probably came at a good time. That being said, their defense is off to a red hot start, and it will be intriguing to see if they can keep it up.

5. Clemson Tigers

Record: 1-2, 0-1 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 3
Week 3 Result: L, 24-21 at Georgia Tech

Okay, now is officially the time for Clemson to sound the alarm. Once again, the Tigers' offense just continued to struggle. Sure, they were missing a handful of guys, but QB Cade Klubnik and Co. have not lived up to their preseason billing. Plus their defense, again, looked confused at times. Clemson is now 1-2 for the first time since 2014.

6. Cal Golden Bears

Record: 3-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 9
Week 3 Result: W, 27-14 vs. Minnesota

Cal continues to look like a surprisingly complete team. In fact, Cal is one of just three teams in the ACC with two wins over power conference teams (Georgia Tech, NC State). QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele looks like the best true freshman quarterback in the nation, and the Golden Bears' defense has yet to surrender more than 15 points.

7. NC State Wolfpack

Record: 3-0, 1-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 8
Week 3 Result: W, 34-24 at Wake Forest

It's not about how you start, it's how you finish - and NC State was a testament to that saying against Wake Forest. After going down 14-0 in the first eight minutes, the Wolfpack out-scored the Deacons 34-10 over the rest of the game. QB C.J. Bailey and RB Hollywood Smothers continue to look like a super dynamic duo.

8. SMU Mustangs

Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 5
Week 3 Result: W, 28-10 at Missouri State

Yes, SMU was able to rally back and score 28 unanswered after digging themselves into a hole. But this was *Missouri State* they were playing, and the Mustangs were 28.5-point favorites. It's like they still had the stunning loss to Baylor on the brain. Regardless, SMU does not look super impressive on either side of the ball right now.

9. Pitt Panthers

Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 6
Week 3 Result: L/OT, 31-24 at West Virginia

Well... I was curious as to what Pitt would look like when they faced an actual opponent, and now I have my answer. They should have won the Backyard Brawl, had they not choked away a 10-point lead in the final 10 minutes. The Panthers' offense was largely inefficient, and their defense ran out of gas.

10. Virginia Cavaliers

Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 12
Week 3 Result: W, 55-16 vs. William & Mary

Hoo boy, that was an exciting offensive game for Wahoowa. Sure, William & Mary isn't exactly a world-beater, but putting up 700 yards of offense against anyone is impressive, so hats off to Virginia. Harrison Waylee, who had a 97-yard touchdown, was particularly impressive.

11. Duke Blue Devils

Record: 1-2, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 10
Week 3 Result: L, 34-27 at Tulane

It's been a rough two-week stretch for Duke. First, they getting ran off their own field by Illinois, then they fall to a Tulane team where their now starting quarter, Darian Mensah, transferred from. Manny Diaz is known for his defense, but that side of the ball for the Blue Devils looked atrocious against the Green Wave.

12. North Carolina Tar Heels

Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 13
Week 3 Result: W, 41-6 vs. Richmond

Looks like Gio Lopez might work out for North Carolina after all. Whether it was through the air or on the ground, the South Alabama transfer quarterback finally looked comfortable. Plus that defense for Bill Belichick has now given up just nine points over the last two games.

13. Syracuse Orange

Record: 2-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 14
Week 3 Result: W, 66-24 vs. Colgate

Sure, power conference teams are very much expected to take care of FCS foes. But it was hard not to come away impressed with QB Steve Angeli, especially with how he handled Colgate's pressure-heavy game plan. That being said, their offensive line and defense continue to look like major, major issues.

14. Boston College Eagles

Record: 1-2, 0-1 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 11
Week 3 Result: L, 30-20 at Stanford

Boston College's defense drew some questions marks in their loss at Michigan State, and it was exposed in a big way. Despite facing one of the worst power conference teams in the FBS, the Eagles just could not stop the run. Not to mention that BC's own run game couldn't get anything going, either.

15. Stanford Cardinal

Record: 1-2, 1-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 17
Week 3 Result: W, 30-20 vs. Boston College

That's now back-to-back seasons where Stanford has pulled off a stunner in their ACC opener. Given the circumstances of this being a de facto bridge year for the Cardinal, the amount of effort showed by them in this game was impressive. The defense limited a BC offense that had put up over 100 points over the first two weeks, and RB Micah Ford looked tremendous.

16. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Record: 2-1, 0-1 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 15
Week 3 Result: L, 34-24 vs. NC State

This could have been a big time early statement by Wake Forest and first year head coach Jake Dickert. But between the Demon Deacons' offense posting just 44 yards in the second half and their defense giving up 20 unanswered point to end the game, this was an opportunity that fumbled in a massive way.

17. Virginia Tech Hokies

Record: 0-3, 0-0 ACC
Last Week's Ranking: No. 16
Week 3 Result: L, 45-26 vs. Old Dominion

Firing Brent Pry was the only thing that needed to be done after Virginia Tech's pathetic performance vs. Old Dominion. ODU scored the first 31 points and put up 526 yards of offense, while VT turned it over three times. Pitiful doesn't even begin to describe the Hokies' effort.