Week four ACC power rankings: Cavaliers tumble after Saturday dud

Three games into the 2026 season, the ACC has already seen significant changes.

Virginia, expected to reign among the conference contenders, took a stumble and dropped a game it was expected to win by roughly 10 points. Other teams experienced frustrating losses as well, especially NC State. Here are ACC power rankings heading into week four:

T-17: Stanford

The outlook out in the Bay Area continues to be bleak. The Cardinal were blasted 35-7 by Duke and have glaring holes at most key positions.

T-17: Boston College (Prev. 16)

The Eagles are firmly in the basement. Although they technically have one more win than Stanford, both teams have been equally putrid.

15: Syracuse (Prev. 12)

Falling to 0-2 in the ACC, the Orange are quickly diving back into mediocrity instead of success with a healthy Steve Angeli. The road ahead is looking miserable for Syracuse.

14: Florida State (Prev. 15)

It remains a difficult task to evaluate Florida State. The Seminoles put up an admirable fight in their 50-36 loss at No. 10 Alabama. But once again, frustration clouds this football team. Ashton Daniels threw three interceptions in a game that was lost by two possessions.

13: NC State (Prev. 10)

There were a lot of frustrating losses around the college football world — but the No. 1 on that list was suffered by the Wolfpack. They led on the road against an SEC team nearly all afternoon, only to fumble in their own endzone for a last-second, game-losing touchdown.

12: Clemson (Prev. 14)

Clemson escaped with a 28-20 ACC win. That win was ugly. It took a multi-score comeback in the fourth quarter to claw past North Carolina at home.

11: Georgia Tech (Prev. 13)

The Yellow Jackets picked up their first win of the season, crushing Mercer 44-11. There are still many big questions left unanswered by this Georgia Tech team.

10: North Carolina (Prev. 9)

North Carolina almost stole a road win at Clemson. Although the Tar Heels lost, their defense continues to impress — and their offense has sometimes showed signs of life.

9: California (Prev. 10)

In a "get right game," California performed as expected. The Golden Bears outscored Wagner 29-0 in the first quarter and never looked back.

8: Wake Forest

In the first quarter, Wake Forest was viciously outmatched by Miami. However, the Demon Deacons refused to give up. They nearly completed a historic comeback. Even though Wake Forest lost, it can feel confident about competing with the rest of the ACC.

7: Virginia (Prev. 2)

This is a big fall — but the Cavaliers were favored by 9.5 points and instead ended up with their first double-digit defeat since 2024. Virginia should climb back up this list soon, but for now, it looked juvenile compared to the other second and third-tier ACC teams.

6: Virginia Tech

The Hokies won — and an ugly win is better than a pretty loss. However, their defense was very inconsistent against Maryland, which could be a sign of things to come. Virginia Tech has yet to face a medium-quality Power Four opponent.

5: SMU (Prev. 4)

SMU is now in a very dangerous spot. The Mustangs lost to Louisville, giving the Cardinals the tiebreaker in the ACC title race. SMU will likely need to win the rest of its ACC games to make it to the conference title game.

4: Pitt (Prev. 6)

The Panthers picked up another win — and while it was not impressive against a middling Syracuse team, Pitt looks the part of a darkhorse ACC contender.

3: Duke (Prev. 5)

It is surprising. The Blue Devils are a perfect 3-0 with a two Power Four wins and another near-shutout win over Tulane. Duke is legitimately one of the best second-tier teams in the ACC at this point.

2: Louisville (Prev. 2)

In what may have been a play-in game for the ACC Championship, Louisville beat SMU. That is the best ACC win to date, and might be the best ACC win that any team picks up this season.

1: Miami

The Hurricanes looked mortal for the first time this season. Wake Forest covered the spread and came just a few plays away from upsetting Miami. There is no question that the Hurricanes are still No. 1 in the ACC, but the gap between them and the next tier is much smaller than most initially imagined.

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