ACC Football Power Rankings Week Seven: How Far Did the Hokies Fall?
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The alignment of power within the ACC is a little clearer after week six.
There wasn't a ton of movement between the elite teams in the conference and its bottom-feeders. The one or two-loss teams, well, maybe besides Cal, are all in the picture for the ACC Championship. The scrappiest teams could be the ones fighting for bowl eligibility. Nothing is guaranteed in the ACC, but the playoff picture is becoming clearer as it approaches.
Here's how all 17 teams rank entering week eight.
No surprises here. Miami holds the top spot within the ACC and doesn't seem to be letting go any time soon. Their Florida State matchup was arguably their most challenging. This was their first one-score game since Notre Dame in week one. They led confidently through three quarters, however, and managed to hold off Tommy Castellanos and company in the fourth. The Hurricanes came out on top when it mattered most, led by Carson Beck's four-touchdown day. The talk of the town for Miami isn't Beck. It's their speedy playmaker, Malachi Toney. He looked like Tyreek Hill-lite with some of his breakaway plays. A two-touchdown performance from him was the cherry on top of this elite receiving corps. They jumped back up to second on the AP Top 25 poll and remain one of the best programs in the country.
CARSON BECK 🚀 MALACHI TONEY 🙌pic.twitter.com/YRQ1Y3kuqq
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 5, 2025
The Yellow Jackets almost added themselves to a strong list of upsets within the ACC. Haynes King is still a baller. The calcium within this man's bones could be at superhuman levels. For a quarterback to continuously grind out yards, take hits, and still be able to drop back with ease is beyond comprehension. Georgia Tech has given King the keys to the castle, and he's proving them right. Their run defense fell apart this weekend, but they faced one of the best running backs in the conference. They fought back from a major deficit and now place within the top 15 teams in the AP poll.
The Cavaliers continue to prove they're legit, holding off the Cardinals in overtime. If Chandler Morris stays healthy, this team can easily fight their way into the ACC Championship. They climbed to 19 in the AP poll and are beginning to get playoff hype. Now, there are a couple of titans standing in their way. The loss against NC State is tainting their record a little, but thankfully for them, it wasn't an ACC-sanctioned matchup. They pull through matchups when the time calls for it and have a really fair schedule ahead of them. Having five wins coming out of the rough stretch of their schedule skyrocketed their odds of making it to the ACC Championship.
The Seminoles rose in the rankings despite the loss. They almost took this from Miami. Their 19-point fourth-quarter surge was just too early to be game-winning. Duce Robinson had another productive day as the team's lead wideout. He's surpassed his yardage from last season at USC in just five games. A run-heavy team like the Seminoles needs to have a step-up in the passing game to compete against a juggernaut like Miami. Tommy Castellanos almost pulled off the rally of a lifetime, but the Hurricanes showed why they're one of the best in college football.
Darian Mensah truthers, rise. After an up-and-down first three weeks, the Blue Devils are on a roll. Their three-game win streak has solidified their ceiling. Mensah has 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions through six games and is only getting more comfortable with the offense. It seems like the team lives through his success. His threat as a playmaker has opened up opportunities in the run game. Nate Sheppard had another big day and is averaging eight yards per carry on the year. Anderson Castle and Jaquez Moore have served as great counterparts in the backfield. The defense remains their biggest weakness, especially in larger matchups. They'll be tested against the Yellow jackets, but luckily have an extra week to prepare.
THE NATE TRAIN HAS LEFT THE STATION! pic.twitter.com/jDQN1Jq6Mv
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) October 5, 2025
The Cardinals were so close. Looking at the box score, there's no way they should've been trailing. Miller Moss was relentless through the air, thanks to a monster performance from Chris Bell. He had 170 of Moss's 329 yards. The downside to that was that no one else really stepped up when the team needed a surge. Isaac Brown was suppressed on the ground, but Louisville didn't establish the run as much as they have in the past. It begs the question: if Brown had gotten more than 13 carries, would this game even have gone into overtime? Hindsight is 20/20, and the Cardinals fought hard in a matchup that was no easy task. Taking Virginia to OT proved how legit they are as a threat in the ACC. As the season progresses, however, they have to close out stronger.
Campbell was rolled over by the Wolfpack. They had the unfortunate task of being NC State's bounce-back game after their loss to both Duke and Virginia Tech. Their offense returned to form with a flawless day across the board. C.J. Bailey was playing backyard football with Campbell's defense. He finished with over 300 passing yards and four touchdowns. Hollywood Smothers did Hollywood Smothers things and broke 100 yards on just four carries. Over 150 yards and two touchdowns on just six touches is unheard of. For Smothers, it was just another Saturday.
Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs returned to form against Syracuse. The turnovers are still present for Jennings, but maybe that's what comes with a gunslinger such as himself. He had his fourth performance with over three touchdowns this season, with a career-high four passing touchdowns. What's holding this team back is when they decide to explode on offense. They've beaten up on lesser opponents and folded against formidable ones. This Syracuse team looks like a shell of its former selves since they lost Steve Angeli for the season. They handled business in their first inter-conference matchup, but SMU needs to replicate this play when they go against tougher matchups.
The Demon Deacons finally came out on top. This was an angry squad walking into Lane Stadium. Back-to-back leads in the first halves of their games against Georgia Tech and NC State were wasted in losses. They fought through a close matchup against the Hokies and handed Virginia Tech their third home loss. Demond Claiborne looked poised for another big day before exiting with an injury. Robby Ashford stepped up on offense. He didn't have a performance out of the ordinary, but he made the plays when Wake Forest needed them the most. Their defense finally came up with big stops on a potential game-winning drive for Virginia Tech as Wake Forest notched their first ACC victory.
.@WakeFB strikes back to regain the lead as Demond Claiborne finds the end zone! pic.twitter.com/DGIOe9gJRz
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) October 4, 2025
Cal is such a fair-weather team in 2025. The fact that they have the record they do with a relatively inexperienced roster says a lot about the coaching behind this team. There's still plenty of development ahead for Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. His true freshman campaign has had some great highs and significant lows. This week was one of those lows. His three interceptions threw away any momentum the Golden Bears could generate. Matched up against a quarterback with the talent of Darian Mensah brought the challenge of countering his play. Kendrick Raphael tried his best to salvage the offense with a two-touchdown performance, but the task proved too tough for Cal's young quarterback.
The Panthers named true freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel their starter after Eli Holstein started to fall apart in their last two losses. This was about as good a debut Pitt could've asked for. Granted, he faced what's likely the worst team in the ACC. A four-touchdown performance in any circumstance, especially in your first-ever start, is nothing to gloss over. Heintschel will undoubtedly be tested against the Seminoles. A debut like this certainly skyrockets his confidence, something that could make or break his performance as a young quarterback.
The Tigers finally git back into the win column against the Tar Heels. It's almost odd the amount of time the football world hasn't been talking about the tigers. Sadly, that's what a 1-3 start will do to a team. Cade Klubnik should be a man on a mission from here on out. The talent that is scattered across this roster is enough to salvage the season. College football is not a sport of individuals, though. The Tigers need to look like a coherent unit, and wins like these are a step in the right direction. There's plenty of football left to be played, and the Tigers are eager to prove they're not done. The sour taste of that 1-3 start, however, is going to be nearly impossible to wash out of everyone's mouth.
Make that 4 touchdowns in the 1st quarter for @ClemsonFB ‼️
— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) October 4, 2025
📺 @espn pic.twitter.com/fuf2iZqmrW
The Hokies have to take this one on the chin. This was a scrappy unit that almost upset the second-ranked team in the conference. If they were expecting anything short of a dog fight, they didn't properly prepare for the game. This was one they should've won, however. Wake Forest lost Demond Claiborne early. They looked like they controlled the pace for a good portion of the game. The offense became stagnant in the second half yet again. After being handed multiple chances to take this game from the Deacon Demons, they couldn't capitalize. This loss calmed down the head coach's conversations with Philip Montgomery. He can still finish strong and will Virginia Tech to a bowl game. The road doesn't look easy, and they face one of the top teams in the nation up next. Anything can happen with the Techmo Bowl, but it doesn't look like it'll be pretty for the Hokies.
The Orange's fall from grace is not on Fran Brown. It's hard to salvage an offense that was just beginning to hit its,runrun stride. No Steve Angeli is showing just how essential he was to their season. It's almost like Syracuse has to reshape how this offense is ran. Most teams would fall back on their run game in the absence of their lead passer. Yasin Wells has only benefitted from positive game scripts so far this season and doesn't look able to light a fire underneath this offense. Rickie Collins's dual-threat ability could be something for the Orange, but his inconsistencies show why he wasn't the starter. It's unknown what this team's future is. Their ceiling is significantly lower without Angeli under center, though.
Chapel Bill hasn't been a pretty experience so far. He wasn't left behind with too much to work with, and that will be preached for the remainder of the year. The quarterback situation continues to plague this offense. They have receiving talent that was recruited with high value. The Max Johnson experience in 2025 just doesn't have much of a ceiling. It's only a matter of time before Bill Belichick pivots to someone else. There has to be an attempt from somebody in that QB to get something going. Gio Lopez didn't do much after the first drive against TCU. How high this team goes is reliant on how much production they can get from their field general. Based on what has been showcased, they'd be lucky to win more than two games the rest of the season.
The Cardinal keeps bouncing between this range and will likely continue to do so. They've looked good against lesser opponents. This one was an absolute shootout. If anyone stayed up for this late kickoff, credit to you. Stanford finished the rally with seconds left on the clock in a game that totalled over 1,000 yards. Ben Gulbranson was aggressive from start to finish. Credit to Stanford for not wavering despite not having the level of talent expected to compete with offensive numbers like San Jose State's. It wasn't the prettiest game, but Stanford made the plays when they needed to. More showings like this, and they can move away from this bottom tier.
There doesn't seem like a future where Bill O'Brien continues as head coach for the Eagles. The roster is flat across the board. Their run game consists of one big performance against Cal and nothing to write home about in the rest of their matchups. Dylan Lonergan has been getting hit left and right in the backfield. Sacks aren't always on the offensive line, however. He has not been an effective passer over the last three weeks. He's thrown only one passing touchdown to three interceptions. He looked like a real threat during his first two games, but has been silent since. Boston College ranks at the bottom for the second straight week and would need a miracle to rise above teams like Virginia Tech and Clemson. With how this season has gone, though, never say never.
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Brett Holmes has been covering the Hokies as a Sports Media & Analytics student at the school for the past two years. Alongside writing, he works behind the scenes as a production assistant for Virginia Tech's athletic production organization Hokie Vision. In his free time, he produces his own podcast, Holmes Field Advantage, on his YouTube. You can find him on X @_BrettHolmes
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