AP Top 25: Where Wake Forest and Other ACC Teams Stand
Week 2 was the ACC’s best thus far. Other than No. 17 Pitt’s loss to No. 24 Tennessee, the conference picked up wins against SEC and BIG 10 opponents while maintaining five spots in the AP Top 25. Read below to see what Wake Forest and the rest of the ACC did to earn their rankings.
No. 5 Clemson (2-0)
After a win against Georgia Tech to open their season, the Tigers faced a “tune up” team on Saturday, comfortably defeating Furman 35-12 to maintain their spot at No. 5. Quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who might be on the hot seat fighting off freshman Cade Klubnik, was fine, tossing 231 yards and two touchdowns.
Scoring just once in the second half may be a slight cause for concern, especially with the team’s impending trip to Wake Forest in two weeks. Next week’s game against Louisiana Tech should be another straightforward win for the Tigers, but certainly a step up in competition.
No. 13 Miami (2-0)
Miami is an exciting team coming off a solid win against Southern Miss that moved them up two spots in the Top 25. However, their strength of schedule has been lacking so far, as their two wins have come against the Golden Eagles and Bethune-Cookman. The Hurricanes offense has been impressive with running back Henry Parrish Jr. and quarterback Tyler Van Dyke running the show.
With that being said, we won’t truly know how good Miami is until they go to College Station next week to play Texas A&M. Facing a team that just dropped from No. 6 to No. 24 after a loss to Appalachian State will be a good test — the Aggies should be a hungry opponent.
No. 16 NC State (2-0)
A 55-3 win on Saturday against Charleston Southern saw the Wolfpack rise two spots in the rankings, but don’t forget that this team struggled to leave East Carolina with a victory in Week 1.
Quarterback Devin Leary looked much better this week, throwing four touchdowns on 238 yards, but again, it was against Charleston Southern. NC State is another team that will be put to the test this week — Texas Tech, who just beat a ranked Houston, comes to town.
No. 19 Wake Forest (2-0)
Wake Forest looked good in their 45-25 victory over Vanderbilt on a rainy Saturday in Nashville. The win, along with the return of quarterback Sam Hartman, vaulted them up four spots in the Top 25. Hartman put forth a solid performance in his first game action since December, passing for four touchdowns and 300 yards.
The defense was impressive too, forcing three turnovers. Late scores against the backup defense made this game appear closer than it was. The Demon Deacons should be fine against Liberty this week, but have a big chance to prove their worth when Clemson comes to Winston-Salem at the end of September.
No. 23 Pittsburgh (1-1)
The only team to fall in the rankings from the ACC this week (down six spots), the Panthers were unable to stop Tennessee in overtime in a 34-27 loss. The biggest concern after the game is at the quarterback position, where the team is pretty banged up.
Starter Kedon Slovis, who threw a touchdown and an interception in the first half, had to leave mid-game with an injury. Then, backup Nick Patti, who started the Peach Bowl last year in place of Kenny Pickett, had to play through ankle problems for the remainder of the game. Fortunately, the Panthers have some time to get healthy and reset before ACC play — their next two games come against Western Michigan and Rhode Island.
