Deacs Rank No. 13 in our Inaugural ACC Football Power Rankings

Introducing our weekly ACC Football Power Rankings. Each week, our staff will rank the 17 teams in the ACC to determine that week's rankings. More specifically, as the season progresses, we will be watching the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1 ACC) progress (or regress) each week.

The Deacs debut in this poll at No. 13. The bright side for those in Deactown is that, for now, four other teams are below them. And there's plenty of room for growth.

After scraping by with a win over Kennesaw State in the season opener, a decisive win over Western Carolina, and then a second-half collapse in the conference opener over NC State, the Deacs have had over two weeks to prepare for a home matchup against nationally-ranked Georgia Tech. A win this week will certainly vault the Deacs up in next week's poll. A respectable loss may not even impact their placement.

As for the rest of the ACC, Miami came out on top in our inaugural rankings, followed by Florida State. Georgia Tech and Louisville round out the top four, then there's a big gap to the next group of teams. Virginia Tech gets the honor of being the first team to appear in the basement position of No. 17. Stanford is just barely above them at No. 16.

Deacs don't have to look too far up the rankings to find some hope. Once nationally-ranked Clemson comes in at No. 11, and the gap between Clemson and Wake is only a few points.

How Power Rankings Are Determined

Each week, our editorial staff of ten writers individually ranks the 17 teams in the ACC. Their votes are tabulated, and final weekly power rankings are determined. Not all of our staff are Wake homers. Our diverse writing staff is based across the country and covers the SEC, Big Ten, and Big 12.

Here's where our staff ranked the teams this week:

2025 ACC Power Rankings – Week 5

Here are our Week 5 ACC Football Power Rankings, as voted on by our group of sports journalists. What did this week tell us? It told us that, as of right now, four teams are in contention for the two spots in Charlotte, and that the rest of the teams are just hoping to crack their way into those top spots.

Week 5 Power Rankings Highlights

Miami debuts as the top spot in our first ACC Football Power Rankings of the 2025 season.
Florida State also received first-place votes.
Virginia Tech, two weeks after firing head coach Brent Pry, debuts at No. 17.
Cal, Clemson, and Stanford also received last-place votes.
Five teams had six or more spots between their highest and lowest ranking; Clemson had the most, with an 11-point spread.
Other teams with at least six spots between the highest and lowest rankings are Cal (10), Duke (6), SMU (7), and Syracuse (6)
Miami had the lowest fluctuations between its highest (No. 1) and lowest (No. 2) ranking.

Sep 11, 2025; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons defensive back Nick Andersen (45) in the first half against North Carolina State Wolfpack at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images | Luke Jamroz-Imagn Images

17. Virginia Tech (1-3, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #14
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Beat Wofford 38-6
This Week: at NC State

16. Stanford (1-3, 1-1)

Highest Ranking: #13
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost at Virginia 20-48
This Week: vs. San Jose State

15. Boston College (1-2, 0-1)

Highest Ranking: #11
Lowest Ranking: #16
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. California

14. North Carolina (2-2, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #15
Last Week: Lost at UCF 9-34
This Week: Bye Week

Chris Barnes, Wake Forest — Wake Forest's Chris Barnes takes one to the house in the game earlier this month against Western Carolina. | Evan Harris/Wake Forest On SI

13. Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1)

Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #16
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. Georgia Tech

12. California (3-1, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #7
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost at San Diego State 0-34
This Week: at Boston College

11. Clemson (1-3, 0-2)

Highest Ranking: #6
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost to Syracuse 31-34
This Week: Bye Week

10. Pittsburgh (2-1, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #8
Lowest Ranking: #12
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. Louisville

9. Duke (2-2, 1-0)

Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #11
Last Week: Beat NC State 45-33
This Week: at Syracuse

8. SMU (2-2, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #12
Last Week: Lost at TCU 24-35
This Week: Bye Week

7. Virginia (3-1, 1-0)

Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #9
Last Week: Beat Stanford 48-20
This Week: at NC State

6. NC State (3-1, 1-1)

Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #9
Last Week: Lost at Duke 33-45
This Week: vs. Virginia Tech

5. Syracuse (3-1, 1-0)

Highest Ranking: #4
Lowest Ranking: #10
Last Week: Beat Clemson 34-31
This Week: vs. Duke

4. Louisville (3-0, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #3
Lowest Ranking: #5
Last Week: Beat Bowling Green 40-17
This Week: at Pittsburgh

3. #16 Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0)

Highest Ranking: #2
Lowest Ranking: #4
Last Week: Beat Temple 45-24
This Week: at Wake Forest

2. #8 Florida State (3-0, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #1
Lowest Ranking: #4
Last Week: Beat Kent State 66-10
This Week: at Virginia

1. #2 Miami (4-0, 0-0)

Highest Ranking: #1
Lowest Ranking: #2
Last Week: Beat Florida 26-7
This Week: Bye Week

Note: Power Rankings are determined by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff.

What's Next

Wake Forest hosts No. 16 Georgia Tech at Allegacy Stadium on Saturday, September 27 at 12 noon ET. The game can be seen on ESPN. A win over a ranked team should skyrocket Wake in next week's power rankings. With a respectable loss, Wake shouldn't move too far. However, if the Deacs get completely wrecked by the Rambling Wreck and crew, expect them to drop.