Demon Deacons Debut in Top Half of Inaugural ACC Football Power Rankings
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Introducing our weekly ACC Football Power Rankings. Each week, our staff will rank the 17 ACC teams to determine that week's rankings. More specifically, as the season progresses, we will watch the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-0, 0-0 ACC) progress (or regress) each week.
The Deacs debut in this poll at No. 8, putting them in the top half of the rankings and five spots higher than their initial spot in 2025.
Wake Forest has started the season at 2-0, with a decisive win over Akron in Week One and a double-OT thriller on the road against Purdue in Week Two. This week, they face their toughest battle of the young season when No. 5 Miami comes to Winston-Salem for some Friday Night Lights at Allegacy Stadium.
As for the rest of the ACC, Miami unanimously holds the top spot, followed by SMU and Virginia. Four teams received last-place votes, but the honor of the last-place spot goes to Stanford in our initial rankings. Other teams receiving last-place votes were Boston College, Florida State, and Georgia Tech.
How Power Rankings Are Determined
Each week, our editorial staff of ten writers individually ranks the 17 teams in the ACC. We tabulate all the votes and determine the weekly power rankings.
Here's where our staff ranked the teams this week:
2026 ACC Power Rankings – Week 3
Miami is clearly in the driver's seat. SMU and Virginia are neck-and-neck, with SMU getting the slight edge for second place. Their's a bottleneck of teams bunched in the middle. Stanford is at the bottom, but there are few teams not too far ahead of them.
Week 5 Power Rankings Highlights
- Miami debuts in the top spot in our first ACC Football Power Rankings of the 2026 season.
- Stanford debuts at No. 17.
- Boston College, Florida State, and Georgia Tech also received last-place votes.
- Six teams had six or more spots between their highest and lowest ranking; Florida State had the most, with a 12-point spread.
- Other teams with at least six spots between the highest and lowest rankings are Cal (7), Clemson (10), Georgia Tech (8), North Carolina (6), and Pitt (6).
17. Stanford (1-1, 0-1)
Highest Ranking: #15
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: at Duke
16. Boston College (1-1, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Beat Rutgers 28-21
This Week: vs. Maine
15. Syracuse (1-2, 0-2)
Highest Ranking: #11
Lowest Ranking: #15
Last Week: Lost to Cal 18-21
This Week: Lost at Pitt 13-27
14. Georgia Tech (0-2, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #9
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost to #18 Tennessee 24-45
This Week: vs. Mercer
13. NC State (1-1, 0-1)
Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #15
Last Week: Beat Richmond 73-0
This Week: at Vanderbilt
12. California (1-1, 1-0)
Highest Ranking: #9
Lowest Ranking: #16
Last Week: Beat Syracuse 21-18
This Week: vs. Wagner
11. Florida State (1-1, 0-1)
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: at #10 Alabama
10. Clemson (1-1, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #15
Last Week: Beat Georgia Southern 22-7
This Week: vs. North Carolina
9. North Carolina (2-0, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #6
Lowest Ranking: #12
Last Week: Beat ETSU 35-3
This Week: at Clemson
8. Wake Forest (2-0, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #6
Lowest Ranking: #9
Last Week: Beat Purdue 38-36 2OT
This Week: vs. Miami
7. Pittsburgh (3-0, 1-0)
Highest Ranking: #4
Lowest Ranking: #10
Last Week: Beat UCF 12-7
This Week: Beat Syracuse 27-13
6. Duke (2-0, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #9
Last Week: Beat Illinois 31-27
This Week: vs. Stanford
5. Virginia Tech (2-0, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #7
Last Week: Beat Old Dominion 44-21
This Week: at Maryland
4. #23 Louisville (1-1, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #2
Lowest Ranking: #7
Last Week: Beat Villanova 59-13
This Week: vs #16 SMU
3. #25 Virginia (2-0, 1-0)
Highest Ranking: #2
Lowest Ranking: #4
Last Week: Beat Norfolk State 59-3
This Week: vs West Virginia
2. #16 SMU (2-0, 1-0)
Highest Ranking: #2
Lowest Ranking: #3
Last Week: Beat UC Davis 56-10
This Week: at #23 Louisville
1. #5 Miami (2-0, 0-0)
Highest Ranking: #1
Lowest Ranking: #1
Last Week: Beat Florida A&M 77-7
This Week: at Wake Forest
Note: Power Rankings are determined by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff.
What's Next
Wake Forest hosts No. 5 Miami at Allegacy Stadium on Friday, September 18 at 7:30 pm ET. The game will air on ESPN.
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Barry is the managing editor/publisher of Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI sites. He oversees a team of 12+ writers and photographers covering all sports at Wake Forest. He writes on football, basketball (men’s and women’s), baseball, men’s tennis, and other sports as needed. His weekly articles include ACC Power Rankings and Poll Watching during the football, basketball, and baseball seasons. Barry is a member of the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), U.S. Basketball Writers Association (USBWA), and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA). He has covered the 2022 Fiesta Bowl, the 2023 College Football National Championship, the 2023 College World Series, the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tennis National Championship, ACC Kickoff, and ACC Tipoff. He is an avid sports fan and traveler, and he loves any opportunity to see a sporting event in person. He has been to 18 of the 30 MLB ballparks, experienced game day at 25 college football stadiums, seen 21 NFL stadiums, and been to 16 bowl games.