Another week of ACC football is in the books.
After getting a big win at home vs. Duke last weekend, Georgia Tech could not carry that momentum over and defeat Virginia Tech on the road. The Yellow Jackets fell behind 24-3 , and while they pulled within one score at the start of the second half, they could not close the gap further.
So where does that land Georgia Tech in this weeks power rankings?
17. Stanford (3-4, 1-3). Last week: 17
Stanford picked up its third win of the season on Saturday when they defeated Elon 34-7 and while that is not a win that is going to change much, it has to feel good to get a win after the beatdowns that had been put on them. Next up is a home game on Friday night against NC State.
16. Syracuse (2-4, 0-4). Last week: 16
Syracuse is continuing to battle quarterback injuries, but the Orange once again played hard, but fell short of a win. The defense could not get the stops it needed vs Louisville and Syracuse remains winless in the conference. They have a road trip to Chapel Hill to face UNC next Saturday.
15. Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2). Last week: 14
The Yellow Jackets battled after falling behind by three scores, but another poor defensive performance, red zone mistakes, and special teams errors cost Brent Key's team and did not give them a chance to win on the road. Up next is homecoming against Boston College.
14. NC State (3-3, 1-2). Last week: 13
NC State was off this week and they are back in action next Friday vs Stanford.
13. Cal (3-4, 2-2). Last week: 10
After getting a huge win last week vs Virginia Tech, Cal could not have looked worse at home vs Wake Forest. The Golden Bears never really had a chance and now Tosh Lupoi and his staff have a lot to figure out once again after another embarrassing defeat. It does not get any easier with a trip to SMU up next.
12. Boston College (3-2, 1-2). Last week: 15
While they were facing a Pitt team who was starting another new quarterback today, Boston College found a way to win at home and keep their hopes of getting to a bowl game alive. Mason McKenzie threw for nearly 300 yards and the Eagles defense held the Panthers to 21 points to hand them their second straight loss after a 5-0 start. Can Boston College get a win on the road against Georgia Tech next Saturday?
11. Florida State (3-4, 1-3). Last week: 12
Florida State gave it everything that had and then some. They threw the kitchen sink at Miami and could not come up with a win against the No. 3 team in the country, losing in double overtime to the Hurricanes. The challenge for Mike Norvell is to get his team to not fall apart after a great effort against a talented team and that is what the bye week will be for.
10. Duke (4-2, 1-2). Last week: 8
What a difference two weeks makes. After starting 4-0, Duke has lost two in a row now and the latest was their rivalry game against North Carolina. The main problem again is that outside of Nate Sheppard, Duke cannot get much going on offense and their defense has also been disappointing. They have an ACC Championship rematch with Virginia next Friday night to get back on track.
9. Virginia (4-3, 2-2). Last week: 7
The same problems continue to plaque the Cavaliers. The offense has no consistency and can't get much going on the ground or through the air and the defense is not good enough to have those kinds of problems on offense. UVA looks to be eliminated from ACC Championship contention, barring a crazy run to end the season. They face Duke next Friday night.
8. Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2). Last week: 11
The Hokies shook off the back-to-back losses to Cal and Pitt to get a win over Georgia Tech on Saturday and they are now one win away from getting back to a bowl game. Ethan Grunkemeyer was great, Que'sean Brown had a terrific day, and the defense did just enough to take down Georgia Tech. A big test awaits Virginia Tech next Saturday vs Clemson.
7. Pittsburgh (5-2, 2-2). Last week: 6
When you lose to Boston College, that usually means you are dropping farther than this, but the state of the ACC does not allow it. The Panthers turned to another quarterback today, hoping for better results, but the result was a six-point loss to the Eagles. Without Mason Heintschel, this Pitt team does not look the same and next up is a road trip to Miami.
6. Louisville (4-3, 3-2). Last week: 5
Louisville did not play their best game on the road against Syracuse, but the Cardinals got 310 yards through the air from Lincoln Keinholz and the defense forced three turnovers to beat the Orange. A bye week awaits Louisville in week eight.
5. North Carolina (4-2, 2-1). Last week: 9
North Carolina is in the thick of the ACC race after their win over Duke. The Tar Heels got out to a lead, much like they did against Clemson, but this time they were able to rally when Duke punched back and Bill Belichick and UNC have a path to competing for a spot to get to Charlotte. Can they get a home win against Syracuse next week?
4. Clemson (4-2, 2-1). Last week: 4
Clemson had a virtual bye week against Charleston Southern this week and the Tigers rolled to a 37-0 win. A very important home game against Virginia Tech next Saturday is next for Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
3. SMU (5-1, 3-1). Last week: 3
It was not pretty all the time, but SMU scored a major ACC win over Virginia. Kevin Jennings threw for 246 and the Mustangs ran the ball very well. The defense also did what they needed to against a poor UVA offense and Rhett Lashlee's team is still in position to make it to Charlotte. A revenge game against Cal is coming up next Saturday.
2. Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1). Last week: 2
Keep doubting Wake Forest at your own peril, but the Demon Deacons continue to roll. Navigating a West Coast trip is never easy (hello Virginia Tech), but there was no doubt about who was the better team on Saturday night between Wake and Cal. A bye week is coming up before the important final stretch of the season.
1. Miami (6-0, 4-0). Last week: 1
Miami had to sweat it out into double overtime against Florida State, including two Hail Mary attempts, but the Hurricanes won. It was a great game for Malachi Toney and first-year running back Javian Mallory, but the defense and quarterback Darian Mensah had their worst games of the season, but they still won. Miami hosts a struggling Pitt team next week.
Add us as a preferred source on Google