MY NEW ACC POWER RANKINGS FOR WEEK 8

MIAMI UPSET, CLEMSON-NC STATE SHOWDOWN ON TAP

Five ACC teams enjoyed an open week, but there was a big loss by Miami against Virginia that sees a ripple effect at the top of the ACC power rankings.

This wasn’t a weekend of high-profile matchups around the ACC with five off, including Clemson and NC State in advance of this weekend’s game, but quite a few teams ended up playing more competitive games than expected. Often, avoiding upsets during weeks like these makes the difference between magical seasons and ordinary ones.

Credit Notre Dame for keeping their College Football Playoff hopes alive against Pittsburgh. It wasn’t pretty for Brian Kelly’s squad, but they managed to scrape by with an important home win. Given Georgia’s hideous performance at Baton Rouge, it’s possible the Fighting Irish are one of college football’s top four teams at the moment.

Not everyone in the league was so lucky. Miami, in particular, will be kicking themselves for a narrow loss to Virginia. It could be the game that costs the Hurricanes a shot at an ACC Title game appearance.

Without a doubt, let’s dive right into this week’s rankings. We start with a team that’s getting all too comfortable in the ACC basement.

15: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

LAST WEEK: LOSS VS. VIRGINIA TECH, 22-19

LAST RANK: 15

In all fairness, this was one of Carolina’s best performances of the season. They had a real shot to upset Virginia Tech at home. Unfortunately for fans in Chapel Hill, they couldn’t make the plays down the stretch required to knock off the Hokies. The silver lining for the Tar Heels was the breakout performance from Michael Carter on the ground. He racked up 165 yards on 18 carries against a pretty talented defense. It’s possible he can help this team move up if they stick with him at running back. Time will tell if this is a fluke or a trend for the sophomore running back.

14: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

LAST WEEK: LOSS AT BOSTON COLLEGE, 38-20

LAST RANK: 14

We flirted with the idea of dropping the Cardinals to the No. 15 slot, but they did manage to keep it close for a half against Boston College. Bobby Petrino isn’t into moral victories, but this wasn’t an awful performance by his team. Louisville continues to put games into Jawon Pass’ hands, and he continues to prove incapable of leading them to wins. Going 17 for 31 for 170 yards and an interception isn’t going to help this team beat anyone in the ACC. At some point, Petrino needs to try something different.

13: WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

LAST WEEK: BYE

LAST RANK: 13

The bye came at a good time for the Demon Deacons. They desperately need to revamp their defensive scheme. Hopefully, for fans in Winston-Salem, the off week gave Dave Clawson and company an opportunity to figure something out on that side of the ball. We’ll find out next week when they take on Florida State.

12: GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

LAST WEEK: Loss vs. Duke, 28-14

LAST RANK: 10

Georgia Tech’s path to offensive success is pretty simple. If they can hammer opponents on the ground they can beat anyone in the ACC. When they can’t, they don’t stand much of a chance. Somewhat surprisingly, the triple option wasn’t able to do much against Duke’s defense. Paul Johnson’s team rushed for 229 yards on the afternoon, but they only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Expect the heat to get turned up on Johnson after this lackluster performance at home.

11: PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

LAST WEEK: Loss at Notre Dame, 19-14

LAST RANK: 11

Pittsburgh continues to be one of the most confusing teams in the ACC. The narrow loss to Notre Dame represented a decent effort by the Panthers, but it has to go down as a missed opportunity for Pat Narduzzi’s team. The start of the day for Pitt was their defense. They forced Ian Book into two costly interceptions that almost helped them spring a big upset. Unfortunately, their offense didn’t give them enough help. Kenny Pickett only managed 126 yards through the air. That made it possible for the Irish to steal the win late.

10: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

LAST WEEK: Win vs. Miami, 16-13

LAST RANK: 12

Bronco Mendenhall deserves some consideration for ACC Coach of the Year. The Cavaliers aren’t blowing anyone away, but their 4-2 record represents significant progress for the Virginia program. They didn’t blow Miami away, but they took advantage of the Hurricanes’ mistakes and got a really important ACC win. The victory came down to the defense. Forcing three interceptions allowed them to overcome Bryce Perkins’ rough offensive day. Virginia was a little bit lucky, but their big win still allows them to move up two spots this week.

9: FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 9

Willie Taggart and company have a lot to work on. Seminole fans hope they got a chance to do a lot of coaching this week. If they can’t beat Wake Forest next week, there’s going to be even more consternation in Tallahassee.

8: SYRACUSE ORANGE

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 8

The Orange are licking their wounds after losing two straight games. Fortunately, they enjoyed a week off to get ready to take on North Carolina next weekend. If Syracuse doesn’t get to 5-2 after their game with the Tar Heels it’ll be cause for serious concern.

7: BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

LAST WEEK: Win vs. Louisville, 38-20

LAST RANK: 7

Anytime Boston College wins an ACC game without A.J. Dillon it qualifies as a success. Louisville isn’t a top-notch opponent, but the Eagles deserve credit for handling their business at home. Neither David Bailey nor Ben Gines is going to remind anyone of Dillon, but they were productive against the Cardinals defense. Both backs went over 100 yards and that allowed Anthony Brown a lot of time to attack the opposing secondary. That’s a solid blueprint for Boston College moving forward.

6: DUKE BLUE DEVILS

LAST WEEK: Win at Georgia Tech, 28-14

LAST RANK: 6

Winning at Georgia Tech isn’t going to shoot the Blue Devils into the top 25, but it’s a solid win for David Cutcliffe and company. In particular, limiting the Yellow Jackets to just 14 points is a solid accomplishment for an underappreciated Duke defense. On the offensive side of the ball, Daniel Jones continues to put solid film on tape for NFL scouts. This wasn’t his best day, but going 17 for 27 for 206 yards and three touchdowns was good enough to get his team an important ACC win. Duke quietly continues to rack up wins; competitors cannot afford to take this team lightly.

5: MIAMI HURRICANES

LAST WEEK: Loss at Virginia, 16-13

LAST RANK: 4

Mark Richt and company are going to be kicking themselves after dropping a tight game at Virginia. It’s likely going to end up costing them any chance of winning the ACC this season. Even worse, the debacle in Charlottesville has sparked a quarterback controversy in South Florida. N’Kosi Perry was awful in this game. He was understandably benched after throwing two picks on six throws. Malik Rosier wasn’t much better. Finding the right guy this week in practice is going to be a huge challenge for the Hurricanes.

4: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

LAST WEEK: Win at North Carolina, 22-19

LAST RANK: 5

Let’s be clear, this was not a banner performance for the Hokies. They have too much talent to be pressed by a team like North Carolina. Even so, winning on the road in the ACC can be tricky. Credit Justin Fuente’s squad for escaping Chapel Hill with a victory. The real issue for the Hokies is that they are putting too much pressure on Ryan Willis. He led the team in passing and rushing against Carolina’s mediocre defense. The offense has to find a more reliable running back if they’re going to beat better opponents down the stretch.

3: NC STATE WOLFPACK

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 3

Dave Doeren’s team holds at No. 3 this week pretty comfortably. Virginia Tech’s narrow win over North Carolina isn’t enough to get them near the Wolfpack. Next week is obviously the huge matchup for NC State. They travel to Clemson with a massive chance to pull off a program-changing upset. It also represents a chance for Ryan Finley to really raise his stock with NFL scouts.

2: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

LAST WEEK: Win vs. Pittsburgh, 19-14

LAST RANK: 2

This was an ugly win for Brian Kelly’s team. Pittsburgh’s defense played them tough, but it has to be said that Ian Book really had a bad game for the Irish. He made the plays he needed to late in the fourth quarter, but he can’t afford to play this poorly against better competition. Notre Dame’s inability to run the ball against the Panthers has to be concerning for the coaching staff. 38 carries for 80 yards is an ugly stat line. Look for the Irish offensive line to get a lot of aggressive coaching from Kelly this week.

1: CLEMSON TIGERS

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 1

The Tigers headed into the bye with plenty of momentum after crushing Wake Forest on the road. Dabo Swinney’s full attention is on NC State now though. He realizes the challenges the Wolfpack can pose his team. Fortunately, his team also got a bye to prepare for the massive ACC showdown. Expect Clemson’s passionate fan base to be wound up for the game on Saturday.