MY NEW ACC POWER RANKINGS:

CLEMSON DOMINATES NC STATE, VIRGINIA SURPRISES

Clemson routed NC State in a battle of unbeatens with the Tigers prevailing and resulting in a new No. 2 team in the ACC power rankings.

Quite a few ACC teams took the week off, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t learn a lot about the conference in Week 8. The obvious takeaway is that Clemson erased any doubts over whether or not they’re the class of the ACC. Blowing out NC State 41-7 silenced any doubters.

The other big winner of the weekend was Virginia. They continue to play better and better football every week. Winning at Duke doesn’t sound like a great win, but it represents a massive step forward for Bronco Mendenhall’s program. The Cavaliers aren’t ACC title contenders, but they may be closer to the top of the standings than anyone envisioned when the season kicked off.

Of course, whenever there are winners there are losers as well. NC State fans have to be disappointed at their team’s failure to show up at Clemson. It’s not that anyone really expected them to win in such a tough environment, but Wolfpack fans hoped their team could keep it close. That didn’t happen.

We’ll start our power rankings with a team that can’t manage to make their way out of the basement. Not even double overtime could save Larry Fedora this week.

15: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

LAST WEEK: Loss at Syracuse, 40-37

LAST RANK: 15

There are definitely signs of life for Larry Fedora’s program. They came within a play or two of knocking off Syracuse on Saturday. Unfortunately for Tar Heel fans, they came up short once again. The better news for North Carolina is they may have finally found a quarterback they can stick with. Nathan Elliott enjoyed a solid game against the Orange defense. He threw for 352 yards and more importantly, didn’t throw an interception. He may give Fedora and company an offensive weapon to build around if they’ve given the time to do so.

14: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 14

The good news for Bobby Petrino and company is that they got a week off to rest. The better news is that they host Wake Forest next weekend. It’s entirely possible they’ll be favored at home against the Demon Deacons. The game might even be a must-win for the Cardinals. If they lose to Wake Forest, look for Petrino’s name to show up on a lot of coaching hot seat lists.

13: WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

LAST WEEK: Loss at Florida State, 38-17

LAST RANK: 13

Wake Forest raced out to a 10-0 lead in Tallahassee and it looked like they might be able to add to Florida State’s misery. Then the Seminoles front took over and stifled anything Sam Hartman’s offense wanted to get done. Dave Clawson’s team has to achieve more offensive balance in the future. They forced Hartman to throw the ball 46 times before giving way to Jamie Newman. That’s not a formula for success. Look for the Deacons to go back to the ground game next weekend at Louisville.

12: PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 11

The Panthers got an extra week to stew over their missed opportunity at Notre Dame. Hopefully, they put the time to good use. Next week they host Duke in what is going to be a really important ACC contest for both sides. Look for Pittsburgh to try to dominate the Blue Devils on the ground and force Daniel Jones into mistakes. They’ll study tape of Virginia’s win at Duke Saturday in great detail.

11: GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 10

Georgia Tech needed a bye to get healthy ahead of a massive trip to Virginia Tech on Thursday night. If Paul Johnson’s team has any chance to pull off the upset they’ll need to run the football early and often. They’ll also need to avoid putting the ball on the ground. The Yellow Jackets will need to play a perfect game to leave Lane Stadium with a victory.

10: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

LAST WEEK: Win at Duke, 28-14

LAST RANK: 12

The Cavaliers made a pretty interesting decision against Duke that really caused David Cutcliffe’s offense fits. They clearly made a choice to make Daniel Jones beat them through the air. Limiting Duke to just 58 yards rushing was crucial for Virginia in their big win. On the offensive side of the ball, it was business as usual. Bryce Perkins continued to shoulder a heavy load and he did just enough to get his team a win. This wasn’t a work of art, but it was a big win for the Virginia program.

9: FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

LAST WEEK: Win vs. Wake Forest, 38-17

LAST RANK: 9

The ‘Noles didn’t look good early against Wake, but they ended up winning this game comfortably. That represents solid progress for Willie Taggart and his coaching staff. The most important takeaway from Florida State is just how good Deondre Francois can be when he’s protected. He lit the Deacons’ secondary up for 353 yards and two touchdowns. He looked like an NFL quarterback in this game. It’s amazing what a little bit of protection can do.

8: SYRACUSE ORANGE

LAST WEEK: Win vs. North Carolina, 40-37

LAST RANK: 8

Syracuse narrowly avoided tumbling down this list. If they would’ve fallen to North Carolina, at home, they would’ve dropped like a stone. Fortunately for Dino Babers, his team made just enough plays to eke out a victory. The Orange may well had a quarterback controversy on their hands. Eric Dungey wasn’t terrible in this one, but Tommy DeVito clearly game his team a spark. Look for him to get serious consideration to replace Dungey as the starter under center.

7: DUKE BLUE DEVILS

LAST WEEK: Loss vs. Virginia, 28-14

LAST RANK: 6

Duke has subtly relied on its ability to run the ball effectively all season long. That didn’t happen against Virginia. Whenever Daniel Jones leads the Blue Devils in rushing it’s going to be tough for their offense to be efficient. In fairness, Duke might have survived Virginia’s upset bid without two turnovers from Jones. He really struggled through the air. Going 22 for 40 for 240 yards and an interception didn’t endear him to NFL scouts in attendance. It also didn’t help his team beat Virginia.

6: BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

Last week: Bye

Last rank: 7

The Eagles went into their bye feeling good coming off a decisive win against Louisville. They’ll need to have used the week wisely if they’re going to stay hot. Miami comes to town next weekend. The game is a huge opportunity for Boston College to prove they belong in the top 25. If they’re going to hold serve at home, A.J. Dillon will need to have a big game. He’s more than capable of exploding, and the week off could be just what he needs to sting the Hurricanes.

5: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 5

Virginia Tech probably needs a bye more than anyone else in the ACC. It gave Josh Jackson another week to heal and it also provided Justin Fuente more time to get Ryan Willis comfortable with the offense. The Hokies do have a short week this week before hosting Georgia Tech on Thursday night. Playing against the triple option is never easy. The home team will be a solid favorite, but Willis and the offense will need to play efficient football to get past the Jackets.

4: MIAMI HURRICANES

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 4

The Hurricanes will look to rebound from last weekend’s disappointing loss to Virginia by taking their frustrations out on Boston College Friday night. It should be an interesting atmosphere in the Heights. Mark Richt’s team will need to show some maturity to get the win. They also will need to settle on a quarterback. No one knows whether or not Richt is leaning towards N’Kosi Perry or Malik Rosier at the moment. The bye week should have been used to sharpen both players’ skills. One of the two signal callers will need to emerge if Miami is going to be a factor down the stretch.

3: NC STATE WOLFPACK

LAST WEEK: Loss at Clemson, 41-7

LAST RANK: 3

Asking the Wolfpack to go down to Clemson and knock off the Tigers was unreasonable. Asking them to play a reasonably close ballgame was not. NC State fans have to be disappointed with their team’s inability to play well on the big stage. In fairness, NC State probably isn’t as bad as it looked on Saturday. The real loser was quarterback Ryan Finley. His NFL stock took a real hit after finishing the game with a QBR of just 15.6. Finley’s arm strength didn’t look up to the task against the Tigers secondary. It’s something scouts will be watching closely down the stretch.

2: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

LAST WEEK: Bye

LAST RANK: 2

The Fighting Irish got to kick their feet up and watch other teams try to catch up with them in the race for a College Football Playoff berth this week. Hopefully, they spent some time preparing for Navy’s option attack as well. Notre Dame will play a road game against the Midshipmen next week, but it’s actually in San Diego. That represents a lot of travel for Brian Kelly’s team, but it’s a game they should win comfortably. Next week will be a test of focus and preparation for the Irish.

1: CLEMSON TIGERS

LAST WEEK: Win vs. NC State, 41-7

LAST RANK: 1

Dabo Swinney’s team accepted the challenge of blowing upstart NC State off the field on Saturday. It was an impressive effort by a team that’s looked a little bored at times this year. The most encouraging news for the Tigers is that they can win a game where their running game isn’t firing on all cylinders. Clemson only managed 91 yards on 32 carries against NC State’s physical defense. As a result, Trevor Lawrence had arguably his best game as a collegiate. He looked like a far superior NFL prospect than Ryan Finley did in this game. Look for him to be a highly coveted prospect in three years when he’s actually eligible.