MY NEW ACC POWER RANKINGS

NOTRE DAME GIVES SYRACUSE REALITY CHECK, PITT CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

Not everyone was a big fan of the uniforms Notre Dame wore on Saturday, but it was hard not to appreciate the way they played. Syracuse came to Yankee Stadium with big hopes of pulling off a historic upset, but they limped out of the Bronx with a 36-3 loss.

That result, coupled with Clemson’s comfortable home victory over Duke made life at the top of this week’s power rankings pretty boring. Those two squads have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. It’s no surprise both teams have a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff.

That doesn’t mean things throughout the rest of the league were calm. There’s still a lot to be decided between now and the end of the season for the rest of the ACC. Credit Pittsburgh for handling their business at Wake Forest to clinch the Coastal Division. Of course, they get a date with Clemson in the ACC Title game for their efforts.

We start our rankings this week with a team that was hoping for a change of fortune after firing their head coach.

15: LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

Last week: Loss vs. NCSU, 52-10

Last rank: 15

Louisville’s administration might have hoped that axing Bobby Petrino might give their program an immediate lift, but that didn’t happen against NC State. Instead, it was more of the same against an angry Wolfpack squad. Malik Cunningham was a bright spot for the Cardinals. He mercifully put Javon Pass on the bench by throwing for 90 yards, but more importantly, rushing for 100. Perhaps he can be a building block for Jeff Brohm, or whoever Louisville gets to take over for Petrino.

14: NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Last week: Win vs. Western Carolina, 49-26

Last rank: 14

Teams at the bottom of the power rankings who win usually move up. However, defeating Western Carolina at home isn’t enough to move Larry Fedora’s team up the ACC ladder. The Tar Heels put this game out of sight on the ground. The run game hasn’t been great this year, but rushing for 296 yards on 50 carries was too much for the Catamounts. This wasn’t a program-changing win for Carolina by any stretch, but it should temporarily lift the spirit of fans in Chapel Hill.

13: WAKE FOREST DEMON DEACONS

Last week: Loss vs. Pittsburgh, 34-13

Last rank: 12

Dave Clawson’s team led this football game 10-6 at the half, but the wheels came off down the stretch. In the end, the Demon Deacon defense just couldn’t play with enough force to keep Pittsburgh’s offense at bay. Wake’s inability to run the football really cost them. This team will struggle to win anytime they only run for 79 yards on 28 carries. Part of that was due to Matt Colburn’s injury, but more of it was due to the offensive line’s inability to generate any push. That’s something Clawson and his staff needs to address in the offseason.

12: FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

Last week: Win vs. Boston College, 22-21

Last rank: 13

There haven’t been many bright spots for Seminoles fans this year, but they should enjoy knocking off Boston College. The Eagles weren’t at full strength due to A.J. Dillon’s injury, but this was still a good win for Willie Taggart and company. Limiting BC’s rushing attack to just 125 yards on 49 carries was the biggest win of the day for Florida State. Cam Akers was the best running back on the field Saturday. He ran for 110 yards on just 14 carries, including a 55-yard scamper. He did just enough to get his team a much-needed victory.

11: VIRGINIA TECH HOKIES

Last week: Loss vs. Miami, 38-14

Last rank: 10

Three turnovers really hurt the Hokies’ chances of hanging in against Miami. This is a team that started the ACC campaign with big dreams, but their season has quickly turned into a nightmare. Just Fuente’s offense just couldn’t get anything going against Mark Richt’s stingy defense. The Hokies only ran for 119 yards on 33 carries. The passing game wasn’t much better. Ryan Willis went 18 for 36 with two picks. The Virginia Tech defense played a decent game, but their offense didn’t give them a chance to knock off the Canes at home.

10: VIRGINIA CAVALIERS

Last week: Loss at Georgia Tech, 30-27

Last rank: 9

A few weeks ago it looked like Virginia might be primed to meet Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. Unfortunately for Bronco Mendenhall, his team hasn’t made the plays they’ve needed to down the stretch to reach the big game. That trend continued at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Cavaliers made it to overtime against the Yellow Jackets, but a missed field goal by Brian Delaney ended their hopes for a big win in Atlanta. In truth, Virginia easily could have won this game if their special teams hadn’t given up a 77-yard free kick return for a touchdown. It was a tough emotional loss for Bryce Perkins and company.

9: GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS

Last week: Win vs. Virginia, 30-27

Last rank: 11

Quietly, Paul Johnson’ team has managed to reel off four wins in a row. This win over Virginia wasn’t a work of art, but few efforts from Georgia Tech really are. The Yellow Jackets’ rushing defense deserves credit for shutting Virginia down. They only gave up 130 yards on the ground on 33 carries. They let Bryce Perkins get free a few times, but he wasn’t able to really turn the game with his legs. This win puts Johnson into a solid position to negotiate a new contract with Georgia Tech. Nothing is certain given the changes in Tech’s athletic department, but he’s done enough to earn a new deal.

8: MIAMI HURRICANES

Last week: Win at Virginia Tech, 38-14

Last rank: 8

The win at Virginia Tech was the ideal blueprint for success for this year’s Miami squad. Their defense swarmed all over the Hokies offense and forced three turnovers. That put the offense in great positions to succeed all afternoon. N’Kosi Perry and company didn’t produce a ton of explosive plays, but they were pretty efficient. He threw for 171 yards on 34 attempts with two touchdowns. More importantly, he didn’t turn the football over. Add it all up and it was a solid ACC win for Miami.

7: DUKE BLUE DEVILS

Last week: Loss at Clemson, 35-6

Last rank: 6

David Cutcliffe came out with a really solid game plan that allowed the Blue Devils to end the first quarter with a 6-0 win at Clemson. Unfortunately, talent won out as the game progressed. Duke simply didn’t have an answer for the Tigers’ star-studded defense. This was not a game that Daniel Jones will enjoy showing NFL scouts. He struggled to deal with a ton of pressure from the Tigers’ front. His final stat line of 24 for 43 for 158 yards isn’t going to do much for his draft status. It won’t cause it to plummet either. Jones didn’t have many chances to produce plays in Death Valley.

6: PITTSBURGH PANTHERS

Last week: Win at Wake Forest, 34-13

Last rank: 7

Pat Narduzzi’s team struggled for a half of football in Winston-Salem, but their talent won out in the end. As such, the Panthers have a date with Clemson in the ACC title game. Kenny Pickett really made the difference in this one. The Panthers’ usually proficient run game was held in check, but he torched the Demon Deacons’ secondary. Anytime he goes 22 for 30 for 316 yards and three touchdowns the Panthers are going to be really difficult to beat.

5: BOSTON COLLEGE EAGLES

Last week: Loss at Florida State, 22-21

Last rank: 5

Boston College tried to rely on A.J. Dillon to win this game, but the way he limped around the field was pretty indicative of how his offense looked. They handed him the ball an astounding 37 times, but he only was able to produce 116 yards against Florida State’s physical front. With Dillon shackled, the ball game came down to Anthony Brown’s ability to produce explosive plays through the air. He came up short for his team. He threw for 297 yards and a touchdown, but he only completed 50% of his passes and tossed two costly interceptions. Brown cost the Eagles a big win in Tallahassee.

4: SYRACUSE ORANGE

Last week: Loss vs. Notre Dame, 36-3

Last rank: 3

Taking on Notre Dame in Yankee Stadium seemed like a dream come true for Syracuse fans. Unfortunately, reality washed over the fan base like an avalanche once the game kicked off. The Orange were simply no match for Notre Dame. The difference at quarterback between the two sides was particularly striking. The Orange defense had zero answers for Ian Book. Neither Eric Dungey nor Tommy DeVito was able to get anything going on the other side of the ball. Dungey went off early due to injury, and DeVito was completely ineffective. 14 for 31 for just 105 yards and two interceptions is enough to get you beat each and every week.

3: NC STATE WOLFPACK

Last week: Win at Louisville, 52-10

Last rank: 4

Credit Dave Doeren’s team for bouncing back after a tough loss to Wake Forest. They capitalized on their long week by blowing out Louisville on the road. Ryan Finley, in particular, had a strong game for the Pack. He went 26 for 36 for 316 yards and four touchdowns. He doesn’t have the strongest arm in the world, but his accuracy is going to win him fans at the next level. This was certainly a game that Finley will want scouts to watch.

2: NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH

Last week: Win vs. Syracuse, 36-3

Last rank: 2

Notre Dame Fans are happy to thank Brandon Wimbush for his service, but this is Ian Book’s offense. He was devastatingly efficient against Syracuse. His final line of 23 of 37 for 292 yards and two touchdowns put this game out of reach pretty early for the Irish. Brian Kelly’s defense was also excellent on the afternoon. They limited the Orange attack to just 115 yards passing and 119 on the ground. They dominated the line of scrimmage from the minute the game kicked off. This game was a physical mismatch at the point of attack and Notre Dame took advantage.

1: CLEMSON TIGERS

Last week: Win vs. Duke, 35-6

Last rank: 1

Dabo Swinney’s team didn’t exactly sprint out of the gates against the Blue Devils, but they dominated down the stretch en route to a 35-6 victory. Special credit goes to Swinney’s defense. Their front seven made life miserable for Duke’s offense all day long. They held the Blue Devils offense to just 262 total yards on the night.

Offensively, Clemson spread the ball around in this one. Trevor Lawrence was solid, but not spectacular. He threw for 251 yards and a pair of scores, but he missed some throws. Interestingly, the offense ran the ball 36 times but no single player had more than nine carries. It’s pretty clear Swinney is protecting his team for bigger tests down the line. They did plenty to survive and advance in this one.