ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 5 of college football

The top three teams in last week’s ACC Power Rankings all had a bye this past weekend. Because of that, there wasn’t any movement at the top of this week’s poll. However, after the top three, there are plenty of changes.

Duke suffered its first loss of the season, as did Syracuse. It’s no surprise that both of those teams dropped.

Elsewhere, Clemson moved up following a win at Syracuse, as the Tigers look to climb their way back towards the top after dropping two ACC games early on this year. Here’s a look at the full ACC Power Rankings after Week 5 of the college football season:

1. Florida State Seminoles (4-0)

The top team in the ACC remains Florida State after the Seminoles earned impressive wins over LSU and Clemson during the first month of the season. FSU used its bye week to get healthy and clean up some things on both sides of the ball as the calendar flips to October.

With two strong wins already on its resume, the schedule gets a bit easier moving forward. Florida State has three straight home games against Virginia Tech, Syracuse and Duke as the Seminoles look to remain atop the ACC.

2. Miami Hurricanes (4-0)

Like Florida State, Miami also has a big-time out-of-conference win over a really good SEC team in Texas A&M. That impressive victory is a big reason why the Hurricanes are No. 2 in the ACC Power Rankings.

Miami hosts a struggling Georgia Tech team this weekend, before playing at North Carolina on Oct. 14. The game in Chapel Hill could decide who ends up in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte to close out the year.

3. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-0)

Drake Maye and the Tar Heels are also undefeated on the year and also have an out-of-conference win over an SEC team in South Carolina. North Carolina has continued to play well since its opening win over the Gamecocks, although it did get all it wanted from Appalachian State in Week 2.

North Carolina avoids Florida State on its schedule. However, it does have tough games remaining against Miami, Duke and Clemson. Up first, the Tar Heels host Syracuse this weekend.

4. Louisville Cardinals (5-0) (+1)

Jeff Brohm continues to impress in his first season back home at Louisville. The Cardinals earned a hard-fought 13-10 win at NC State this past weekend to remain undefeated.

Louisville has a very favorable schedule as it avoids Florida State, North Carolina and Clemson. The Cardinals have a real shot to reach the ACC title game in Brohm’s first year.

5. Duke Blue Devils (4-1) (-1)

Duke was one stop away from securing one of the biggest wins in school history. Instead, the Blue Devils suffered a heartbreaking loss, and Riley Leonard got banged up in the process.

The good news for Duke is that its star quarterback’s injury isn’t season ending. The bad news is there’s not much experience behind him and Duke has upcoming games against NC State, Florida State and Louisville over the next month.

6. Clemson Tigers (3-2) (+1)

Dabo Swinney insists that Clemson is better than its record, and the Tigers certainly looked better than a 2-2 team on Saturday at Syracuse. The Tigers defense was dominant for much of the game, while quarterback Cade Klubnik continues to improve.

Clemson has some tough games still remaining on its schedule against Miami, Notre Dame and North Carolina. With that said, the Tigers have a chance to shoot up the rankings if they keep playing the way they did this past weekend.

7. Syracuse Orange (4-1) (-1)

The Orange got off to a 4-0 start, thanks in part to an easy schedule, before struggling in their toughest test so far this season against Clemson. Quarterback Garrett Shrader made a few costly mistakes, as did the defense with bad penalties and dropped interceptions.

The schedule stays tough for Syracuse, as the Orange have upcoming games against North Carolina and Florida State the next two weeks. Syracuse will need to play much better to avoid continuing to slip in the ACC Power Rankings.

8. Wake Forest (3-1) (+2)

The Demon Deacons moved up two spots in the ACC Power Rankings, despite having a bye week. That’s what happens when the two teams in front of you lose as it was a rough weekend for NC State and Georgia Tech.

Wake Forest has a chance to still have a solid season if it can play like the team that beat Vanderbilt in Week 2 and not the one that got blown out at home by Georgia Tech in Week 4. Wake Forest will certainly need to play well to have a shot at upsetting Clemson on Saturday.

9. NC State (3-2) (-1)

The Wolfpack had a strong showing defensively against an explosive Louisville offense, but Brennan Armstrong and the rest of the NC State offense continued to struggle. Because of that, NC State is making a change at quarterback and going with MJ Morris.

The sophomore is set to start for the Wolfpack on Saturday against Marshall. Morris has yet to play in a game this season, but he did account for eight touchdowns, with only one interception, in 2022.

10. Virginia Tech (2-3) (+3)

Virginia Tech had arguably its best win yet under head coach Brent Pry this past weekend. The Hokies blew out Pitt 38-21 and played well on both sides of the ball.

The win was much-needed for a Virginia Tech team that entered the game 4-11 in games under Pry, including 1-6 in the ACC. It will be a much tougher task for Virginia Tech to win at Florida State this weekend.

11. Georgia Tech (2-3) (-2)

Arguably the most disappointing team in the ACC this past weekend was Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets appeared to have momentum following a two-touchdown win at Wake Forest.

However, it quickly went away with an embarrassing double-digit home loss to Bowling Green. Georgia Tech will look to get back on track this weekend at Miami against a Hurricanes team that is off to an excellent start to the season.

12. Pitt (1-4) (-1)

Pitt continues to head in the wrong direction after getting blown out by Virginia Tech. The Panthers are now 0-4 against FBS teams on the season, with their lone win all year coming against Wofford.

Pat Narduzzi was optimistic about his team coming into the season, but it has been a disastrous start for Pitt. The Panthers will look to get back on track during their bye this weekend, before hosting Louisville on Oct. 14.

13. Boston College (2-3) (-1)

The Eagles dropped a spot, despite picking up an ugly win against Virginia over the weekend. BC trailed 21-7 at the half but battled back and found a way to get the job done.

Still, it was a less than inspiring performance, and it’s hard to be optimistic about Boston College moving forward. BC has back-to-back road games at Army and at Georgia Tech up next.

14. Virginia (0-5)

The Cavaliers continue to come up just short. As mentioned, Virginia held a two-touchdown lead over Boston College this past weekend, before suffering another tough loss.

Virginia remains winless and is now 3-12 under Tony Elliott through his first 15 games. The Cavaliers will look for their first win of the season on Saturday against William & Mary.

The fact that the top three teams in the ACC were all off last weekend means that all three are in action this week. It will be interesting to see if there are any upsets or if the top of the league can hold serve.