ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 9 of college football

The race to the ACC Championship Game is becoming more clear after another week of conference action. North Carolina and Duke both dropped their second conference games of the year over the weekend, while Louisville got back on track with an impressive victory over the Blue Devils.

Florida State appears headed to Charlotte as the Seminoles are the only unbeaten team in ACC play at 6-0. However, Louisville and Virginia Tech aren’t far behind with only one loss each.

There are also six two-loss teams still in the mix, hoping to get a shot in the ACC title game. At the bottom of the league, Clemson, Wake Forest and Syracuse all have four conference losses. Here’s the updated ACC Power Rankings after Week 9 of college football:

1. Florida State (8-0)

Florida State just continues to roll. The Seminoles blasted Wake Forest 41-16 on Saturday to improve to 8-0 (6-0). FSU has won its last four games by three scores or more and appears to be playing its best football coming down the stretch.

There are a couple of potentially tough games coming up against Miami and Florida, but FSU is in a good spot to reach the College Football Playoff. The Seminoles have lived up to the lofty preseason expectations thus far.

2. Louisville (7-1) (+3)

The Cardinals bounced back from a tough loss to Pitt a couple of weeks ago by dominating Duke on Saturday. Jawhar Jordan rushed for 163 yards and two touchdowns to lead the offense, while the defense completely shut down Riley Leonard and the Blue Devils.

The loss to Pitt is tough to explain, particularly after the Panthers got destroyed by Notre Dame over the weekend. But overall, it’s hard to not be impressed by what Jeff Brohm and the Cardinals are doing.

3. Miami (6-2) (-1)

The Hurricanes needed overtime to beat a Virginia team that has struggled for most of the year, which led to them dropping a spot in the rankings. Tyler Van Dyke returned to action after missing the Clemson game but struggled, tossing a pair of interceptions.

Still, Miami was able to earn a much-needed victory and stay alive in the ACC title race. Up next, the Hurricanes play at NC State on Saturday.

4. North Carolina (6-2) (-1)

North Carolina has now dropped back-to-back games after falling to Georgia Tech over the weekend. At one point, the Tar Heels appeared to be a sleeper team to reach the College Football Playoff.

Now, they have an outside shot of even making it to the ACC Championship Game. North Carolina will attempt to get back on track this weekend against Campbell, before upcoming matchups with rivals Duke, Clemson and NC State.

5. Duke (5-3) (-1)

Duke quarterback Riley Leonard attempted to play against Louisville but was clearly less than 100 percent. With Leonard banged up, the Blue Devils really struggled offensively.

Duke managed only 202 total yards against the Cardinals and was 2-for-12 on third downs. If Duke is going to close out the year on a high note, it needs Riley healthy and to get better play from the quarterback position. Duke has games remaining against Wake Forest, North Carolina, Virginia and Pitt.

6. Virginia Tech (4-4) (+1)

Virginia Tech has turned its season around in impressive fashion after an ugly start to the year. The Hokies improved to 3-1 in their past four games by blowing out Syracuse this past Saturday.

The only loss during the recent run of recent success came at Florida State earlier this month. After going 1-3 in nonconference action, Virginia Tech is now 3-1 in the ACC. The Hokies have a huge game at Louisville on Saturday.

7. NC State (5-3) (+2)

Dave Doeren challenged his team to perform better following the bye week after a rough outing against Duke. His club responded, beating Clemson to improve to 4-4 on the year.

The Wolfpack defense — led by linebacker Payton Wilson — held Clemson’s offense in check. Freshman KC Concepcion also continues to make huge plays for NC State. The Wolfpack have a chance to put a winning streak together beginning Saturday against Miami.

8. Clemson (4-4) (-2)

The Tigers continue to win the yardage battle but lose games. NC State managed only 202 yards of offense against Clemson, yet still built a 24-7 lead and held on for a 24-17 win.

Clemson has now lost back-to-back games, and the schedule doesn’t get any easier with Notre Dame coming to town next. The Tigers just can’t seem to get out of their own way on the offensive side of the ball.

9. Georgia Tech (4-4) (+3)

It’s hard to explain Georgia Tech’s season. The Yellow Jackets have struggled mightily at times, but have also played with some of the top teams in the ACC.

This past weekend, Georgia Tech beat North Carolina 46-42, just a couple of weekends after stunning Miami. The Yellow Jackets have games coming up at Virginia and at Clemson the next two weeks.

10. Wake Forest (4-4) (-2)

The brutal stretch of the season continued for Wake Forest on Saturday as the Demon Deacons had to face one of the top teams in the country in Florida State. Wake had played FSU well in recent years, prior to Saturday.

Wake is now 1-4 in the ACC, with games remaining against Duke, NC State and Syracuse. With an out of conference matchup against Notre Dame also remaining, it’s going to be hard for the Demon Deacons to reach a bowl this year.

11. Syracuse (4-4) (-1)

The 4-0 start seems like a long time ago at this point after Syracuse dropped its fourth consecutive game over the weekend. The schedule has been tough with matchups against Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech the last four games, but the disappointing thing for the Orange is that none of the games have been particularly close.

The second half of the ACC schedule is much more manageable for Syracuse. Dino Babers and company will look to get on track, beginning Saturday against Boston College.

12. Boston College (4-4) (-1)

While Syracuse has lost four straight games, Boston College has won four in a row after beating UConn over the weekend. It has been a very easy schedule for Jeff Hafley‘s club, but still, winning four games in a row is an accomplishment.

Boston College closes out the season with four straight ACC games. The Eagles have a chance to become bowl eligible with a win at Syracuse on Saturday.

13. Virginia (2-6)

Tony Elliott‘s team nearly pulled off another huge upset over the weekend, before falling to Miami in overtime. It was fair to wonder if Virginia would be able to play well for a second straight week after earning a top-10 road win over North Carolina, and the Cavaliers did, even in the loss.

Virginia is only 2-6 (1-3), but four of its six losses are by three points or less. The Cavaliers need to start winning some of these close games, but Elliott appears to have the program headed in the right direction.

14. Pitt (2-6)

Pitt suffered a humiliating 58-7 loss to Notre Dame to fall to 2-6 on the year. The Panthers didn’t get on the board until the fourth quarter.

Pat Narduzzi was optimistic about his team heading into the year, but outside of a surprising win over Louisville, Pitt has really struggled from the start. Up next, the Panthers play undefeated Florida State.

Week 10 should be another fun week in the ACC. Clemson hosts Notre Dame as it looks to get on track, while Virginia Tech at Louisville and Miami at NC State are games that are huge for the ACC standings. It will also be interesting to see if Pitt can put up much of a fight against an undefeated FSU team. The last month of the season should be a lot of fun, beginning this weekend.