ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 6 of college football

The latest ACC Power Rankings are here following Week 6 of college football and a full slate of action, courtesy of the On3 Massey Ratings.

The On3 Massey Ratings – which were officially used during the BCS era and have generated high school sports team rankings since 1995 – rank sports teams by analyzing game outcomes, strength of schedule, and margin of victory.

Let’s dive into the ACC Power Rankings following Week 6 of the college football season.

1. Miami

The Hurricanes remained at the top of the ACC with a 39-38 win over Cal. It came down to the end once again, but the ‘Canes remained unbeaten.

Cam Ward led a 25-point comeback and had 437 yards through the air, two touchdowns and one interception. This is a much needed bye week now as Miami preps for the second half of the season.

2. Clemson

The Tigers stayed at No. 2 in the ACC and actually moved back into the top 10 of the AP Poll. Four wins in a row and Dabo Swinney and crew are back!

All the way back? It remains to be seen. But a 29-13 win over Florida State was timely. Cade Klubnik threw for 235 yards and two touchdowns while Phil Mafah ran 25 times for 154 yards.

3. Pittsburgh (+1)

Pittsburgh broke a tie in the fourth quarter and won 34-24 over North Carolina on the road. Pat Narduzzi’s crew is perfect in the ACC and perfect overall at 5-0.

It might be time to pay more attention to the Panthers, who are No. 22 in the latest AP Poll. Eli Holstein’s been very solid at QB, throwing for 381 yards, three touchdowns and a pick in the win. He also ran for 76 yards and another score.

4. SMU (+1)

SMU hopped over Louisville in this week’s ACC rankings and are now 5-1 halfway through the season. The good news for the Mustangs? They’re undefeated in ACC play, with the lone loss coming out of conference to BYU.

Kevin Jennings was unreal in this one, throwing for 281 yards. But it was the difference he made on the ground: 10 carries, 113 yards and one touchdown.

5. Louisville (-2)

The Cardinals dropped their second straight game after losing to SMU. This game was tied going into the fourth quarter, but they couldn’t score.

This is still a top five team in the ACC, but there are questions. The stats say Louisville had a great chance to win, or should’ve won, this game. They’ll have a chance to bounce back at Virginia next week.

6. Duke

Despite dropping its first game of the season, Duke did not move in the ACC rankings. At 5-1, Manny Diaz certainly pushed all of the right buttons in the first half of the season.

Maalik Murphy threw two touchdowns, but the run game didn’t quite get going. Star Thomas led the way with 14 carries for 48 yards.

7. Georgia Tech (+2)

Speaking of Duke losses, Georgia Tech won that game 24-14! Despite that, the Yellow Jackets only moved up two spots in the ACC, per the Massey Ratings.

Now at 4-2, Georgia Tech got back on the right foot. They’ll hit the road at North Carolina in a winnable game before hosting Notre Dame in the biggest game of the season the following week.

8. Virginia (+2)

The Cavaliers are quietly having a good season, now 4-1 following a win over Boston College. The 24-14 win saw a comeback in the fourth quarter.

Anthony Colandrea helped lead the 18-point charge in the final 15 minutes of the game. He finished with 179 passing and a touchdown. Jonas Sanker made it a two score game by recovering and returning a 40 yard fumble in the fourth quarter.

9. California (-2)

Cal is a fun team, don’t get us wrong, but the Golden Bears dropped two spots in the ACC rankings after this loss to Miami. They had it, they really did.

With College GameDay present, it looked like Cal had all the magic. Then, Miami scored 21 points in the fourth quarter. An absolute heartbreaker.

10. Boston College (-2)

We mentioned Boston College before when discussing a 24-14 loss to Virginia. The Eagles fell two spots in this week’s ACC rankings.
BC fell to 4-2 on the season and Thomas Castellanos was uneven, throwing for 254 yards, two touchdowns but two interceptions. We’ll see how they rebound in a key game Thursday night at Virginia Tech.

ACC Power Rankings after Week 6

11. Syracuse (+2)
12. Virginia Tech (+2)
13. North Carolina (-1)
14. Florida State (+1)
15. NC State (-3)
16. Stanford
17. Wake Forest

Syracuse got back on the winning end of things with a thrilling 44-41 overtime win over previously ranked UNLV. It’s been a tough run for NC State as well, falling to 3-3 and losing quarterback Grayson McCall.