ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 8 of college football

The latest ACC Power Rankings are here following Week 8 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 8 of the college football season.

1. Miami (+1)

The Hurricanes vaulted back up to the top spot in the ACC with their win over Louisville. The shootout 52-45 win was the latest in close calls for Miami.

After narrowly beating Cal and Virginia Tech in their last two games, Miami didn’t make things easy this time. Still, Mario Cristobal and crew are still undefeated as we get closer to November.

2. Clemson (-1)

Clemson won its sixth game in a row but moved down one spot in the ACC rankings, per Massey. At this rate, Miami and Clemson might be interchangeable the way both teams are playing.

Cade Klubnik had another solid outing, throwing for 308 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Phil Mafah added 78 yards and two scores on the ground in a 48-31 win over Virginia.

3. SMU (+1)

SMU dominated Stanford on Saturday, winning 40-10 on the road. Kevin Jennings threw for 322 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.

Sitting at 6-1, there’s a lot of attention on Miami and Clemson at the top but there should be respect given to Rhett Lashlee’s crew. SMU is still undefeated in the ACC and doesn’t play Miami or Clemson in the regular season.

4. Pittsburgh (-1)

Pitt had a bye week following the win over Cal the week prior. Now, all attention turns to Thursday night when Syracuse comes to town.

Still undefeated, Pitt is in the same boat as SMU where they are the teams that are saying “what about us?” If the Panthers come away with another win, we might have to look closer at the great job Pat Narduzzi is doing this year.

5. Louisville

Miami did just enough to get by Louisvolle in this one. Despite being 4-3, the Cardinals did not drop in the ACC rankings.

Tyler Shough had a heck of a game, throwing for 342 yards and four touchdowns. But it was not enough in the shootout loss. Louisville hits the road against Boston College on Friday night.

6. Duke (+1)

Duke improved to 6-1 on the season by beating Florida State 23-16 Friday night. It wasn’t a good night on offense though.

Maalik Murphy was 12 of 24 passing for 70 yards and Star Thomas led the way on the ground with 88 yards and a score. Still, this team is bowl eligible under Manny Diaz. Still quite the year for this ACC squad!

7. Georgia Tech (-1)

It was a tough loss for Georgia Tech, 31-13 to Notre Dame, on Friday night. The Yellowjackets actually had a 7-0 lead after the first quarter.

The wheels came off though as GT fell to 5-3 on the season. They also dropped a spot in the ACC rankings this week. Next up, they’ll go on the road to take on Virginia Tech Saturday.

8. Syracuse

Syracuse had a week off following the win over NC State. Now, the Orange will hit the road to take on Pittsburgh Thursday night, looking to hand the Panthers their first loss.

One more win and Fran Brown will be bowl eligible in his first season as head coach. This is also a manageable schedule until the finale against Miami on November 30th.

9. Virginia Tech (+3)

The Hokies pushed the winning streak to two to improve to 4-3 after a 42-21 win over Boston College in ACC play. It was a dominant display on the ground for VT.

Kyron Drones threw for 164 yards and a touchdown, but ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns. The story was Bhayshul Tuten though. He had 18 carries for 266 yards and three touchdowns.

10. Boston College (-1)

Speaking of Boston College, the Eagles ran into a buzz and couldn’t stop the run against the Hokies. They couldn’t keep up either.

Thomas Castellanos played fine though, throwing for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Boston College will continue ACC play with a game Friday night against Louisville.

ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 8

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

Cal lost by a point to NC State but still stayed ahead of the Wolfpack. But, the Golden Bears dropped out of the Top 10 in the ACC and were the biggest drop of the weekend.