The Wolfpacker's ACC Power Rankings: Week 9

Clemson officially has the longest home winning streak in ACC history after its win over Syracuse, Virginia finally got into the conference win column after defeating Pittsburgh, and UNC widened its lead in the Coastal Division without playing a game.

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Every Tuesday, The Wolfpacker will rank each of the 14 ACC football programs using the past week’s results, the momentum around the respective programs and what we are hearing from around the conference to inform our decisions. 

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Here are our ACC Power rankings for week six of the college football season:

1) Clemson (8-0)

Last week’s result: A 27-21 win over Syracuse

As long as the Tigers do not drop their final two conference games of the year, Clemson has secured the Atlantic Division title once again. The offense struggled for the first three quarters of the game against Syracuse and turned the ball over 4 times.

After putting backup quarterback Cade Klubnik into the game, Clemson scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and won in large part thanks to 172 rushing yards by Will Shipley and a second-half shutout by the defense. The Tigers struggled at times but still look like a team poised to make a run at the playoffs.

2) Wake Forest (6-1)

Last week’s result: A 43-15 win over Boston College

Wake Forest continued its dominant stretch of this season, blowing out Boston College at home. While scoring 43 points and throwing for 5 touchdowns might be par for the course with quarterback Sam Hartman and the rest of the program’s offense, the Demon Deacons’ defensive effort was also extremely impressive Saturday.

3) Syracuse (6-1)

Last week’s result: A 27-21 loss to Clemson

Syracuse’s defense dominated four 3 quarters, but that was not enough. The offense failed to score a point in the fourth quarter, and a chaotic final drive fell short of the end zone. This was one of the biggest games in the Orange’s history with the top spot in the Atlantic Division on the line. Syracuse is still a very good team but just not quite as good as Clemson this year.

4) Florida State (4-3)

Last week’s result: Bye week

Florida State spent its bye week preparing for a home game against Georgia Tech.

5) NC State (5-2)

Last week’s result: Bye week

NC State has an excellent opportunity to bounce back this week coming out of its bye week with a Thursday night primetime ACC matchup against Virginia Tech at home.

6) North Carolina (6-1)

Last week’s result: Bye week

North Carolina spent last week on bye and likely spent the time off scheming to slow down Pittsburgh’s potent rushing attack this weekend.

7) Duke (5-3)

Last week’s result: A 45-21 win over Miami

After dropping consecutive ACC contests, Duke traveled to Miami and blew out the preseason Coastal Division favorites. The Blue Devils separated themselves in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Hurricanes 21-0. Four total touchdowns from quarterback Riley Leonard helped Duke pick up the win.

T-8) Pittsburgh (4-3) 

Last week’s result: A 24-10 loss to Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh could not find ways to score points Saturday night despite 129 rushing yards from Israel Abanikanda. The Panthers should be able to bounce back offensively against a subpar North Carolina defense this weekend, but slowing down Drake Maye is a tall task for any program.

T-8) Louisville (4-3)

Last week’s result: A 24-10 win over Pittsburgh

Louisville’s defense stepped up against Pittsburgh, intercepting 2 passes and holding the Panthers to just 2 scores. After an 0-3 start to conference play, the Cardinals have won consecutive ACC matchups.

10) Miami (3-4)

Last week’s result: A 45-21 loss to Duke

Going into the season, Miami’s quarterback situation was considered a strength of the team. Now, it’s a source of uncertainty. Both Jake Garcia and Tyler Van Dyke played under center for the Hurricanes, with the former throwing 3 interceptions and losing 2 fumbles. Miami obviously needs to improve its ball security if it hopes to finish the season strong.

11) Virginia Tech (2-5)

Last week’s result: Bye week

Virginia Tech travels to Raleigh this week for another challenging road test with NC State following its bye week.

12) Virginia (3-4)

Last week’s result: A 16-9 win over Georgia Tech

It was not pretty, but Virginia finally picked up an ACC win over the weekend. The Cavaliers’ offense hinges entirely on how quarterback Brennan Armstrong plays that day, and he did enough to help score a pair of touchdowns. UVA’s defense was the star of the day, however, recording 8 sacks.

13) Boston College (2-5)

Last week’s result: A 43-15 loss to Wake Forest

Zay Flowers continued his All-ACC-caliber season with Boston College, but that was about the only positive takeaway from the loss. The Eagles’ leading rusher was Danny Longman— a placekicker who picked up 24 yards on one rush. Boston College also allowed 9 tackles for loss.  

14) Georgia Tech (3-4)

Last week’s result: A 16-9 loss to Virginia

After winning consecutive conference games following head coach Geoff Collins’ firing, Georgia Tech crashed back to earth on offense and only managed 206 total yards.