Rivals.com's ACC publishers get together each week to compile an ACC Power Rankings for the network. You will find those results below, but first we reveal how The Wolfpacker has them ranked, as of Oct. 20.
1. Pittsburgh (5-1, 2-0 ACC) — The Panthers now have complete control of the Coastal Division in the ACC, and a win Saturday at home against Clemson would be huge. Can quarterback Kenny Pickett, now being touted as a potential Heisman candidate, lead the prolific offense to scoring points against the best defense he will face this year?
If so, that'll be enough because Clemson cannot win a shootout.
The thorough domination, and particularly strong performance of Pittsburgh's defense, at Virginia Tech validated Pitt staying at No. 1 in our power rankings.
2. NC State (5-1, 2-0 ACC) — This was a tough call, but we had the Wolfpack jump Wake Forest in our power rankings.
Yes, the Demon Deacons are the last remaining unbeaten team in the ACC, but they have done so against the softest schedule of any team in the conference. Meanwhile, NC State's home win over Clemson remains the best win of any ACC team within league play, and the manner in which it pulled away from Boston College on the road was arguably as impressive as anything Wake Forest has done, although the Demon Deacons do have a strong road win at Virginia.
3. Wake Forest (6-0, 4-0 ACC) — You can validly rate the top three in any order, but there is no disputing who look like the three best teams in the ACC at the moment. Wake Forest had a bye, but it was not punished for not playing in our power rankings so much as NC State was rewarded.
The schedule is about to get much more challenging for Wake Forest, however. This Saturday's game at Army is no cakewalk. Army nearly beat Wisconsin this past weekend.
What the Deacons deserve tremendous credit for is likely entering its showdown against NC State on Nov. 13 with a 5-0 conference record, presuming it takes care of business against Duke. Doing what you are supposed to do in your schedule is not always easy.
4. Clemson (4-2, 3-1 ACC) — If Clemson had any kind of offense, any, it probably is at the top of the list right now because its defense is that good. In a way, the team reminds of the 2004 NC State squad that had the best defense in college football, but struggled offensively trying to replace potential future Hall of Famer Philip Rivers at quarterback and dealt with massive injuries on its offensive line.
The end result for NC State that year was that they did not make a bowl game despite having statistically the No. 1 defense in college football. Clemson looks like they should avoid that fate, at least, after winning three close games thus far at home against Georgia Tech and Boston College and on the road at Syracuse.
5. Virginia (5-2, 3-2 ACC) — Virginia has pulled off a poor man's version of Wake Forest. They have won three straight games against teams that you need to beat if you want to have a nice win-loss record.
It survived at Miami when a missed field goal by the Hurricanes as time expired allowed UVa to prevail. It needed a furious rally at Louisville to edge the Cards in the final minute, and then it trounced a reeling Duke team last weekend at home.
This Saturday's game at Georgia Tech is another in what has been a line of similar-type games, but then the schedule gets much more challenging after that. What the Cavs have going for them that some of the other peers in the conference do not? Quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who is Pickett's top challenger at the moment for first-team All-ACC quarterback.
6. Boston College (4-2, 0-2 ACC) — This is admittedly a leap of faith putting the Eagles this high after losing by about four touchdowns to NC State, but anyone who watched that game knows the Eagles' self-destructed in the third quarter.
If BC can clean up some of the self-inflicted wounds, it has the ability to now go on a run, starting Saturday in what is a crucial game at Louisville.
7. Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-2 ACC) — We don't necessarily feel good about putting the Yellow Jackets here so much as they landed by default in this spot. The Yellow Jackets though have a crucial four-game stretch coming up that will determine if its bowling or not: at Virginia, hosting Virginia Tech, at Miami and hosting Boston College.
That's before ending the year at Notre Dame and hosting Georgia, the undisputed top team in college football at the moment.
8. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1 ACC) — The manner of which it was handled by Pittsburgh led to a drop of couple of spots in our rankings. Like Georgia Tech, the upcoming schedule offers opportunities that the Hokies simply must take advantage of: hosting Syracuse, at Georgia Tech, at Boston College, hosting Duke, at Miami and at Virginia.
9. Louisville (3-3, 1-2 ACC) — The Cards had a bye this past weekend before hosting Boston College Oct. 23 and then traveling to NC State and hosting Clemson in a tough three-game stretch.
If there is.a team that might be better than what our power rankings suggest, Louisville just could be that squad. It very easily could be 3-0 in the ACC at the moment, with its two losses coming at Wake Forest and home against Virginia, both of them very close games.
10. Florida State (2-4, 2-2 ACC) — The Noles are essentially having a two-week bye to get healthy. It had a literal off weekend, and coming off that will host Massachusetts Saturday in what should be a lopsided win.
It's a nice set up for head coach Mike Norvell, who went into the bye this past weekend coming of back-to-back ACC wins.
11. North Carolina (4-3, 3-3 ACC) — UNC's game against Miami was a bit of a microcosm of its season. At times it looked good to be way higher in these power rankings. Yet at the end of the day it was fortunate to win the game.
Nevertheless, the win probably saved its season, as a loss would have meant an uphill climb for bowl eligibility.
12. Syracuse (3-4, 0-3 ACC) — Just like Louisville could easily be 3-0 in the ACC, the Orange is not that far off from being there, either. Every single one of its conference games came down to the final possession in regulation, and in the case of Wake Forest overtime.
The question is how many more body blows can they take before it starts taking a toll on them.
13. Miami (2-4, 0-2 ACC) — Miami is better than it record shows. Losing to Alabama and Michigan State in non-conference action is certainly understandable, and it probably should be 2-0 in the ACC.
But the reality is the record stands at 2-4, and now injuries are really starting to mount as pressure is increasing on head coach Manny Diaz. How well can they respond with back-to-back games coming up against NC State at home and Pittsburgh on the road will tell whether they can rise up the rankings or they'll stay near the bottom.
14. Duke (3-4, 0-3 ACC) — The loss at Virginia was one of the poorer showings by an ACC team this year. It has a bve this weekend before traveling to Wake Forest and hosting Pittsburgh.
If the results prove similar against two of the best teams in the ACC, then its soul-searching time in Durham with regards to its football program.
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