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. 26.

1. Pittsburgh (6-1, 3-0 ACC) — The Panthers remained unbeaten in the Coastal Division with a strong home win over Clemson, and they now the have a two-game advantage in the loss column over divisional rivals.

The nation has caught onto the fact that we've been saying in this column: Kenny Pickett is the best quarterback in the ACC. Not only that, Pickett may make a credible case for being the best signal caller in the country.

The defense has looked improved the past two weeks, but they have also played two less-than-stellar offenses in Virginia Tech and Clemson. That'll best tested in remaining games like contests against Miami, Virginia and North Carolina.

While the Panthers are a strong and worthy favorite in the Coastal, it's not locked in yet.

2. Wake Forest (7-0, 4-0 ACC) — The Demon Deacons quietly may have built the best offense in the ACC, combining its unique slow mesh read option with a rapidly developing and potential third-team All-ACC quarterback in Sam Hartman and a good collection of skill talent.

That said, the Demon Deacons do have issues on defense, and the reality is that to beat above average teams it is going to rely on its offense to outscore them. That's a risky formula given that on any given Saturday an offense can find itself out of rhythm.

3. Virginia (6-2, 4-2 ACC) — In a year where the ACC is decisively average, yet deceptively deep in said average teams, Virginia elevates on the strength of doing what a lot of other teams have had trouble doing: taking care of business.

Virginia did not look good in a loss at UNC followed by a home defeat to Wake Forest. Since then, it has reeled off four straight wins — at Miami, at Louisville, home vs. Duke and this past Saturday over Georgia Tech in Charlottesville.

Whether or not Virginia can stay here is to be determined. Virginia did what it needed to do over the past four games to maximize its success, but its next three games are at No. 25 BYU, hosting No. 11 Notre Dame and at No. 17 Pittsburgh, and there are still valid concerns about the Cavs' defense.

Virginia though does have the luxury of having likely second-team All-ACC quarterback Brennan Armstrong leading its offense.

4. NC State (5-2, 2-1 ACC) — More concerning than a one-point loss at Miami for NC State is the injury news. Now without four starters on defense for the rest of the season, including arguably its two best players on the unit in linebackers Payton Wilson and Isaiah Moore, NC State's depth is going to be severely tested.

The Pack's remaining schedule is a cluster of five games that probably could go either way. Can they pull a Virginia and Wake Forest and handle business? Or will the Pack be like other ACC teams, week to week?

5. Louisville (4-3, 2-2 ACC) — We said last week that if there was a team better than we had them in the power rankings, the Cards, whom we had at No. 9, were probably it. Now they get a nice bump in the volatile ACC.

Despite committing four turnovers in a soaking rain Saturday against Boston College, the Cardinals ran at will on BC and won by two touchdowns. It was an impressive performance coming out of the bye week and offers hope for Louisville down the stretch.

The Cards are thisclose to being 4-0 in the ACC with wins over Wake Forest and Virginia, both ahead of them in the power rankings.

6. Clemson (4-3, 3-2 ACC) — Much like NC State only much more pronounced and severe, Clemson is facing big issues on the injury front, and coming off a loss at Pittsburgh you wonder how long head coach Dabo Swinney can keep the group together and motivated.

That said, the Tigers remain one of just five teams in the ACC that have an above. 500 conference record, and its two defeats were on the road to two of the better squads in the league in NC State and Pittsburgh.

7. Florida State (3-4, 2-2 ACC) — Part of the reason FSU is here is because it owns two wins against teams below it in the power rankings, but give head coach Mike Norvell credit. He has rallied the Seminoles to three straight wins after a bad 1-4 start that included an embarrassing loss at home to Jacksonville State.

Florida State is essentially coming off a two-week bye, having had an actual week off and then returning to action with an easy non-conference assignment against Massachusetts, which the Noles won 59-3.

But one way you can tell FSU is different now than before? Jacksonville State was also supposed to be an easy non-conference game.

8. North Carolina (4-3, 3-3 ACC) — The Heels are the weirdest team in the ACC to get a handle on.

It's capable of having nice wins like at home against Virginia and Miami. It also has lost to Florida State and Georgia Tech in rather convincing fashion, and its season-opening defeat at Virginia Tech is not aging well.

Chapel Hill is coming off a bye, and it moves up in part because others dropped down, but UNC has a daunting task ahead of it with games at No. 11 Notre Dame, home against No. 13 Wake Forest and at No. 17 Pittsburgh in the next three contests, the last of which will be a Thursday night game coming off short rest.

9. Miami (3-4, 1-2 ACC) — For now, Miami has saved its season by pulling out a nail-biter over NC State.

Miami could have easily fallen to 0-3 in the ACC with a date at Pittsburgh this weekend.

Then again, Miami very easily could also be 3-0 in the conference with a far different perspective on its team. In a way, the Hurricanes are the Coastal Division's version of Louisville.

10. Syracuse (4-4, 1-3 ACC) — Head coach Dino Babers has quietly done a real nice job with this Syracuse team that nearly everyone had as one of the worst teams in the ACC entering the season.

The Orange are like Louisville and Miami, not that far off from being undefeated in the ACC. The three defeats were either in overtime (home vs. Wake Forest) or came down to a final-second field goal attempt (at Florida State and home against Clemson).

Syracuse finally broke through with a 41-36 win at Virginia Tech, which proved that despite the body blows Babers' team is not quitting and could even find themselves bowl eligible with just two more wins.

11. Georgia Tech (3-4, 2-3 ACC) — We were hesitant to put Georgia Tech this low, especially considering the win at home over North Carolina.

But the reality is GT's other ACC win was a close road victory over our last place team in the power rankings, Duke, and it was trounced at Pittsburgh and needed 14 points in the final 1:16 of its game at Virginia to avoid a similar fate in Charlottesville, where it lost 48-40.

12. Virginia Tech (3-4, 1-2 ACC) — Whereas Syracuse deserves credit for still fighting, you have to wonder if the body blows have gotten to the Hokies who have now lost three straight games.

And you also have to wonder if this is the beginning of the end for head coach Justin Fuente at Virginia Tech.

13. Boston College (4-3, 0-3 ACC) — After a very soft non-conference slate, we are beginning to see what BC is without star quarterback Phil Jurkovec in the ACC, and that's a below-average team.

Back-to-back games coming out of its bye have been lopsided defeats.

14. Duke (3-4, 0-3 ACC) — The Blue Devils had a much needed bye week after three straight losses, two of which were by 31 and 48 points. It's going to be hard to turn its season around, however, when its next two games are at Wake Forest and home against Pittsburgh.

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