ACC Power Rankings Week 4

After three weeks the ACC was holding its own pretty well against other conferences. Last week was not a good finishing touch with a 3-5 record against the non-con. The three wins were over Rhode Island, UConn, and USF. The five losses included missed opportunities for VT to win against old rival West Virginia and Duke to stay unbeaten against Kansas who will instead lay claim to the 4-0 record. Elsewhere, Miami got absolutely blitzed at home by MTSU to a tune of 45-31 meaning “Da U” is probably not back...again.

Conference play saw three match-ups this weekend where Clemson solidified itself as the top team again as they took down Wake Forest on the road. FSU was in cruise control against an overmatched Boston College, and Syracuse got a good scare from Virginia but did just enough to stay unbeaten in the ACC play. The Atlantic race will run deep this year with three teams currently at 2-0.

Power Rankings

1. Clemson - Clemson took care of its biggest challenge in the ACC this year by beating Wake on the road 51-45. After struggling on offense QB Uiagalelei put up 371 yards passing and 5 TDs. He also kept from turning the ball over. That was key against an explosive Wake offense that Clemson’s defense had a hard time keeping off the field. NC State won’t be an easy foe next week but at least Clemson will be at home.
2. Florida State - The Seminoles were too much for BC from the start and got out to a 37-0 lead before the Eagles could manage a score late in the third. The offense put up 530 yards and most of that came through the air as QB Travis passed for 321. The defense managed two turnovers and allowed only 235 yards. Wake will visit this coming week after a hard fight with Clemson.
3. Wake Forest - Wake had their chances to put this game away against Clemson but instead fell after letting Clemson tie the game late in the fourth before losing in two overtimes. The offense performed with nearly 500 yards and no turnovers but the defense just caught Clemson having a good offensive day for once and couldn’t stop it. They can still be a top contender with a win over FSU next week.
4. North Carolina State - UConn was little trouble against the Wolfpack who after a close call in week 1 have taken care of their overmatched opponents so far. They travel to Death Valley next and will put their team to the test against Clemson who might have found an offense.
5. Pittsburgh - Pittsburgh got their FCS opponent in Rhode Island this week. The game was never in doubt but Rhode Island had more success on offense than Pitt probably would have liked. The Panthers will welcome a Georgia Tech team in turmoil next week.
6. Syracuse - Syracuse has gotten out to a great start at 4-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play. This week's game against UVA was a close call though due to sloppy play by the offense and four turnovers. Besides the lone first touchdown, K Andre Syzmet put five field goals through to keep the scoring going for Syracuse and avoid the upset. They’ll get one more tuneup with Wagner coming to town next week.
7. Duke - A fun matchup between two schools seemingly emerging from the cellar. Duke traveled to Kansas but failed too many times converting in the red zone in what was a pretty even match-up. The Blue Devils will get a chance to start out 1-0 against UVA next week.
8. Louisville - Louisville demolished USF with the run game and barely bothered to throw against the Bulls. Which is a lot more than what some SEC team from Florida managed to do against USF. They’ll travel to Boston College next and have a chance to get back on track to a decent year.
9. Miami - My my Miami has surely taken a plunge from where I had them start in 1st. Maybe I was giving too much credit to Mario Cristobal in his first year but the Hurricanes got thumped by MTSU at home 45-31. Miami was without QB Tyler Van Dyke but for a second week in a row, the offense just couldn’t muster anything through the air. The defense was gashed through the air giving up over 400 yards. They get a bye next week to rest before taking on UNC to start their ACC play.
10. North Carolina - Most years this would have been a respectable game against Notre Dame, except Notre Dame is not good this year. The offense wasn’t bad but it relied on QB Maye to do all the work and the defense just couldn’t get a stop against the Irish. They’ll take on the Hokies next week as both teams look to sort out defensive woes.
11. Virginia Tech - The Hokies looked to have a chance against WV into the third quarter but failing to sustain drives with the run game cost them in the fourth as WV scored three times to put the game away. North Carolina is next and they’ll need to find more offense to keep pace.
12. Virginia - The Cavs are struggling to move the ball this year and that cost them against Syracuse where the defense did a good job keeping them in it. Duke looked vulnerable on defense this week so may the Cavs can get momentum against them next week.
13. Boston College - It's a recurring theme this year for BC and their offensive line play. FSU took advantage and allowed 105 yards passing and took two INTs. Louisville will be up next but the Cards seem to be getting better and BC also lost their top defender in Shitta Sillah for the year.
14. Georgia Tech - The worst part of this game was it was absolutely winnable for Georgia Tech. QB Jeff Sims had a good day throwing the ball but miscues and poor special teams just ended the day in disaster instead. It was the final game for Geoff Collins at the helm as the Jackets enter a new era next week as they travel to Pittsburgh.