Week 1 said as much about Clemson as it did LSU. For as strong as Lane Kiffin's new SEC team looked in last Saturday night's soiree, Dabo Swinney's team did not look like it was playing the same sport. A 41-point road defeat for Clemson at the hands of LSU was a total referendum of Swinney's lengthy tenure leading the program. It may only be one data point, but it is so hard to overlook now.
Fortunately for Clemson, we still have 11 games left to be played before any variation of the postseason begins. Clemson should be good enough to comfortably get to a bowl game, but what if it truly hits the fan for the Tigers? This is why looking at how Clemson stacks up with the rest of the ACC is so important. As long as the Tigers can somehow get to Charlotte, they will still have a chance.
As expected, Clemson's awful loss to LSU was reflected as such in this week's ACC power rankings.
17. Boston College Eagles (0-1)
As not much of a surprise, Boston College looks like the worst team in the ACC by a considerable margin. Bill O'Brien may still be a good head coach, or at least he was at one point. He took a bad job after Jeff Hafley abdicated the BC throne for the NFL. It may have only been a 19-point road loss at Cincinnati, but the Bearcats put forth a genuine effort. BC may be the worst team in the Power Four.
16. North Carolina State Wolfpack (0-1)
North Carolina State may have had Week 1 off, but its Week 0 dismantling from Virginia raised so many concerns for Dave Doeren's program. He is the second longest tenured head coach in the ACC behind only Dabo Swinney. While his seat may not be screaming hot, he has allowed his program to become so bland. CJ Bailey has not progessed under center, as the Wolfpack cannot block anyone.
15. California Golden Bears (0-1)
This may be a tad over-reactionary, but Cal falling apart at the seams in the fourth quarter vs. UCLA is not what we should have expected out of the Golden Bears. Cal could have won Tosh Lupoi's debut leading his alma mater, but the better California public school prevailed. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is a great quarterback talent, but Cal is a team that can beat anyone in the ACC, as well as lose to them.
14. Stanford Cardinal (1-1)
It is still early, but the signs have been somewhat positive with Tavita Pritchard taking over at his alma mater. The only problem with that is Stanford was an awful program under Troy Taylor during his two years at the helm. While the Cardinal did look promising at home versus Hawaii in Week 0, juggernaut Miami had their way with them in Week 1. The worst part for Stanford is the Cardinal didn't turn it over.
13. Florida State Seminoles (1-1)
Simply put, the Florida State Seminoles have a Mike Norvell problem. Despite SMU's best efforts to hand FSU a Week 1 victory, Norvell's team could not get it done in the end. Ashton Daniels may go down as one of the worst starting quarterbacks in Power Four history. Whether it be Florida State, Auburn, or Stanford, trouble will find him. Florida State is about to be in big trouble in a few weeks.
12. Clemson Tigers (0-1)
As painful as it may be, we could not put Clemson any higher than No. 12 in these power rankings. Coming into this season. The Tigers were arguably a top three-or-four team in the ACC. Not anymore. Instead, we are looking at an iconic head coach in Dabo Swinney rapidly losing the plot. He is not recruiting well at all. His players are not up to standard. He belittles reporters. It is a such a bad time.
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (0-1)
Coordinator attrition may end up being Georgia Tech's undoing. Brent Key may be a great program builder at his alma mater, but he is quickly finding out that Buster Faulkners don't grow on trees. While George Godsey will likely get it figured out on offense side, Key is now on his fourth new defensive coordinator in as many years. GT did not score an offensive touchdown during its loss to Colorado.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (1-0)
There are a few obvious regression candidates in the ACC, and the North Carolina Tar Heels are chief among them. However, they surprisingly looked like a well-coached team during their Week 0 game across the pond versus TCU. UNC played great defense and got just enough from Billy Edwards Jr. on offense. Special teams is still a huge concern, but UNC may be better under Bill Belichick this season.
9. Syracuse Orange (1-0)
Was last year the anomaly, or was it 2024? In time, we will learn the truth about Fran Brown's Syracuse Orange. After unraveling almost immediately last year, SU looked the part in its Week 1 opener, albeit against lesser competition. If Syracuse can get decent-to-good quarterback play out of Steve Angeli, the Orange could be a force in the ACC. In the event that they do not, Brown could be on the way out.
8. Duke Blue Devils (1-0)
Maybe Duke is here to stay? After winning the ACC a season ago, Manny Diaz's Blue Devils started this season off with a bang. Nate Sheppard ran all over the Tulane Green Wave in a revenge game for his team. If Duke goes on the road and beats Illinois, there is a non-zero chance this team gets back to Charlotte. Keep your eye on Diaz potentially leaving Durham for a better job, or getting paid a ton!
7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (1-0)
As is the case with Duke, Wake Forest should be thanking their lucky stars over who their head coach is. Jake Dickert is destined for bigger and better things than what Winston-Salem could ever hope to provide him. Yes, Wake may have only played Akron, but Dickert had UNC transfer Gio Lopez looking strong under center. Wake Forest may has found its ideal head coach in a post-Dave Clawson world.
6. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0)
No, Virginia Tech did not play anyone of note. However, the Hokies outscoring anyone by 70 points should be a sign that this isn't Brent Pry's team anymore, even if he is still on the team... James Franklin is adept at beating everyone his team should, and nothing more. Virginia Tech will be a factor in the ACC this season, but the Franklin of it all makes the Hokies one of the hardest teams to trust.
5. Pittsburgh Panthers (1-0)
Mason Heintschel looks like an absolute stud playing quarterback for the Pittsburgh Panthers. For as frustrating as it can be watching a Pat Narduzzi-led team, anytime he has a quarterback worth his weight in salt, Pitt is a factor in the ACC. Of course, Pitt loves to Pitt whenever it is the worst time to Pitt. The big question now is if Heintschel is 2 Legit 2 Pitt? He may be a transfer portal marvel in 2027.
4. Louisville Cardinals (0-1)
Just because Louisville lost to the Ole Miss Rebels in Nashville does not mean this team is incapable of winning the ACC. What we saw transpire along the Banks of the Cumberland River was a top-four ACC team losing to a top-six SEC by one score. It remains to be seen how good both teams will be. For now, we can trust Jeff Brohm to get the most out of Lincoln Kienholz with Isaac Brown running it.
3. SMU Mustangs (1-0)
It wasn't pretty, but the SMU Mustangs still found a way to win on the road under the debatebdly bright lights of Doak Campbell Stadium. SMU entered this season as Miami's most formidable challenger. Again, they still might be. However, Rhett Lashlee's team did everything in its power to give this game away to Florida State. For Mike Norvell reasons, SMU came out of Tallahassee alive.
2. Virginia Cavaliers (1-0)
It has been over a week since the Virginia Cavaliers last played, but man, where they impressive versus the North Carolina State Wolfpack in Week 0. Des Kitchings was in his bag as a play-caller. It looked as thought Missouri transfer Beau Pribula had spent years thriving in this system. Tony Elliott is a coach on the rise in the ACC. If Clemson wants its Dabo Swinney replacement, look no further.
1. Miami Hurricanes (1-0)
Until proven otherwise, the Miami Hurriances are the team to beat in the ACC. Although they have never won the conference before, Mario Cristobal's program just played for a national title. The most impressive part of their Week 1 blowout over Stanford was that Stanford did not beat themselves. Miami can be a little loose sometimes, but Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney sure looked the part.
In roughly a month, Clemson will get to see what the Hurricanes are all about down in Death Valley.
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