The ACC’s hierarchy is still a bit of a mystery after two weeks. There have been no conference games played yet. NC State’s 35-31 win over Virginia was a non-league game, even though it helps a bit when putting together these rankings.
Aside from that, there were a lot of matchups across the ACC involving big teams vs. little teams. Moving forward, that’s going to change. Expect potential shakeups next week.
Brad Senkiw
1. Miami Hurricanes
The Canes did nothing in their 42-point win over Bethune-Cookman to get bumped from the top spot this week, and the team right below them didn’t help themselves. Big test for Miami this week against a ranked USF team that’s coming off an upset of Florida.
2. Clemson Tigers
Oh boy, that was not good. Those are the same words I used last week to lead off this ranking, and I’m doing it again after Clemson needed a huge second-half rally to come back from a 16-0 deficit. A scary matchup with No. 3 on this list kicks off at noon on Saturday.
3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
No Haynes King, no problem against Garnder Webb. The Jackets' offense rolled up nearly 700 yards, and if King is back this week, they can give Clemson a real challenge.
4. Florida State Seminoles
It’s a no-brainer to bump the Noles up a spot, even though beating East Texas A&M doesn’t mean much. However, scoring 77 points does, and FSU energy and production we never saw last year.
5. Louisville Cardinals
This team didn’t look great against JMU in the first half, but the Cardinals avoided the upset with a 14-point win.
6. NC State Wolfpack
A nice second-half comeback for the Wolfpack in Week 2 and a move up in the power rankings after a sloppy Week 1. This team should be pretty competitive this year.
7. Pittsburgh Panthers
Another blowout win over an opponent it should blowout. Nothing to complain about, and Pitt’s offense has scored 106 points in two games.
8. SMU Mustangs
Maybe Baylor will end up being good by the end of the year, but the Bears didn’t look great against Auburn and then went on the road to beat the Mustangs in double overtime. Just not sure what SMU is this early.
9. Cal Bears
Competition wasn’t stiff against Texas Southern, but this 2-0 Cal squad is growing on me. Let’s see how they fare against Minnesota this week.
10. Boston College Eagles
It’s hard to get down on the Eagles after a tough double-overtime road loss to Michigan State. Got to like the competitiveness of Bill O’Brien’s squad so far.
11. Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Elliott’s team just didn’t make the key plays in the fourth quarter to win in Raleigh, but it’s hard to ding this team. They play hard. Better days are ahead.
12. North Carolina Tar Heels
Chapel Bill is on the board in Chapel Hill as Belichick’s first collegiate win was 20-3. The offense only had three second-half points, though. At least the defense gave up under 300 yards.
13. Duke Blue Devils
An ugly second half left Duke reeling from a 45-19 debacle against ranked Illinois. The Blue Devils gave up 31 points in the final 30 minutes.
14. Syracuse Orange
The Orange won an old Big East battle with UConn 20-27. Still, it took overtime for Fran Brown to get the first win of the year.
15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Jake Dickert got his first win as Wake’s head coach. The Deacs didn’t struggle in a 42-10 win over FCS Western Carolina, scoring 21 points in the first quarter.
16. Virginia Tech Hokies
Brent Pry’s squad gave up a 10-point lead at the half, failed to cover the spread as a home favorite, and got blasted by Vanderbilt, 44-20, to fall to 0-2. Both losses are to SEC teams.
17. Stanford Cardinal
A non-competitive loss to BYU keeps the Cardinal in the cellar, where it’ll likely stay for much of the year.
Zach Lentz
The ACC race is heating up early, and the power rankings show just how competitive the league has become. Miami sits at the top after a strong start, while Florida State remains right behind them, setting the stage for a thrilling showdown down the line.
Louisville and Georgia Tech are both turning heads, cracking the top four, while Clemson slides in at No. 5, looking to regain national respect after a shaky start. SMU, in their first ACC makes a splash at No. 6, showing they belong in the mix.
Further down, traditional heavyweights like Pitt, NC State, and Cal hover in the middle of the pack, trying to find consistency. Duke and Boston College round out the top 12, while North Carolina has stumbled into the back half of the conference rankings.
Meanwhile, Virginia, Wake Forest, and Stanford are searching for answers, and Virginia Tech has hit rock bottom at No. 17 — a tough fall for a once-proud program.
ACC Power Rankings
- Miami
- Florida State
- Louisville
- Georgia Tech
- Clemson
- SMU
- Pitt
- NC State
- Cal
- Syracuse
- Duke
- Boston College
- North Carolina
- Virginia
- Wake Forest
- Stanford
- Virginia Tech