It was another drama-filled weekend in the ACC last Saturday, with the conference delivering a few surprises.
Syracuse rose from the dead to beat North Carolina, Virginia Tech rallied in the fourth quarter to take down Clemson in Death Valley, and Stanford got Dave Doeren fired.
Once again, the Weekly ACC Power Rankings are fluctuating at a rapid pace.
1. Miami Hurricanes (7-0, 5-0 ACC)
Last week: No. 1 (no change)
Miami has its foot back on the gas. The Hurricanes took care of business in a big way with a 52-23 victory against Pittsburgh. A clash against Notre Dame next weekend will tell us a lot about Mario Cristobal’s squad.
2. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
Last week: 2 (no change)
After winning four straight games and making its way to No. 14, Wake Forest had a well-deserved week off. The Demon Deacons have a relatively manageable schedule down the stretch, but will have to travel to SMU.
3. SMU Mustangs (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
Last week: No. 3 (no change)
SMU looked like the team we thought they could be coming into the year in a 59-20 stomping of Cal. The Mustangs dominated across the board but still have games against Wake Forest and Notre Dame remaining.
4. Louisville Cardinals (4-3, 3-2 ACC)
Last week: No. 4 (no change)
Following a week off, Louisville returns to action against Syracuse. The Cardinals won’t face another ranked team until the regular-season finale.
5. Virginia Tech Hokies (6-2, 3-2 ACC)
Last week: No. 6 (+1)
Virginia Tech is starting to stabilize after a two-game losing streak earlier this month. The Hokies have won back-to-back games after coming back in the fourth quarter to deliver another home loss to Clemson.
6. Duke Blue Devils (5-2, 2-2 ACC)
Last week: No. 7 (+1)
Duke took the lead over Virginia with just over a minute remaining to end its losing streak. Expect the Blue Devils to be tested by Boston College.
7. Boston College Eagles (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Last week: No. 11 (+4)
The Eagles are trending in the right direction, winning two straight outings and setting up a path to make a bowl game. Boston College put up 49 points on the road at Georgia Tech.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2, 2-1 ACC)
Last week: No. 5 (-3)
North Carolina was upset by one of the worst teams in the conference, falling to Syracuse in overtime. Now, the Tar Heels are about to host No. 1 Miami, which will be an entirely different challenge.
9. Florida State Seminoles (3-4, 1-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 10 (+1)
Mike Norvell and Florida State survived the BYE week. The Seminoles are back in action for a Halloween night home game against Clemson.
10. Clemson Tigers (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Last week: No. 8 (-2)
Clemson has dropped two of its last three games as it prepares for a trip to Tallahassee. The Tigers are disappointing for the second straight, and frustration is mounting around Dabo Swinney.
11. Virginia Cavaliers (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
Last week: 9 (-2)
The Cavaliers have lost four of their six games, including three of the last four. Virginia basically has no chance of returning to the ACC Championship before the calendar even flips to November.
12. Syracuse Orange (3-4, 1-4 ACC)
Last week: No. 16 (+4)
Credit to Syracuse. Somehow, someway, the Orange pulled off an unexpected overtime upset against North Carolina. I’m not foreseeing a similar result when they host SMU this weekend.
13. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-3, 2-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 12 (-1)
Three straight losses have derailed a promising start for the Panthers. Everything changed after the injury to Mason Heintschel.
14. Stanford Cardinal (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 16 (+2)
Stanford’s Davis Warren was excellent in a win over North Carolina State, completing 22/37 passes for 303 yards and 4 touchdowns with 0 interceptions. The problem? The Cardinal now have three straight road games on the docket.
15. North Carolina State Wolfpack (3-4, 1-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 13 (-2)
The East-to-West Coast, and vice versa, is one of the brutal parts of current life in the ACC. North Carolina State was on the wrong end, dropping a shocker to Stanford and parting ways with longtime head coach Dave Doeren as a result.
16. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-5, 1-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 14 (-2)
Georgia Tech’s victory over Duke appears to be an anomaly. The Yellow Jackets looked like they laid down in a 49-27 loss to Boston College. The Eagles put up 24 points in the fourth quarter in Bobby Dodd Stadium.
17. Cal Golden Bears (3-5, 2-3 ACC)
Last week: No. 15 (-2)
Cal has dropped four of its last five games. In the first chapter of a three-game road trip, the Golden Bears lost 59-20.
Over the last two games against Wake Forest and SMU, Cal has been outscored 100-27.
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