ACC Final Power Rankings: How do things sit at the end of the regular season?

For the last time this season, we present to you the ACC football power rankings. Fittingly, the final week of the regular season had some surprising results. As usual, this conference refused to go along with the natural order of things, which is why we have ended up with a championship game that nobody saw coming, even a week ago. Alas, here is how the ACC looks at the end of the season.

1. Miami (last week: 2)

It’s hard for the Hurricanes not to think about what could have been if they could have found a way to eke out just one of the two games they lost. Despite looking good during a four-game winning streak to close out the season, as well as a five-game winning streak to open the season, Miami is likely to be one of the last teams excluded from the College Football Playoff. But as a consolation prize, the Canes sit atop our ACC power rankings at season’s end.

2. Virginia (last week: 3)

Hats off to Tony Elliott and the Cavaliers for going 10-2 and earning a spot in the ACC championship game. The university also deserves credit for sticking with Elliott after he went 11-23 across his first three seasons. While the Cavs don’t have a ton of impressive wins, all they have to do is beat a team they dominated 34-17 three weeks ago to make the College Football Playoff.

3. Georgia Tech (last week: 5)

The Yellow Jackets put up a good fight in their in-state battle against Georgia, although they still came up a little short. Overall, it was a good season for Georgia Tech. But losing three of its last four games and losing a chance to play in the ACC title game in the process still stings.

4. SMU (last week: 1)

All the Mustangs had to do was win at Cal and they’d go to the ACC championship game for the second straight season. But they dug themselves a 24-7 hole and couldn’t crawl out of it. The game was emblematic of SMU’s inconsistency despite some impressive wins.

5. Clemson (last week: 6)

We can’t put Clemson too high in the power rankings because of its 1-3 start to the season. But the Tigers came on strong late, winning four in a row to finish the regular season, including a rivalry win over South Carolina to give the ACC a good non-conference win.

6. Duke (last week: 8)

The Blue Devils might have had one of the least impressive 6-2 ACC campaigns in recent memory. It’s puzzling how they won a five-way tie-breaker when they didn’t beat any of the other 6-2 ACC teams. With a 7-5 overall record, it’s hard to argue that Duke belongs in the conference title game. Alas, Manny Diaz and company just have to avenge a loss to Virginia to reach the CFP.

7. Wake Forest (last week: 7)

Before the season, we legitimately thought the Demon Deacons could be the worst team in the ACC. Winning eight games was far better than anyone in Winston-Salem could have hoped for, so kudos to Wake Forest on an impressive season.

8. California (last week: 10)

Seriously, how do you make sense of Cal’s season? They beat Louisville and SMU but lost to Virginia Tech and Stanford. While the Bears were frustratingly inconsistent, they ultimately played a huge role in who won the conference, and there’s something to be said about that.

9. Louisville (last week: 9)

The Cardinals finally stopped the bleeding with a thumping of in-state rival Kentucky to finish the season. But it’s hard not to feel like Louisville underachieved after going 1-3 down the stretch.

10. Pittsburgh (last week: 4)

It’s quite silly that Pitt was ranked in the top-25 as recently as last week. With most of their ACC wins coming against the bottom of the conference, the Panthers have a misleading 6-2 record. A blowout loss to Miami at home with so much on the line confirms that Pitt always was a middle-of-the-pack team.

11. NC State (last week: 14)

Believe it or not, NC State finished 4-4 in conference play this season, not including a “non-conference” win over Virginia early in the season. Wins over Georgia Tech and Wake Forest also look good on NC State’s resume. After winning three of their last four games to finish 7-5, Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack have earned their sixth straight bowl bid.

12. Virginia Tech (last week: 13)

The Hokies don’t deserve to move up in the power rankings after their 27-7 drubbing against Virginia. But if you look at Virginia Tech’s season as a whole, a 3-9 record makes a little more sense. The Hokies lost to South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, and Virginia. They ended up playing a tough schedule, and while they should have done better than 3-9, we have to respect Tech's strength of schedule to some extent.

13. North Carolina (last week: 11)

North Carolina’s success was short-lived, as Bill Belichick’s team lost three in a row to finish the season 4-8. All three losses came against UNC’s in-state rivals, which has to hurt. Now we get to find out if Belichick truly understands the college game and can fix the mess he made.

14. Stanford (last week: 12)

After losing to Hawaii to open the season, it’s almost shocking to see Stanford finish 4-8; things could have been much worse. Plus, a head-to-head win over Florida State at least keeps the Cardinal one spot ahead of the Seminoles in our final power rankings.

15. Florida State (last week: 15)

It remains a mystery how this team beat Alabama to open the season. It’s not as if the Seminoles were inundated with injuries. They simply fell apart, and despite a couple of ACC wins, FSU won’t be going to a bowl game this year after losing the season finale to Florida. However, the season wasn’t bad enough to cost Mike Norvell his job.

16. Boston College (last week: 16)

Congrats to the Eagles for getting a win. Bill O’Brien’s team had been building up to one in recent weeks and finally snagged its first ACC win of the season in its finale.

17. Syracuse (last week: 17)

It was always going to be tough to top a road win over Clemson. However, the Syracuse season went downhill after that victory. The Orange ended the season on an eight-game losing streak, and the team we saw after Steve Angeli got hurt was undoubtedly the worst in the ACC this season.