ACC Week 14 Power Rankings: Mix of good, bad and ugly shakes up penultimate rankings

It’s hard to find the words to describe what happened in the ACC this past weekend. Some teams played like their season was on the line (because it was), while others failed to show up at all, even if their season was also on the line. We were left to re-evaluate things, which led to a shake up in the power rankings.

1. SMU (last week: 2)

Could the Mustangs be the ACC’s best chance to make noise in the College Football Playoff? They blew the doors off Louisville on Saturday, and despite some unfortunate losses, SMU has some impressive wins on its resume.

2. Miami (last week: 1)

The Hurricanes earned a nice road win against Virginia Tech. They’ve won three in a row since losing to SMU, but it might be too little, too late to make the ACC championship game.

3. Virginia (last week: 3)

The Cavs got the weekend off, giving them a chance to rest and prepare to play Virginia Tech next week with a spot in the ACC championship game within their grasp.

4. Pittsburgh (last week: 8)

Admittedly, Pat Narduzzi was right not to care about playing Notre Dame. The Panthers definitely came to play in a dominant victory over Georgia Tech, even if the Yellow Jackets did make it close in the end. Nevertheless, a win over Miami will go a long way toward Pitt possibly making the ACC championship game.

5. Georgia Tech (last week: 4)

Becoming so reliant on Haynes King all season has finally caught up with Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have lost two of their last three games, barely beating Boston College in between. It’s a disappointing end to the season for a team that once looked destined to play for an ACC title.

6. Clemson (last week: 5)

A 45-10 win over Furman isn’t overly impressive. But it was enough to get Dabo Swinney’s Tigers their sixth win and a bowl bid before next week’s Palmetto State showdown.

7. Wake Forest (last week: 6)

The Demon Deacons actually earned some style points for a 52-14 blowout win over a solid Delaware team. Who would have thought at the start of the season that Wake Forest would travel to Duke the final week of the season with a chance to win its ninth game?

8. Duke (last week: 10)

The Blue Devils scored late to knock off their rivals and secure a bowl spot. Unlike some other teams, they actually showed up this week, which is worth something.

9. Louisville (last week: 7)

What an epic late-season collapse by the Cardinals. Seriously, what happened to the team that beat Miami? After a pair of close losses, Louisville got trounced by SMU 38-6, in part because Miller Moss missed the game with an injury.

10. California (last week: 9)

How could Cal become so careless and complacent in a rivalry game, despite securing a bowl bid the previous week? The Golden Bears were just awful on Saturday night, dropping them to the bottom half of the power rankings.

11. North Carolina (last week: 12)

Isn’t Bill Belichick supposed to be a good coach who’s good in close games? The Tar Heels let a fourth-quarter lead get away from them against Duke, suffering their third one-score loss of ACC play, taking a bowl game off the table for UNC.

12. Stanford (last week: 16)

Say what you will about Stanford, but the Cardinal now has three ACC wins. That’s more than a handful of other teams in the conference. Unfortunately, a bowl isn’t on the table with a 4-7 record. Plus, Stanford has to entertain Notre Dame next week to close out the season.

13. Virginia Tech (last week: 13)

Hiring James Franklin was definitely a win for Virginia Tech, even if the Hokies had yet another loss on the field.

14. NC State (last week: 15)

Did NC State win on Friday, or did the Wolfpack just allow Florida State to lose? Despite securing a bowl bid with one game left in the season, NC State didn’t do much to garner much movement up the ACC power rankings.

15. Florida State (last week: 11)

Guess who proved us wrong right after we started to believe in them a little? The Seminoles could have won at NC State on Friday, but losing the turnover battle 4-0 made sure that didn’t happen. FSU now has to beat in-state rival Florida to get to a bowl game. Luckily, the Gators have been bad this season, too, although they should be inspired to also keep their rivals from going to a bowl game.

16. Boston College (last week: 17)

The Eagles conveniently had the week off before next week’s battle of the basement dwellers.

17. Syracuse (last week: 14)

Going down 42-0 a few seconds into the second quarter is bad enough to go straight to the bottom, regardless of the opponent. Only a win over Boston College next week can save Syracuse from being the ACC’s worst team this season.