ACC Week 7 Power Rankings: Miami stays on top while others race to the bottom

It was another full week of ACC action with seven intra-conference games on the schedule. Sadly, not many of the teams in action acted like they want to be at the top of the conference power rankings. There ended up being more movement at the bottom than the top, although the conference hierarchy is starting to take shape.

1. Miami (last week: 1)

The Canes can’t be pleased with being outscored 19-0 in the fourth quarter against Florida State, but they were dominant over the first three quarters. They sit at 5-0, and one could argue that some of their toughest games are already behind them.

2. Georgia Tech (last week: 2)

The Yellow Jackets surely enjoyed their week off after a 5-0 start. But after a close call against Wake Forest last week, they have to keep taking care of business when they host Virginia Tech this week.

3. Virginia (last week: 4)

The Cavs owe a huge debt to Miller Moss for his beyond ill-advised throw on a pick-six. Nevertheless, back-to-back wins over Florida State and Louisville give Virginia one of the most impressive resumes in the ACC at this point in the season. Despite some road games down the stretch, Virginia has a legitimate chance to run the table.

4. Duke (last week: 7)

The Blue Devils have rattled off three straight conference wins after overcoming a slow start on the West Coast Saturday night. Dariah Mensah is starting to play at a high level, and even if the Duke defense has flaws, the Blue Devils are creating takeaways consistently. They head into their bye week in great shape, but with a lot of tough games ahead.

5. Louisville (last week: 3)

The Cardinals out-gained Virginia by nearly 150 yards and made an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter to force overtime. However, they didn’t play a full 60 minutes against the Cavs, repeating the same problem from their win over Pitt the previous week. Louisville is good, but probably not a serious ACC contender.

6. Florida State (last week: 5)

With each passing week, Florida State looks more like the Seminoles we saw in 2024. Outside of a late surge to make their loss to Miami close, the Noles played a sloppy game. That makes FSU 0-2 in league play with a lot to prove.

7. Clemson (last week: 6)

A blowout win over North Carolina probably felt good and is just what the doctor ordered for Dabo Swinney. It just doesn’t isn’t enough to make us confident that the Tigers are back on track.

8. SMU (last week: 8)

The Mustangs get credit for winning their ACC opener, although it was a somewhat lackluster effort. SMU benefited from playing an inexperienced quarterback and got some key stops in the red zone. But they gave up a ton of yards and couldn’t generate much of a running game, so the red flags remain.

9. Pittsburgh (last week: 11)

A change at quarterback worked wonders for Pat Narduzzi. Freshman Mason Heintschel threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns in his first career start. However, since it came against the train wreck that is Boston College, we have to take it with a grain of salt, especially with a trip to Tallahassee next week.

10. California (last week: 9)

We might have to pump the brakes a little bit on the Golden Bears after letting an early lead against Duke get away from them. But for a team with a true freshman at quarterback, being 4-2 at the midway point of the season is a good sign.

11. Wake Forest (last week: 12)

How about them Demon Deacons? They followed up a heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech with a road win over Virginia Tech. Outside of Virginia, no ACC team has surpassed expectations more than Wake Forest. As long as the Demon Deacons can take care of business against a winless Oregon State team next week, a bowl game is a serious possibility.

12. Syracuse (last week: 10)

Over the last two weeks, the Orange has scored just 21 points against two teams that had defensive issues coming into the game. That’s a big concern for Fran Brown, who now has a bye week to figure out how to make Syracuse competitive with a backup quarterback.

13. Virginia Tech (last week: 13)

We thought the Hokies had made some progress after beating NC State, but losing at home to Wake Forest is yet another step backward for Virginia Tech. With Georgia Tech, Florida State, Miami, and Virginia left on the schedule, the worst could be yet to come in Blacksburg.

14. Stanford (last week: 14)

If the Cardinal doesn’t play, they can’t lose. That’s why Stanford is the smartest school in the ACC.

15. NC State (last week: 17)

A win over lowly Campbell is enough to take the Wolfpack out of the last spot of our power rankings. But only because other teams are trying real hard to stoop even lower.

16. Boston College (last week: 15)

What in the world was that from Bill O’Brien’s team? The Eagles had at least been competitive in their three previous losses, but Saturday’s 48-7 loss to Pitt was a joke. Getting out-gained 503 to 216 is beyond brutal. Three different quarterbacks played, and none of them were effective. It gets worse with Clemson coming to Chestnut Hill next week.

17. North Carolina (last week: 16)

All three games against power-conference opponents this season have been losses of 25 points or more. The only FBS victory the Tar Heels have this season is against a 1-4 Charlotte team, and even that was unconvincing. As bad as Boston College looked this past week, North Carolina has been terrible on a more consistent basis.