ACC Power Rankings - Week 6

Hurricane Matthew was the biggest star of the day as several ACC squads played in conditions that just don’t result in good football. It may be boring folks, but a lot of the teams in our list are going to stay where they are as we just can’t distinguish the talent on the field in these conditions. Be sure to sound off in the comments below about the wacky weather in Week 6 and what you are thinking of our ACC Power Rankings!

#1 Clemson Tigers (6-0, 3-0) Last Week - W, @ Boston College (56-10)

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

Say what you want about the competition but taking care of a league opponent, on the road, on a short week is always cause for celebration. Taking care of business is just what the Tigers did this week as they absolutely manhandled the Boston College Eagles for 45 of the 60 minutes on Friday night. The numbers don’t lie, and this team looks to be on the same trajectory as last year’s team on all aspects.

#2 Louisville Cardinals (4-1, 2-1) Last Week - Idle

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

The cardinals have had a week to lick their wounds after a tough Saturday evening in Death Valley. The reports coming out of Louisville have been positive. With the weapons that they have on this team, I don’t expect them to move far from this spot for the remainder of the season. Their playoff hopes did take a pretty big hit with Navy upsetting Houston, but with the schedules of the teams in front of them, if they win out, I don’t see Louisville being left out of the CFP.

#3 Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1, 2-0) Last Week - W, @ #17 North Carolina (34-3)

Movement from Week 5 - (+3)

I absolutely hated watching this game…but the bottom line is that Virginia Tech took the advantage in this game that the weather handed to them, and ran with it as they took care of the 17^th ranked Tar Heels in a rout. I have been more than impressed with Jerod Evans who sits atop the ACC in passer efficiency. Because of the other games this week, the Hokies are our biggest mover (upwards) as they head up to the #3 slot, but I think this game goes differently under different circumstances.

#4 North Carolina Tar Heels (4-2, 2-1) Last Week - L, vs. Virginia Tech (34-3)

Movement from Week 5 - (-1)

The fun part about doing the power rankings is that we get to judge the teams based on what we see on the field. An 80/20 passing offense playing in a torrential downpour? No shot. North Carolina should have done what it could to postpone this game because they should have known that they were playing with one hand tied behind their back. I will not punish the Tar Heels for an unfair fight thanks to Matthew, but 2 losses in a row is an opportunity for this team to show us what they are made of and how they can rebound.

#5 Florida State Seminoles (4-2, 1-2) Last Week – W, @ #10 Miami (20-19)

Movement from Week 4 - (No Change)

It’s good to see this rivalry back but no change from last week after a win on the road over the 10^th ranked team in the county? It may seem harsh, but I’m still not buying this Florida State team, and it simply has to do with the QB position. Francois isn’t making many mistakes (20-of-31 with 0 interceptions against the Canes) but he isn’t creating plays either. This team isn’t built for that as they have just relied solely on Dalvin Cook. FSU still has a lot to show me in order to move up.

#6 Miami Hurricanes (4-1, 1-1) Last Week – L, vs. #23 Florida State (20-19)

Movement from Week 5 – (-1)

Oh Miami…you were so close to shoving your foot in my you know what. Nevertheless, the Canes played this one way closer than I expected. Brad Kaaya easily played his worst game of the season and it still took a blocked extra point to lose the game. Then again…you’re best win is still Appalachian State. The Canes remain in the dog house until they beat somebody.

#7 NC State Wolfpack (4-1, 1-0) Last Week - W, vs. Notre Dame (10-3)

Movement from Week 5 - (+1)

My analysis of the team’s performance this week in the Notre Dame? I don’t know, I don’t cover Water Polo. It is an embarrassment that this game was played at all and we have absolutely no idea who the better team was due to the conditions. I still don’t buy the Wolfpack, but I am buying Ryan Finley who is 1 of only 2 quarterbacks in the country who has yet to throw an interception. It will be good to see them out of the pool and back on the football field next week at Clemson. We are just glad that nobody was seriously hurt.

#8 Wake Forest (5-1, 2-1) Last Week - W, vs. Syracuse (28-9)

Movement from Week 5 - (+1)

Another game this week where the opponent just had no chance…I guess what we can take from this game is that Wake Forest is now 1 win away from bowl eligibility. Wake got Cade Carney back and Wolford accounted for 2 touchdowns, but who knows who wins this game in different conditions. Regardless of the conditions, the Wake Forest defense remains well above average and they have identified themselves as the way that the Demon Deacons will continue to win ball games.

#9 – Pittsburgh (4-2, 1-1) - Last Week - W, vs. Georgia Tech (37-34)

Movement from Week 5 - (-2)

My love affair with the Panthers is over. This defense just isn’t good enough to put anybody away and this is a game that the Panthers should have lost. Pittsburgh marched down the field and scored two TD’s late to steal the game from Tech, but vale has been lifted and Pittsburgh just can’t hang in the ACC Coastal. The offense continues to exceed my expectations and Peterman continues to impress me, but I don’t see this team winning many more games with this defense.

#10 – Virginia Cavaliers (2-3, 1-0) Last Week - Idle

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

I’m excited about this football team. I don’t think that the bye this week came at the best of times as they we were really starting to see some things click offensively in Charlottesville, but Bronco Mendenhall has this team on the rise. Virginia is playing some hard nose defense that is going to win them some games. I think that the talent gap is a little too much for them to hang with some of the teams in the ACC, but let’s see how far grit and guts can carry this football team. I’ll be watching them closely.

#11 – Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-3, 1-3) Last Week - L, @ Pittsburgh (37-34)

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

Georgia Tech has dropped 3 in a row, and with Paul Johnson’s recent tirade about the quality of the facilities at the school, I am seriously beginning to doubt whether he will finish the season wearing the headset for the Jackets. Although they have dropped 3 in a row, they have performed better than I expected them to against a top 15 Miami team and on the road at Pitt. Tech has some winnable games coming up (GA Southern and Duke) and has a chance to right the ship before Johnson and the triple-option attack are sent packing.

#12 - Syracuse (2-4, 0-2) Last Week – L, @ Wake Forest (28-9)

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

I could drop them a slot here, but there is no way that I am going to punish a passing team for playing in those conditions. Eric Dungey threw only 25 passes and I can promise you that there will be no other game this season where the Orange throw the ball only 25 times, even if they are up by 35. This game showed us what we all already knew about Syracuse, that they can’t run the ball. In a situation where they just couldn’t pass, they managed just two first downs in the first quarter and none in the third. Again, I’m not willing to make an additional judgement on the Orange in these conditions.

#13 –Duke (3-3, 0-2) Last Week - W, vs. Army (13-6)

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

Coach David Cutcliffe said it best in his post-game conference when he said that “any advantage that we have over them is lost in this weather.” Boy was he right, Duke barely edged out Army in yet another wet and wild game. As the weather got worse, the offense didn’t (and shouldn’t be expected to). Starting to sound like a broken record, but I’m not going to move a team based on their performance in these conditions. We’ll see which Duke team shows up next week.

#14 – Boston College Eagles (3-3, 0-3) Last Week - L, vs. #3 Clemson (56-10)

Movement from Week 5 - (No Change)

Woof…I don’t care if the Red Sox were playing on Friday night, I was in Chestnut Hill for this game and the atmosphere was just dead. There is no excuse to lay this much of an egg at your home stadium regardless of the talent gap between the two teams. Dabo Swinney can praise the coaching of Steve Addazio all he wants (and he is a decent coach) but there is a serious question as to whether this team will ever win another ACC game with him at the helm.