ACC Power Rankings: Week 9

#1 Clemson (8-0, 5-0) (LW:#1):

Folks, that was fun. Once again Clemson’s offense had a bit of a slow start, but when it got going, oh man, did it go. Clemson scored 59 points, we saw Christian Wilkins and Garrett Williams score, and came extremely close to a Will Swinney touchdown. There’s currently a soft drink stain on my apartment ceiling from my reaction after Wilkins’s touchdown. Next week’s game against Louisville should be very, very fun.

#2 Notre Dame (8-0, 3-0 vs ACC) (LW:#2):

The Fighting Irish took down rival Navy this weekend 44-22 in San Diego. Notre Dame will now host a red hot Northwestern team in South Bend.

#3 Boston College (6-2, 3-1) (LW:#3):

BC handed Miami 27-14 loss and is now ranked #24 in the nation. Next, the Eagles host Virginia Tech on Saturday.

#4 Virginia (6-2, 4-1) (LW:#4):

UVA knocked off UNC 31-21 in the Vineyard Vines bowl. The Cavs are sitting pretty at the top of the ACC Coastal and are ranked #23. UVA hosts the always tricky Pitt Panthers Friday night.

#5 Syracuse (6-2, 3-2) (LW:#7):

The Orange knocked off NC State in a 51-41 shootout at the Carrier Dome. After a few rough weeks, Syracuse finally looks like the same team that took Clemson to the wire. Eric Dungey threw for three TDs and 411 yards, putting the QB controversy to rest for the moment. The Orange head to Winston-Salem to take on Wake Forest.

#6 NC State (5-2, 2-2) (LW:#5):

I’m not a big Syracuse guy, but man them beating the Wolfpack made me so happy. You see, last week some NC State fans were mad online that I ranked the Pack fifth in the conference. So, seeing Cuse run them out of the Carrier Dome did my heart good. The Pack will host Florida State this weekend.

#7 Miami (5-3, 2-2) (LW:#6):

Tough weekend for the U. They lost 27-14 at Boston College on Friday night. The Canes sit at fourth in the Coastal, behind UVA, VT, and Pitt. Miami hosts Duke on Saturday.

#8 Pitt (4-4, 3-1) (LW:#11):

Pitt is quietly keeping pace in the race for the Coastal. The Panthers knocked off Duke 54-45 at home. Now Pitt will head to Charlottesville for a Friday night matchup with UVA.

#9 Duke (5-3, 1-3) (LW:#9):

The Devils find themselves in a rough stretch after the loss to Pitt. Duke heads to Miami for a Saturday night game, which could be huge for their season.

#10 Georgia Tech (4-4, 2-3) (LW:#12):

Once again, Ga Tech plays on a week night and has an offensive explosion. Maybe the Jackets should play all games during the week, except for the Clemson game, of course. I think the best part from their 49-28 win in Blacksburg is the QB passing stat line.

Georgia Tech attempted one pass, didn’t complete it, and scored 49 points to win on the road. Tech heads to Chapel Hill Saturday to face UNC.

#11 Virginia Tech (4-3, 3-1) (LW:#8):

The Hokies took a big L to Georgia Tech Thursday night. Now they turn their attention to cross divisional rival Boston College on Saturday.

#12 Florida State (4-4, 2-4) (LW:#10):

Man, this was just an embarrassing display by Florida State. Not only did they get dragged across the field by Clemson, but they had multiple ejections, and Willie Taggart left Deandre Francois in the game down 40 points, which resulted in him getting injured. If I was a FSU fan, I’d be furious by the lack of discipline and poor decisions made in a blowout loss. Once again, Nole fans provided us with a great meme

Props to buddy here for getting in some light reading and sun rays during a blowout. Noles head to Raleigh to take on NC State Saturday.

#13 Wake Forest (4-4, 1-3) (LW:#14):

The Deacs knocked off Louisville 56-35. Wake hosts Syracuse on Saturday.

#14 North Carolina (1-6, 1-4) (LW:#13):

UNC came up short against UVA in Charlottesville. Heels host Georgia Tech on Saturday.

#15 Louisville (2-6, 0-5) (LW:#15):

After false rumors of Petrino being fired circulated during the week, the Cards went out and layed an egg, losing 56-35 to a bad Wake Forest team. Louisville also got trolled by former spurned recruit Matt Colburn.

It’s got to be getting harder and harder for Louisville to justify keeping Petrino. The Cardinals come to Clemson on Saturday.