ACC Power Rankings: Week 1

#1 Clemson (1-0):

Clemson earned an easy 48-7 victory over Furman. Sure there was a bit of rustiness at the beginning, but Clemson settled down and got the job done. There are still some questions about the QB position, but most of us probably figured we’d see a two QB system going into week 2 anyway. The biggest thing was how deep and how much young talent Clemson has.

#2 Virginia Tech (1-0):

The Hokies probably had the most impressive performance for an ACC team this weekend with their 24-3 win over FSU in Tallahassee. The Hokies forced 5 turnovers and played a little Beamer Ball by blocking a punt for a TD. Virginia Tech looks like the team to beat in the Coastal at the moment.

#3 Boston College (1-0):

I’ve been riding the BC Hypetrain this whole offseason and feel like they could legitimately finish #2 in the Atlantic this year. They opened up the year with a 55-21 win over instate foe UMass. UMass is far from world beaters, but they did open the season with a week 0 63-15 win over Dusquesne, so that’s got to count for something. BC plays Holy Cross next week, so I guess we’ll get another week of hype for the Eagles.

#4 (tie) Florida State and Miami (0-1):

Boy, the ACC’s two Sunshine State members certainly had a forgettable week 1. Both teams engaged in some pregame showings of “swag” before laying eggs on national TV. First, Miami did that thing where they try to start a fight before the game and then get ran off the field.

I guess this was supposed to intimidate LSU, but all it did was fire them up as they went on to beat the Canes 33-17.

FSU broke out their black uniforms, special garnet and black helmets, and their old school white endzones. They also had a prekickoff Swag Surfin session. And then proceeded to lose 24-3 to VT.

FSU and Miami can (and most likely will) rebound from their week 1 disappointments, but neither team inspired much confidence this weekend.

#6 NC State (1-0):

The Wolfpack slugged it out with FCS James Madison to come away with a 24-13 win. James Madison has been to two straight FCS title games, winning the 2016 Championship, so it’s not like they’re a bad program, however getting into a close game with any FCS team will always make a P5 fan base feel uneasy. QB Ryan Finley has a pretty good game, throwing for 309 yards and 2 touchdowns. I honestly don’t think the Pack are as bad as they looked Saturday. They’ll get another tune up game this Saturday with Georgia State before their big week 3 matchup with West Virginia.

#7 Georgia Tech (1-0):

Tech pounded Alcorn State 48-0. Really not much to say on this one. Good way for the Jackets to start the season. They’ll face South Florida in week 2.

#8 Pitt (1-0):

The Panthers defeated Albany 33-7. As with GT, it doesn’t really tell us a whole lot. We’ll get to see Pitt in prime time Saturday as they host their rival #10 Penn State.

#9 Duke (1-0):

The Devils opened up with a home 34-14 over Army. Army is coming off one of their better seasons in recent history. Overall a solid win for Duke before this week’s trip to Northwestern.

#10 Louisville (0-1):

The post Lamar Jackson era at Louisville began not with a bang but with a whimper as Louisville was stomped 51-14 by Alabama in Orlando. The good news is that literally nobody in America who wasn’t a member of the Cardinals’ team or staff believed they had a chance in this game, so it’s not like it was shocking. Jawon Pass tossed for 252 yards with two TD’s and two picks. The Cards get to lick their wounds in weeks two and three with games against Indiana State and Western Kentucky, respectively.

#11 Wake Forest (1-0):

Wake knocked off Tulane on the road in overtime. Not exactly a big win, but the Deacs were breaking in true freshman QB on the road. We’ll see how he and Wake progresses over the season.

#12 Virginia (1-0):

UVA defeated instate foe Richmond 42-13. Once again, hard to really gauge much out of this win. The Cavs take on Indiana next week.

#13 Syracuse (1-0):

Syracuse won, but in a 55-42 shootout with Western Michigan on a Friday night, because of course they did. Again it’s a small sample size, but it looks like this year could be very long for the ‘Cuse defense.

#14 North Carolina (0-1):

UNC went out west to Berkeley to face Cal where they rallied from down 0-17 to fall just short and lose to the Bears 17-24. The Heels are still reeling from suspensions for players selling their team issued Jordans, and will be without them for two more weeks. UNC faces instate rival ECU this week in one of the ugliest college football games you may see all year. ECU is coming off an upset loss to FCS North Carolina A&T