ACC Power Rankings: Seminoles surge after Superdome squeaker
College Football has finally begun in earnest, with a slew of Week 1 games giving us our first glimpse at who the contenders and the pretenders might be in 2022.
Now that we have some real football games to go off of it’s time to update our weekly conference power rankings.
A handful of wild games were in store for the ACC this weekend, with a few teams narrowly escaping defeat… and others not quite so fortunate. Plenty to provide some juice for risers and fallers in the ACC Power Rankings.
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Today we update the ACC Power Rankings following Week 1 games.
ACC Power Rankings 2022 – Week 1
The Tigers entered the season as the most talented team in the conference, and nothing that happened Monday against Georgia Tech suggested otherwise. That said, there are significant questions about the Tigers’ long-term upside with quarterback DJ Uiagalelei at the helm. The good news for Clemson is the Tigers get two weeks to iron things out before massive league games against Wake Forest and NC State.
- Miami (+1)
Miami certainly didn’t face as stiff a test as some of the other contenders in the league, taking on lowly Bethune-Cookman. But the Hurricanes made short work of the Wildcats, winning 70-13. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was efficient, running back Henry Parrish looked electric and the defense accounted for three interceptions, including one returned for a score.
- Pittsburgh (+1)
The Panthers treated us to one of the best games on opening weekend with the renewal of the Backyard Brawl. Ultimately Pitt came out on top of West Virginia, thanks to outstanding performances by quarterback Kedon Slovis and running back Rodney Hammond. The Panthers did see several key players go down injured during the game, so the injury report out of Pittsburgh this week bears monitoring.
- NC State (-2)
There’s no sugarcoating this one for the Wolfpack: They could have easily lost on Saturday. Maybe even should have. That said, playing on the road at East Carolina in a season opener is not the easiest start. And the Wolfpack did ultimately win, even if it took a pair of errant kicks to do so. NC State’s position in the ACC Power Rankings is tenuous, though. The Wolfpack have a lot to figure out in a hurry.
- Florida State (+3)
After handling Duquesne easily in Week 0, the Seminoles had a much stiffer test in Week 1 against LSU. The Seminoles entered the game in New Orleans a four-point underdog. While LSU has its own question marks, Florida State’s win was a significant statement for third-year coach Mike Norvell. And with quarterback Jordan Travis pulling the strings, the Seminoles look to be on the rise in a hurry.
- Wake Forest (-1)
No Sam Hartman, no problem in Week 1. Redshirt freshman Mitch Griffis was stellar filling in for Hartman, who is expected to miss some considerable time for the Demon Deacons. Griffis went 21-of-29 passing for 288 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. Christian Turner added 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as Wake rolled past VMI.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong picked up right where he left off for the Cavaliers, throwing for 246 yards and a pair of scores and rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown, as well. Virginia controlled the game from start to finish as new coach Tony Elliott got off to a winning start. Better: Armstrong has plenty of weapons to work with.
- North Carolina (-2)
In an absolute barn-burner that saw North Carolina and Appalachian State combine for 62 points in the fourth quarter, the Tar Heels managed to stave off a furious comeback attempt by the Mountaineers with a pair of stops on two-point conversions. Gene Chizik has his work cut out for him fixing a defense that nearly allowed it to happen. But how about quarterback Drake Maye? Whew.
- Syracuse (+1)
Dino Babers‘ squad was impressive on Saturday, shutting down Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham and making it look relatively easy in the process. The Orange forced three second-half turnovers and blanked the Cardinals on the scoreboard after a first-quarter touchdown. Quarterback Garrett Shrader was excellent as a dual threat.
- Boston College (-1)
Credit quarterback Phil Jurkovec, he battled well against a surprisingly stingy Rutgers squad but was ultimately unable to overcome porous offensive line play after the Eagles fell behind in the fourth quarter. Jurkovec took a beating and the Eagles aren’t likely to make much noise until an offensive line that replaced all five starters begins to improve.
It was a sloppy opening for Scott Satterfield‘s Cardinals, especially with Cunningham turning it over three times in the second half. Still, there’s no denying Cunningham’s ability when he’s got things clicking, which is what keeps the Cardinals from sliding below the Hokies after a humbling defeat to the Orange. It may be tough for Louisville to climb out of the double digits in the ACC Power Rankings.
The Hokies fell victim to a road opener at Old Dominion, dropping a 20-17 contest after a slew of self-inflicted mistakes. Quarterback Grant Wells threw four interceptions to just one touchdown, and while running back Keshawn King was solid, it wasn’t enough to overcome the costly miscues. New coach Brent Pry has a significant rebuilding task at hand.
- Duke (+1)
We could have gone either way with the final two spots in the ranking, and while it’s tough to bump Georgia Tech down given its Labor Day matchup is against Clemson, it’s equally hard to overlook Duke’s Week 1 result. New coach Mike Elko guided the Blue Devils to a 30-0 shutout of Temple. It was the first shutout of an FBS team by Duke since Steve Spurrier was tossing a blue and white visor on the sidelines as the program’s coach back in 1989.
- Georgia Tech (-1)
The Yellow Jackets put up a good fight Monday night against the Tigers, even with star running back Jahmyr Gibbs dipping to Alabama in the offseason. Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims was solid enough, but the Yellow Jackets got little production elsewhere, albeit against a very good Clemson defense. Penalties, coaching decisions and game management all remain significant issues in the Geoff Collins era.
Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Preseason ACC Power Rankings here!