ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 6 of college football
It was another wild weekend in the ACC, which included arguably the craziest ending of the 2023 college football season.
Georgia Tech pulled off a stunning 23-20 win at Miami, scoring in the final seconds after it appeared as though the game was over. Meanwhile Louisville proved that it is a legit contender to win the league, beating Notre Dame to improve to 6-0 (3-0).
Florida State and North Carolina joined the Cardinals in remaining undefeated, as the top teams in the ACC continue to jockey for position. Here’s a look at the full ACC Power Rankings after Week 6 of the college football season:
1. Florida State Seminoles (5-0)
Florida State didn’t lose any momentum during its bye week. After getting a week off, the Seminoles cruised to a 39-17 win over Virginia Tech to remain unbeaten on the year.
Quarterback Jordan Travis was efficient, passing for 170 yards and two touchdowns — both of which went to star receiver Johnny Wilson. In a good sign for Florida State, the Seminoles got their running game going as Trey Benson had 200 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Up next, FSU will host Syracuse.
2. North Carolina Tar Heels (5-0) (+1)
Drake Maye had his best game of the season against Syracuse, passing for 442 yards and three touchdowns. Maye also rushed for a score as he showed why he is expected to be a first-round pick in next year’s NFL draft.
North Carolina completely dominated a Syracuse team that entered the game with a 4-1 record. With Tez Walker now eligible, Maye has plenty of playmakers and the Tar Heels are a dangerous team in the ACC race.
3. Louisville Cardinals (6-0) (+1)
Arguably the most impressive team in the ACC over the weekend was Louisville. The Cardinals controlled the game against a Notre Dame team that entered 5-1, with only a last-second loss to Ohio State.
Louisville had played a fairly easy schedule prior to this past weekend. However, they showed against Notre Dame that they are for real. Jawhar Jordan in particular had a great game, rushing for 143 yards and two scores against the Irish.
4. Duke Blue Devils (4-1) (+1)
Duke had a much-needed bye over the weekend, as quarterback Riley Leonard continues to try to recover from an ankle injury he suffered late in the Notre Dame game. The Blue Devils needed the week off to get healthier and recover from a mental standpoint, too, after being just a play away from upsetting the Irish.
It seems unlikely that Leonard will be available for this weekend’s game against NC State. Still, the Blue Devils are favored by four points. This would be a huge win for Duke to get back on track and show that it can win big ACC games without Leonard.
5. Clemson Tigers (4-2) (+1)
Clemson didn’t have the dominant performance it was hoping to against Wake Forest, but the defense certainly did its part. The Tigers held Wake Forest to only 239 yards of offense and had eight tackles for loss, including four sacks.
The offense continues to lack consistency, though. Clemson has a bye week this week, and the Tigers are hoping they can get healthy and gain some confidence ahead of the second half of the season.
6. Miami Hurricanes (4-1) (-4)
Miami didn’t play well against Georgia Tech, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Still, the Hurricanes had the game won before a costly mistake. All Miami had to do in the final seconds was take a knee and the game was over.
Instead, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson called a running play, Donald Chaney Jr. fumbled, and two plays later Georgia Tech pulled off a stunning win. Miami doesn’t have much time to recover as the Hurricanes will play at North Carolina on Saturday. The biggest challenge will likely be getting ready to play mentally. Miami is still very much in the ACC title race but it can’t afford another loss.
7. Wake Forest (3-2) (+1)
It was a nice bounce-back performance by Wake Forest, even in a loss. The Demon Deacons were competitive from start to finish at Clemson and had chances to pull off the upset.
If the Demon Deacons can continue to play like the team that nearly beat Clemson and beat Vanderbilt earlier this year, then they can have a strong finish to the season. However, if they play like the team that lost by two scores at home to Georgia Tech, it could be a tough second half of the year.
8. NC State (4-2) (+1)
New NC State starting quarterback MJ Morris got off to a rough start. Morris threw a pair of interceptions in the first quarter, including a pick-six, as Marshall built an early lead against the Wolfpack.
Morris ended up throwing three interceptions overall. However, he also tossed four touchdown passes to help NC State hand Marshall its first loss of the season. The Wolfpack have a tough challenge this week playing at rival Duke.
9. Georgia Tech (3-3) (+2)
Yes, Miami made mistakes late to allow Georgia Tech to have a chance to win. But the Yellow Jackets still had to make clutch plays in the final seconds to take advantage, and they did.
Georgia Tech forced five Miami turnovers and improve to 2-1 in the ACC with the win. Their only loss in league play came to an undefeated Louisville team. The Yellow Jackets now have a bye week, before getting a chance to improve to 3-1 in the ACC against Boston College on Oct. 21.
10. Syracuse Orange (4-2) (-3)
After getting off to a 4-0 start, Syracuse has come crashing back down to earth the past couple of weeks. The Orange have been blasted by Clemson and North Carolina the past two Saturdays, losing by a combined 50 points.
It doesn’t get any easier for Syracuse this weekend, as the Orange have to play an undefeated Florida State team in Tallahassee. The second half of the schedule is much more manageable, and a bowl game is still possible for the Orange.
11. Virginia Tech (2-4) (-1)
Virginia Tech hung around against Florida State for a while and even cut the Seminoles lead to 22-17 early in the third quarter, before FSU pulled away. Still, Virginia Tech continues to show improvement with Kyron Drones at QB.
Up next, the Hokies will host Wake Forest, before getting a bye. Brent Pry‘s team has some things to clean up on the defensive side of the ball after allowing FSU to rush for 282 yards.
12. Boston College (3-3) (+1)
Boston College completed only four passes against Army, but that’s all it needed to do to get the win. Quarterback Thomas Castellanos rushed for 142 yards and four touchdowns as BC earned a 27-24 victory.
The Eagles continue to play close games each week as five of their six games have been decided by 3 points or less. Boston College now has a bye week, before playing at Georgia Tech on Oct. 21.
13. Pitt (1-4) (-1)
Pitt had a bye week this past week and now has a matchup with one of the top teams in the ACC in Louisville coming up. The Panthers had plenty to work on during the week off as they have yet to record a win against an FBS opponent this season.
Pat Narduzzi teams typically get better as the season goes along. This one certainly needs to in a hurry after early losses to Cincinnati, West Virginia, UNC and Virginia Tech.
14. Virginia (1-5)
Virginia earned its first win of the season on Saturday, beating William & Mary 27-13. The Cavaliers were trailing 13-3 early in the second quarter, before taking the game over with 24 unanswered points.
Obviously the competition wasn’t great, but Virginia needed a win of any kind after a slow start to the season. Now the Cavaliers will get a bye before a brutal stretch of back-to-back games at North Carolina and at Miami.
There was a lot of movement in the ACC Power Rankings this week, and more is sure to be on the way. Two of the biggest games of the upcoming weekend are Miami at North Carolina and NC State at Duke. It will be fun to see how the weekend shakes out as ACC teams continue to battle for the top spot.