ACC Power Rankings updated after Week 3 of college football
The ACC power rankings nearly had a major shakeup this week as the top team in the league in Florida State had to hold off Boston College late to secure a 31-29 win.
Despite the close call, the Seminoles remain ranked No. 1 after Week 3, thanks in large part to their impressive win over LSU in Week 1. The top six teams in last week’s rankings all won over the weekend, but Saturday was tough for the bottom half of the league.
Here is the updated version of the ACC Power Rankings after Week 3:
1. Florida State Seminoles (3-0)
It wasn’t pretty, but ultimately the Seminoles did what they needed to do to escape with a road win. Florida State took a three-touchdown lead over Boston College in the third quarter but allowed the Eagles to hang around and nearly paid the price.
Mike Norvell‘s team will need to be much better this weekend to remain undefeated. Florida State has one of its toughest tests of the season as the Seminoles play at Clemson. FSU has dropped seven straight meetings with the Tigers.
2. Miami Hurricanes (3-0)
Miami moved up to the No. 2 spot after upsetting Texas A&M in Week 2 and maintains that position after handling Bethune-Cookman last Thursday. Mario Cristobal‘s team appears to have taken the step forward he was hoping it would in his second season.
Between the transfer portal and recruiting, Miami made some serious upgrades to its roster this offseason. It also helps that quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has returned to his 2021 form when he was one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC.
3. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0)
UNC bounced back from a less-than-stellar performance against Appalachian State to easily handle Minnesota at home over the weekend. The Tar Heels held the Golden Gophers to only 13 points and continue to play better defensively than they did a season ago.
Star quarterback Drake Maye threw a pair of interceptions, but he also passed for over 400 yards and had a pair of touchdowns. The Tar Heels have a manageable schedule this year and appear to be true contenders in the ACC.
4. Duke Blue Devils (3-0)
One of the surprise teams in the ACC to this point has been Duke. The Blue Devils upset Clemson in Week 1 and have continued to play well since.
Riley Leonard is proving that he is one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC, if not the country. On the other side of the ball, Duke head coach Mike Elko and Blue Devils defensive coordinator Tyler Santucci are doing an excellent job with the defense. Duke plays at UConn this weekend, before a tough stretch of four games that includes matchups against Notre Dame and Florida State.
5. Clemson Tigers (2-1)
It was a rough first six quarters to the season for Clemson, but the past six have been much better. The Tigers lost their opener to Duke and were in a tight battle with Charleston Southern for a half in Week 2.
However, over the past six quarters, Clemson has outscored Charleston Southern and FAU by a combined score of 90-14. Come Saturday, we will find out just how much progress Clemson has made since dropping its opener and if the turnaround is due to the level of competition, or if the Tigers have indeed made large strides. Saturday’s game against Florida State will play a large role in determining what kind of season Clemson has.
6. Louisville Cardinals (3-0)
Jeff Brohm is off to an undefeated start in his return to Louisville. The Cardinals have wins over Georgia Tech, Murray State and Indiana through the first three weeks of the season and will now play their ACC home opener against Boston College on Saturday.
Louisville has been inconsistent thus far as there have been moments where the Cardinals have looked really good and other times when they have really struggled. However, they have found a way to win all three games thus far. It helps that star receiver Jamari Thrash has emerged as one of the top playmakers in the ACC.
7. Syracuse Orange (3-0) (+1)
Dino Babers‘ club continues to move up in our ACC Power Rankings after debuting at No. 11 following Week 1. Syracuse earned a gutsy win at Purdue over the weekend to improve to 3-0.
Veteran quarterback Garrett Shrader is playing at a high level early on this season, and the Orange have a chance to move to 4-0 with a win over Army on Saturday. Should Syracuse beat Army as a 13.5-point favorite this weekend, it would be undefeated when Clemson comes to town on Sept. 30.
8. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-0) (-1)
Wake Forest dropped one spot in the ACC Power Rankings after needing to rally to beat Old Dominion on the road over the weekend. The Demon Deacons trailed 17-0 at the half and 24-13 entering the final quarter but displayed a lot of heart in the comeback win.
Wake Forest opens ACC play this weekend when it hosts Georgia Tech. The Demon Deacons need to avoid getting off to another slow start if they want to stay undefeated.
9. NC State Wolfpack (2-1) (+1)
The Wolfpack took care of business on Saturday against VMI, bouncing back from a tough loss to Notre Dame the previous weekend with a 45-7 victory. Outside of a rough fourth quarter against the Fighting Irish, NC State has looked really good all year.
The Wolfpack open ACC play this weekend against Virginia as 9.5-point favorites. NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong, who is also the leading rusher for the Wolfpack, will face his former team in the game.
10. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-2) (-1)
Starting with Virginia Tech, the bottom five teams in the ACC all have a losing record. The Hokies were unable to bounce back from a loss to Purdue and instead dropped their second straight game, falling at Rutgers over the weekend.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier now as Virginia Tech is a 5.5-point underdog for Saturday’s game at Marshall. The Hokies have a manageable ACC schedule as they avoid Clemson, North Carolina, Miami and Duke, but they need to start winning some games.
11. Pitt Panthers (1-2)
The Pitt offense has been a disaster for much of the season, and the Panthers managed only six points Saturday at West Virginia. Quarterback Phil Jurkovec is completing only 46.7 percent of his passes and has four touchdowns, with three interceptions through three games.
Against FBS opponents, Jurkovec is only 18 of 52 passing, for a completion percentage of less than 35 percent. Without improved quarterback play, it’s going to be a long season for the Panthers, who face Drake Maye and North Carolina on Saturday.
12. Boston College Eagles (1-2) (+1)
Boston College nearly pulled off the stunner of the college football weekend but was unable to complete its upset of Florida State. Still, it was good to see the Eagles stay competitive against arguably the top team in the ACC.
BC head coach Jeff Hafley still has his team fighting, despite dropping its opener to Northern Illinois. The Eagles are clearly making strides and still playing hard for Hafley.
13. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-2) (-1)
Georgia Tech stayed competitive with Ole Miss for most of the game on Saturday, before the Rebels pulled away late for a 48-23 victory. The good news for the Yellow Jackets is that they were within striking distance against both Louisville and Ole Miss in the fourth quarter.
The bad news is that they struggled late in both games and are now 1-2 on the year. Georgia Tech will look to get its first ACC win of the season on Saturday at Wake Forest.
14. Virginia Cavaliers (0-3)
The only winless team in the ACC, Virginia jumped out to a 14-0 lead at Maryland but didn’t score the rest of the game in the 42-14 loss. The Cavaliers trailed by only seven points entering the fourth quarter and had chances in the second half but were outscored 21-0 in the final period.
It has been a brutal stretch to start the season for Virginia and things don’t get any easier this weekend with NC State coming to town. Tony Elliott‘s team is playing hard but it’s not resulting in wins.
There wasn’t a lot of movement in the ACC Power Rankings for Week 3 as the top eight teams in the league all won. However, with five ACC matchups taking place this weekend, including Clemson vs. Florida State, Week 4 has the potential to be wild. Clemson and Florida State were viewed as without a doubt the top two teams in the league entering the season. Saturday’s matchup in Death Valley should be fun.