With one week of the college football season now in the books, it’s time to take a look at how the ACC stacks up in my latest ACC Power Rankings.
Who has moved up and who has moved down after one week?
Let’s take a look.
1. Florida State (1-0, defeated Oklahoma State 37-31, Last Week’s Rank- 1)
The defending national champs weren’t dominant by any stretch of the imagination. But they beat a decent team and are still the ACC’s most talented team. Up Next: Saturday vs. the Citadel.
2. Clemson (0-1, lost to Georgia 45-21, Last Week- 2)
A loss to a good Georgia team doesn’t knock Clemson down any. As good as the Tigers’ offense looked in the first half, they left a ton of questions to be answered in the second half. Replacing Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins could turn out to be a major chore for Dabo Swinney. Up Next: Saturday vs. South Carolina State
3. Louisville (1-0, defeated Miami 31-13, Last Week-8)
If any team answered some questions heading into the season, it was certainly the Cardinals. The offense was supposed to be solid even without Teddy Bridgewater, but the Louisville defense looked outstanding in dominating a pretty good Miami team. Up Next: Saturday vs. Murray State
4. Virginia Tech (1-0, defeated William & Mary 34-9, Last Week-6)
Speaking of good defenses. It may have only been a win against William & Mary, but the Hokies defense could once again turn out to be very stingy. The offense had questions coming into the season, but Michael Brewer had an impressive debut, and the running back duo of Wash High’s Shai McKenzie and Marshawn Williams could turn out to be a potent one. Up Next: Saturday at Ohio State
5. Duke (1-0, defeated Elon 52-13, Last Week-3)
The Blue Devils weren’t tested, but they did what they were supposed to do and that was dominate lesser competition. Anthony Boone and the Duke offense looked great, even after the departure of OC Kurt Roper this offseason. Up Next: Saturday at Troy
6. Pitt (1-0, defeated Delaware 62-0, Last Week-7)
It was only Delaware, but it was hard not to take notice of the Panthers last week. A 62-0 whitewash is impressive regardless. Pitt ran for 400 yards as a team and held the Blue Hens to under 70 yards as a team. They looked as good as any Pitt team has in quite some time. Up Next: Friday at Boston College
7. North Carolina (1-0, defeated Liberty 56-29, Last Week-4)
Scoring 56 points is great despite a slow start. Giving up 29 to Liberty is not. It looks as if the Tar Heels will go with both Marquise Williams and Mitch Trubisky at quarterback for another week. Up Next: Saturday vs. San Diego State
8. Miami (0-1, lost to Louisville 31-13, Last Week-5)
The Hurricanes had some moments vs. Louisville, but the offensive line really struggled and the quarterback situation is a shaky one. Miami showed that they aren’t ready to compete for an ACC title just yet. Up Next: Saturday vs. Florida A&M
9. Virginia (0-1, Lost to UCLA 28-20, Last Week-10)
No one expected Virginia to keep it as close as they did against UCLA. Their defense looked pretty good at times and could carry them through stretches of their schedule. They have to take much better care of the football though. Up Next: Saturday vs. Richmond
10. Boston College (1-0), defeated U Mass 30-7, Last Week-13)
Tyler Murphy came on at the end of the game and did some good things both throwing and running the football. We will find out a lot about both Boston College and Pitt when they square off on Friday. Up Next: Friday vs. Pitt
11. Georgia Tech (1-0, defeated Wofford 38-19, Last Week-11)
The Yellow Jackets started slowly but eventually came on strong against Wofford. If you want to keep an eye on a sleeper player in the ACC, take a look at Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas. Up Next: Saturday at Tulane
12. Syracuse (1-0, defeated Villanova 27-26, Last Week-9)
The Orange needed two overtimes to beat Villanova. Even without quarterback Terrel Hunt, who was ejected, that qualifies as a disappointing opener. Up Next: Saturday at Central Michigan
13. North Carolina State (1-0, defeated Georgia Southern 24-23, Last Week-12)
Jacoby Brissett bailed the Wolfpack out of a near crippling loss to Georgia Southern. That’s not exactly how a team that went winless in ACC play a season ago wanted to start the season. Up Next: Saturday vs. Old Dominion
14. Wake Forest (0-1, lost to UL Monroe 17-10, Last Week-14)
Talk about ugly openers. The Deamon Deacons managed just five first downs, 94 total yards of offense and 10 points in a loss vs. Louisiana-Monroe. Up Next: Saturday vs. Gardner-Webb
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