ACC Power Rankings
By: will-vandervort October 15, 2015

The top six teams remained the same in this week’s edition of TCI’s ACC Power Rankings.  As each week passes, it becomes clearer that the two best teams in the ACC reside in the Atlantic Division. Clemson, ranked No. 5 in this week’s Associated Press Poll, and Florida State, ranked No. 11, will square off on in Death Valley on Nov. 7.

Duke, North Carolina and Pitt appear to be the teams to beat in the Coastal Division.

 

  1. Clemson (5-0, 2-0 ACC), Last week No. 1: The Tigers have 30 of their last 32 in Death Valley, including 13 straight, which ties a school record set two other times. Clemson is also second in the country, only to Alabama, with 33 straight victories over an unranked opponent. Who is next: vs. Boston College, 7 p.m., Saturday
  2. Florida State (5-0, 3-0 ACC), Last week No. 2: Florida State running back Dalvin Cook is averaging a league-high 158.4 yards per game after he rushed for 222 yards and scored two touchdowns in the Seminoles win over Miami last week. Who is next: vs. Louisville, Noon, Saturday
  3. Duke (5-1, 2-0 ACC), Last week No. 3: Duke has won five straight road games and 11 of its pas 12 away from home. Since 2013, only Northern Illinois has won more true road games than the Blue Devils. Who is next: at Virginia Tech, Oct. 24
  4. North Carolina (4-1, 1-0 ACC), Last week No. 4: The North Carolina offense ranks 17th nationally in scoring, 22nd in rushing offense and 23rd in total offense. The Tar Heels have won four straight games since their season-opening loss to South Carolina. Who is next: vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m., Saturday
  5. Pitt (4-1, 2-0 ACC), Last week No. 5: Pitt wide receiver Tyler Boyd leads the ACC and is sixth nationally in pass receptions per game, has 33 catches in four games. He is averaging 8.3 per game. Who is next: at Georgia Tech, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
  6. Louisville (2-3, 1-1 ACC), Last week No. 6: Quarterback Lamar Jackson, a true freshman, is averaging 87 yards per game on the ground, which ranks third nationally among all quarterbacks. He also leads all true freshmen, regardless of position, in rushing. Who is next: at Florida State, Noon, Saturday
  7. Syracuse (3-2, 1-0 ACC), Last week No. 7: Wide receiver Steve Ishmael hauled in his fifth touchdown catch in last week’s loss to South Florida. The Orange has lost two games after opening the season 3-0. Who is next: at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  8. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1 ACC), Last week No. 12: Wide receiver Isaiah Ford became the first Hokie to catch three touchdown passes in an ACC game in last week’s win over NC State. He was the first Virginia Tech player to score more than two touchdowns in a game since 2002. Who is next: vs. at Miami, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  9. Miami (3-2, 0-1 ACC), Last week No. 9: Against No. 12 FSU, quarterback Brad Kaaya completed 29 of 49 passes for 332 yards and three touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception in his last 95 attempts. Who is next: vs. Virginia Tech, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  10. NC State (4-2, 0-2 ACC), Last week No. 8: Quarterback Jacoby Brissett had his streak of 231 consecutive passes thrown without an interception ended at Virginia Tech last week. The streak was the fifth longest in ACC history. He also owns the eighth longest streak. Who is next: at Wake Forest, Oct. 24
  11. Wake Forest (3-3, 1-2 ACC), Last week No. 13: Punter Alex Kinal averaged 51.3 yards per punt on 10 punts in last week’s win over Boston College, pinning four of them inside the 20-yard line. He also broke the ACC career punting record in that game. Who is next: at North Carolina, 7 p.m., Saturday
  12. Boston College (3-3, 0-3 ACC), Last week No. 10: The Eagles’ defense leads the nation in just about every major defensive category, including total defense, rushing defense, passing defense, first downs allowed, yards per play and pass efficiency defense. They also rank second in scoring defense. Who is next: vs. Clemson, 7 p.m., Saturday
  13. Georgia Tech (2-4, 0-3 ACC), Last week No. 11: Paul Johnson’s triple option attack was held to 71 yards rushing by the Clemson defense last week. That is the lowest rushing total ever in the Paul Johnson era at Georgia Tech, and the second lowest output in his coaching career. It also snapped the Yellow Jackets streak of at least 100-yards rushing at 83 games. Who is next: vs. Pitt, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
  14. Virginia (1-4, 0-1 ACC), Last week No. 14: The Cavalier have lost six of their last seven ACC games, including last week’s loss to Pitt. This is the first meeting between Virginia and Syracuse since the Cavaliers won, 27-24, in the Carrier Dome in 2005. Who is next: vs. Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., Saturday