ACC Power Rankings
By: will-vandervort November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving from the TCI family to yours. We hope you have a wonderful day with your family and friends, and that you enjoy the football games.

As you know, next week’s ACC Championship Game is set. Top-ranked Clemson will play North Carolina at either 7:45 or 8 p.m. at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The game is sold out for the first time since Clemson was last in the ACC Championship Game in 2011.

Clemson is the designated home team and its sidelines will be on the north side of the stadium.

For the first time in its history, the ACC has two teams with double digit win streaks at the same time. Clemson has won 14 straight games—the nation’s longest active winning streak—while the Tar Heels have won 10 straight games, which is currently the third longest winning streak.

But before the ACC Championship Game, both Clemson and North Carolina still have a little bit of work to do. They must first get past their rivals. The Tigers will travel to Columbia to take on arch rival South Carolina at noon on Saturday, while the Tar Heels visit Raleigh to play ACC rival NC State. That game is a 3:30 p.m. kick.

Here is this week’s ACC Power Rankings.

  1. Clemson (11-0, 8-0 ACC), Last week No. 1: Clemson is looking to improve to 12-0 for only the second time in school history. The last time the Tigers did it was in 1981, the year they won the national championship. Who is next: at South Carolina, noon, Saturday
  2. North Carolina (10-1, 7-0 ACC), Last week No. 2: The Tar Heels have won 10 straight games and next week will play Clemson for a chance to win its first ACC Championship in 35 years. Who is next: at NC State, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  3. Florida State (9-2, 6-2 ACC), Last week No. 3: Sitting at No. 13, the Seminoles still have a shot at making a New Year’s Six Bowl game. A win over No. 12 Florida can help with that. Who is next: at Florida, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  4. Pitt (8-3, 6-1 ACC), Last week No. 4: Quietly, the Panthers have had a very good season under first-year head coach Pat Narduzzi. He is just one of nine coaches in the history of the ACC to win eight games in his first season as a head coach. Who is next: vs. Miami, noon, Friday
  5. Louisville (6-5, 5-3 ACC), Last week No. 5: Losing to Pitt was a disappointing way to end the ACC season for the Cardinals, but of their three conference losses, the three teams they lost to (Clemson, FSU and Pitt) have a combined record of 20-3 in the ACC this year. Who is next: at Kentucky, noon, Saturday
  6. NC State (7-4, 3-4 ACC), Last week No. 6: The Wolfpack is safely bowl eligible with seven wins already. However, a victory over North Carolina can position the ‘Pack for an even higher bowl slot. Plus it would give them two straight wins over the Tar Heels, and will knock the Tar Heels out of contention for a New Year’s Six Bowl should they lose to Clemson in the ACC Championship Game as well. Who is next: vs. North Carolina, 3:30 p.m., Saturday
  7. Miami (7-4, 4-3 ACC), Last week No. 8: It’s hard to imagine, but the Hurricanes will have an eight-win season if they beat Pitt on Friday, with a chance at a ninth win in a bowl game despite the fact their head coach was fired at mid-season and they were beat by a combined score of 117-21 by the ACC’s two best teams. Who is next: at Pitt, noon, Saturday
  8. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4 ACC), Last week No. 7: Despite losing in overtime to North Carolina last week, Frank Beamer was carried off the field by his players. This week his Hokies will try to earn a sixth win to become eligible and extend the retiring coach’s career for one more game. Who is next: at Virginia, noon, Saturday
  9. Virginia (4-7, 3-4 ACC), Last week No. 10: In a strange twist because they are not, nor will they be bowl eligible, the Cavaliers could position themselves for a bowl invite with a win over arch rival Virginia Tech on Saturday. The ACC will not have enough bowl eligible teams to fill all of its slots, which is the case across the country for a lot of conferences, including the Big Ten and the Big 12. There are too many bowl games and not enough bowl eligible teams, which means the NCAA will choose among the best 5-7 teams in the country to fill those spots. Who is next: vs. Virginia Tech, noon, Saturday
  10. Duke (6-5, 3-4 ACC), Last week No. 9: Boy have the Blue Devils fallen fast. After peaking at No. 3 in the power rankings last month, they have dropped four straight games. It’s like they have not recovered from that heart breaking last-second defeat to Miami. Who is next: at Wake Forest, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
  11. Syracuse (3-8, 1-6 ACC), Last week No. 11: Syracuse head coach Scott Shaffer was fired earlier this week. He will coach his final game at Syracuse on Saturday. Who is next: vs. Boston College, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
  12. Wake Forest (3-8, 1-6 ACC), Last week No. 13: Wake Forest is a much improved football team. Though they were beat soundly by No. 1 Clemson last week, the Demon Deacons showed a lot of promise and the future could be much brighter than once expected. Who is next: vs. Duke, 12:30 p.m., Saturday
  13. Georgia Tech (3-8, 1-7 ACC), Last week No. 12: It is hard to believe, but this time last year Georgia Tech was sitting outside the top 10 and was getting ready to play Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. This year, the Yellow Jackets have lost eight of their last nine games. Who is next: vs. Georgia, noon, Saturday
  14. Boston College (3-8, 0-7 ACC), Last week No. 14: The Eagles may not have beaten Notre Dame last week, but by come close to doing it they knocked the Irish out of the top 4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings. Who is next: at Syracuse, 12:30 p.m., Saturday.