ACC Power Rankings - Week Four

1. Boston College – the Eagles have looked really, really good so far and, were it not for the brutal schedule, would be an outside chance for the national title. Matt Ryan has been borderline unbelievable at QB, but I’d still like to see a little more of a ground attack against a good defense. The D absolutely owned Georgia Tech, especially on the ground. Since none of the teams left on the schedule can really throw that well, BC is in great shape to make the ACC title tilt.

2. Virginia Tech – Don’t be fooled by the ‘Bayou Beatdown’. This is a really good Tech football team that is still the odds on favorite to win the Coastal Division. New QB Tyrod Taylor looked solid against Ohio, and now that the first start jitters are out, he should only improve. Taylor gives a new dimension to the offense, and brings with him the confidence that the ball is going to be taken care of with a new intensity. The line is struggling to create big holes for Brandon Ore, but they’ll have to do so to remove pressure from the new signal caller as the year goes on.

3. Clemson – The Tigers are here almost by default. They haven’t really played anyone, but I can’t believe any team below would beat them. Winning the Bowden Bowl was nice, but I’m not high on FSU, and the offense struggled mightily. Clemson’s D was better in that game than it has been since: The Tigers surrendered just 256 yards against the Noles, and then fell asleep at the wheel against UL-Monroe and Furman, giving up 419 and 384. A lot of those yards came late, but for a squad with a history of mental boners, its not a good sign.

4. Maryland – We don’t know anything but Maryland yet, but the Terps are going to come out of the shadows and show themselves this week when they travel to Wake. Keon Lattimore has been steady against weak competition, and he needs to get better for the ACC journey. The coaching staff hasn’t shown serious signs they’re going to turn QB Jordan Steffy loose; he’s throwing very safe, and they’ll have to win with rushing and defense.

5. Georgia Tech – The defense has pretty good numbers, at 7^th in the nation in rush D, 4^th in sacks, 4^th in TFL and 14^th in scoring D. But those numbers are deceptive. Tech has played the Irish train wreck, Samford, and a BC squad that pounded them by much more than the 14-point margin on the scoreboard.

6. Florida State – I like what the Noles have done, scheduling some quality out of conference foes, and these early trials are going to help down the road. For now, the defense has shown signs it might return to classic FSU dominant form, holding Colorado to -27 yards rushing. Drew Weatherford has been maddeningly inaccurate yet again, and with a defense with this kind of upside, all Weatherford needs to do is be efficient. Will Jimbo Fisher let him?

7. Wake Forest – Wake’s chances of repeating last year’s magical run will hinge on their ability to get key stops and win close games. The 3-point Nebraska loss doesn’t bode well on either count, as the Deacons surrendered a late TD to give away what would have been a statement win on their home turf. WR Kenneth Moore absolutely lit up BC, but he’s been contained pretty well by Army and Nebraska; finding another quality option for QB Brett Hodges would be a good start; senior Kevin Marion, you’re being paged.

8. Miami – ‘Canes fans that hoped new sheriff Randy Shannon’s “no guns” rule, among others, was going to change everything that had gone wrong in Coral Gables since the Larry Coker era was mistaken. Oklahoma isn’t 38 points better than this Miami squad; once UM gave up a crucial TD in the third, they checked out mentally. The running game has been a pleasant surprise against weak competition, but the passing attack is still struggling to find a pace and rhythm.

9. Virginia – Somehow, the Cavs are 2-0 and lead the Coastal, but 11 and 2 points wins over Duke and UNC aren’t inspiring stuff. Oh yeah, that 20 point beatdown at Wyoming doesn’t get me out of bed in the morning either. So far, the Hoos are winning with D; the offense has been awful against some really bad defenses, ranking 9th or worse in the ACC in passing, yards, scoring and rushing. The best thing the D has done is get to the QB, ranking 9^th in the NCAA in sacks. Better keep it up this week against Georgia Tech.

10. NC State – OK, so the Central Florida loss doesn’t look quite as bad after the Golden Knights gave Texas a serious scare, but where is the run defense? The ‘Pack is surrendering over 200 rush yards a game to fairly weak competition, and in a league like the ACC, that weakness will be death. Nebraska transfer Harrison Beck has been just fine throwing the ball, but if passing yards don’t convert to more points, and the turnover situation doesn’t change (110^th in NCAA in margin), this team will lose a lot of games.

11. North Carolina – TJ Yates has looked really good under center, and in two years he might have the ‘Heels smelling the upper division of the league. Yates has UNC 7^th nationally in pass efficiency, but in the ACC, you have to stop the run to win. Good RBs will bruise and batter the weak defensive front seven. S. Florida and S. Carolina are two tough non-conference tilts, and Miami might be Carolina’s only chance for a win until the Dukies come a’callin in late November.

12. Duke – Yay………Duke! The streak is over, courtesy of a stunning 20-14 win over Northwestern in the Brain Bowl. Now we can look at some positives, like Thaddeus Lewis looking like a competent QB, and the defense actually not being brutal (49^th in NCAA in sacks, 70^th in rush defense). Sure, they’re not good, but with North Carolina and (gasp) Notre Dame on the schedule, could the Devils win three times this year?