ACC Power Rankings: Week Six

No comments necessary. Here’s how these teams stack up right now, not how they’ll be at year’s end or in the final standings.

1. Boston College – BC got the win over UMASS Saturday, but it wasn’t glamorous or altogether impressive. 208 passing yards is too many against a team of this skill level, but the real shocking thing was that it wasn’t like BC turned the ball over a bunch of times and kept UMASS in the game. There were no turnovers from either side; the Eagles just struggled to move the ball way too often. If UMASS hadn’t been penalized a whopping 17 times for 114 yards, it might have been much, much closer.
2. Virginia Tech – The development of Tyrod Taylor took a step back Saturday, as Taylor and the Hokies failed to generate much offense at all, with Taylor throwing for 66 yards on 10-19 passing against a secondary that had been abysmal to date. There weren’t a ton of turnovers (just one), which was good news for Tech, but there weren’t a lot of first downs either (18 for UNC, 11 for Tech). Where did Anthony Elzy come from? You can’t fault the defense, but when they weren’t putting TJ Yates on his back, they gave up too many ground yards. Its unfortunate that the Tech D has to carry the entire squad again in 2007.
3. Clemson – Clemson has to be the hardest team to put in power rankings in the country, because they’re almost always capable of an A+ game and a D- game week to week. The gag against Georgia Tech was vintage Clemson – a brutal performance against a lame duck opponent. This team is capable of hanging with USC and losing to Wofford if you catch them on the right day. The Ramblin’ Wreck put Cullen Harper on the turf six times and Clemson never got to Taylor Bennett. In a game where field position was at a premium, that was key.
4. Wake Forest – With all the turmoil in the conference this weekend, the Deacons benefited just by having a week off to celebrate the amazing comeback against the Terps last weekend. The offense hasn’t really shown signs it can score on anyone outside those last couple quarters against Maryland, so Jeremy Thompson (5 sacks) and the defense have to carry the load. Better not look past Duke this weekend; the Devils could win this game.
5. Maryland – Congrats to the Turtles on a nice road win, but let’s not kid ourselves – Rutgers hadn’t beaten anyone this year, and any bettor worth their salt knew the 18.5 point spread was the easiest money in Vegas last weekend. Maryland looked great in dispatching the Scarlet Knights, with Keon Lattimore punishing Rutgers for 110 yards rushing and senior RB Lance Ball getting 90 tough yards as well. Not a bad big time debut for sophomore QB Chris Turner, either (14-20, 149 yards). The D gets big marks for holding Ray Rice, one of the nation’s best, under 100 yards.
6. Florida State – With two weeks to prepare, Bowden The Elder can still put together a nifty little game plan, can’t he? Whatever the reason for FSU’s victory over Alabama, it was a big win for the Noles, who are looking to make any announcement they can to assert their national relevance. FSU was good against the run, and they’ve been great all year (10^th nationally). In a year where the ACC is awfully low on playmaking QBs, the matchups might shake right for FSU to find a way to 8 or 9 wins.
7. Virginia – The Hoos put forth another solid performance Saturday, beating Pitt, 44-14. This is the 109^th ranked offense in the nation, people, and in two weeks they could be looking at 6-1 while facing Maryland. Credit the Cavs – they haven’t beaten themselves like so many others (see: Clemson) and sophomore QB Jameel Sewell hasn’t thrown a pick since the season opening loss at Wyoming. Sewell even got the feet going against Pitt, running for 64 yards on 12 tries. For a young guy, Sewell does a remarkable job of spreading the rock; through 5 games, 7 receivers average a catch or more per game.
8. Georgia Tech – Tashard Choice threw his hat in the ring for ACC Player of the Year with a bruising 32 carry, 145 yard outing, making the Tigers wish they’d never made the trip to the ATL. Forget the 196 he put up in South Bend, these 145 punishing yards drew all the focus of the Clemson D, but Tech kept feeding the beast, and Choice carried them to the winner’s circle. On the defensive side, the Jackets got back to business by hitting Cullen Harper early and often, netting 6 sacks in a swarming effort befitting their mascot.
9. Miami – The ‘Canes got all they wanted and then some from the Dukies, and didn’t put away the Devils until 2 minutes were left in the game. Kyle Wright was accurate again (19-23, 230 yards) in Miami’s controlled passing game, but 2 of his 4 incompletions were picks. Craig Cooper topped the century mark for the first time in ACC; he’ll do it a few more times before he’s done. The offense has been efficient sure, but the yards aren’t there yet. How often has a Miami team been 85^th yards and 72^nd in scoring in the last two decades?
10. Duke – The Devils got close again, getting a great effort from RB Re’quan Boyette, who got 71 tough yards, but Duke came up short against a much more talented Miami squad. A brutal stretch of four road games is now over and I’m telling you, Duke’s not done winning this year. Sophomore LB Vincent Rey is the ACC’s leading tackler (12 per game), and for the first time in years, there’s real reasons to be excited in Durham.
11. NC State – The ‘Pack can’t stop the run, clocking in at 116^th nationally, and that’s death in this conference. Teams with weak secondaries can survive this year’s ACC with Matt Ryan the exception to the rule. But NC State can’t stop anybody between the tackles, and their propensity for turnovers (118^th nationally in turnover margin) doesn’t help much either. The offense can’t find a groove either, with the Harrison Beck-led attack getting just 300 yards and 10 points against a Louisville D that had given up 40 points three straight weeks.
12. North Carolina – The Heels brought their A game to Blacksburg, and I don’t care who the QB is – if you come in to Lane Stadium and hold Tech to 240 yards, you get a helmet sticker. Anthony Elzy came out of nowhere to lead Carolina in rushing with 73 yards. If he can establish himself as a playmaker in the backfield, and the line can continue to protect youngun TJ Yates (4 sacks allowed in 5 games), UNC might have an offense on their hands.