ACC Power Rankings: Week 4

Last season, Syracuse only lost by four in Death Valley. When Clemson visited the Carrier Dome in 2017, the Orange pulled off the upset in a thriller. Could Syracuse pull off another shocker in front of their home crowd?

Not at all. The 41-6 victory by the Tigers over the recently pesky Orange solidified their position atop the ACC power rankings. The tricky part now is sorting out the rest of the conference.

1. No. 1 Clemson - 3-0 (2-0)

Trevor Lawrence threw two interceptions in Clemson’s nationally televised 41-6 victory on Saturday night. His total is now five on the season. This is the question: is it still early for Lawrence or will this be the expectation for this season? The Tigers will have to limit these turnovers if they are to win the last game in January.

2. No. 21 Virginia - 3-0 (2-0)

With just over two and a half minutes left in the game, the Cavaliers punched in a rushing touchdown to take the lead over Florida State. A goal line stand sealed the 31-24 victory for Virginia. UVA has now won two of three against FSU.

3. Wake Forest - 3-0 (0-0)

After lackluster defense in the first two games of the season, the Demon Deacons’ D made it happen against the Tar Heels. If Wake Forest can keep the momentum going into their league opener against Boston College, it could be a special year for the Deacs.

4. North Carolina - 2-1 (1-0)

It was too little too late for the North Carolina Tar Heels on Friday night versus Wake Forest. The light at the end of the tunnel is that this team does not quit, as evidenced by another strong fourth quarter performance. UNC needs to avoid a slow start this week against App State or it may not be pretty.

5. Boston College - 2-1 (1-0)

The Eagles were 18-point favorites at home against Kansas. The Jayhawks flipped the spread and beat BC by 24. There was only one THB writer that made that pick. Can Boston College regroup this week against Rutgers?

6. Virginia Tech - 2-1 (0-1)

There were high expectations for this Hokies team, especially with the talent returning on defense. However, this has yet to come to fruition. VT was down 14-3 at the half against Furman, but dug deep in Blacksburg to secure a 24-17 win.

7. Louisville - 2-1 (0-0)

After a hot start in the first half against Western Kentucky, the Cardinals eventually defeated the Hilltoppers 38-21 in a neutral site battle in Nashville. After a opening week loss to Notre Dame and easy victories against in-state directional schools, the true Louisville team will be seen this week in Tallahassee.

8. NC State - 2-1 (0-0)

This team also faced in-state directional schools to start off with an easy 2-0 record. However, when facing their first P5 opponent and the oddsmakers making them a six-point favorite, the Wolfpack were waxed on the road 44-27 by West Virginia.

9. Duke - 2-1 (0-0)

After a 42-3 rout versus Alabama in Week 1, the Blue Devils have taken care of business the past two weeks versus North Carolina A&T and Middle Tennessee State. This week’s game in Blacksburg will be an interesting test for Duke.

10. Miami - 1-2 (0-1)

The Hurricanes tallied their first victory of the season against Bethune-Cookman. Miami should get back to .500 next week versus Central Michigan before the Hurricanes get back to their league schedule.

11. Pittsburgh - 1-2 (0-1)

The Panthers had a chance to knock off No. 13 Penn State in State College, but could not tie the game late with a first-and-goal at the one-yard line. That is a missed opportunity that will haunt Pitt.

12. Syracuse - 1-2 (0-1)

After high expectations coming into the season, the Orange have fallen fast. Syracuse has now been outscored 104-26 in the past two games.

13. Florida State - 1-2 (0-1)

This is how bad it is at Florida State. As first reported by the Tallahassee Democrat: Four-year-old sells lemonade to help pay for FSU Willie Taggart’s $17 million buyout.

14. Georgia Tech - 1-2 (0-1)

The Yellow Jackets lost to FCS The Citadel in overtime at Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta. That’s all.

Take a look at the ups and downs from the first four weeks of power rankings: