UNC Football

ACC Power Rankings: Week 5

The Tar Heels drop after second straight loss.

By Douglas Valentine@ValentineDoug Sep 24, 2019, 11:00am EDT

For the second straight week, Carolina suffered a heartbreaking loss that came down to the final play when App State blocked a potential game-tying field goal as time expired. Things don’t get any easier for the Heels as they welcome the top-ranked Clemson Tigers to Chapel Hill this Saturday.

Let’s take a look at where these teams as well as the rest of the ACC stand heading into week five.

1. #1 Clemson - 4-0 (2-0)

No surprise here. The Tigers took care of business once more against an overmatched Charlotte team. This stat sums up how close the game was: Trevor Lawrence attempted just nine passes before being pulled.

Next Week: Saturday at North Carolina

2. #18 Virginia - 4-0 (2-0)

The Cavaliers actually struggled with Old Dominion for a while. Down 17-7 at the intermission, they had to stage a second half comeback and really didn’t feel comfortable until a touchdown put them up 28-17 midway through the fourth quarter. A win is a win though, and the Hoos are 4-0 for the first time since 2004.

Next Week: Saturday at #10 Notre Dame

3. Wake Forest - 4-0 (0-0)

Wake had no problems with Elon, winning 49-7. They have looked more impressive every week and are now actually 4-0 for the third time in four seasons. A trip to take on Boston College will be a good test for them.

Next Week: Saturday at Boston College

4. Boston College - 3-1 (1-0)

BC bounced back from a rough loss to Kansas with a road win over Rutgers. They haven’t necessarily done much to justify this ranking thus far, but a win over an undefeated Wake Forest team would do that.

Next Week: Saturday vs. Wake Forest

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

Pitt’s 2-2 record is a little deceiving. Both losses have come to top-20 teams (Virginia and Penn State) and they very nearly beat the Nittany Lions on the road. This past week, they picked up an exciting victory over then-#15 UCF, 35-34.

Next Week: Saturday vs. Delaware

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

After an electric 2-0 start, the Heels have come back down to Earth a bit in recent weeks. The good news is, each of their first four opponents has been formidable and they’ve been right there in every game. A win over Clemson might be too much to expect, but this team can keep it competitive if they can play a full four quarters.

Next Week: Saturday vs. Clemson

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

The Hokies are a hard team to figure out. Their lone loss came by just a touchdown on the road against Boston College, but they struggled to put away both Old Dominion and Furman. We’ll know more about this team as we get into the heart of the conference schedule.

Next Week: Friday vs. Duke

8. NC State - 3-1 (0-0)

The Wolfpack are in a similar situation as VT. They’ve played just one power five opponent (West Virginia) and were beat handily, 44-27. They also let Ball State hang around for a while last week.

Next Week: Saturday at Florida State

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

The Blue Devils unsurprisingly got waxed by Alabama in week one but have handled NC A&T and MTSU with ease. Coming off a bye, they’ve had two weeks to prepare for their trip to Blacksburg on Friday.

Next Week: Friday at Virginia Tech

10. Florida State - 2-2 (1-1)

The Seminoles finally picked up a semi-decent win against Louisville on Saturday but they nearly blew a 21-point lead. Their upcoming tilt with NC State seems like an important one if Willie Taggart hopes to keep his job.

Next Week: Saturday vs. NC State

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

The Cards showed resilience coming back from down 21-0 to briefly take the lead over FSU, but they were unable to finish the comeback. Still, Scott Satterfield can’t be too upset with where this team is in his first season.

Next Week: Bye

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

The Orange have not looked like the team that people expected to see coming into the year. They lost to Maryland and Clemson by a combined 78 points and gave up 33 points to Western Michigan this past week. It’ll be interesting to see if they can get their season turned around and start playing like the team that was ranked #22 in the preseason.

Next Week: Saturday vs. Holy Cross

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

Miami is also a team that has failed to meet preseason expectations. Close losses to Florida and UNC are understandable but the Hurricanes very nearly dropped another to Central Michigan on Saturday.