ACC Power Rankings Week 6: North Carolina, Georgia Tech (?) continue to climb

The Atlantic Division continues to flex its muscles in the ACC, but North Carolina and, yes, Georgia Tech are beginning to make some noise in the Coastal.

North Carolina appears ready to take hold in the chaotic Coastal Division, where mediocrity, or worse, prevails. The Tar Heels took care of business with a 27-24 win on the road against Miami. Georgia Tech won its second straight under interim head coach Brent Key, beating Duke in overtime, 23-20.

Clemson and NC State solidified the top two spots in the Atlantic. The Tigers, as expected, devoured Boston College, 31-3. NC State rallied from a 17-3 halftime deficit to turn back Florida State, 19-17.

The ACC is scrapping the two-division format after the 2022 season. It may be a year too late as a Clemson-NC State rematch can’t happen, but should. Both the Tigers and Wolfpack are the cream of the ACC crop.

However, State could be in trouble as starting quarterback Devin Leary left the FSU game with a shoulder injury.

Atlantic Division

1. Clemson (6-0, 4-0 ACC) The Tigers remained undefeated with a ho-hum 31-3 road win over Boston College. Clemson led only 10-3 at halftime, but then after adjusting to the high school crowd, scored the final 21 points of the game in the second half.
2. NC State (5-1, 1-1 ACC) The Wolfpack came from behind to beat FSU, 19-17. Trailing 17-3 at the break, the second half storyline was the two head coaches and the Devin Leary injury. State’s head coach Dave Doren made some key adjustments in the second half, while Seminoles coach Mike Norvell watched the adjustments and made none. Leary’s shoulder injury is of major concern in Raleigh.
3. Wake Forest (5-1, 1-1 ACC) WF put on a rushing clinic against Army, scoring four times on the ground in a dominating 45-10 win. Army was determined to stop Wake Forest’s big-play offense. So, the Demon Deacons slashed the Black Knights in other ways. Wake turned the tables with an early clinic in rushing offense, against an Army team that favors an all-out running attack.
4. Syracuse (5-0, 2-0 ACC) The Orange had a great weekend to be off. Syracuse will host NC State on Saturday night in their toughest challenge of the 2022 season. With a win over the Wolfpack, SU would be on a collision course with Clemson for the Atlantic crown.
5. FSU (4-2, 2-2 ACC) The Seminoles dropped their second straight to a Top 25 team, collapsing in the second half, losing to NC State 19-17. Carter-Finley Stadium, a traditional horror house for FSU, claimed another Seminole squad, as the Wolfpack overcame a 14-point deficit in the second half. FSU QB Jordan Tavis had a Jekyll and Hyde performance.
6. Louisville (3-3, 1-3 ACC) The Cardinals, without starting quarterback Malik Cunningham, and many other key players, secured their first ACC win of the season, 34-17, at Virginia. Trailing 10-0, UL recovered a Virginia fumble late in the first quarter and never looked back, outscoring UVA 34-7 over the final three quarters.
7. Boston College (2-4, 1-2 ACC) OK, BC did keep things close in the first half against Clemson, trailing 10-3 at halftime, but it was all Clemson in the second half.

Coastal Division

1. Pitt (4-2, 1-1 ACC) Israel Abanikanda tied a school record with six touchdowns as Pitt bounced back from a loss to Georgia Tech, crushing Virginia Tech, 45-29. The Panthers held on to the Coastal top-spot by the thinnest of margins, for two reasons, they are the defending champions, and the loss to GT became a bit easier to explain after the Yellow Jackets won their second straight, beating Duke.
2. North Carolina (5-1, 2-0 ACC) Don’t look now, but UNC looks to be the best team in the Coastal. A 27-24 win at Miami allows the Tar heels to take over the division lead. Against the Hurricanes, the Carolina defense again rose to the occasion, and the offense made enough plays for the win. UNC has been in three one-score games this season, winning them all.
3. Miami (2-3, 0-1 ACC) Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke may have gotten back on track against UNC, throwing for 496 yards, second-most in UM football history. The Hurricanes couldn’t overcome two costly turnovers in the fourth quarter.
4. Georgia Tech (3-3, 2-1 ACC) Amazing, could the Yellow Jackets win the Coastal Division? It’s certainly not as crazy as it sounded two weeks ago. GT won its second straight game, a 23-20 overtime victory over Duke, with interim coach Brent Key. With a home game against Virginia next, Georgia Tech may easily be 3-1 on the division at the halfway mark.
5. Duke (4-2, 1-1 ACC) The win over Virginia a week ago, ending a 13-game losing streak in the series, didn’t carry over for the Blue Devils, who fell to upstart GT, 23-20, in OT.
6. Virginia Tech (2-4, 1-2 ACC) Offensively, Tech got untracked a bit, scoring 29 at Pitt, but the usually strong Tech rush defense was ambushed by Panther running back Israel Abanikanda in a 45-29 defeat. Abanikanda broke Pitt great Tony Dorsett’s single-game school rushing record with 320 yards.
7. Virginia (2-4, 0-3 ACC) Not much to say after the Cavaliers’ 34-17 homecoming loss to Louisville. On second thought, there’s plenty to say, but nothing positive about the UVA performance on Saturday.