ACC Power Rankings: Where things stand after Week 5

Wake Forest may be for real. The Demon Deacons survived a late rally by Louisville, winning 37-34. The Deacons, playing at home, may have benefited from a friendly clock operator at the end of the first half.

With four seconds remaining in the half, and the ball at the Cardinals 1-yard line, Wake somehow found time to run a play out of the shotgun, run the ball short of the goal line and out of bounds, with still a second left.

Hmm. Enough time for the Deacs to kick a 20-yard field goal – with three points being the difference-maker in the end.

At 5-0, that’s the kind of respect and home cooking a title contender receives.

Overall, the Week 5 power rankings remained steady at the top of each division, with some minor shifting near the bottom. Florida State got win number one over Syracuse that got the Seminoles out from the basement in the Atlantic. Duke and Miami clearly exhibited why they are holding up the rest of the Coastal.

ACC Atlantic

1. Wake Forest (3-0, 5-0) The Demon Deacons needed a late field goal to turn back Louisville. The clock operator at Truist Field may be the former clock operator next home game, but hey, that’s why it’s referred to as the home field advantage. Wake has played four of its first five games at home. The schedule changes in the second half as the Deacs face UNC, NC State and Clemson.
2. NC State (1-0, 4-1) State survived “the hangover effect” to underwhelm Louisiana Tech, 34-27. The Wolfpack, fresh off the win over Clemson, never trailed the Bulldogs, but failed to put them away as well. If NC State coach Dave Doeren attempted to warn his squad of a letdown, it didn’t work. Offensively the Wolfpack played like pups, but generated enough firepower to lead 27-13 after three, before turning back a late LA Tech rally.
3. Clemson (2-1, 3-2) Another week of less than solid offensive play by the Tigers, but another week the defense made a statement about not counting Clemson out. Clemson stopped Boston College in the final minutes of the game on a drive that would have given the Eagles the lead late. If the Clemson defensive unit continues to shine, it may just give the Tiger offense time to put it together.
4. Boston College (0-1, 4-1) After reeling off four wins against basically an FCS schedule, the Eagles faced Clemson on Saturday. Struggling or not, it’s still Clemson, and it was in Death Valley. The Eagles played well and had a chance to go ahead late in the fourth, before the Clemson defense took the ball over on downs.
5. Louisville (1-1, 3-2) The Cardinals cranked out 540 total yards of offense at Wake Forest. Quarterback Malik Cunningham accounted for 332 of those yards with a 19-for-26 passing game. However, it wasn’t enough as Wake remained unbeaten.
6. FSU (1-2, 1-4) In a highly anticipated matchup, OK, maybe not highly, the Seminoles turned back Syracuse to escape the cellar of the Atlantic power rankings. A 34-yard field goal at the buzzer won the game. Its was the first FSU win in nearly 300 days.
7. Syracuse (0-1, 3-2) You wouldn’t think a 3-2 team would be at the bottom of the power rankings. But a closer look at the Orange schedule shows wins over Ohio U, Albany, and Liberty. Plus losing to FSU doesn’t leave many options other than last.

ACC Coastal

1. Virginia Tech (1-0, 3-1) Tech enjoyed a bye week, and no other team in the division really stepped up. The Hokies get a prime time billing this week, hosting Notre Dame in a non-conference contest. The game has no implications on the Coastal Division race, but provides the Hokies with a huge opportunity to establish themselves as the Coastal favorite.
2. North Carolina (2-2, 3-2) The Tar Heels took care of business Saturday by dismantling Duke, 38-7. UNC has dug a deep hole in the Coastal Division. The only hope the Heels have of claiming the Coastal is continue winning and hope for some help.
3. Pittsburgh (1-0, 4-1) The Panthers made a big jump (from No.5 to No. 3) this week, thanks to a 52-21 drubbing of Georgia Tech in Atlanta. Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett shredded the Yellow Jackets defense for 389 yards and four touchdowns. Pittsburgh is slowly moving past an inexplicable loss to Western Michigan three weeks ago. Behind Pickett the Panthers offense is playing as well as any team in the ACC.
4. Virginia (1-2, 3-2) The Cavaliers traveled to Miami for the third consecutive year, and indeed the third time proved the charm for UVA. It took a circus catch by Dontayvion Wicks for a touchdown and a banged the upright missed 33-yard field goal by the Hurricanes as time expired to get the win, but the Cavaliers will take any win in the Sunshine State.
5. Georgia Tech (1-2, 2-3) Tech had the biggest drop of the week (No. 2 to No. 5) mainly due to an abysmal defensive showing against Pittsburgh. Pitt dropped over 500 yards of offensive yards for the game and lead 42-14 at the half.
6. Miami (0-1, 2-3) The Hurricanes missed a chip-shot field goal in the wanning seconds against Virginia to lose a heartbreaker, 30-28. Miami gets the nod over Duke because they are Miami, which sums up where the Hurricane football program has fallen.
7. Duke (0-1, 3-2) The Blue Devils had a chance to make a statement Saturday in their 10-mile road trip to Chapel Hill to face UNC. And that they did. Duke trailed 24-0 at intermission and never challenged the Heels. North Carolina kept the Victory Bell in Chapel Hill. Duke is just trying to hang on until basketball season.

Story by Scott German