ACC Football Power Rankings: Clemson, UNC pulling away, on collision course for Charlotte

Clemson had a bye week, but inched closer to the Atlantic Division crown thanks to Louisville’s clubbing of Wake Forest. North Carolina pulled away from Pitt and all but clinched the Coastal. Assuming both teams take care of business in November, they will meet in Bank of America Stadium, in Uptown Charlotte on the first Saturday in December for the ACC Championship.

Fitting that in this the last year of division format, the two best teams in the league reside in different divisions. Wake Forest all but eliminated themselves from the Coastal title, losing to Louisville, 48-21.

North Carolina broke open a close game with Pitt, behind super first-year quarterback Drake May, winning 42-24. The question in Chapel Hill entering the season was, who would replace Sam Howell? The question now, is Maye in the Heisman discussion?

Seriously, Maye leads the ACC in yards with 2,283, touchdowns 24, completion percentage at 70.1 and completions with 162.

For a few of the ACC teams, November football will be a scramble for bowl pecking order, while a few others are simply playing out the string.

Atlantic Division

1. Clemson (8-0, 6-0 ACC) The Tigers were off Saturday, but moved closer to the Atlantic title with Wake’s loss to Louisville. It will be interesting to see who Clemson turns to at quarterback when they face Notre Dame next. The game won’t count in the ACC standings, but it has huge ramifications for the Tigers in their hunt for the College Football Playoff.
2. NC State (6-2, 2-2 ACC) The Wolfpack roared back from a 21-3 deficit, behind true freshman MJ Morris, to stun Virginia Tech 22-21 Thursday night. Morris threw three second-half touchdown passes.
3. Syracuse (6-2, 3-1 ACC) The Orange lost their second straight, this time falling to Notre Dame, 41-24, in the Dome. Syracuse, mathematically, is the only Atlantic team with a sliver-of-a chance to overtake Clemson; sliver is too optimistic, perhaps.
4. Louisville (5-3, 3-3 ACC) The Cardinals are showing signs of life, after now winning three straight. With Malik Cunningham back at quarterback, Louisville could easily make a run for the No. 2 spot in the division.
5. Wake Forest (6-2, 2-2 ACC) The Demon Deacons coughed up 35 points in the third quarter to Louisville and saw their Atlantic Division title hopes vanish. Wake falls three spots from last week’s rankings.
6. Florida State (5-3, 3-3 ACC) FSU took a 24-3 halftime lead over Georgia Tech and rolled to a 41-16 win. The Seminoles, while out of the division race, can still finish strong and qualify for a solid bowl.
7. Boston College (2-6, 1-4 ACC) BC got a jump-start on playing out the season with its loss to lowly UConn Saturday.

Coastal Division

1. North Carolina (7-1, 4-0 ACC) UNC all but wrapped up the Coastal Division with the win over Pitt.
2. Duke (5-3, 2-2 ACC) The Blue Devils were off but moved to the No. 2 spot in the division. Duke’s late loss at home to UNC earlier may keep them from winning the division.
3. Miami (4-4, 2-2 ACC) A win is a win, or so they say. The Hurricanes beat Virginia 14-12 in four overtimes without scoring a touchdown.
4. Pitt (4-4, 1-3 ACC) The Panthers season continues to implode for Pitt, losing their second straight game, falling to UNC, 42-24.
5. Virginia Tech (2-6, 1-4 ACC) The Hokies nearly pulled off the upset against NC State, but allowed 19 consecutive points in the second half and lost to the Wolfpack 22-21.
6. Virginia (3-5, 1-4 ACC) The Cavaliers lost to Miami 14-12 in four overtimes, despite not allowing a touchdown. The last time that happened to UVA was in 1981, losing to Rutgers 3-0.
7. Georgia Tech (3-5, 2-3 ACC) The Yellow Jackets lost to FSU, dropping its second-straight game.