Two weeks of college football (in addition to Week 0) have come and gone. In the ACC, Miami has been the most complete team by a wide margin, Duke and SMU have meaningful wins, and several programs that were expected to sit near the top have already been forced down the ladder.
Here is how the conference stacks up after Week 2.
1. Miami (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
Miami destroyed Stanford 45-6 on the road, then followed with a 77-7 demolition of Florida A&M in which the Hurricanes set a program record with 856 yards. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney have looked like arguably the conference's best quarterback-receiver combination, and nobody in the ACC has been nearly as dominant through two games.
Until someone in the ACC can match that level of control on both sides of the ball, Miami belongs alone at the top.
2. Duke (2-0)
The Blue Devils currently own the conference's best non-conference win. Going to Illinois and winning 31-27 after trailing by 10 showed much more than beating an overmatched opponent. Duke is also the defending ACC champion and has now won six straight dating to last season. The schedule will get harder, but two weeks in, Duke has earned this spot.
3. SMU (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
Kevin Jennings throwing for 430 yards in a road win at Florida State is enough to keep SMU near the top of the rankings. The Mustangs turned it over four times and still produced 585 yards in Tallahassee before blowing out UC Davis 56-10. If they clean up the turnovers, SMU could be a force within the conference again this year.
4. Virginia (2-0, 1-0 ACC)
Virginia destroyed the Wolfpack 34-8, outgaining them 413-168 and leading 24-0 early in the second half. The Cavaliers then handled Norfolk State 59-3. Allowing 11 points in two games is tough to ignore, so Virginia comes in at No. 4.
5. North Carolina (2-0)
North Carolina's 15-10 win over TCU in Dublin showed off the defense, and the Tar Heels then handled East Tennessee State 35-3. Bill Belichick's team has not been explosive offensively, but 2-0 with a Power Four win is a good start.
6. Pittsburgh (2-0)
Pittsburgh opened the season with a 59-14 destruction of Miami (Ohio), then beat UCF 12-7. The Panthers held the Knights to 206 total yards and 20 rushing yards. Pittsburgh has probably been one of the most overlooked teams in the ACC so far.
7. Louisville (1-1)
A one-loss Louisville team belongs ahead of some undefeated teams in the ACC. Louisville's only loss came 41-38 to a top ten Ole Miss squad. The Cardinals rallied from a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit to tie it before losing, then crushed Villanova in Week 2, 59-13.
8. Wake Forest (2-0)
The Demon Deacons beat Akron 38-16 and then went to Purdue and won 38-36 in double overtime. It was messy, and Purdue threw for 329 yards, but winning a road Power Four game earns Wake Forest some respect.
9. Virginia Tech (2-0)
James Franklin's first two games have been smooth tune-ups. Virginia Tech beat VMI 73-3 and Old Dominion 44-21. The problem is that very little is known because neither opponent provides much of a measuring stick.
10. Boston College (1-1)
Boston College's 34-15 loss at Cincinnati keeps the Eagles down here, but beating Rutgers 28-21 was a good response. There is now at least evidence the Eagles can beat a Big Ten opponent, which separates them from several teams below.
11. Florida State (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Florida State lost to SMU 27-24 while getting outgained yardage-wise 585-324. It was a good sign that the Seminoles could stay competitive even after going 2-for-15 on third down. But FSU needs to start winning these games.
12. California (1-1, 1-0 ACC)
California bounced back from a 45-24 loss to UCLA by going across the country and beating Syracuse 21-18. The Bears were outgained 436-249, but they forced three interceptions and turned one into the decisive fourth-quarter touchdown.
13. Syracuse (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Syracuse probably feels like it let the Cal game get away. Three Steve Angeli interceptions, including the late pick-six, were the difference.
14. Clemson (1-1)
LSU embarrassed the Tigers 51-10, and Clemson followed that by beating Georgia Southern only 22-7. Maybe Dabo Swinney's team turns things around, but through two games there simply is not evidence Clemson belongs anywhere near the top of these rankings.
15. NC State (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Beating Richmond 73-0 was a good response, but the 34-8 loss to Virginia is telling. A home wipeout of an FCS opponent doesn't prove much and NC State has to show it can move the ball against ACC defenses before it climbs out of the bottom.
16. Stanford (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Stanford deserves some credit for beating Hawaii 37-27, but Miami then showed the gap between the Cardinal and the ACC's elite by winning 45-6 at Stanford Stadium. The Cardinal surrendered 549 yards and never reached the end zone.
17. Georgia Tech (0-2)
The only winless team in the conference belongs last. Georgia Tech lost 14-13 to Colorado after having a potential game-winning field goal blocked, then Tennessee came to Atlanta and won 45-24. The Yellow Jackets have played the toughest two-game schedule of anybody near the bottom, but at some point the results have to matter.
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