The ACC was a .500 conference in Week 1, going 7-7 and once you get past the top seven or so, it doesn't feel like there is much that separates the eighth-best team in the conference and the bottom team in the conference.
It's just Week 1 and there's a lot to be determined, but the ACC also feels like groundhog day. The good teams are still good. The bad teams are still bad and have the same issues they had last year. This conference has a few teams rising above and a lot of teams spinning their wheels.
Here are the ACC Power Rankings after Week 1.
Who will join Miami in the top five this week?
1) Miami (1-0), 45-6 win over Stanford
2) Virginia (1-0), 34-8 win over N.C. State on August 29
3) Louisville (0-1), 41-38 loss to Ole Miss
4) Pittsburgh (1-0), 59-14 win over Miami, Ohio
5) SMU (1-0), 27-24 win over Florida State
The top two feel solid. Virginia might have been a little underestimated coming into the season, but the Cavaliers quickly put that to rest in Week 0 by whipping NC State. Louisville was electric in the second half and, yes, maybe that defense needs a little work, but Trinidad Chambliss is pretty good.
Pittsburgh looked strong and Mason Heintschel looked like a star, throwing for 453 yards and seven touchdowns against the Redhawks. What to do with SMU? There's a lot to be said for that offense and the weapons Kevin Jennings has to play with, but the Mustangs don't do themselves any favors with the sloppy mistakes.
6) Duke (1-0), 17-3 win over Tulane
7) Virginia Tech (1-0), 73-3 win over VMI
8) North Carolina (1-0), 15-10 win over TCU on August 29
9) Syracuse (1-0), 66-3 win over New Hampshire
10) Wake Forest (1-0), 38-16 win over Akron
I can't hate Duke because that's a good win and the Blue Devils have a pretty good defense. Tulane isn't what they were last year, but the Green Wave have some players. Virginia Tech is going to be a good ACC team this year and if there is a program that will compete with Miami in the second half of this decade, the Hokies have to be a popular pick.
Syracuse dominated an overmatched opponent, but the Orange were 3-1 with a healthy Steve Angeli last season, so they bear watching. North Carolina might escape September undefeated if Clemson is truly as bad as it looked in Week 1.
The bottom 7 in the ACC have a long way to go
11) Georgia Tech (0-1), 14-13 loss to Colorado
12) FSU (1-1), 27-24 loss to SMU
13) California (0-1), 45-24 loss to UCLA
14) Stanford (1-1), 45-6 loss to Miami
15) Clemson (0-1), 51-10 loss to LSU
16) N.C. State (0-1), 34-8 loss to Virginia on August 29
17) Boston College (0-1), 34-15 loss to Cincinnati
And here come the losers at the bottom.
Georgia Tech is going to have to answer some questions on offense without Buster Faulkner and several top players that went to Florida with him. FSU had a chance to win because SMU was so clumsy, but the Seminoles have a lot of questions on pass defense and at quarterback. How many wins can the Seminoles get if they have to hide the quarterback?
Clemson was really bad. The Tigers will win some games and Dabo Swinney will probably get Clemson to a spot where it's a middle-of-the-road team, but Week 1 was a disaster. NC State was so disappointing. The Wolfpack will rise up, but they were shellacked in Week 0. Boston College is exactly who we thought they were and there's no reason to think the Eagles will move above the bottom three.
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