Miami remains the clear No. 1 team in the ACC after surviving its first scare of the season, but Week 7 created other shakeups behind the Hurricanes. Here are the power rankings for the ACC after another week of college football.
1. Miami (6-0, 4-0 ACC) | Previous: 1
Miami finally looked vulnerable on Saturday night, but the Hurricanes remain undefeated after surviving Florida State 43-35 in double overtime at Hard Rock Stadium. The Hurricanes trailed 21-14 in the second half and allowed Florida State to tie the game on a 75-yard Duce Robinson touchdown.
Miami responded in overtime with Javian Mallory scoring from 25 yards out and Malachi Toney catching a touchdown and throwing the ensuing two-point conversion. Miami allowed 443 yards and 35 points after surrendering only 49 points across its first five games, so this was easily its worst defensive showing. Still, the Hurricanes produced 583 yards, rushed for 257 and found a way to win.
- Week 1: W at Stanford, 45-6
- Week 2: W vs. Florida A&M, 77-7
- Week 3: W at Wake Forest, 33-20
- Week 4: W vs. Central Michigan, 52-3
- Week 5: W at Clemson, 41-13
- Week 6: Bye
- Week 7: W vs. Florida State, 43-35 (2OT)
Next: Pitt (Oct. 24, noon ET, ABC or ESPN)
2. Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1 ACC) | Previous: 2
Wake Forest keeps making Miami's September road win look better. The Demon Deacons traveled all the way to Berkeley and demolished California 41-7.
Wake led 34-0 at halftime after scoring touchdowns on five of its first six possessions and did not allow a point until the fourth quarter. Gio Lopez threw four touchdown passes, including three to Dominick Barry, while also adding 51 rushing yards as the Demon Deacons became bowl eligible for the second consecutive season.
Wake Forest's only loss remains the 33-20 defeat against Miami, but since then, the Demon Deacons have beaten Louisville, Stanford, NC State and Cal by a combined 166-51.
- Week 1: W vs. Akron, 38-16
- Week 2: W at Purdue, 38-36 (2OT)
- Week 3: L vs. Miami, 33-20
- Week 4: W at Louisville, 30-27
- Week 5: W vs. Stanford, 57-3
- Week 6: W at NC State, 38-14
- Week 7: W at California, 41-7
Next: Bye
3. Louisville (4-3, 3-2 ACC) | Previous: 6
Louisville has seven games on the resume and all three losses have come by exactly three points. That is important to recognize when comparing the Cardinals to the rest of the ACC, and it's also why they are so high on this list.
After blowing out Florida State 44-20, Louisville went to Syracuse and won 34-26. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 310 yards and ran for two touchdowns, including an 82-yard score that was the longest by a Louisville quarterback in program history, while the Cardinals' defense finished with five sacks and two interceptions.
Louisville's 4-3 record does not look as pretty as SMU's 5-1 mark, but the Cardinals beat the Mustangs 41-31 head-to-head. If they suffer another loss, they will drop pretty far down the rankings.
- Week 1: L vs. Ole Miss, 41-38 (Nashville)
- Week 2: W vs. Villanova, 59-13
- Week 3: W vs. SMU, 41-31
- Week 4: L vs. Wake Forest, 30-27
- Week 5: L at NC State, 31-28
- Week 6: W vs. Florida State, 44-20
- Week 7: W at Syracuse, 34-26
Next: Bye
4. SMU (5-1, 3-1 ACC) | Previous: 3
SMU has been one of the ACC's most consistent teams, and a 23-13 win over Virginia was another sign of that. The Mustangs held Virginia without a touchdown after the first half and limited the Cavaliers to 13 points on the day.
SMU finished with 404 yards and improved to 10-0 at home against ACC opponents since joining the conference. The only thing keeping SMU below Louisville is the head-to-head loss. This was a back-and-forth decision, but honoring head-to-head feels right in this scenario since Louisville's schedule has been far more challenging.
- Week 1: W at Florida State, 27-24
- Week 2: W vs. UC Davis, 56-10
- Week 3: L at Louisville, 41-31
- Week 4: W vs. Missouri State, 34-24
- Week 5: W vs. Boston College, 25-16
- Week 6: Bye
- Week 7: W vs. Virginia, 23-13
Next: California (Oct. 24, noon ET, The CW)
5. Clemson (4-2, 2-1 ACC) | Previous: 7
Clemson did exactly what it was supposed to do against Charleston Southern. The Tigers won 37-0 while allowing only 76 total yards.
Charleston Southern went 0-for-11 on third down, and Clemson recorded 13 tackles for loss on the day. Clemson's season is still difficult to evaluate with the blowout losses to LSU and Miami, but the Tigers have beaten North Carolina and California, and both of those head-to-head wins have become more valuable.
- Week 1: L at LSU, 51-10
- Week 2: W vs. Georgia Southern, 22-7
- Week 3: W vs. North Carolina, 28-20
- Week 4: W at California, 24-10
- Week 5: L vs. Miami, 41-13
- Week 6: Bye
- Week 7: W vs. Charleston Southern, 37-0
Next: Virginia Tech (Oct. 24, 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2)
6. North Carolina (4-2, 2-1 ACC) | Previous: 8
North Carolina might be the hottest riser in the conference. One week after going to Pittsburgh and beating previously unbeaten Pitt 21-17, the Tar Heels went to Duke and reclaimed the Victory Bell with a 24-20 win.
UNC jumped ahead 17-0 before going scoreless for more than 41 minutes. Duke eventually took a 20-17 lead with just under five minutes remaining, but the Tar Heels responded with a 78-yard touchdown drive.
Back-to-back road victories over Pitt and Duke completely changed the trajectory of UNC's season and Bill Belichick's team is moving in the right direction.
- Week 0: W vs. TCU, 15-10 (Dublin)
- Week 1: Bye
- Week 2: W vs. East Tennessee State, 35-3
- Week 3: L at Clemson, 28-20
- Week 4: Bye
- Week 5: L vs. Notre Dame, 37-26
- Week 6: W at Pitt, 21-17
- Week 7: W at Duke, 24-20
Next: Syracuse (Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
7. Duke (4-2, 1-2 ACC) | Previous: 5
Duke has gone from undefeated to dealing with consecutive heartbreaking losses. The Blue Devils lost 28-25 at Georgia Tech after allowing the go-ahead touchdown with 54 seconds remaining. One week later, they nearly pulled off their own comeback against North Carolina.
The Blue Devils still have quality non-conference wins over Tulane and Illinois, which gives them enough resume strength to remain in the top half, but at 1-2 in conference play, Duke cannot afford many more losses if it wants to stay relevant in the ACC race.
- Week 1: W vs. Tulane, 17-3
- Week 2: W at Illinois, 31-27
- Week 3: W vs. Stanford, 35-7
- Week 4: W vs. William & Mary, 62-7
- Week 5: Bye
- Week 6: L at Georgia Tech, 28-25
- Week 7: L vs. North Carolina, 24-20
Next: at Virginia (Oct. 23, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
8. Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2 ACC) | Previous: 11
The Hokies started 4-0 before losing close games to Pitt and California, but they responded Saturday by beating Georgia Tech 34-24 at Lane Stadium.
Virginia Tech built a 24-3 halftime lead and held on after Georgia Tech made things more competitive in the second half. Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 250 yards, Jeffrey Overton Jr. rushed for 85 and Que'Sean Brown finished with 182 receiving yards.
A trip to Clemson next week gives Virginia Tech an opportunity to make another jump in the rankings.
- Week 1: W vs. VMI, 73-3
- Week 2: W vs. Old Dominion, 44-21
- Week 3: W at Maryland, 35-26
- Week 4: W at Boston College, 21-14
- Week 5: L vs. Pitt, 35-33
- Week 6: L at California, 25-20
- Week 7: W vs. Georgia Tech, 34-24
Next: at Clemson (Oct. 24, 7 or 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN or ESPN2)
9. Boston College (3-3, 1-2 ACC) | Previous: 16
Boston College makes the biggest jump of the week. The Eagles entered Saturday without an ACC win and immediately fell behind Pitt 12-0, but they responded by scoring the next 21 points and eventually won 27-21.
Mason McKenzie threw for a career-high 295 yards and two touchdowns and Landon Wright caught two passes of more than 50 yards and finished with 122 receiving yards.
Boston College's earlier ACC losses came against Virginia Tech and SMU, teams currently in the upper half of these rankings, so they get the No. 9 spot.
- Week 1: L at Cincinnati, 34-15
- Week 2: W vs. Rutgers, 28-21
- Week 3: W vs. Maine, 22-16
- Week 4: L vs. Virginia Tech, 21-14
- Week 5: L at SMU, 25-16
- Week 6: Bye
- Week 7: W vs. Pitt, 27-21
Next: at Georgia Tech (Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
10. Pitt (5-2, 2-2 ACC) | Previous: 4
No team has changed more dramatically in two weeks than Pitt. The Panthers started 5-0 before losing starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a season-ending torn ACL.
Holden Geriner struggled in the loss to North Carolina, and Pitt made another change Saturday by giving true freshman Corey Dailey his first career start. Dailey threw a 75-yard touchdown on Pitt's first offensive play against Boston College, but finished 11-of-25 for 193 yards with two interceptions. Pitt committed 13 penalties for 133 yards and settled for four field goals in the 27-21 loss.
The Panthers are still 5-2 and own a head-to-head win at Virginia Tech, but their current trajectory is difficult to ignore. Two straight losses and uncertainty at quarterback send them tumbling to the 10th slot.
- Week 1: W vs. Miami (Ohio), 59-14
- Week 2: W vs. UCF, 12-7
- Week 3: W vs. Syracuse, 27-13
- Week 4: W vs. Bucknell, 59-0
- Week 5: W at Virginia Tech, 35-33
- Week 6: L vs. North Carolina, 21-17
- Week 7: L at Boston College, 27-21
Next: at Miami (Oct. 24, noon ET, ABC or ESPN)
11. Florida State (3-4, 1-3 ACC) | Previous: 12
Moving a 3-4 team up after a loss might sound strange, but Florida State played its best football of the season on Saturday night. The Seminoles went into Hard Rock Stadium and pushed undefeated Miami into double overtime, QB Ashton Daniels threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, and FSU produced 443 yards against a talented Miami defense.
Florida State still has a major hole to climb out of since they have lost four games and sit at just 1-3 in conference play. But the Seminoles own a 38-7 win over Virginia and the question now is whether the Miami performance was a turning point or another one-off showing like the Virginia win.
- Week 0: W vs. New Mexico State, 34-17
- Week 1: L vs. SMU, 27-24
- Week 2: Bye
- Week 3: L at Alabama, 50-36
- Week 4: W vs. Central Arkansas, 34-7
- Week 5: W vs. Virginia, 38-7
- Week 6: L at Louisville, 44-20
- Week 7: L at Miami, 43-35 (2OT)
Next: Bye
12. Virginia (4-3, 2-2 ACC) | Previous: 10
Virginia has become difficult to figure out. The Cavaliers opened the season by dominating NC State, then later suffered a 31-point loss at Florida State. They needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Syracuse and followed it with a respectable 23-13 loss at SMU.
They are now 0-3 away from home (or in neutral-site games) and the 38-7 loss to Florida State keeps Virginia below the Seminoles.
- Week 0: W vs. NC State, 34-8
- Week 1: Bye
- Week 2: W vs. Norfolk State, 59-3
- Week 3: L vs. West Virginia, 38-27 (Charlotte)
- Week 4: W vs. Delaware, 42-3
- Week 5: L at Florida State, 38-7
- Week 6: W vs. Syracuse, 28-25
- Week 7: L at SMU, 23-13
Next: Duke (Oct. 23, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)
13. California (3-4, 2-2 ACC) | Previous: 9
The Golden Bears beat Virginia Tech 25-20 last week and looked like they might be ready to move into the middle of the ACC, but Wake Forest then came to Berkeley and completely dismantled them.
Cal trailed 34-0 at halftime and 41-0 before finally scoring in the fourth quarter of a 41-7 loss. Cal does own the head-to-head victory over Virginia Tech, but there is now a two-game difference in their overall records, and they don't have any other ranked games so far this season.
- Week 1: L vs. UCLA, 45-24
- Week 2: W at Syracuse, 21-18
- Week 3: W vs. Wagner, 49-7
- Week 4: L vs. Clemson, 24-10
- Week 5: L at UNLV, 39-31
- Week 6: W vs. Virginia Tech, 25-20
- Week 7: L vs. Wake Forest, 41-7
Next: at SMU (Oct. 24, noon ET, The CW)
14. NC State (3-3, 1-2 ACC) | Previous: 14
NC State stays put after a bye and at this point the 31-28 win over Louisville is doing a lot of work for them in this ranking.
A Friday night trip to Stanford is an important opportunity for the Wolfpack to stabilize the season.
- Week 0: L at Virginia, 34-8
- Week 1: Bye
- Week 2: W vs. Richmond, 73-0
- Week 3: L at Vanderbilt, 35-31
- Week 4: W vs. Appalachian State, 41-31
- Week 5: W vs. Louisville, 31-28
- Week 6: L vs. Wake Forest, 38-14
- Week 7: Bye
Next: at Stanford (Oct. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
15. Stanford (3-4, 1-3 ACC) | Previous: 17
Stanford finally had a chance to breathe after a brutal stretch. The Cardinal had been blown out by Miami, Duke, Wake Forest and Notre Dame, but returned home and handled FCS opponent Elon 34-7.
Stanford stays ahead of Georgia Tech as the Cardinal beat the Yellow Jackets 34-27 and also have the better overall record.
- Week 0: W vs. Hawaii, 37-27
- Week 1: L vs. Miami, 45-6
- Week 2: Bye
- Week 3: L at Duke, 35-7
- Week 4: W vs. Georgia Tech, 34-27
- Week 5: L at Wake Forest, 57-3
- Week 6: L at Notre Dame, 58-7
- Week 7: W vs. Elon, 34-7
Next: NC State (Oct. 23, 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
16. Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2 ACC) | Previous: 13
Georgia Tech's upset of Duke gave the Yellow Jackets a temporary boost, but they were unable to build on it.
Georgia Tech has shown enough to upset a quality opponent, as Duke learned, but four losses through six games define the season for them.
- Week 1: L vs. Colorado, 14-13
- Week 2: L vs. Tennessee, 45-24
- Week 3: W vs. Mercer, 44-11
- Week 4: L at Stanford, 34-27
- Week 5: Bye
- Week 6: W vs. Duke, 28-25
- Week 7: L at Virginia Tech, 34-24
Next: Boston College (Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
17. Syracuse (2-4, 0-4 ACC) | Previous: 15
The Orange were competitive with Louisville and trailed only 28-23 at halftime after the teams combined for 669 yards in the first half, the most in the ACC since 2022, but they managed just three points in the second half of a 34-26 loss.
Syracuse has now lost all four of its conference games and has dropped 11 consecutive ACC matchups. The Orange have shown flashes, particularly in close losses to Cal and Virginia, but they are the only ACC team without a conference victory. The longer this continues, the more difficult it becomes to rank Syracuse anywhere but last.
- Week 1: W vs. New Hampshire, 66-3
- Week 2: L vs. California, 21-18
- Week 3: L at Pitt, 27-13
- Week 4: Bye
- Week 5: W at UConn, 42-41 (OT)
- Week 6: L at Virginia, 28-25
- Week 7: L vs. Louisville, 34-26
Next: at North Carolina (Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACC Network)
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