Miami's first loss has officially blown the door open, and now the possibilities feel endless in the ACC. With Louisville handing the Hurricanes their initial loss, the top tier reshuffled and Georgia Tech, UVA and SMU found themselves at the top. The rankings lean on head-to-head record and conference record as the most important factors when comparing teams.
1. Georgia Tech (7-0, 4-0)
GT is the new No. 1 in the ACC. The Jackets are the ACC's only national unbeaten and just handed Duke its first conference loss. The resume isn't eye-catching for GT, but now, without having to play Miami, SMU, Louisville or Virginia, they are in a pretty good position. The toughest ACC game for them is Pitt and they end the year with Georgia.
2. Virginia (6-1, 3-0)
UVA all of a sudden has one of the best head-to-head victories in the ACC. The Cavaliers secured an overtime road win at Louisville earlier in the season — and it looks a whole lot better after the Cardinals got a win over Miami on the road. The loss to NC State earlier in the year is the only blemish, but the good thing for Virginia — it was scheduled as a non-conference game, so it has no impact on their ACC record.
3. SMU (5-2, 3-0)
The Mustangs remain perfect in ACC play after winning at Clemson, and they're the wild card for multiple reasons. Miami needs to win out to give themselves a shot at the ACC title game and they must go through SMU to do it. Louisville also plays SMU so that will be a much-needed matchup between top ACC teams. And if they win out, all they would need is a conference loss from GT/UVA to make the conference championship game (without using tiebrakers).
4. Louisville (5-1, 2-1)
The head-to-head win over Miami vaults the Cards up the ACC power rankings in the same way it did in the AP Poll. They slot behind Virginia because of that OT loss they have against them. The path is real for them if they keep winning. The two most important games for Louisville are SMU and Pitt. The Cardinals also need a couple things to go their way, but anything is possible in the ACC right now.
5. Miami (5-1, 1-1)
The former No. 1 team in the ACC — the Miami Hurricanes — fall down to No. 5 in the rankings. The Canes drop behind Louisville based on the head-to-head matchup, but stay above the next group. The remaining ACC slate gives them chances to climb and they will need to take advantage of it if they want meaningful postseason play.
6. Pitt (5-2, 3-1)
Pitt has won three straight and just handled Syracuse 30-13 on the road behind a 66-yard punt-return touchdown from Kenny Johnson, a rushing score from Mason Heintschel and three field goals by Trey Butkowski. The Panthers are firmly in the top-two chase at 3-1 in conference play, but they still need results to break in their favor since they lost to Louisville earlier in the year.
7. Duke (4-3, 3-1)
Duke's first ACC loss came against Georgia Tech, when a 95-yard fumble return flipped the game and the Blue Devils couldn't recover late in a 27-18 defeat. Even with the setback, Duke sits 3-1 in conference play and remains positioned just behind the lead pack.
8. California (5-2, 2-1)
Cal added another conference victory with a borderline-miracle win over North Carolina. The 21-18 win was sealed by Brent Austin's goal-line punch-out and recovery in the end zone. At 2-1 in the ACC, the Bears have stayed in range of the top tier and get the chance to prove themselves against Virginia, Louisville and SMU later on. They remain behind Duke due to the 45-21 loss earlier in October.
9. Stanford (3-4, 2-2)
Stanford followed a road loss at SMU with a 20-13 win over Florida State that ended on a goal-line tackle as time expired. The Cardinal head to Miami next for a primetime test, a week after moving back to .500 in ACC play. Stanford's remaining schedule is tough with Miami, Pitt, Cal and Notre Dame on the slate, but this has been a promising year considering they could make a bowl game.
10. Clemson (3–4, 2-3)
Right when they were building a little momentum, the Tigers fall to SMU at home. Clemson lost 35-24 to SMU as Kevin Jennings threw for 290 yards and two touchdowns and the Mustangs closed it out with a late scoring drive. It has not been the season anybody envisioned for the Tigers, and it's all about finishing the year strong so they can build momentum for next year. Look for Clemson to attempt to play spoiler against Louisville in mid-November.
11. NC State (4-3, 1-2)
The Wolfpack are coming off a bye after getting blown out by Notre Dame and now face a pivotal two-game stretch: at Pitt this Saturday and then homecoming against Georgia Tech on Nov. 1. Those games will determine whether they can disrupt the hierarchy of the ACC or fade further down the ACC rankings. It also should be noted that their win over Virginia was not considered a conference matchup, which already appears to have a major impact on the season.
12. Wake Forest (4-2, 1-2)
The Demon Deacons are winners of two straight after beating Virginia Tech 30-23 and then routing Oregon State 39-14. Wake still has only one ACC victory, so they can't be too high on the list, but they're trending in the right direction. They sit behind NC State due to the head-to-head loss.
13. Virginia Tech (2-5, 1-2)
Virginia Tech has been respectable since their disastrous start to the season, but the narrow loss at Wake Forest captured the season to date: competitive for stretches, but not consistent enough to close. The Hokies upcoming schedule is unforgiving with Cal, Louisville, Miami, and Virginia still left to play.
14. Syracuse (3-4, 1-3)
Syracuse has dropped three straight ACC games and was outplayed on special teams and in the red zone against Pitt. The season completely flipped after losing QB Steve Angeli, and with Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, and Miami still left to play, you can rule out a bowl game for the Orange.
15. North Carolina (2-4, 0-2)
UNC is still looking for its first ACC win of the year after the 21-18 loss at Cal, where a late goal-line fumble proved decisive. The Tar Heels only have wins against Charlotte and Richmond this season and they are one of the worst teams in the conference.
16. Florida State (3-4, 0-4)
Florida State's ninth straight ACC loss came at Stanford, 20-13, on a final snap stopped inches short of the goal line. Many thought the Seminoles' 0-4 ACC start would be enough to get HC Mike Norvell fired, but a recent statement of confidence from the AD has quieted the noise for at least another week.
17. Boston College (1-6, 0-4)
BC fell 38-23 to UConn and has now lost six straight, remaining winless in ACC play. The Eagles' only win was against an FCS team in Week 1. They are the worst team in the ACC.