Georgia Tech survived by a field goal at 1-9 (now 1-10) Boston College. Miami blew NC State off the field. Virginia played its best game of the season at Duke. And Clemson dragged Louisville out of the ACC title race.
With two weeks left, the conference has a clear top tier and a whole lot of chaos in the middle. Here are the ACC power rankings heading into Week 13.
1. Miami (8-2, 4-2)
Miami comes back into the No. 1 spot as they have the best combination of record, resume and current form in the ACC. The Hurricanes climbed to No. 13 in the CFP rankings after a 41-7 win over NC State, their fifth win of at least 25 points this season. Carson Beck has thrown six touchdowns and zero interceptions over the last two weeks, and Miami's defense has held Syracuse and NC State to a combined 17 points. The Canes still need help to reach Charlotte, but they clearly have the highest ceiling of any team in the ACC (and perhaps one of the lowest if Beck has an off-night).
2. Georgia Tech (9-1, 6-1 ACC)
The Yellow Jackets did not exactly make a statement at Boston College, needing a late kick to escape 36-34. While style points do not matter at this point in the standings, they had to be punished in some way. That's why they lose the top spot in the power rankings.
The Yellow Jackets are still 9-1 though, and they control their own path more than anyone else in the ACC.
3. Virginia (9-2, 6-1)
Virginia answered back from their loss to Wake Forest with a 34-17 road win at Duke that was more lopsided than the final score. The Cavaliers are 9-2 overall, 6-1 in the ACC and up to No. 19 in the CFP Top 25. They have the same conference record as Georgia Tech and get a bye before a rivalry finale with Virginia Tech that could lock up a spot in the ACC title game.
4. SMU (7-3, 5-1)
The Mustangs quietly sit in the thick of the race at 5-1 in ACC play after a bye week. Rhett Lashlee's team has leaned on a top-20 scoring offense and a defense that has allowed just 98 points in six conference games. A home game against Louisville this week and a trip to Cal in Week 14 is up next for SMU .
5. Pitt (7-3, 5-1)
The Panthers are 5-1 in the ACC and very much alive in the title race, but they are coming off a 37-15 nonconference beatdown at Notre Dame and have a long road ahead. Pat Narduzzi's team has Georgia Tech and Miami to end the season.
6. Wake Forest (7-3, 4-3)
Wake Forest might be the sneakiest good story in the conference. The Demon Deacons are at seven wins after a 28-12 shutdown of North Carolina. Outside of the 42-7 loss to FSU, they have been competitive in every game this year. They end the season against Delaware and Duke with a chance to reach nine wins.
7. Louisville (7-3, 4-3)
The Cardinals are tumbling. They now have back-to-back losses to Cal and Clemson which have knocked them out of the ACC title picture and pushed them out of the CFP rankings.
8. Duke (5-5, 4-2)
It feels like Duke should be better than 5-5, but two straight losses have exposed a defense that cannot keep up with the offense. Virginia led 31-3 before easing off in Durham. The Blue Devils still have a winning ACC record and a shot at a strong bowl, which keeps them in the top half of the power rankings, but the margin is shrinking. They also got the head-to-head victory over Clemson, so they remain ahead of them for now.
9. Clemson (5-5, 4-4)
Clemson's 20-19 road win at Louisville was not pretty, yet it was exactly what Dabo Swinney's team needed to keep its bowl streak alive. At 4-4 in conference play, the Tigers are smack in the middle of the ACC pack.
10. Cal (6-4, 3-3)
The Golden Bears are 6-4 overall and 3-3 in the ACC, already bowl eligible and coming off a key road win at Louisville earlier this month. They do not have the ceiling of the top tier, but they have beaten some really good teams this season. It does feel like they deserve to be higher, but if they finish the season strong, then they most certainly will rise.
11. NC State (5-5, 2-4)
No team has lived the full ACC experience quite like NC State. The Wolfpack upset Georgia Tech two weeks ago, then got run off the field in a 41-7 loss at Miami where they managed just 149 total yards. The offense still scares people, but a 2-4 ACC mark and a minus-45 point differential in ACC play keep them in the lower half.
12. Florida State (5-5, 2-5)
Florida State has the look of a team better than its record. The Seminoles hammered Virginia Tech 34-14 on Saturday, scoring on six straight drives and getting three total touchdowns from Tommy Castellanos. At 5-5 overall and 2-5 in the ACC, they are still digging out from an ugly midseason stretch, but the arrow finally points up again in Tallahassee.
13. North Carolina (4-6, 2-4)
At 4-6, they need to win out just to reach a bowl. For now, they sit ahead of Stanford becuase of the head-to-head win they have over them from earlier in November.
14. Stanford (3-7, 2-5)
Stanford has been more competitive than its 3-7 record suggests, but a three-game losing streak and a 2-5 ACC record speaks for itself. The Cardinal close with Cal and Notre Dame at home. Stealing one of those would be a huge momentum boost heading into the offseason, and it would bump them up here too.
15. Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4)
The Hokies were run over by Florida State and sit at 3-7 with games against Miami and Virginia still ahead. The good news is that a new coach is on the way in 2026. The bad news is that there is not much on tape right now that suggests anything is changing in the next two games.
16. Syracuse (3-7, 1-6)
Syracuse's season changed when quarterback Steve Angeli went down in September. Since then, the Orange have lost six straight and have not scored more than 24 points in any of those games. A trip to Notre Dame this week is a chance to play spoiler, but realistically this is a team just trying to get through the year.
17. Boston College (1-10, 0-7)
Boston College nearly flipped the league on its head by almost beating Georgia Tech, but "almost" doesn't cut it. The Eagles are winless in ACC play, riding a 10-game losing streak and sitting in last place in both the conference standings and these rankings.