The official start of ACC football was last Saturday, with Florida State taking on Georgia Tech and SMU playing against Nevada. With the Seminoles’ loss, the road to the ACC title is now wide open. However, only a few have a real chance of winning.
Clemson is the obvious first choice. Its talent surpasses every other team in the conference and it has most of its offense back. The other teams in the race are Miami, NC State, Louisville and Florida State. They would have been No. 1 if not for FSU’s loss on Saturday, but right now the Seminoles don’t look like a top-10 team.
A few more are watching from the outside. Virginia Tech is a team that has more power than any other team in the ACC. If the Hookies can improve their offense and replicate their defense from last season, they could be a surprise contender. North Carolina and Georgia Tech could also make a good run after the Yellow Jackets’ win over FSU.
Here are the ACC Power Rankings for week one:
|
Rank |
team |
|---|---|
|
1 |
Clemson |
|
2 |
Miami |
|
3 |
NC State |
|
4 |
Louisville |
|
5 |
State of Florida |
|
6 |
Virginia Tech |
|
7 |
North Carolina |
|
8 |
Georgia Tech Institute |
|
9 |
SMU |
|
10 |
duke |
|
11 |
California |
|
12 |
Syracuse |
|
13 |
Virginia |
|
14 |
Boston College |
|
15 |
Pittsburgh |
|
16 |
Wake Forest |
|
17 |
Stanford |
It’s hard to say who’s bottom of the table, as SMU looked like a mediocre team at the start of the season. On the other hand, the Mustangs’ performance on Saturday left a lot to be desired, constantly shooting themselves in the foot with penalties. But it’s the first game of the season and they won, so they remain in the middle of the pack for now.
Another ACC newcomer is starting the season in the basement. The transfer portal hasn’t been kind to the West Coast team. Due to the high demands, they’ve struggled to replace talent entering the portal with transfers. The remaining five teams at the bottom of the season could see their rankings fluctuate.
