Week 3 saw considerable movement for some teams in my ACC power rankings. As Virginia lost steam as a College Football Playoff dark horse, Louisville and Virginia Tech are still in play for a second ACC bid with good showings Saturday. Despite a dropoff after the top 8 teams for those competing to play in Charlotte, there is a lot to note throughout the league.
1. Miami
Photo Courtesy Miami Athletics
Miami had another dominant performance in a 33-20 road victory over Wake Forest. Darian Mensah won ACC Quarterback of the Week by completing 24 consecutive passes to start the game and going 30-34 overall for 220 yards and 3 touchdowns. His hot start, which has Mensah atop my Heisman poll, has seen him complete 71 of 79 passes through three games with 873 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, along with zero turnovers. However, according to head coach Mario Cristobal, running back CharMar Brown and wide receiver Joshua Moore are both out for the season with injuries. Facing early injury adversity, it will be a test of depth for the Hurricanes to maintain their No. 1 spot in my Top 25 rankings. Miami hosts Central Michigan Saturday.
2. Louisville
Photo Courtesy Louisville Athletics
In a 41-31 win at home against No. 16 SMU, Louisville looked solid on both sides of the ball. Keyjuan Brown ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns, earning ACC running back of the week. Kaleb Beasley intercepted Kevin Jennings twice, earning ACC defensive back of the week. They will need to improve their run defense next week against Wake Forest, as the Cardinal defense allowed 257 rushing yards. Also, 1-10 on third down offensively is a problem that needs to be fixed quickly by Lincoln Kienholz and the offense. Nevertheless, a ranked win boosts Louisville to No. 2 in the power rankings and No. 11 nationally in my rankings.
3. Virginia Tech
Photo Courtesy Virginia Tech Athletics
The Virginia Tech offense looked great in a 35-26 win over Maryland on the road. Ethan Grunkemeyer went 31-39 passing for 314 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Jeffrey Overton Jr rushed for 112 yards and 2 touchdowns. Tight end Luke Reynolds put up for 107 receiving yards and a touchdown. With an offense that can overcome some of the defensive struggles, which includes letting Maryland convert 7-12 on third downs and allowing 423 total yards, Virginia Tech looks to be a contender in the ACC title race. As my No. 21 team in the nation, the Hokies will travel to Boston College Saturday for their first ACC game of the season.
4. SMU
Photo Courtesy SMU Athletics
Traveling for a 2nd ACC road game this season, SMU could not overcome No. 23 Louisville and lost 41-31. While the offense recorded 479 total yards and went 5-14 on third down, 2 interceptions thrown by Kevin Jennings and 2 50+ yard rushing touchdowns allowed defensively sealed their fate this weekend. The turnover bug did not cost SMU in week 1 against Florida State, but this has become a concern that the Mustangs need to fix in order to be viewed as a real threat in the ACC and a top 25 team. They host Missouri State Saturday looking for a bounce back.
5. Virginia
Photo Courtesy Virginia Athletics
Playing in Charlotte, Virginia was not able to win a marquee non-conference matchup against West Virginia, losing 38-27. After each team matched touchdowns with one another throughout the game, Virginia got off track with a missed field goal and West Virginia made them pay by continuing to score. Beau Pribula’s legs were also a non-factor in this game and he attempted 33 passes, which is a lot for the dual-threat quarterback. While ACC title hopes are still alive, Virginia needs to recover from their first test next week against Delaware and play better defense, especially against the run game.
6. Duke
The Blue Devils jump a spot in this week’s power rankings after dismantling Stanford 35-7. As defending ACC champs, Manny Diaz has continued to do more with less, and it starts with a Heisman darkhorse in running back Nate Sheppard. He ran for another 154 yards and scored 3 total touchdowns in the win. The defense also recorded 4 sacks and held Stanford 2-11 on third down. Duke will play FCS William & Mary Saturday.
7. Pittsburgh
In a Thursday night affair with Syracuse, Pitt came out victorious 27-13. The running backs were the main factors here, as Damon Ferguson Jr ran for 102 yards and La’Vell Wright for 81 yards, each scoring a touchdown. Following a dominant week 1, Mason Heintschel had another rough performance as he only went 10-23 passing for 123 yards and an interception. His QB play will determine whether or not Pitt will contend for the ACC title, and a matchup Saturday against Bucknell provides opportunity for Heintschel to return to good form.
8. Wake Forest
Even though the Demon Deacons fell to Miami at home, they put up 20 points on an elite defense and did everything they could to stop Miami offensively. A positive note includes the breakout of redshirt freshman receiver Jack Foley, who erupted for 118 yards and a touchdown. Similar to last year, Wake Forest has a gutsy squad who will not be too flashy, but can compete with any ACC team. A win Saturday at Louisville would have Wake Forest looking like a dark horse ACC contender.
9. Florida State
I moved Florida State up three spots from last week because of the way they challenged a top ten Alabama team in Tuscaloosa. Despite losing 50-36 and blowing a 21-6 lead before halftime, the offense looked much better than in the first two games. Tony White’s defense played four good drives before allowing 6 touchdowns in Alabama’s last 7 drives of the game. The loss of Sam Singleton Jr to injury will impact the running game, but Texas transfer Tre Wisner will see an increase in carries as Florida State heads into a matchup against FCS Central Arkansas, notably being Mike Norvell’s alma mater. This marks 10 straight losses on the road for FSU.
10. California
Cal beat FCS Wagner 49-7 this week and created 626 yards of total offense. Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele threw for 413 yards and 3 touchdowns, Adam Mohammed had 169 yards from scrimmage and 2 touchdowns. Kingston Lopa had yet another interception defensively. He has established himself as one of the best defensive backs in both the conference and the country. The focus will now shift to Clemson, as Tosh Lupoi hopes to claim his first big win as the Cal head coach.
11. Clemson
The country got to see Dabo Swinney go up against Bill Belichick, and despite having to start backup Tait Reynolds at quarterback, Clemson came back from down 17-3 to win 28-20. Their defense was able to control the passing game and force an interception on North Carolina’s last drive to seal the game. Reynolds went 20-29 for 215 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception in his first career start, while Gideon Davidson ran for 105 yards and a touchdown, leading the way to victory. Clemson looks to replicate their success on a cross-country trip to Berkeley Saturday.
12. Syracuse
After going 13-25 for 161 passing yards and throwing 2 interceptions, Steve Angeli was benched for Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom in the 27-13 loss to Pittsburgh. These next two weeks in practice will determine who gets the starting nod at quarterback on Oct. 3 at UConn. Getting the offense going will boost Syracuse’s chances at making a bowl game, as the defense has been good to start the season.
13. NC State
A last play blunder allowed Vanderbilt to hold off NC State in a 35-31 loss. The Wolfpack did everything they needed to to pull off the non-conference upset, including a 275 yard passing and 3 touchdown game from CJ Bailey. The defense also forced an interception on Vanderbilt’s last offensive opportunity, but the offense completely mismanaged the clock and fumbled in the end zone with no time left, costing them the game. With Dave Doeren entering hot seat conversations, Appalachian State comes to Raleigh Saturday.
14. Georgia Tech
Mercer was not a challenge for Georgia Tech, as the Yellow Jackets got their first win of the season 44-11. Alberto Mendoza had a productive game, going 15-21 for 249 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, while Justice Haynes ran for 141 yards and 3 touchdowns. They will travel to Stanford to play their first ACC game Saturday.
15. North Carolina
North Carolina had all the momentum going into halftime, but they allowed Clemson to chip away at the lead and had no success offensively to hold off their comeback. Their run game was finally a bright spot as Benjamin Hall ran for 145 yards and a touchdown, but Billy Edwards Jr had a bad showing, going 13-31 passing for only 135 yards and an interception on their last drive. The Tar Heels now enter a bye week with much to improve on before facing Notre Dame Oct. 3.
16. Stanford
It has been a rough start to the season for Tavita Pritchard and Stanford. They put up just 234 yards of offense against Duke in a 35-7 blowout. Georgia Tech comes to town Saturday as one of the few winnable games on Stanford’s schedule this season based on how they have looked to this point.
17. Boston College
Boston College repeats as the last ranked team in my ACC power rankings after a poor showing against FCS Maine. They won 22-16 and Mason McKenzie threw for 173 yards and 2 interceptions. As the offense stalled throughout the game, the Boston College defense let Maine convert 7-16 of their third downs. Their only hope Saturday against Virginia Tech is that Evan Dickens runs for 200 yards and 4 touchdowns, and that might not even be enough to overcome their overall struggles.
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