ACC Power Rankings: Week 5

by Brian Favat on Sep 30, 2008 9:13 AM EDT

Rank (Last)	Team	Comments
1 (3)	Virginia Tech	Sure, Nebraska isn't what they once were, but a road win against a BCS school is better than a loss to a non-BCS school (see our #3 ACC team this week)
2 (4)	Georgia Tech	Georgia Tech was off last week. That was a good thing. Since both Wake and Clemson lost last week, we bump Georgia Tech up to #2.
3 (1)	Wake Forest	A loss at home to a team that Duke beat. Ouch. If you're a Deacons fan, hopefully the worst is behind Riley Skinner (1 TD, 4 INT). This wasn't a league game and Wake Forest is still undefeated in conference. Clemson looms large a week Thursday.
4 (11)	Maryland	Some of us aren't so easily distracted by shiny things. OK, so we had Maryland #11 last week. And they managed to shut down Clemson in the second half to erase an 11 point halftime deficit. Mea culpa. But let's see Maryland go up against a solid defense, effective offensive playcalling, and/or a team with some heart.
5 (5)	Boston College	So we don't pass the ball. OK. Neither does Virginia Tech or Georgia Tech and they are our #1-2 this week. Our defense keeps getting better and better each week and Dominique Davis might be a Tyrod Taylor lite?
6 (2)	Clemson	This team is WAY too talented to be only the 6th best rushing team in the ACC (165.6 rushing yards per game). And that rushing average is with 2 cupcake victories already under their belts.
7 (8)	North Carolina	UNC is second in the conference in points per game scoring at a 31.0 points per game clip. We're just not sold on the Heels just yet. That Rutgers road win is looking more and more suspect. Big road victory against Miami last week (a game the U flat out gave away). The Heels can make some moves this week if they knock off undefeated UConn.
8 (7)	Florida State	This team is still very young but can be very dangerous.
9 (9)	Duke	It's Duke. Hooray Duke! Breaking their 25 game ACC losing streak against Virginia is good enough to get Duke into our Power Ranking single digits. With an upset win at Georgia Tech this Saturday, Duke would be tied with Virginia Tech atop the Coastal Division standings. Mind boggling.
10 (6)	Miami	This team is dangerous, but like Florida State, simply too young. How do you blow a 14 point lead at home to a backup quarterback?
11 (10)	NC State	The injuries for Tom O'Brien's Wolfpack squad continue to mount. To add insult to injury, a 41-10 loss at home to #15 South Florida isn't a great confidence builder.
12 (12)	Virginia	The bottom falls out as the Cavaliers allow Duke to score 28 unanswered second half points in 31-3 romp in Durham. Now accepting head coaching applications ...