Boston College Football

2014 ACC Football Season Power Rankings: Week 15

The dudes finish the regular season ranked 6th.

By Brian F. Dec 4, 2014, 6:00pm EST

Each week, the BCI staff writers and other Boston College football prognosticators secretly convene in a cigar smoke-filled bunker deep underneath Alumni Stadium, tasked at ranking the ACC's best college football programs on a weekly basis.

Previously...

-- Week 14: 5th
-- Week 13: 7th
-- Week 12: 7th
-- Week 11: 7th
-- Week 10: --
-- Week 9: 6th
-- Week 8: 8th
-- Week 7: 9th
-- Week 6: 11th
-- Week 5: 7th
-- Week 4: 7th
-- Week 3: 11th
-- Week 2: 10th
-- Week 1: 10th

Here are the results for week 15:

BC INTERRUPTION ACC POWER POLL, WEEK 15

1. Florida State Seminoles
2. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
3. Clemson Tigers
4. Louisville Cardinals
5. Duke Blue Devils
6. Boston College Eagles
7. Pittsburgh Panthers
8. N.C. State Wolfpack
9. Miami-Florida Hurricanes
10. North Carolina Tar Heels
11. Virginia Tech Hokies
12. Virginia Cavaliers
13. Syracuse Orange
14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

1. Florida State Seminoles (12-0, 8-0 ACC)

Last week: Defeated Florida, 24-19
This week: Georgia Tech

Previous rank: No. 1 (--)
Highest position: 1
Lowest position: 1

The Seminoles have led wire-to-wire in this poll, receiving every first-place vote along the way. All that stands in the Seminoles way for a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff is the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the ACC Championship Game. Don't ask me to explain how the selection committee has the only unbeaten team from a Power 5 conference ranked 4th this week.

2. Georgia Tech (10-2, 6-2)

Last week: Defeated Georgia, 30-24 OT
This week: Florida State

Previous rank: 2 (--)
Highest position: 2
Lowest position: 2

The Yellow Jackets snapped a five-game losing streak to their in-state rivals, defeating Georgia 30-24 in overtime. The win highlighted a banner day for the conference which saw all four of its teams notch victories over their in-state, SEC opponents.

3. Clemson Tigers (9-3, 6-3)

Last week: Defeated South Carolina, 35-17
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 4 (--)
Highest position: 3
Lowest position: 3

The Tigers edge Louisville for third this week, based on the strength of a 35-17 victory over South Carolina in the Palmetto Bowl. Just like the Jackets, Clemson snaps a five-game losing streak to their SEC rivals.

4. Louisville Cardinals (9-3, 5-3)

Last week: Defeated Kentucky, 44-40
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 3 (down 1)
Highest position: 4
Lowest position: 4

The Cardinals notched win #9 over Kentucky in a wild 44-40 game to claim the Governor's Cup trophy for the fourth straight season. Louisville will cap a successful first year in the ACC in one of the conference's better bowls; likely the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando.

5. Duke (9-3, 5-3)

Last week: Defeated Wake Forest, 41-21
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 7 (up 2)
Highest position: 5
Lowest position: 6

A home game against Wake Forest was just what the Blue Devils needed to snap a two-game skid. The Blue Devils can achieve back-to-back 10-win seasons (!) in the bowl game. Duke is in line to nab one of the ACC's tier I bowl games; possibly the Sun Bowl in El Paso vs. Arizona State.

6. Boston College (7-5, 4-4)

Last week: Defeated Syracuse, 28-7
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 7 (up 2)
Highest position: 5
Lowest position: 6

The dudes are down 1 spot this week and finish the year at #6 overall. Remember when we had the Eagles ranked 10th and 11th in the conference at the beginning of the year? Yeah, me neither. It's looking like the Eagles are Bronx-bound later this month.

7. Pittsburgh (6-6, 4-4)

Last week: Defeated Miami, 35-23
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 10 (up 3)
Highest position: 7
Lowest position: 9

With their backs against the wall, the Panthers managed consecutive wins over Syracuse and at Miami to become the ACC's 12th bowl-eligible team. Running back James Conner took home ACC Player of the Year honors after finishing the regular season with 1,675 rushing yards. Or, as Andre Williams calls it, nine games. But seriously, congratulations to Conner.

8. N.C. State (7-5, 3-5)

Last week: Defeated North Carolina, 35-7
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 12 (up 4)
Highest position: 7
Lowest position: 10

The Pack is up four spots this week after dismantling in-state and cross-division rival North Carolina, 35-7, in the regular season finale. N.C. State is eligible for one of the ACC's Tier I bowls and will likely land in Charlotte, pending the results of the Notre Dame sweepstakes.

9. Miami (6-6, 3-5)

Last week: Lost to Pittsburgh, 35-23
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 8 (down 1)
Highest position: 8
Lowest position: 10

After jumping out to a 6-3 start to the season, the Canes limped to the finish line with three straight losses to end the year—30-26 vs. Florida State, 30-13 at Virginia and 35-23 vs. Pittsburgh. Looks like Miami is headed to Northwest Louisiana for a date in the Duck Commander Bowl opposite Florida? Two flailing Florida-based programs doing battle in the Duck Dynasty Bowl. Sounds like fun.

10. North Carolina (6-6, 4-4)

Last week: Lost to N.C. State, 35-7
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 6 (down 4)
Highest position: 8
Lowest position: 11

Luckily, Carolina ticked bowl eligibility off its list the week before in a road win at Duke, because the Heels got rolled by N.C. State in the finale, losing 35-7 to their in-state rivals. The Wolfpack rolled up 388 yards rushing on the Heels while limiting UNC to just 30 yards on the ground. Ouch. Very ouch.

11. Virginia Tech (6-6, 3-5)

Last week: Defeated Virginia, 24-20
This week: Bowl game TBD

Previous rank: 11 (--)
Highest position: 7
Lowest position: 12

An otherwise lost season ended on a high note as the Hokies rallied for a 24-20 victory over Coastal Division rival Virginia. The victory, Virginia Tech's 11th in the series, extended the nation's second longest active bowl and likely saved coach Frank Beamer from an offseason of hot seat talk.

12. Virginia (5-7, 3-5)

Last week: Lost to Virginia Tech, 24-20
This week: Home for holidays

Previous rank: 9 (down 3)
Highest position: 9
Lowest position 12

It wasn't just that Virginia lost its 11th straight game to the Hokies...or that the Cavaliers dropped their 10th straight road game. It was how UVA lost that will haunt 'Hoos fans for a long, long time. Trailing 20-17 and getting the ball at their own 25 with 2:55 to play, the Virginia defense took a terrible roughing the passer penalty that advanced the ball 15 yards. Brewer found Bucky Hodges for a 50 yard gain on the next play. Three plays later, Brewer found Hodges again for the 9-yard game-winning TD with just 1:48 to play.

Suffice it to say, Virginia fans are not pleased with AD Craig Littlepage and his decision to stick with Mike London for another year.

13. Syracuse (3-9, 1-7)

Last week: Lost to Boston College, 28-7
This week: Home for holidays

Previous rank: 14 (up 1)
Highest position: 13
Lowest position: 14

If there's any consolation for Orange fans that suffered through this season on the gridiron, it's that Syracuse will finish NOT last in our power rankings. Good job, good effort, Syracuse.

14. Wake Forest (3-9, 1-7)

Last week: Lost to Duke, 41-21
This week: Home for holidays