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Syracuse, N.Y. — For yet another year, it looks like the ACC is going to shoot itself in the foot in November. The ACC had its worst weekend yet just days before the first College Football Playoff rankings of the season are released. Its two best chances to make the ACC a multi-bid league were upset on the road. Sunday’s Associated Press Top 25 poll saw both Georgia Tech and Miami slide eight spots each, leaving Virginia at No. 12 and Louisville on the bubble at No. 14. The Yellow Jackets are likely to slide even further than their current No. 16 ranking when they play No. 5 Georgia on Black Friday, leaving it up to Virginia and Louisville to creep into the CFP with no ranked opponents remaining on their schedules. As the doomsday clock winds down on the ACC, here’s how the league currently stack up against each other. 1. Virginia (8-1, 5-0) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 2; 31-21 win at California This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Wake Forest, 7 p.m., ESPN Why No. 1? The Cavaliers clearly had the best weekend of any team in the ACC. They rebounded from a shaky performance against North Carolina with a double-digit win on the road. Virginia is now the ACC’s top seed and highest-ranked team in the AP poll. With no ranked opponents remaining, Virginia controls its destiny in clinching its first-ever CFP berth. 2. Louisville (7-1, 4-1) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 3; 28-16 win at Virginia Tech This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. California, 7 p.m., ESPN2 Why No. 2? The only ACC team to have a better weekend than Louisville was Virginia. The Cardinals have a sneaky good chance to make the CFP. Saturday’s Big 12 battle between No. 8 Brigham Young and No. 9 Texas Tech will immediately benefit Louisville, and BYU’s next two games after that are far from smooth sailing. No. 11 Oklahoma still has to play No. 4 Alabama and No. 19 Missouri for the Peace Pipe. And No. 13 Texas still has a rivalry week showdown with No. 3 Texas A&M awaiting. Like Virginia, Louisville controls its CFP fate. 3. Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 1; 48-36 loss at North Carolina State This week’s schedule: OFF Why No. 3? The loss to N.C. State may have ended Georgia Tech’s storybook season. The Yellow Jackets have no other option but to win out, including against Georgia, to make the CFP. Georgia Tech’s defense was finally exposed by C.J. Bailey and freshman running back Jayden Scott, who filled in for the injured Hollywood Smothers. The Yellow Jackets can score, but they showed they can also be scored on. 4. Southern Methodist (6-3, 4-1) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 7; 26-20 OT win vs. No. 18 Miami This week’s schedule: Saturday at Boston College, noon, ACC Network Why No. 4? If SMU’s two one-possession losses would’ve gone the other way, there would be a completely different conversation around the Mustangs right now. They followed last week’s one-point loss at Wake Forest with a win that derailed Miami’s season. The Mustangs are going bowling, ruined Miami’s season and made Rhett Lashlee one of the 10 highest-paid coaches in the country. The city of Dallas is a Cowboys win on “Monday Night Football” away from a perfect football weekend. 5. Miami (6-2, 2-2) Last week’s ranking: No. 4; 26-20 OT loss at SMU This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Syracuse, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Why No. 5? This was a bad weekend for quarterbacks with past turnover issues. It began Saturday with Carson Beck as his NFL aspirations become even more uncertain, and ended with Daniel Jones’s five turnovers against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Miami is 26-7 in September and October under Mario Cristobal. That record drops to 4-9 in November. In a year that’s seeing coaches fired left and right, Cristobal may have landed himself on the hot seat as all three major Florida schools seek a revival. 6. Pittsburgh (7-2, 5-1) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 5; 35-20 win at Stanford This week’s schedule: OFF Why No. 6? Pitt’s quarterback change was exactly what the Panthers needed. They’re receiving votes in the AP poll and look like a team that’s a good transfer portal haul away from being an ACC favorite next season. Unfortunately for Pitt, it ends the season against three ranked opponents. 7. Duke (5-3, 4-1) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 8; 46-45 win at Clemson This week’s schedule: Saturday at Connecticut, 3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network Why No. 7? Conference play has been great to Duke in the Manny Diaz era. The Blue Devils were close enough to sniff the ACC title game last season and are in the same position this year. In fact, an upset against Virginia could put Duke at back-to-back 9-3 seasons to begin the Diaz era. The Blue Devils just won in Clemson for the first time in 40 years, so anything is possible now. 8. N.C. State (5-4, 2-3) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 9; 48-36 win vs. No. 16 Georgia Tech This week’s schedule: OFF Why No. 8? Anyone that reads these rankings should’ve been prepared for the Georgia Tech upset. Dave Doeren’s team is a headache for anyone and will become more dangerous as its young players gain experience. If the Wolfpack can contain its core, N.C. State will be just fine. While the defense is a work in progress, that offense can score against anyone. 9. Florida State (4-4, 1-4) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 11; 42-7 win vs. Wake Forest This week’s schedule: Saturday at Clemson, 7 p.m., ACC Network Why No. 9? It must be refreshing for Seminoles fans to be reminded of what a conference win is. Wake Forest had just showed its potential, then Florida State gave the Demon Deacons a rude welcome to Tallahassee. That win wasn’t enough to save Mike Norvell’s job, but at least it showed the locker room is still invested in this season and dedicated to making a bowl game. 10. Wake Forest (5-3, 2-3) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 6; 42-7 loss at Florida St. This week’s schedule: Saturday at No. 12 Virginia, 7 p.m., ESPN Why No. 10? Wake Forest received a wake-up call against Florida State, which is good for every program trying to establish itself. Life won’t get any easier in Charlottesville, but it will prepare Wake Forest to clinch a bowl game against either North Carolina or Delaware. 11. Virginia Tech (3-6, 2-3) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 14; 28-26 loss vs. No. 14 Louisville This week’s schedule: OFF Why No. 11? This will be a very pivotal bye week for Philip Montgomery. How Virginia Tech looks in the last three weeks against Florida State, Miami and Virginia will say a lot about him as the former Tulsa head coach goes looking for another job this winter. 12. California (5-4, 2-3) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 15; 31-21 loss vs. No. 12 Virginia This week’s schedule: Saturday at No. 14 Louisville, 7 p.m., ESPN2 Why No. 12? California will continue to have the most inconsistent spot in these rankings. The Golden Bears don’t blow anyone away, but they have a winning record in a top-heavy conference. 13. Stanford (3-6, 2-4) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 10; 35-20 loss vs. Pittsburgh This week’s schedule: Saturday at North Carolina, 4:30 p.m., The CW Why No. 13? Stanford is still in rebuild mode, but the Cardinal didn’t let last week’s loss in Miami prevent it from showing up against Pitt. The Cardinal’s upcoming game against UNC and its annual showdown against Cal are the exact games that Stanford needs at this point in the year. Andrew Luck will know exactly what he needs to add to his roster in the offseason. 14. Clemson (3-5, 2-4) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 13; 46-45 loss vs. Duke This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Florida State, 7 p.m., ACC Network Why No. 14? Dabo Swinney finally opened up about his job security. He said in his postgame press conference that he thought he’d be fired last season and wouldn’t blame the athletic director if he were fired after this season. That says everything about the Tigers’ 2025 and the program’s fall from grace. 15. North Carolina (3-5, 1-3) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 16; 27-10 win at Syracuse This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Stanford, 4:30 p.m., The CW Why No. 15? The Tar Heels went from losing by one point to the ACC’s best team to playing Syracuse. Them being underdogs against the Orange was puzzling, especially considering Syracuse’s quarterback situation. Again, UNC got better every week in October. Bill Belichick might have some winning football left in him after all. 16. Syracuse (3-6, 1-5) Last week’s ranking: No. 12; 27-10 loss vs. UNC This week’s schedule: Saturday at No. 18 Miami, 3:30 p.m., ESPN Why No. 16? The Orange started a walk-on lacrosse player at quarterback against UNC. Enough said. 17. Boston College (1-8, 0-5) Last week’s power ranking/result: No. 17; 25-10 loss vs. No. 10 Notre Dame This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. SMU, noon, ACC Network Why No. 17? The last time Boston College was this bad was 2012, when the Eagles went 2-10. With games against SMU and Georgia Tech on the horizon, their final game against Syracuse appears to be the best shot at reaching a second win.
