ACC Power Rankings Week 10: Which Team Made the Shocking Climb to the Top?

The two highest ranked teams in the ACC lost last week as road favorites. Georgia Tech fell to NC State in a shootout. Miami fell to SMU in overtime. What a heartbreaking loss for Canes fans. Meanwhile, Virginia earned a good win at Cal. The Cavaliers are now the only ACC team without a conference loss. With five teams having only one conference loss, the race to Charlotte is still wide open.

Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.

1. Virginia – 8-1 overall, 5-0 conference

The Cavaliers earned another solid win with their road triumph over Cal last weekend. That’s not an easy trip to make. Plus, the Golden Bears are a pesky team, especially at home. Still, Virginia is the one team everyone else is looking up at as we get into November. As recent as last season, I wasn’t sure Tony Elliott was the right guy for the Virginia job. I have no problem saying I was wrong on that one. It may have taken a few years (not to mention the tragic deaths of players Devin Chandler, Lavel Davis Jr., and D’Sean Perry, plus the injury to Mike Hollins), but there is a lot to root for right now in Charlottesville.

2. Louisville – 7-1, 4-1

The Cardinals were behind at halftime, then beat Va Tech 21-0 in the second half to secure another conference win. Louisville might be the hottest team in the ACC right now, although the next team could say the same as well. The Cardinals host Cal this weekend; always nice to get the California teams at home when you’re east of the Mississippi. Louisville’s matchup with SMU on 11/22 looks to be pretty big. The Cardinals should have their eyes on the CFP two-thirds through this season. Not many people outside the Louisville football program would have guessed that.

3. Pitt – 7-2, 5-1

Panthers quarterback Mason Heintschel had another 300-yard game, though he did throw two interceptions. Pitt has a bye before their home matchup with Notre Dame on 11/15. That should be a good one. Panthers coach Pat Narduzzi will have his squad believing they can, and should, win that game. Should Canes fans root for ND or Pitt in that matchup? Tough one. I’m not looking forward to watching Miami’s game at Pitt in a few weeks. It could be even uglier than the SMU debacle.

4. Georgia Tech – 8-1, 5-1

The Yellow Jackets had a really good day on offense at NC State: 559 total yards, 408 passing yards, 6-11 on third downs. Unfortunately for Brent Key, his team also gave up 583 total yards, 243 of it rushing, and forced zero turnovers. GT can still win out and get to Charlotte. And they better, because if they lose another game and don’t play for the conference championship, they’re out of this year’s CFP.

5. Duke – 5-3, 4-1

What a shootout last weekend. The Blue Devils put up 439 total yards, including 361 passing yards. That would be impressive if not for the fact that Clemson put up 560 total yards: 385 passing and 175 rushing. Duke made up for that difference by forcing one turnover, having a kickoff return for a touchdown, and going 5-5 on fourth down. Coach Manny Diaz also played to win by going for two when his team scored with only 36 seconds left in the game. I love the aggression. I am kind of surprised a Diaz defense got torched like that, but that is an exciting win for Duke football, even against a lesser Clemson team.

6. SMU – 6-3, 4-1

I saw Coach Cristobal mention during his postgame press conference that SMU was simulating Miami’s snap counts during the game. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case. SMU coach Rhett Lashlee then responded with this quote on Twitter: “No snap counts were mimicked, eye roll emoji, (confirmed by the obvious zero flags called for it) – however – that Ford Stadium crowd was rocking all day!!! Drawing multiple False start and delay of games and timeouts! Thank you Mustang family!” Rhett needs a whole lot of “settle down”. With how the refs were last Saturday, him saying there were zero flags for it means nothing. Also, would Rhett have the SMU job if not for the exposure he received from his time at Miami? Maybe, but it’s at least a question. Y’all won the game Rhett, relax. Also, don’t use emojis. Come on now.

7. Miami – 6-2, 2-2

The Canes stink. I have nothing else to say.

8. Wake Forest – 5-3, 2-3

What a difference a week makes. The Demon Deacons did what Miami could not, and beat SMU two weeks ago. Wake did it by holding the Mustangs to only 12 points. I guess their defense stayed home last Saturday, because they got absolutely mauled by FSU, 42-7. It was 42-0 until midway through the fourth quarter, when I assume there were all backups playing defense for the Seminoles. Wake was one of my two $5 free bets last week. How dare they! Still, one more win and the Demon Deacons are bowl eligible in Jake Dickert’s first year as head coach. Not bad.

9. NC State – 5-4, 2-3

Whoa! I did not see this one coming. I figured the Wolfpack would score some points, I just didn’t think their defense would get enough stops against Georgia Tech’s efficient offense. NC State took the lead late in the second quarter and never looked back. Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey put on a show: 24-32, 340 yards, 2 touchdowns, 5 rushes, 34 yards, 1 touchdown, zero turnovers. Running back Jayden Scott ran all over GT’s defense: 24 rushes, 196 yards, 1 touchdown. Getting back to Bailey, I like him a lot. I think he’s one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the country. That is a great win in the middle of a disappointing season for Dave Doeren’s squad.

10. Virginia Tech – 3-6, 2-3

The Hokies were looking good for the first half last weekend vs Louisville. Va Tech blocked a punt for a safety, and were up 16-7 going into halftime. And then it all fell apart. The Hokies were shut out in the second half and lost, 28-16. Va Tech gets a bye this week before finishing at FSU, vs Miami, and at Virginia. If the Hokies want to play spoiler this season, they will have multiple opportunities with that slate.

11. Cal – 5-4, 2-3

Cal was the other underdog I thought would win me some money on my other $5 free wager. Nope. The Golden Bears got within three points three different times, but just couldn’t get over the hump. Still, a 5-4 record with a true freshman quarterback is respectable. I have no idea how old of a team Cal has, or how they are doing in recruiting. But I imagine the next two seasons are when they will be looking to achieve double-digit wins and be a dark horse CFP team.

12. Clemson – 3-5, 2-4

Apparently Dabo Swinney had a bizarre postgame press conference where he said the athletic director should fire him due to the disastrous season Clemson is having. Maybe it’s foreshadowing, or maybe it’s just Dabo venting. I have heard that both sides might want a fresh start. I guess that could make sense. Looking at it as a Miami fan, I would be fine with Dabo for at least a few more years. He led his team to the CFP just last season. Yeah, he might not use the transfer portal like other coaches. But I would ask Clemson fans two questions: 1. Is it worth paying $60 million just to get rid of Dabo? 2. Who are you going to get? Everyone around the Clemson football program should take a deep breath, then focus on being good again in 2026.

13. Stanford – 3-6, 2-4

The Cardinal couldn’t bounce back after their blowout loss at Miami two weeks ago. They hung around with Pitt in the first half, but were unable keep up in the second thirty minutes. I wonder how involved former Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck will be in the school’s coaching search. It’s a different type of college football coaching gig, but if they land the right guy, Stanford could be a decent ACC football program in the coming years.

14. FSU – 4-4, 1-4

The drought is over! FSU has won an ACC game! Huzzah! I was kind of surprised how bad the Seminoles beat Wake Forest last weekend. The Demon Deacons had just upset SMU at home, while the ‘Noles lost at Stanford and looked like they may have given up on this season. FSU plays Clemson, Va Tech, and NC State the next three weeks. Mike Norvell’s squad could definitely get to 7-4 and .500 in conference play before their season finale vs Florida in The Swamp. Maybe that’s enough to give him one more year in Tallahassee. Fine with me!

15. UNC – 3-5, 1-3

Bill Belichick is back baby! The NFL coaching legend picked up his first ACC win last weekend at Syracuse. Does anyone watch that show Pablo Torre Finds Out? I never had before, but I woke up early last Sunday and ended up watching the episode about UNC GM and longtime Belichick ally Michael Lombardi. It was damning. I enjoyed listening to Lombardi on The Bill Simmons Podcast and thought he really knew what he was talking about. It turns out he deeply exaggerated or flat out lied about his influence with both the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders. It’s worth a watch if you have the time.

16. Syracuse – 3-6, 1-5

Syracuse coach Fran Brown has made some staff changes recently. I have no idea how that will help a team that looks as bad as they do the last few weeks. The Orange only scored 10 points at home in their loss to UNC last weekend. At least Syracuse’s one conference win is against former powerhouse Clemson. The Orange travel to Miami this Saturday. Canes fans were excited to get some payback when we saw Syracuse was coming to Hard Rock this November. But after the SMU loss, I would say many of us are deeply ambivalent.

17. Boston College – 1-8, 0-5

BC actually hung around with Notre Dame in the first half. That might have been the biggest highlight of the Eagles’ season so far. Yikes. I think Boston College is the only ACC school I have not watched for a single second this season. I’m obviously not missing much. BC coach Bill O’Brien better have a better 2026, or he will be out of a job. With how much money college football coaches are getting paid to go away, that might be a good thing.

See you next week!