A new-look top 5 takes shape in ACC football power rankings after pivotal week of games

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Georgia Tech survived a heart-stopping scare against Boston College to keep its playoff dreams alive, Miami stomped NC State to bolster its playoff bubble chances and Florida State’s Ethan Pritchard returned to Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time since surviving a gunshot wound to the head.

It was another wild weekend of ACC action, and with that, let’s dive into the ACC football power rankings.

1. Georgia Tech (9-1)

Last week: 1

This week: Pitt

What to know: The right foot of kicker Aidan Birr saved Georgia Tech’s season from a cataclysmic disaster.

2. Miami (8-2)

Last week: 3

This week: Virginia Tech

What to know: The Hurricanes are right on the playoff bubble, despite being long shots for the ACC title game.

3. Virginia (9-2)

Last week: 4

This week: Open week

What to know: The Cavs left little doubt against Duke, and they seemingly have one foot in the door for the ACC title game.

4. Pitt (7-3)

Last week: 2

This week: Georgia Tech

What to know: With the national spotlight on Pitt, the Panthers looked more like a deer in headlights against Notre Dame.

5. SMU (7-3)

Last week: 7

This week: Louisville

What to know: Last year’s ACC playoff cinderella is right back in the fold for the postseason.

6. Louisville (7-3)

Last week: 3

This week: SMU

What to know: A pair of missed field goals and an extra point might lead to some late-season walk-on kicker tryouts.

7. Cal (6-4)

Last week: 9

This week: Stanford

What to know: The Golden Bears are getting ready for the All-ACC clash of Cal and Stanford.

8. Wake Forest (7-3)

Last week: 10

This week: Delaware

What to know: Wake’s trip across I-40 was a fruitful one, with a win and hopefully some good Carolina BBQ on the way back.

9. Duke (5-5)

Last week: 9

This week: North Carolina

What to know: The Blue Devils’ miracle chance at the ACC championship is over after a loss to Virginia.

10. NC State (5-5)

Last week: 8

This week: Florida State

What to know: CJ Bailey’s return home was a day to forget, but he’s got a chance to bounce back against FSU.

11. Clemson (5-5)

Last week: 11

This week: Furman

What to know: The wind blew in Clemson’s favor as the Tigers are right back at .500 and on the doorstep of a bowl game.

12. Florida State (5-5)

Last week: 12

This week: NC State

What to know: Take wins and losses out of this; the best story of the weekend was the return to Doak for Ethan Pritchard.

13. North Carolina (4-6)

Last week: 13

This week: Duke

What to know: Bill Belichick’s postgame handshake with Jake Dickert is a good representation of the mess right now in Chapel Hill.

14. Syracuse (3-7)

Last week: 14

This week: Notre Dame

What to know: Will Fran Brown be the coach at Syracuse next year? Who knows, but he might be best served to look elsewhere.

15. Virginia Tech (3-7)

Last week: 15

This week: Miami

What to know: The most exciting moment of the weekend was Virginia Tech fans tracking flights in anticipation of James Franklin.

16. Stanford (3-7)

Last week: 16

This week: Cal

What to know: A bye week for Stanford, which is set to start the final two weeks of Frank Reich’s tenure.

17. Boston College (1-10)

Last week: 17