ACC power rankings before Week 1 of college football season
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The ACC is unique among the so-called major conferences, in that we’ve actually seen over a quarter of its members in action already. While that doesn’t mean these power rankings are definitive, we do have a few datapoints to consider before the rest of the league takes the field in Week 1.
Here’s how we see them stacking up.
1. Miami (Fla.) (0-0)
Last week: 1.
This week: Friday at Stanford.
What to know: The Hurricanes remain the odds-on favorites, despite the fact that they’ve never actually won the ACC championship. They’ll cement that status with an impressive showing in the ACC opener.
2. SMU (0-0)
Last week: 2.
This week: Monday at Florida State.
What to know: The element of surprise might have worked in the Mustangs’ favor when they played for the ACC title in their first year. They won’t sneak up on anyone now, and they’ve got a big target against the Seminoles.
3. Virginia (1-0)
Last week: 6.
This week: Open date.
What to know: The Cavaliers served notice against North Carolina State in bid to return to the conference title game. They’ll have this off week before hosting Norfolk State.
4. Louisville (0-0)
Last week: 3.
This week: Sunday vs. Mississippi.
What to know: We’ll learn a lot about the Cardinals this week in Nashville. They don't need a win, but a competitive showing would do a lot for the credibility of both the team and the conference.
5. Clemson (0-0)
Last week: 7.
This week: Saturday at LSU.
What to know: Clemson fans would also like to see signs of progress from the offense, a tough ask for a new starting quarterback in one of the sport’s most difficult road environments.
6. Georgia Tech (0-0)
Last week: 5.
This week: Thursday vs. Colorado.
What to know: The Yellow Jackets have earned the right to be considered among the league’s upper half. But they need to protect their home turf to justify this ranking.
7. Virginia Tech (0-0)
Last week: 8.
This week: Saturday vs. VMI.
What to know: The James Franklin era in Blacksburg gets a soft launch More challenging non-conference tests against Old Dominion and Maryland follow.
8. California (0-0)
Last week: 9.
This week: Saturday vs. UCLA.
What to know: This old-school Pac-12 showdown is arguably the most intriguing under-the-radar contests on the entire Week 1 slate. We'll see how the new staff built the roster around QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele.
9. Wake Forest (0-0)
Last week: 10.
This week: Thursday vs. Akron.
What to know: The Demon Deacons face a daunting schedule and need to make short work of the Zips. It likely won’t easy as last year’s opening squeaker against Kennesaw State demonstrated.
10. Pittsburgh (0-0)
Last week: 11.
This week: Saturday vs. Miami (Ohio).
What to know: This is a dangerous opener as the RedHawks have become consistent winners in the MAC, and their multiple pass-rush looks could cause trouble even with Mason Heintschel at quarterback.
11. North Carolina State (0-1)
Last week: 4.
This week: Open date.
What to know: Wolfpack fans have to hope that Virginia is that good. If the offense doesn’t improve massively against Richmond in two weeks, it might be a long season.
12. Duke (0-0)
Last week: 12.
This week: Saturday vs. Tulane.
What to know: Portal departures have the Blue Devils in a much lower starting position than usual for a defending league champions. The Green Wave took down Duke in New Orleans last season and will have the Blue Devils’ undivided attention.
13. North Carolina (1-0)
Last week: 14.
This week: Open date.
What to know: The win in Dublin comes with two caveats: The Tar Heels have clearly improved, but TCU’s plethora of fundamental mistakes also contributed.
14. Florida State (1-0)
Last week: 13.
This week: Monday vs. SMU.
What to know: A win is a win, but FSU followers weren’t exactly encouraged by the Seminoles’ performance against New Mexico State. The Mustangs will help determining whether the fan base will buy in or check out.
15. Syracuse (0-0)
Last week: 15.
This week: Saturday vs. New Hampshire.
What to know: Getting QB Steve Angeli and his surgically repaired Achilles tendon through this opener unscathed is priority one. The Orange jump straight into ACC play against California and Pitt in the next two weeks.
16. Stanford (1-0)
Last week: 17.
This week: Friday vs. Miami.
What to know: The Cardinal averted an epic collapse to beat Hawaii and out of the cellar. But the ease with which their secondary was torched doesn’t bode well for chances of slowing down the Hurricanes.
17. Boston College (0-0)
Last week: 16.
This week: Saturday at Cincinnati.
What to know: Opportunities to improve on last year’s dismal two-win total are few and far between on the Eagles’ extremely difficult schedule. Hope arrives in the person of former Division II standout QB Mason McKenzie.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC power rankings before Week 1 of college football season
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