ACC football power rankings: Miami remains on top, Syracuse makes big jump after Week 2

Admin September 9, 2024

Another week of college football has further clarified the picture surrounding the 17-team hierarchy in the ACC.

The top three teams in the conference remained pat, with No. 12 Miami (2-0) once again remaining the class of the conference after securing a 56-7 victory over a Florida A&M team it was expected to beat. Elsewhere, No. 20 Clemson (1-1) beat up on a Appalachian State team with a history of shocking upsets, downing the Mountaineers 66-20. Louisville was also impressive against inferior competition, downing Jacksonville State 49-14.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the week came from Fran Brown’s Syracuse team, which downed Georgia Tech 31-28 and experienced the biggest jump of any team after Week 2: The Orange jumped eight spots after downing previously unbeaten Georgia Tech.

REQUIRED READING: Michigan mess and Texas triumph headline college football Week 2 winners and losers

Here’s how the rest of the ACC shakes out after Week 2:

ACC football power rankings for Week 3

1. Miami (2-0)

Last week: 1
This week: vs. Ball State

The Hurricanes avoided any kind of letdown after their season-opening win at Florida, beating reigning Black college national champion Florida A&M 56-7. Cam Ward was yet again brilliant, completing 76.9% of his passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Clemson (1-1)

Last week: 2
This week: Bye

The Tigers bounced back in a big way from their lopsided loss to Georgia, routing an Appalachian State team 66-20 after the Mountaineers came into the season expected to be one of the best Group of Five squads in the country. Cade Klubnik was nearly perfect, completing 24 of his 26 passes for 378 yards and five touchdowns.

3. Louisville (2-0)

Last week: 3
This week: Bye

Though the competition has been underwhelming, the Cardinals’ offense continues to hum. In wins against Austin Peay and Jacksonville State, coach Jeff Brohm’s team has racked up 1,181 yards and 111 points.

4. Boston College (2-0)

Last week: 6
This week: at No. 8 Missouri

After an emphatic road win against Florida State in their season opener, the Eagles took care of business and rolled past Duquesne 56-0 in Week 2. We’ll soon find out how good Bill O’Brien’s team is next week when it hits the road to face a top-10 Missouri squad.

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5. Syracuse (2-0)

Last week: 13
This week: vs. Stanford

Outside of Miami, perhaps no ACC team has been more impressive this season than the Orange. Brown’s team knocked off a ranked Georgia Tech team, and Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord has thrived with a change of scenery. He has thrown for 735 yards, eight touchdowns and an interception in two games.

6. Georgia Tech (2-1)

Last week: 6
This week: vs. VMI

After trailing Syracuse 31-14 with just over five minutes remaining, the Yellow Jackets nearly pulled off an incredible comeback before falling 31-28. Quarterback Haynes King impressed again, putting up 333 total yards and three touchdowns.

7. NC State (1-1)

Last week: 4
This week: vs. Louisiana Tech

There isn’t much shame in losing to an explosive Tennessee team, but the Wolfpack were dominated in a 51-10 loss to the Vols in Charlotte. Coach Dave Doeren’s team was outgained by a 460-143 margin in the defeat, which came one week after an underwhelming win against Western Carolina.

8. Florida State (0-2)

Last week: 7
This week: vs. No. 25 Memphis

Given the way their first two games went, perhaps the best thing that could have happened to the Seminoles was not playing.

REQUIRED READING: Notre Dame’s inconsistency with Marcus Freeman puts them at top of Week 2 Misery Index

9. North Carolina (2-0)

Last week: 9
This week: vs. North Carolina Central

The Tar Heels made up for the absence of quarterback Max Johnson on the ground, rushing for 269 yards as a team while averaging 6.0 yards per carry in a 38-20 win against Charlotte. Davion Gause led the group with 105 yards and a touchdown.

10. Duke (2-0)

Last week: 10
This week: vs. UConn

The Blue Devils remain undefeated under new coach Manny Diaz after a hard-earned double-overtime win at Northwestern. Yet again, defense helped carry them, holding the Wildcats to 287 yards and 3.9 yards per play.

11. Pitt (2-0)

Last week: 11
This week: vs. West Virginia

The Panthers looked listless against Cincinnati before staging an epic comeback in which they overcame a 21-point deficit with one minute remaining in the third quarterback to earn a 28-27 road win. A more important test awaits this week: the Backyard Brawl against West Virginia.

12. Cal (2-0)

Last week: 14
This week: vs. San Diego State

It’s unclear at this early stage of the season how good Auburn will be, but a 21-14 win at Jordan-Hare Stadium is destined to turn some heads in the Golden Bears’ new conference. Fernando Mendoza was superb in the victory, completing 69.4% of his passes for 233 yards and two touchdowns.

REQUIRED READING: No. 3 Texas football, Quinn Ewers don’t need karma in smashing defeat of No. 9 Michigan

13. Virginia Tech (1-1)

Last week: 12
This week: at Old Dominion

In their home opener, the Hokies rebounded from a season-opening loss to Vanderbilt with a much-needed 31-14 victory against Marshall.

14. SMU (2-1)

Last week: 9
This week: vs. TCU

An uneven start to their first season in the ACC continued for the Mustangs, who mustered just 261 yards and 3.6 yards per play in an 18-15 home loss to a BYU team picked in the preseason to finish 13th in the Big 12. Next up: a meeting with rival TCU.

15. Virginia (2-0)

Last week: 15
This week: vs. Maryland

Quarterback Anthony Colandrea showed just how electric he can be for the Cavaliers, throwing for 357 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-30 win against Wake Forest. Malachi Fields was a favorite target, with 11 catches for 148 yards.

16. Stanford (1-1)

Last week: 17
This week: Bye

The Cardinal earned its first win of the season with a 41-7 blowout of FCS Cal Poly. Stanford’s defense held its opponent to 229 yards and quarterback Ashton Daniels was an efficient 19-of-23 passing.

17. Wake Forest (1-1)

Last week: 16
This week: vs. No. 5 Ole Miss

The Demon Deacons squandered a 13-point lead with 11 minutes remaining in a one-point home loss to Virginia. Coach Dave Clawson’s team fell despite putting up 544 yards of offense, including a 403-yard passing day from Hank Bachmeier.