Because you can’t spell “elite” without #GoACC, each week we will provide conference-wide power rankings.
Heralded entering the season for its depth, the ACC has earned praise in the first two weeks instead for the sterling accomplishments of its consensus best three teams.
In week one, Clemson senior quarterback Tajh Boyd catalyzed a thrilling 38-35 victory against then-No. 5 Georgia to help lift the Tigers to No. 3 in the latest AP poll. Florida State freshman phenom Jameis Winston wrested the national spotlight from Boyd a few nights later, dazzling a Labor Day audience with a 25-of-27, four-touchdown masterpiece in a rout of Pittsburgh. And this past week, Miami forced No. 12 Florida into an offensive debacle that doubled as an on-field metaphor for the offseason of many notable Gator alumni. The Hurricanes triumphed 21-16 to vault back into the AP rankings for the first time in three years.
After those three, question marks and mysteries litter the conference. Some teams remain untested; others, including Virginia, have tried to secure marquee non-conference wins with mixed results. Not only is the pecking order behind the three current titans muddled, but it remains unclear if those three can romp through the conference with impunity or if the ACC’s secondary contenders and also-rans can muster the upsets to impose parity on the league.
As the heart of the season menaces in the near distance, I’ll be most interested in watching how the competitive balance of the ACC materializes. On one hand, it would speak to the conference’s depth were a team such as Virginia able to upend a Clemson or Miami and a throng of teams reached the postseason. On the other, less balance and more national acclaim for the top teams — or even a BCS title game appearance — may comprise the best recipe for conference ascendance.
Without further ado, here are your inaugural #GoACC Power Rankings:
14. Syracuse
Record: 0-2, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: L 48-27 at No. 19 Northwestern
I could discuss the Orange’s galling first two weeks, referencing the alarming ineptitude of Oklahoma-transfer quarterback Drew Allen and the 671 passing yards the defense has yielded, but it would equate to examining Ann Veal from “Arrested Development.” Them?
13. Wake Forest
Record: 1-1, 0-1 ACC
Last Result: L 24-10 at Boston College
A religiously-tinged opening salvo for Baptist-affiliated Wake Forest, who conquered Presbyterian before a lackluster outing against the Catholics at Boston College. Unfortunately, the Demon Deacons’ postseason prospects appear as credible as the doctrine of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
12. Pittsburgh
Record: 0-1, 0-1 ACC
Last Result: L 41-13 vs. No. 11 Florida State
This ranking may be shafting the Panthers, who possess a marvelous capacity to exceed “Getaway”-level expectations and cobble together “World War Z”-quality campaigns. Still, letting a true freshman quarterback trample all over a purportedly stout defensive secondary hardly inspires confidence for Pittsburgh in year one of ACC life.
11. Virginia Tech
Record: 1-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 45-3 vs. Western Carolina
Logan Thomas through two games: 22-of-57, 259 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions. He will likely start for the Jacksonville Jaguars next year. In other news: yes, six crazed Hokie fans that follow Virginia-related media, I put Virginia Tech this low just to annoy you.
10. Duke
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 28-14 at Memphis
An inspired performance from backup quarterback Brandon Connette in relief of injured starter Anthony Boone powered Duke to a nice road win at Memphis, but a dose of reality should arrive this week with Georgia Tech. No confirmation yet on whether one of the 85 Plumlee brothers snuck onto the football roster.
9. N.C. State
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 23-21 vs. Richmond
Committing four turnovers and needing a last-minute field goal to oust an FCS school picked to finish fourth in the CAA should hardly bolster the Wolfpack’s confidence before they host No. 3 Clemson this weekend. Still, N.C. State leading receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling has a last name that could double as the name of a villain from a bad paperback mystery, so that has to help.
8. Virginia
Record: 1-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: Ouch.
This is either way too high or a smidgen too low for the Cavaliers. Maybe both at the same time. You’re welcome for the coherent analysis.
7. Boston College
Record: 2-0, 1-0 ACC
Last Result: W 24-10 vs. Wake Forest
With a potent senior offensive triumvirate consisting of running back Andre Williams, wide receiver Alex Amidon and quarterback Chase Rettig, as well as a defense that has forced seven turnovers through two games, Boston College may join the NFL version and the still thriving rock band as 2013’s surprisingly frisky Eagles.
6. UNC
Record: 1-1, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 40-20 vs. Middle Tennessee
Still unsure of where this team slots into the ACC hierarchy after that season-opening loss to South Carolina and a solid, not spectacular, thumping of Middle Tennessee. They at least deserve credit for reducing Jadeveon Clowney to the equivalent of me trying to run a track workout minutes after polishing off the Burger King fry burger.
5. Maryland
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 47-10 vs. Old Dominion
Admittedly, a ranking for Maryland that suggests I never got over my childhood affinity for Under Armour and turtles. But Stefon Diggs is the most explosive player in the ACC not named “Duke,” C.J. Brown has played immaculate football in his first two games after losing 2012 to a knee injury, and the young roster is battle tested following last season’s comical injury carousel.
4. Georgia Tech
Record: 1-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 70-0 vs. Elon
Hit ‘em with that flexbone! Coach Paul Johnson’s rushing onslaught dispatched Elon with such effortless grace — racking up 557 total yards — that gauging whether these Yellow Jackets can replicate the halcyon days of 2010, when they reached the Orange Bowl, may have to wait until they host North Carolina Sept. 21.
3. No. 15 Miami
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 21-16 vs. No. 12 Florida
Miami’s season, as well as the landscape of the ACC in 2013, still pivots on any sanctions the NCAA decides to hand down in retribution for the Nevin Shapiro booster scandal. In the meantime, Duke Johnson and company should cruise through an Oct. 5 meeting with Georgia Tech unscathed.
2. No. 10 Florida State
Record: 1-0, 1-0 ACC
Last Result: W 41-13 at Pittsburgh
What is the over/under on when Florida State will demolish the Bobby Bowden statue to clear the way for Winston’s, preferably capturing the quarterback performing the M.C. Hammer dance? In all seriousness, the Seminoles’ penchant for appalling defeats — N.C. State last year, Wake Forest in 2011 — and lingering questions about how Winston will fare against less lackadaisical defenses preclude them from snagging the top spot.
1. No. 3 Clemson
Record: 2-0, 0-0 ACC
Last Result: W 52-13 vs. S.C. State
Much hoopla surrounded Clemson “changing its culture” by defeating Georgia, but that victory looms immensely for a more tangible reason. The Tigers get Florida State at home and play no other teams currently ranked in the top-25 — until they square off with arch-nemesis South Carolina in Columbia Nov. 30.
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