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NC State had a bad week, but hey, it could always be worse. Like Florida State’s week, for instance. The Seminoles fell 13 spots in SP+ after losing by 32 points to Louisville, and the Noles have slipped a total of 30 places over the last two weeks. Things are not going well down there.
At the top, nothing changed this week.
ACC SP+ Standings
| Team | Wk 8 SP+ Rtg (Rank) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | Wk 8 SP+ Rtg (Rank) | Rank Change | Offense Rank | Defense Rank |
| Clemson | 27.2 (2) | -- | 4 | 7 |
| Notre Dame | 19.5 (7) | -- | 18 | 9 |
| UNC | 16.7 (13) | -3 | 5 | 39 |
| Miami | 13.7 (19) | -- | 41 | 16 |
| Virginia Tech | 12.9 (21) | -- | 22 | 33 |
| Louisville | 7.1 (39) | 6 | 13 | 88 |
| Pitt | 4.8 (44) | -6 | 93 | 20 |
| Virginia | 2.7 (54) | -5 | 72 | 42 |
| BC | 2.4 (56) | 2 | 40 | 77 |
| Georgia Tech | 0.6 (64) | -4 | 60 | 60 |
| Wake Forest | -0.7 (68) | 3 | 79 | 58 |
| NC State | -1.2 (71) | -10 | 59 | 78 |
| FSU | -2.7 (77) | -13 | 66 | 86 |
| Duke | -5.5 (91) | -3 | 119 | 43 |
| Syracuse | -8.0 (104) | 1 | 111 | 80 |
NC State’s defense is the main reason for the plummet this week, as the Wolfpack’s rushing defense collapsed in ugly fashion for the second time this season. Twice now State has allowed over 300 rushing yards in a game, which is something that happened only once in 2019 (430 yards surrendered at BC).
Offensively, State is far from the only team struggling without its would-be starting quarterback: Pitt, Virginia, and Syracuse are all in that same boat. At one point, Pitt and UVA both looked like top-35ish teams, and only one of the two remains in the top 50.