Week 14 ACC Power Rankings: Look at all of those ranked teams!

Atlantic Division

1:  Florida State Seminoles (11-0, 8-0 ACC)
Ranking:  1 (AP)/2 (USA Today)/3 (Playoff, not updated)
Week 13 Result:  20-17 W versus Boston College

After last week, in which Florida State barely scraped by with a win against Miami, I told myself that I needed to stop getting my hopes up that Florida State would actually lose a game this season.  I mean, every time it looked like it was inevitable that the Seminoles were going to lose, they made a massive comeback that resulted in them pulling out another seemingly improbable win.  Nevertheless, I fell back into my blindly faithful ways, fully believing that Boston College could actually beat Florida State.  Instead, Boston College allowed the Seminoles to run the final 4:30 off of the clock and win it with a field goal from the fantastic Roberto Aguayo.  I give up.

2:  Louisville Cardinals (8-3, 5-3 ACC)
Ranking:  24 (AP)/23 (USA Today)/24 (Playoff, not updated)
Week 13 Result:  31-28 W at Notre Dame

Louisville has really turned on the jets as of late.  Their offense has been able to keep up with some of the best of their competitors and their defense is staying as phenomenal as ever.  They showcased their talent this week in South Bend, taking down Notre Dame with a talented rushing game that highlighted the unstoppable Brandon Radcliff.  Louisville has effectively crushed any remaining morale still held by Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish are desperately wanting to defeat USC this week in order to avoid a 4-game losing streak.

3:  Clemson Tigers (8-3, 6-2 ACC)
Ranking:  23 (AP)/24 (USA Today)/22(Playoff, not updated)
Week 13 Result:  28-0 W versus Georgia State

Clemson may have brought home the win this week, but their win was not as impressive as Louisville's, which is why they dropped to number 3 in the rankings.  The major point of emphasis for Clemson last Saturday was their defense, which limited Georgia state to only 155 yards of offense; they also forced four turnovers.  Clemson now has all eyes toward their upcoming home matchup with South Carolina.  One must think that this is the Tigers' year to finally get a win against the Gamecocks in the Dabo Swinney era, something they have yet to accomplish.

4:  Boston College Eagles (6-5, 3-4 ACC)
Ranking: NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  20-17 L at Florida State

Boston College now joins the ranks of ACC teams who had Florida State beat but then let the win slip right through their hands.   They still looked impressive, however, holding Florida State to only 20 points in Tallahassee.  Regardless, they will continue to regret that final drive, in which they allowed Florida State to march down the field and win it on a field goal.  Boston College is still in good position to finish the season at 7-5 though, as their final game is against Syracuse at home.

5:  NC State Wolfpack (6-5, 2-5 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  BYE

All attention is on the UNC game this Saturday.  While it isn't the scenario that I had hoped for (NC State playing a 5-6 UNC team), it still feels good to know that NC State has bowl eligibility locked up and an extra week of rest under their belt before heading into battle against the Tar Heels.

6:  Syracuse Orange (3-8, 1-6 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  30-7 L at Pitt

Yeah they're done for.  We knew this a while back, but we were all really hoping that they would beat Pitt and knock them out of bowl eligibility.  They couldn't manage to do that, so now all sights are essentially set on next year.

7:  Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-8, 1-6 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  6-3 W versus Virginia Tech in 2OT

Wake Forest managed to pick up its only ACC win of the season (yet) in the worst football game played in the FBS this year.  While they had over 200 yards of offense, they couldn't manage to gain any sort of traction, as per usual.  They did manage to win however, ensuring that Virginia Tech's season will forever remain an enigma.

Coastal Division

1:  Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2, 6-2 ACC)
Ranking:  15 (AP)/15 (USA Today)/18 (Playoff, not updated)
Week 13 Result:  BYE

That bye week gave the Yellow Jackets the chance to sit back, relax, and take in all of the Coastal futility that surrounded them.  From Duke dropping its second straight game to Virginia Tech playing the worst game of the year, the Yellow Jackets managed to enjoy a nice week off in preparation for their game against Georgia.

2:  Duke Blue Devils (8-3, 4-3 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  45-20 L versus UNC

Duke further distanced itself from a shot at the Coastal title by losing in embarrassing fashion to UNC--a team that did not look capable of pulling off a win like this only a month ago.  Now Duke has lost its second straight game, which looks even worse since one of those losses was to Virginia Tech.  I don't think more is necessary.  These last two weeks have been absolutely demoralizing, but I know we're all hoping for Wake Forest's signature lack-of-offensive magic to rub off on Duke next week, leading to another fantastically horrible game.

3:  North Carolina Tar Heels (6-5, 4-3 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  45-20 W at Duke

UNC really impressed me against Duke.  This is a team that has seemingly reigned in their defense this past week, while their offense stayed as potent as ever.  UNC is looking offensively charged going into their matchup with NC State.  If they want to beat the Wolfpack, they must not let NC State get out ahead of their defense.  If that's the case, this game will be an offensive shootout.

4:  Miami (FL) Hurricanes (6-5, 3-4 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result: 30-13 L at Virginia

I mean, this was the team that almost took down Florida State?  They were offensively inept the entire game, managing to only find the endzone twice despite the large yardage numbers they put up.  Duke Johnson had an uncharacteristically weak performance for his standards, and Brad Kaaya served to only bring down the entire team's rushing yard total, as he ended up with a whopping -33 rushing yards.

5:  Virginia Cavaliers (5-6, 3-4 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  30-13 W versus Miami

The only reason I don't have Virginia higher than Miami is because of how they've looked as a whole these past few weeks.  They may have pulled off a win, but it was a desperation one, as they needed it to keep their postseason hopes alive--something that seemed like a sure thing only a few months ago.  Despite all of that, Virginia looked good this Saturday, as their run defense was simply deleterious to Miami's offense--one that went toe-to-toe with Florida State two weeks ago.

6:  Pittsburgh Panthers (5-6, 3-4 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:  30-7 W versus Syracuse

Pittsburgh managed to get one step closer to the postseason this past week with a rout of Syracuse.  Pitt outgained the Orange by almost 200 yards, and their defense winnowed through any semblance of a Syracuse offense, forcing three total turnovers.  Pitt once again showcased a superb multi-faceted run attack, something that will be critical if they are to get win number six against Miami this weekend.

7:  Virginia Tech Hokies (5-6, 2-5 ACC)
Ranking:  NR/NR/NR
Week 13 Result:   6-3 L versus Wake Forest in 2OT

I think this drive summary from ESPN.com sums up all you need to know: