ACC Power Rankings: Georgia Tech 0-2, Boston College Gets Big Win, Clemson Get Ugly Win in Week 2

Five ACC teams played on Thursday or Friday as a generally soft week of scheduling was a necessary smooth landing after a rough week 1 for the ACC.

17. Stanford (Prev 16): The Cardinal were off this week, yet they drop into last as Boston College did something good.

16. Boston College (Prev 17): The Eagles built a 17-0 lead over Rutgers as QB Mason McKenzie made several big throws and was a major threat as a runner. Rutgers took the momentum and cut it to 20-14 in the second half. Turnovers doomed Rutgers’ chances, as an interception on fourth down from BC’s 21-yard line and another while driving for the game-tying TD in the final minutes wrapped up a big 28-21 Boston College win. It wasn’t the prettiest football on display, but it’s still an ACC win over the Big Ten. Other than UNC beating TCU, it’s the best we’ve got.

15. Florida State (Prev 14): The Seminoles were off this week as they prep for Alabama.

14. Georgia Tech (Prev 13): Alberto Mendoza threw 2 first-half INTs and the Yellow Jackets trailed by 2 touchdowns at halftime. It didn’t get any better after that as Tennessee pulled away and proved superior. Georgia Tech is now 0-2 with two home losses. Dating back to last season, they lost six of seven.

13. Syracuse (Prev 12): I’ve been high on Steve Angeli ever since he torched Clemson in Death Valley last season. Last week he proved himself healthy, but this week, he showed some rust. He threw 3 INTs in a bad 21-18 home loss to Cal.

12. NC State (Prev 15): The Wolfpack looked a whole lot better against FCS Richmond on Friday. CJ Bailey was sharp and the running game ground the Spiders into the ground by the score of 73-0. It doesn’t make up for the blowout to Virginia, but it shows the team had a good attitude and is capable of more.

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11. Clemson (Prev 11): For the second week in a row, Clemson’s start was delayed by bad weather. The defense looked capable, but the offense still looked less than ready for high-level competition. In some instances, the scheme put the offensive line in challenging situations. One example that stood out was asking Gavin Blanchard (second year player) to pull all the way across and stop of charging blitzer. He was fast, but not fast enough. Despite that, Blanchard stood out to me as a real bright spot getting some snaps at left guard. Likewise, Grant Wise (first year player) played some at right guard and was a positive. We’ll see if young players earn more snaps on the offensive line as the year wears on.

Christopher Vizzina got the start didn’t look especially dynamic. He threw a bad interception for the second week in a row. I’m a little vexed how Coach Swinney thought he was better than portal options like Beau Pribula (Virginia) and Lincoln Keinholz (Louisville). I worry Coach Swinney overvalues his own players like a fantasy football manager that thinks all his players are superstars and offers offensively ridiculous trades.

On the bright side, Tait Reynolds showed a few positive signs. He shouldn’t be starting so early in his career for a serious program, but I like him and think he could be quite good in a few years. If only we lived in a world where that was still a major compliment.

10. California (Prev 10): The Bears flew across the country and beat Syracuse, and yet I’m feeling more skeptical on both teams. In what should have been a great QB matchup, the offenses struggled in what ended in a 21-18 Cal victory.

9. North Carolina (Prev 9): A 35-3 win over East Tennessee State to back up their Week 0 win over TCU should feel pretty good. Billy Edwards Jr. is exceeding expectations. He threw for 244 yards and 2 TDs on 15/20 passing. They can run the ball too.

8. Wake Forest (Prev 8): The good news is Wake Forest went on the road and beat a Big Ten team. The bad news is they needed double overtime to beat Purdue.

7. Duke (Prev 7): Illinois led by 10 before halftime, but the Duke run game was effective once again. RB Nate Sheppard had 147 yards. QB Walker Eget was effective going 15/21 for 206 yards and 3 TDs.

6. Pittsburgh (Prev 6): Pitt beat UCF, but the contest was largely a wash, literally and figuratively. The weather turned it into a sloppy affair, and Pitt’s defense held UCF scoreless until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. It was a 12-7 Panthers win and the stats back up their victory. They had 109 more yards and 6 more first downs. Pitt plays Syracuse next week followed by Bucknell. That should allow them to reach 4-0 with a tough road trip to Virginia Tech next.

5. Virginia Tech (Prev 5): The Hokies are done losing to the Old Dominion Monarchs. QB Ethan Grunkemeyer threw for 327 and 2 TDs despite the VT run game only generating 89 yards to Old Dominion’s 123. VT led 37-6 in the second half before garbage time scoring made the final score 44-21.

4. Louisville (Prev 4): Lincoln Kienholz appears to be quite the find at QB for Louisville. He threw for 332 and 2 TD in a 59-13 win over Villanova. One thing that seems overlooked in the transfer portal QB market is that it’s not just about the top-end Sam Leavitt and Josh Hoover types. There are plenty of other QBs like Keinholz, Pribula, and so many more that can help a team right away.

3. Virginia (Prev 3): QB Beau Pribula was an efficient 12/14 passing, but it was the ground game that did the most work for Virginia. 38 rushes for 237 yards led the Cavaliers to a 59-3 demolition of Michael Vick’s Norfolk State. The Spartans only ran for 55 yards on 31 carries as Virginia was excellent in the trenches once again.

2. SMU (Prev 2): The Mustangs blasted UC Davis and QB Kevin Jennings got back in the groove after a shaky game on Labor Day vs. FSU. He had 337 yards and 5 passing TDs on just 16 pass attempts (14 completions).

1. Miami (Prev 1): The Hurricanes blew out Florida A&M 77-7. Darian Mensah was 14/15 and Miami ran for 430 yards. There’s not a whole lot to take from an FCS beatdown, but it continues to confirm my prior belief that they have the best offensive upside in the country.