Skip to main content

ACC power rankings: Miami, Clemson continue to lead the way after Week 9

Craig Meyer   Paste BN NETWORK

The ACC will head into November with a clearly defined upper tier of teams.

No. 5 Miami continued its undefeated run with a 36-14 blowout of rival Florida State, which fell to 1-7 and guaranteed itself a losing season. With No. 8 Clemson idle, the league’s two other ranked teams, No. 17 Pitt and No. 20 SMU, both picked up victories, defeating Syracuse and Duke, respectively.

Beyond that top four, though, things got a little more complicated after last week’s results.

REQUIRED READING: Oregon remains No. 1 in US LBM coaches poll, while Notre Dame joins college football's top 10

Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 9 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. Miami (8-0, 4-0 ACC)

  • Last week: 1
  • This week: vs. Duke

For the first time this season, Cam Ward didn’t throw or run for a touchdown (though he did have a touchdown reception on a trick play.) Instead, it was another celebrated transfer who helped carry the Hurricanes. Running back Damien Martinez rumbled for 148 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 9.9 yards per carry in a blowout win over Florida State.

2. Clemson (6-1, 5-0)

  • Last week: 2
  • This week: vs. Louisville

The Tigers were on bye last week. Next up, they’ll take on Louisville, against whom they have gone 8-0 since the Cardinals joined the conference in 2014 (albeit with several close calls).

3. Pitt (7-0, 3-0)

  • Last week: 3
  • This week: at No. 20 SMU

For the second game in a row, the Panthers were far from sharp offensively, putting up just 217 total yards. Their defense, however, more than made up for it — to put it mildly. Pitt picked Kyle McCord five times, three of which it returned for touchdowns, in a 41-13 thumping of Syracuse last Thursday. Pat Narduzzi’s team will face its biggest test yet next week at No. 20 SMU.

4. SMU (7-1, 4-0)

  • Last week: 4
  • This week: vs. No. 17 Pitt

The Mustangs are still undefeated against their new conference after holding on for a 28-27 overtime win at Duke. Coach Rhett Lashlee’s team made plays when it needed to do so. Jahfari Harvey blocked what would have been a game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expired and got a stop on what would have been a game-winning 2-point conversion in the first overtime period.

5. Syracuse (5-2, 2-2)

  • Last week: 5
  • This week: vs. Virginia Tech

Despite losing by 28 points, the Orange actually outgained Pitt by a 327-217 margin in its lopsided defeat, signaling Fran Brown’s team wasn’t beaten as soundly as it appeared. When your quarterback throws three pick-sixes, though, that difference in yardage only matters so much. Syracuse won’t have much time to sulk, either, with a huge game against surging Virginia Tech next.

6. Duke (6-2, 2-2)

  • Last week: 6
  • This week: at No. 5 Miami

Despite turning the ball over six times, the Blue Devils very nearly knocked off SMU in a game they had multiple opportunities to win late. Next week, Duke will have a chance to hand Miami its first loss of the season — and give coach Manny Diaz some revenge over a program that clumsily fired him three years ago.

REQUIRED READING: CFP bracket prediction: Georgia remains top dog, while Texas A&M moves into the field

7. Louisville (5-3, 3-2)

  • Last week: 7
  • This week: at No. 8 Clemson

The Cardinals’ season appeared to be on the verge of catastrophe last Friday, as they faced a 20-0 second-quarter deficit against Boston College. From there, however, coach Jeff Brohm’s team was able to rally, out-scoring the Eagles 21-0 in the game’s final 19 minutes for a 31-27 victory. Tyler Shough threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

8. Virginia Tech (5-3, 3-2)

  • Last week: 10
  • This week: at Syracuse

Don’t look now, but here come the Hokies. Coach Brent Pry’s team has won three games in a row after having little trouble handling Georgia Tech in a 21-6 victory in Blacksburg. Despite a season-low 233 total yards as a team, Virginia Tech got just enough offense, namely from quarterback Kyron Drones, who threw for a touchdown, rushed for a score and had a touchdown reception.

9. Georgia Tech (5-4, 3-3)

  • Last week: 8
  • This week: Bye

The Yellow Jackets yet again struggled to gain much traction offensively without starting quarterback Haynes King. Zach Pyron completed just 10 of 22 passes for 76 yards and an interception in the loss to Virginia Tech, which gave Georgia Tech its first multi-game losing streak of the season.

10. Wake Forest (4-4, 2-2)

  • Last week: 12
  • This week: Bye

The Demon Deacons made the cross-country trek and knocked off Stanford 27-24 for their third win in their past four games. Hank Bachmeier threw for 245 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, which was sealed when Nick Anderson intercepted an Ashton Daniels pass with 22 seconds left and the Cardinal nearing field goal range.

11. NC State (4-4, 1-3)

  • Last week: 12
  • This week: vs. Stanford

Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack were idle last week on the heels of their one-point win against Cal. They’ll aim to knock off the ACC’s other Bay Area newcomer, Stanford, next Saturday and earn their first multi-game win streak of the season.

REQUIRED READING: Alabama, Notre Dame lead college football winners and losers from Week 9

12. North Carolina (4-4, 1-3)

  • Last week: 16
  • This week: at Florida State

The bye week did wonders for the Tar Heels, who came out of the break by blowing out Virginia 41-14 to snap an agonizing four-game losing streak. The game was won in the second and third quarters, when Mack Brown’s team outscored the Cavaliers 31-3. Omarion Hampton ran for 105 yards and two touchdowns while J.J. Jones had five catches for 129 yards and two touchdowns.

13. Virginia (4-4, 2-3)

  • Last week: 9
  • This week: Bye

The Cavaliers were 4-1 after the first weekend of October, but they end the month nursing a three-game losing streak, which was capped off by a 27-point home loss to a North Carolina team that had been winless in ACC play.

14. Boston College (4-4, 1-3)

  • Last week: 11
  • This week: Bye

Like Virginia, the Eagles are riding a three-game losing streak following a hopeful 4-1 start, a rut that coincided with an injury to quarterback Thomas Castellanos. The most recent setback may have been the most painful yet, with coach Bill O’Brien’s team blowing a 17-point lead late in the third quarter in a 31-27 loss to Louisville.

15. Cal (4-4, 0-4)

  • Last week: 14
  • This week: Bye

The Golden Bears fall back one spot despite picking up a blowout 44-7 win over Oregon State to snap a four-game losing streak. The dip has to do with the results impacting the three teams ahead of them, as North Carolina blew out Virginia, which beat Boston College. As the only winless team in ACC pay, Cal only has so much room to complain about being where it is.

16. Stanford (2-6, 1-4)

  • Last week: 15
  • This week: at NC State

The Cardinal has lost five games in a row since what appeared to be a potential breakthrough victory on the road against Syracuse to open up ACC play. The 27-24 loss to Wake Forest was the first of those defeats to be decided by fewer than 24 points.

17. Florida State (1-7, 1-6)

  • Last week: 17
  • This week: vs. North Carolina

Mike Norvell and the Seminoles continue to have no answers at quarterback, with Luke Kromenhoek and Brock Glenn combining to complete 11 of 32 passes for 115 yards in a 22-point loss to rival Miami. They’ll miss a bowl for the fourth time in the past seven seasons after making a bowl every year from 1982-2017.

Facebook Twitter Email