Clemson, Duke, Miami Rise in Week 7 ACC Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz ACC Power Rankings Week 7
Louisville has proven that it is still a good football team after losing Charlie Strong and Teddy Bridgewater. It’s not like we didn’t expect that with Bobby Petrino coming, but we thought the improvement would take some time. It hasn’t. The Cardinals still had to fall in this week’s power rankings because of the fact that they lost to Clemson, but at 5-2, they have enough impressive wins to still be in our ACC Top 5.
Will Gardner’s return didn’t help the Cardinals Saturday, and Reggie Bonnafon finally looked like an inexperienced quarterback. That’s not much to worry about with this team, though, because Petrino will have them back to playing well soon enough. What has really been the story of the season for the Cardinals is defense. They have only given up 14 points per game, but the magic bad number for them is 23. That’s what they gave up in both their losses. For the Cardinals, not turning the ball over and finding consistency are the two things that could turn this team from a good team to a great team.
And we’ll find out about that greatness down the road. N.C. State and Boston College are still games that should be wins on the schedule, and while Kentucky looks tough, it should still be a win. Then the Cardinals have the epic Thursday night clash with Florida State and a later showdown with Notre Dame. Can they pull off an upset there?
If so, they’ll definitely jump up this list.