ACC Football Power Rankings 2017: Louisville trending up in Week 3
The North Carolina State Wolfpack move down one spot in the ACC football rankings but it’s no fault of their own. They defeated the Marshall Thundering Herd 37-20 this week but quite frankly, the Duke Blue Devils performance was just more impressive.
The Wolfpack put up 37 points behind three passing touchdowns and 341 passing yards from quarterback Ryan Finley. Finley completed a touchdown pass to three different players to lead NC State to victory.
The NC State defense forced two turnovers in the game, but they allowed 451 total yards of offense as well.
This Week: Furman
The NC State Wolfpack have one more nonconference game on the schedule against the Furman Paladins before they start up the bulk of ACC football play. Their first ACC game is against 11th-ranked Florida State on Sept. 23.
The Duke Blue Devils offense woke up against the Northwestern Wildcats so they move up a spot in the ACC football power rankings for now.
Quarterback Daniel Jones threw for 305 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in a 41-17 rout to avenge last season’s 24-13 loss.
The Duke defense held the Wildcats to 149 total yards of offense and forced three turnovers in a dominant performance. They allowed just 15 first downs and held Northwestern to 1-of-10 on third down conversions.
This Week: Baylor
Things could get entertaining next week against the Baylor Bears this week for the Blue Devils. The Bears are 0-2 with losses against Liberty and UT-San Antonio already. They could be looking at an 0-3 start under head coach Matt Rhule if they’re not careful this week.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets got their first victory of the 2017 season in Week Two but remain idle in the ACC football power rankings, given the opponent.
The Yellow Jackets put up 37 points and held FCS-foe Jacksonville State to 10 points in the route. The defense forced two turnovers and allowed just 189 total yards of offense in the game.
The Georgia Tech offense only needed 210 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns last week to get the victory. Quarterback TaQuon Marshall also had three passing touchdowns for the offense.
This Week: at UCF
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets face a bit of a tougher foe in Week Three when they travel to face the UCF Knights. The Knights are 1-0 after putting up 61 points in their opening week game against Florida International. The Georgia Tech defense should be ready.