ACC Football Power Rankings: Miami closing in on division title

It’s very tough to get a good read on the Orange.

They upset Clemson at home, but fell to Miami by eight the following week. After a bye, Syracuse went back on the road to Florida, losing to Florida State by three.

Close calls can definitely make or break a season, and the Orange have experienced it.

For now, we’ll give them the benefit of the doubt as star quarterback Eric Dungey was injured during the loss to the Seminoles and missed key time. They return home looking for a much-needed victory with Wake Forest visiting the Carrier Dome Saturday.

The Eagles earned some extra time off, as they have not played since two Fridays ago when they defeated Florida State, 35-3.

As some of the top ACC teams have fallen off since in NC State and Virginia Tech, Boston College has a big opportunity this week when they welcome NC State to town. A victory would move them to 4-3 in the league and 6-4 overall.

The Eagles remain a young team led by freshman AJ Dillon, and the future appears very bright for them.

For the second straight week, the Wolfpack were unable to secure a win over a Top-5 team, falling at home to Clemson, 38-31.

The defeat puts NC State in the backseat to the ACC Atlantic title, as they are now a game behind Clemson. The Wolfpack were topped by Notre Dame two weeks ago and are now 6-3 overall and 4-1 in the league.

Ryan Finley had some trouble in the loss to the Tigers, but was still productive. He’ll have a good chance to rebound at Boston College on Saturday.

Did the Hokies win last week? Nope, falling by 18 to Miami on the road. Did they look very good in defeat? Not really, but neither did the majority of the ACC outside of the Top-2 teams.

For now, the Hokies are looking to close out strong starting with a road date at Georgia Tech. The season is not a complete loss despite being out of the ACC Coastal running, as they can still reach 10 wins.

Do that with a freshman quarterback like Josh Jackson, and a strong close to 2017 could translate into a huge 2018 for Justin Fuente.