ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 4: Virginia on top of Coastal division

Balance. That was the name of the game for the Louisville Cardinals in their 38-21 win against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. Jawon Pass was ruled out of this game with a foot injury and backup quarterback Malik Cunningham left the game after a blow to the head leaving QB3 Evan Conley to finish up the game. The Cardinals had no trouble finishing Western Kentucky running for 210 yards.

First year head coach Scott Sattefield’s influence on this team has been immediate and positive. They’re playing hard and why they moved up as far in these rankings as they have. Their effort alone is going to win them some games they probably shouldn’t. It helps to have a speedster like Chatarius Atwell.

Both Cunningham and Conley did well against the Hilltoppers and the Cardinals need Pass to be successful in ACC play. He’s their best option at quarterback (despite is shortcomings as a passer), and the best athlete of the three. They get the Seminoles next Saturday after noon, and although FSU is a bit of a mess, Pass gives them the best chance to win.

Break out the Wake Forest defense.

After giving up 35 in their opener to the Utah State Aggies, they’ve given up 21 to Rice and 18 to North Carolina. They shut out the Tar Heels in the first half  of their 24-18 conference non-conference game (yes, you read that right). The only issue with the game against North Carolina was they had issues on offense against a better defensive team. However, the Deacon offense came up with the goods when they needed to going on a five-minute game-clinching drive.

Sage Surrat looked big time against the Tar Heels with nine receptions for 169 yards. Their passing game, however, can’t be Surrat or bust heading into conference play. The Demon Deacons need more perimeter guys to step up. Jamie Newman looked good throwing as well as running, but Dave Clawson might not want to run him 19 times if he can help it.

They get a tune-up against Elon on Saturday at noon before they get into the meat of the schedule visiting Boston College, and then three straight home games.

You have to love come from behind wins, but they can also have a message you might not be ready for. Florida State out played the Cavaliers most of the game, but couldn’t put the Wahoos away. It’s a testament to head coach Bronco Mendenhall and never quit culture he’s built in Charlottesville, but Virginia could have easily lost that game. They were able, however, to claw their way to a victory.

The V-men are proving to be the second best team in the ACC so far in the early season. They play tough and physical on both sides of the ball. They get one last tune-up against the Old Dominion Monarchs and then they have a gauntlet of a schedule that starts with a trip to South Bend to battle the Irish. Then they get Miami, Duke and Louisville, respectively.

If they are going to beat any of those teams, they are going to have to be more consistent in their run game, and along their offensive line.

Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss. The Clemson Tigers are 2-0 in conference play after a 41-6 drubbing of the Syracuse Orange. This was one the Tigers had to have. Sounds odd, doesn’t it? When you are Clemson, and you are defending national champions and are arguably the best team in the country this year, it’s difficult to find motivators. This year it was how tough the Orange have played the Tigers the last two seasons.

They had to exorcise the ghost of the Carrier Dome. The last time Clemson traveled to upstate New York to play the Orange, they lost. The last time the Trevor Lawrence played the Orange he was knocked out of the game because of a helmet to helmet collision.

This year they left no. They dominated early and often in this game. Lawrence threw for a career-high in pass yards (395), and the Clemson defense shut the Orange out three of four quarters. They haven’t looked in trouble all season, and the offense looked as good as it has all year against Syracuse. The Tigers get Charlotte next week before beginning the meat of their conference schedule.