ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 7: Pitt making serious noise
By Dante Pryor
Pick Analysis. player. 838. Scouting Report. 3-3, 2-1. Last Week: 9. North Carolina Tar Heels. 8
When this season started not many people thought the North Carolina Tar Heels would be in second place in the ACC Coastal at any point in this season, but here they are right behind the Cavaliers in the wild and wacky division. Sam Howell had his best game as a Tar Heel in this one, throwing for 376 yards and four touchdowns. They gave Clemson everything they could handle the week before.
It’s hard not to be impressed with the job Mack Brown has done so far in Chapel Hill. They get Virginia Tech this week, and depending on which Hokies team shows up it will be a good test, or another week like they had against Georgia Tech.
3-2, 1-1. Last Week: 4. Duke Blue Devils. 7. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis. 825
Duke was almost sent to the back of the line after the game they had against Pitt. The Blue Devils were “pre-David Cutcliffe Duke” bad in this game. Then Pitt invited them back into the game promptly blowing a 23-point lead. Duke then had to have a hearty serving of “Pitt Special” with a side of fries and a Diet Coke.
So, will the real Duke Blue Devils please stand up? Maybe those weren’t the real Hokies. When someone shows you who they are, believe them. Except do we know who the Blue Devils are? We probably won’t know next week; they get the “one day at a time” Yellow Jackets at Wallace Wade, but go to Charlottesville to take on the Cavaliers the week after.
6. 849. 3-2, 1-1. Last Week: 8. Louisville Cardinals. player. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Speaking of teams that are playing well with first-year head coaches, Scott Satterfield’s fingerprints are all over this Cardinal program already. They continue to play hard and look good. They are by no means perfect. They gave up too many yards and too many points to an unremarkable Boston College offense. The Cardinals need to take better care of the ball, but it seems as if they’ve found a solution at quarterback. They get Wake Forest this weekend in what should be a fun game.
Pick Analysis. Last Week: 6. 5. player. Scouting Report. 3-2, 2-1. Florida State Seminoles. 804
The Seminoles have put together back to back games against Louisville and North Carolina State. They are by no means perfect, but there are some positive signs. They’ve cut the penalties down — except against NC State — and they’ve protected the quarterback better.
One of the most important things they’ve done is slow down the tempo. Their defense is built to play 75-plus snaps per game yet. We’ll see how ready they are to play when they go to Death Valley East and take on the Clemson Tigers. Like most, I don’t see a scenario where they win that game, but I want to see them compete like they have the last two weeks.