ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 12: Virginia Tech makes noise

This week in ACC football, Virginia Tech brought its lunch pail, the Miami we’d all been waiting for arrived and Clemson did Clemson stuff.

“Oh the weather outside is crummy,
and you feel as lively as a mummy,
then there’s nothing to do or say;
it’s “There’s nothing to do Today Day”
Don’t you know, when there’s nothing to do
you can do anything that you want to do
You can go to sleep, run and play
on There’s Nothing to Do Today Day” 

— Arthur, The Long, Dull Winter

As the northern part of the country prepares to keep warm for the deep freeze, we wish the ACC power rankings headquarters was across the street from where they are planning to erect a statue of Dabo Swinney — we’d take a house somewhere on Tobacco Road.

Alas, the headquarters remains a figment somewhere in the multiverse of our imagination.

We’ll postpone “As the ACC Turns” this week as there wasn’t much in the way of drama this week affecting the rankings.

Clemson did Clemson stuff, dominating NC State which isn’t very good at football right now. Duke had its best attended game against Notre Dame but unfortunately the Blue Devils sent the JV team to play the Irish. We finally saw the Miami team we’ve been waiting for all season play against Louisville — in a Monsoon — which seems appropriate now that I think of it.

Florida State went to Chestnut Hill, braved the cold, bowed up, and won the “Red Bandana” game against a scuffling Boston College team to get one game closer to a bowl berth.

The biggest drama might have been at Lane Stadium in Blacksburg, Va. The Hokies dominated the Demon Deacons 36-17. That might have been more about honoring retiring legendary defensive coordinator Bud Foster than the Hokies being the better them, however. That was definitely a “this one’s for you coach” sort of game.

Virginia continues to prove college football needs a true MVP trophy so they can give it to Bryce Perkins. Georgia Tech does continue to improve on the field despite the loss.

That’s the ACC in a nutshell, folks.

The marquee game this week, Clemson vs. Wake Forest, lost a lot of shine because of the Demon Deacons’ loss to the Hokies. We’ll see if the Deacons can keep up with the Tigers in Death Valley East. We do get some mid-week ACC action when the North Carolina Tar Heels take on the Pittsburgh Panthers in what amounts to an ACC coastal elimination game.

With Miami, Virginia Tech and Virginia playing well, the loser Thursday night is all but out of the division race. It is the Coastal, though.

“In memorandum of the “Textile Bowl” or the “Rivalry that really ain’t”, here are your ACC power rankings heading into Week 12.