ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 13: Clemson dominates yet again

The Hurricanes were off this week as they look to finish their season in fine fashion. Although they are on the outside looking in at the Coastal division race, if the top three falter, the only team the Hurricanes don’t own a tie-breaker against is the Virginia Tech Hokies. They need to win out, and get a bit of help from Pitt, Virginia Tech and Virginia and this weekend.

Here at headquarters on Tobacco Road, we value frank, no holds barred honesty. Here it is: We love Dave Clawson and Wake Forest. We love “The” Bronco Mendenhall and the Cavaliers. Heck, we want a David Cutcliffe statue outside of Wallace Wade. However, the ACC won’t get the respect it wants until the Tomahawk Chop strikes fear in the hearts of road teams in Doak Campbell Stadium and we refer to Miami as “The U.”

The entire staff of interns want a Miami/Clemson championship game just to see how far Miami has to go to compete with the Tigers.

Now that’s no disrespect to the Hokies. Legendary head coach Frank Beamer made the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University football program what it is. It’s the job of current head coach Justin Fuente to maintain and expand what coach Beamer started.

That said, the Hokies are playing their best ball under Fuente since he’s been there, or at very least since his first year there. The Hokies are the fourth brand that make the ACC what it is. Imagine an ACC where the Tigers and the ‘Noles are battling in the Atlantic and the Hokies and ‘Canes are duking it out in the Coastal.

Now that’s when the ACC one of the best football conferences in college football. The Hokies have risen from uncertainty to an opportunity to win the Coastal. They have Pitt this week, and the Commonwealth Cup against the Wahoos could be for the Coastal division title.

We don’t want to sound the alarm in Winston-Salem, but with Sage Surratt out it’s going to be tough sledding for the Demon Deacons the rest of the way. Wake Forest is 2-3 in their last five games. In their three losses they’ve given up 50 points per game. Wait, they play Syracuse and Duke to end their season. They should still find nine wins, my bad.

When this season is over, that might not be the biggest concern for the Deacons. Wake might find themselves asking their coach what will it take to stay on Tobacco Road.