ACC Football Power Rankings, Week 1: Can Clemson reclaim the throne?
By Dante Pryor
5. Pittsburgh (1-0)
Head coach Pat Narduzzi and the Pittsburgh Panthers have an interesting combination of new things and experience. The offense has a new coordinator in Frank Cignetti. USC transfer Kedon Slovis takes the helm at quarterback for longtime signal caller Kenny Pickett.
Pitt does return its entire defensive line and secondary, as do all three leading rushers from last year. All three wide receivers did a good job of playing the part of Jordan Addison against West Virginia.
4. Louisville
The Cardinals could be a considerable chaos team in the ACC. Quarterback Malik Cunningham can raise the level of the offense with his ability to throw and run. The Cardinals might not be good enough to win the ACC, but they could be good enough to spoil another team’s run to the title.
Senior Yasir Abdullah and his ten sacks return for another season, but they need more from a defense that allowed 27.3 points per game.
3. North Carolina State
The Wolfpack is the trendy pick to win the ACC championship this season. All-ACC quarterback Devin Leary leads an offense that averaged over 30 points per game last season. The defense returns many players, including middle linebacker Isaiah Moore and defensive end Savion Jackson.
The question for NC State is if they can overcome over 100 years of history, win the big game, and avoid the clunker loss to make it to Charlotte.