Week 1 of the college football season is nearly in the books as we've gotten to see all but one ACC team in action thus far. The ACC will be battling to get multiple teams into the College Football Playoff this season, and these early season non-conference games are important for later debate. This season, everyone's chasing Miami, but some teams are starting to stake their claim as contenders.
Florida State and SMU will officially close out the thrilling weekend on Monday Night in a game that could have a major impact on the race for the College Football Playoff.
Power Ranking the ACC after a thrilling Week 1 slate
17. Boston College Eagles
Fans hoping for a bounceback season from Bill O'Brien were quickly let down as Boston College fell 34-15 to Cincinnati. The offense couldn't get anything going until they were down 24 points, as a fumble, an interception, and a missed field goal kept the offense from making any impact. If the Eagles can't beat Rutgers next weekend, they'll be in for a long season as there aren't many easier games on the schedule.
16. Stanford Cardinal
After a thrilling win over Hawaii in Week 0, Stanford's excitement was crushed almost instantly by the Miami Hurricanes. Micah Ford is clearly dealing with an injury, and if the Cardinal don't have their star running back healthy, it's going to be hard to win many games. The defense is going to need to get on the same page, as the secondary wasn't able to find any success against the Canes' passing attack.
15. Syracuse Orange
After last season was derailed by Steve Angeli's injury, it was nice for Syracuse to dominate UNH to start the season. Shavane Anderson Jr and Tylik Hill look like an explosive duo in the backfield that can complement Angeli and the passing attack. The Orange will need to prove that they can be the same team against ACC opponents, but starting the season on a high note was needed.
14. Duke Blue Devils
Even while dealing with some preseason injuries, Manny Diaz found a way to beat Tulane in Duke's season opener. Walker Eget struggled passing, but when Nate Sheppard rushes for 227 yards and 2 touchdowns, who needs to throw? The Blue Devils' defense was lights out, allowing just 3 points while holding Tulane to just 2.1 yards per carry.
13. North Carolina Tar Heels
North Carolina spent Week 1 at home, enjoying their victorious return from Ireland after knocking off TCU. Bobby Petrino's impact was seen in the opener as the offense looked far more competent, with Billy Edwards looking stable while TE Jelani Thurman looks like a breakout star. Steve Belichick's return to call the defense is still up in the air, but Bill called a stellar game in the opener.
12. NC State Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack came into the season with the potential to be one of Dave Doeren's best teams, but that hope was wiped away almost instantly. CJ Bailey struggled mightily, but his weapons couldn't get open, and there wasn't much of a run game to help him. The Wolfpack needs to use the time off from Week 0 to Week 2 to try and find things they can do well; otherwise, this season could be a mess.
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
The impact of losing OC Buster Faulkner was evident on Thursday Night as Georgia Tech's offense was a mess. The Yellow Jackets averaged just 1.7 yards per carry, and the lone touchdown of the day came from a 100-yard kickoff return touchdown. Brent Key has a ton to clean up after a blocked and missed field goal, and the struggles in the rushing game if this team is going to have any success this year.
10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
After a promising first season at Wake Forest, Jake Dickert was given the chance to show he's building a winner in Week 1. Gio Lopez looked like the quarterback we saw before North Carolina, passing for 350 yards and 3 touchdowns. The defense played great until the 4th quarter, but as a whole, you have to be excited about what Dickert is building.
9. Virginia Tech Hokies
James Franklin debuted as Virginia Tech's head coach, and it only helped build the buzz around the program. The Hokies rushed for 6 touchdowns against VMI while quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer had an impressive debut. This was very clearly a game for Virginia Tech to audition the players for the season, and it'll be more interesting to see what they look like against Power 4 competition.
- Read Also: Predicting the AP Top 25: Oregon survives, Lane Kiffin arrives, and Michigan wins in controversy
8. Florida State Seminoles
Florida State opened the season with a shaky showing against New Mexico State, but ended up winning by multiple possessions. The true evaluation of Florida State will come on Monday night with the Seminoles facing off against SMU.
7. Cal Golden Bears
Cal entered the season with a ton of hype entering the Tosh Lupoi, and almost instantly it was wiped away. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is clearly playing injured, and his offensive line isn't good enough to give him all the time he likes to hold the ball for. The bigger issue is that Tosh Lupoi's defense had no answers for UCLA's rushing attack.
6. Pitt Panthers
Miami (OH) made it look like they might push Pitt when they scored to make it 28-14 before the Panthers scored 31 unanswered points. Mason Heintschel picked up right where he left off, passing for 453 yards and 7 touchdowns. Next weekend brings a Power 4 matchup against UCF, and if Heintschel keeps playing at this high of a level, Pitt can beat any team they face this season.
5. Clemson Tigers
It looks like Dabo Swinney's time as Clemson's head coach is clearly nearing its end after the Tigers got dominated by LSU. The Tigers' QB job is still up in the air, as Christopher Vizzina was awful while Tait Reynolds didn't get to show much. The bigger concern somehow may be the defense, as LSU ran for 309 yards while averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Clemson better hope that LSU is just that good, otherwise the Tigers are in trouble.
4. Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Elliott's team had a well-deserved weekend off after a dominant win to start the season in Week 0. Beau Pribula played a nearly perfect game, making plays with his arm and legs behind a dominant game from his offensive line. The Cavaliers' defense has an elite duo at safety, and this team is clearly going to contend for the conference championship once again.
3. Louisville Cardinals
The Louisville Cardinals nearly picked up an early upset as it took a last-second field goal by Ole Miss to secure the win. Jeff Brohm won't let his team live down a roughing the kicker penalty on a missed field goal that led to a touchdown for the Rebels. The Cardinals are clearly a great team, and they'll be a force to be reckoned with in the ACC.
2. SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs won't kick off the season until Monday night, when they face off against the Florida State Seminoles. SMU's ranking will be adjusted following the game.
1. Miami Hurricanes
After a trip to the National Championship last season, Miami somehow looks even scarier this season. The duo of Malachi Toney and Darian Mensah could not be stopped as the duo connected 11 times for 229 yards and 3 touchdowns, launching both players as Heisman contenders. There aren't going to be many teams that can test the Canes this season, and they may not be pushed until the matchup with Notre Dame in November.
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