Eagle Action's ACC Power Rankings
We're about halfway through the 2020 regular season and it's a good time to hit the pause button and take stock of where BC stands in the ACC pecking order.
Here's one take at laying out the look of the league via power rankings.
1. Clemson - The Tigers will cruise to the College Football Playoff and based on college football action in the SEC and Big XII so far it's tough to imagine anyone tripping them up there.
2. Notre Dame - This is a bit hard because in a lot of respects Notre Dame has been underwhelming this year. They struggled into the second half against Duke. They barely beat Louisville. But they're undefeated and that's more than any team other than Clemson can say. This team is tough to score on but limited offensively. It's hard to imagine them actually having a chance to beat Clemson and Miami may prove to be the better team.
3. Miami - We know the Hurricanes are not prepared to beat Clemson but this has still been a very impressive year for Manny Diaz's team. They bounced back from that Clemson loss in an impressive way, with a 31-19 win against the Panthers. This team is top four in the ACC in scoring offense and scoring defense. It won't be a surprise if we see a rematch for the ACC championship.
4. North Carolina - There may not have been anyone in the country outside of UNC's locker room who actually bought the Tar Heels as the fifth-best team in the country, so maybe don't overreact too much to the loss to Florida State. This is still a dangerous, explosive offense paired with a defense that has a ways to go. The middle of the top-25 is a more accurate reflection of where this team belongs. And that's still really good.
5. Virginia Tech - It's been a funky, up and down year for Virginia Tech. It's safe to say when this team is clicking they're part of the league's upper echelon and they may prove to be better than a couple of the teams listed above them.
6. NC State - The Wolfpack have been, along with Boston College, one of the surprises of the league this year. One season removed from everyone writing Dave Doeren off. They're 4-1 overall. NC State's wins have come against Pitt, Wake Forest, Duke, and Virginia, so there's no signature win. The end of season schedule is easy but the season will be defined the next two weeks against UNC and Miami.
7. Boston College - It's pretty impressive what Jeff Hafley has been able to do with this team after their results last season and with such an unconventional offseason. The offense can be a problem for opponents and the team has competed hard, generally faring well late in games. They'll be competitive week in, week out against most teams but Hafley doesn't quite have the personnel of most of the teams above BC here.
8. Pitt - What has happened to the Panthers? This team has the pieces to be in the league's second tier right after Clemson but things have fallen apart recently with losses to NC State, Boston College, and most recently Miami. Of course, a hot take might be they were never really as good as people expected and their early wins came against Syracuse and Louisville, two teams toward the bottom of the league.
9. Wake Forest - A lot of folks wrote the Demon Deacons off early this season but they have been more solid than a lot of casual observers probably realize. There was the opening game loss to Clemson and then a loss to NC State which does not look as bad in hindsight. The Deacs have since evened their record and defeated Virginia 40-23 over the weekend thanks to some great offensive balance.
10. Virginia - This season started out well enough for UVA, with an 18-point win against Duke and then the most competitive game anyone has given Clemson all year. But they have lost to NC State and Wake Forest by 17 points apiece each of the last two weeks. Up next: Miami and UNC. The Wahoos are probably looking at 1-5.
11. Florida State - I can't say that the UNC win really changes my opinion of Florida State too much because of the way they predictably collapsed in the second half but that defensive line can be a problem and it could have been a step in the right direction. FSU has just about the most difficult possible ACC schedule this season so progress shouldn't just be measured by records.
12. Georgia Tech - It's entirely possible we get to the end of the season and still conclude that the Yellow Jackets are the worst team in the ACC. They got Florida State at the Seminoles' worst and the other win is against Jacksonville State. They lost to Clemson by almost 10 touchdowns and lost to Syracuse by 17. They did beat Louisville but do I think they're better than the Cardinals? Probably not, but at a certain point your record does matter.
13. Louisville - The Cards being winless in league play is one of the surprises of the year not only in the ACC but in college football as they were a trendy top 25 pick after last year's turnaround and win in the Music City Bowl. There are offensive weapons but the defense has not improved. They did play admirably against Notre Dame over the weekend. This will go down as a disappointing season but they're still able to compete with solid teams.
14. Syracuse - The only win for the Orange came against Georgia Tech about one month ago and since that time Syracuse has dropped two straight, including most recently to Hugh Freeze's Liberty team. All four losses have come by 10 or more points.