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ACC Power Rankings: Week 1

Week one is complete, and some teams were much better (or worse) than originally expected.

Clemson v Georgia Tech Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

It was an eventful weekend for the ACC. Clemson struggled for a while before blowing out Georgia Tech. FSU and LSU played the best worst game of the weekend, and North Carolina played one of the wildest 4th quarters in the history of college football. Teams usually improve a lot from week 1 to week 2, so we shall see who is actually a contender as the season progresses.

Here are the week 1 power rankings.

1. Clemson (1-0) - It wasn’t pretty for long stretches on Monday night, but they pulled away 41-10 over the Jackets. DJ U was decent but not great in the win. Next Game South Carolina St

2.Pittsburgh (1-0) - Pitt was able to make enough plays to hold off West Virginia 38-31. Kedon Slovis threw for 308 yards in his Panthers debut. Next Game @ Tennessee

3. Miami (1-0) - The Canes did exactly what they were supposed to do in a 70-13 win over Bethune-Cookman. Miami had over 600 yards of balanced offense. Next Game Southern Miss

4. North Carolina St (1-0) - The Wolfpack weren’t happy with their opening weekend win. It was much closer than expected in a 21-20 triumph over East Carolina. Next Game @ Mississippi St

5. Florida St (2-0) - It was the best, worst game of the weekend, and the Noles got a much-needed win for Mike Norvell. The Noles blocked an extra point as time expired to preserve a 24-23 victory over LSU. Next Game @ Louisville

6. Virginia (1-0) - Brennan Armstrong threw for 246 yards and 2 scores in a closer than needed 34-17 win over Richmond. Next Game Illinois

7. North Carolina (2-0) - The Tar Heels gave up 40 points in the 4th quarter alone, but held on for a wild 63-61 victory over App St. The offense looks legit, but the defense needs work. Next Game @ Georgia St

8. Wake Forest (1-0) - Mitch Griffis filled in well for Sam Hartman, going for 288 yards and 3 TDs in a 44-10 successful opener over VMI. Next Game Norfolk St

9. Syracuse (1-0) - The Orange had one of the most shocking wins of the opening weekend 31-7 over Louisville. Sean Tucker ran for 100 yards in the upset. Next Game UCONN

10. Duke (1-0) - It was a very impressive debut for new coach Mike Elko 30-0 over Temple. Riley Leonard threw for 3 TDs and 328 yards. Next Game @ Northwestern

11. Boston College (0-1) - BC was outscored 16-7 in the 2nd half in a 22-21 defeat at the hands of Rutgers. Phil Jurkovec threw 2 costly picks in the loss. Next Game Virginia Tech

12. Georgia Tech (0-1) - It is hard to move up after losing 41-10, but the score wasn’t indicative of the effort the Jackets gave. Defensively they look better, but they are still going to have a tough season. Next Game Western Carolina

13. Louisville (0-1) - One of the most shocking losses of the weekend happened to the Cardinals. It was bad enough to lose to Syracuse, but 31-7 was a whooping. Next Game @ UCF

14. Virginia Tech (0-1) - Not sure what was worse for the Hokies, losing to Old Dominion or having their assistant coaches stuck in an elevator for 20 plus minutes at halftime. It’s going to be a long season in Blacksburg. Next Game Boston College

Go Canes