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It wasn’t a great first day of college football action for the ACC – outside of Georgia Tech fans. The conference’s presumed favorite, the Florida State Seminoles, fell to the Yellow Jackets in Ireland to kick off the season in unceremonious fashion.
Later that afternoon SMU, a newcomer hoping to prove themselves in the ACC, narrowly escaped from a Nevada program that went 4-20 the past two seasons as a cellar dweller in the Mountain West.
Despite FSU’s loss and a near disaster for the Mustangs, the ACC remains in a solid spot for the 2024 season. Dabo Swinney and Clemson have a huge opportunity to take down No. 1 Georgia this Saturday, while teams like NC State, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Miami could all be in the running for a spot in the expanded College Football Playoffs.
With Week 0 in the books and a huge slate of games coming this week/weekend, we reveal our power rankings for the ACC and how far Florida State dropped now that they are 0-1 to begin the campaign:
1
Clemson Tigers
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Swinney’s offense is still questionable, and won’t get an easy test with Georgia first on the schedule, but the Tigers do have an outstanding defense with Peter Woods, TJ Parker, and Barrett Carter all back in orange – and it could be enough to get them back to the CFP.
2
NC State Wolfpack
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The talent on NC State’s roster is undeniable, especially with Grayson McCall coming over from Coastal Carolina where he posted an otherworldly 88-to-14 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
If coach Dave Doeren can maximize McCall’s talent, and gel this roster made up of many transfers, they could compete for a top three spot in the ACC and perhaps a spot in the CFP.
3
Louisville Cardinals
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People forget that Louisville played for an ACC championship just last season under coach Jeff Brohm, a fact lost in the shuffle of FSU’s absence from the CFP. Brohm is back and veteran quarterback Tyler Shough is there as well, and if he can stay healthy this team could be back in a similar position as last year – where a win could land the Cardinals in the playoffs.
4
Miami Hurricanes
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Is this Mario’s year? The talent is there, the resources are there, the path to a spot in the CFP is there, but the big question is whether Cristobal can actually get this talented team to win enough close games to finish at or near the top of the ACC standings.
5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
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1-0. The Yellow Jackets flew across the world and upset the No. 10 ranked team in the nation, getting it down against the ‘Noles by pounding the ball on the ground.
Haynes King is the star, but if Georgia Tech can keep running the ball that effectively all year long they could really surprise some people this season – if they haven’t already.
6
Florida State Seminoles
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Lawsuits, frustration, and more plagued Florida State this offseason, and it all resulted in a disastrous Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech. The ‘Noles are still an extremely talented team, and could easily push their way back to the top of the standings and into the CFP, but the path got a heck of a lot harder after Saturday’s loss.
7
Virginia Tech Hokies
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Virginia Tech’s offense was explosive down the stretch last year, with three 40+ point performances in the final month. They retain just about everyone from that squad, and if they can keep the train going they’ll compete at the top of the ACC all year long.
8
North Carolina Tar Heels
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No Drake Maye is a huge blow for a North Carolina team that was routinely in the top 25 last year, but the ‘Heels do return star running back Omarion Hampton and have an improved defense, which could keep them in the running for bowl eligibility all year long.
9
Syracuse Orange
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New coach Fran Brown comes to Syracuse with a new quarterback up his sleeve in Kyle McCord. Can the duo get this program back to prominence on the gridiron? Time will tell, but the excitement around the Orange program is far higher than usual.
10
California Golden Bears
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Cal is the highest ranked newcomer to the ACC, thanks in part to SMU’s ugly performance on Saturday, but they have a lot of work to do to compete for a top spot in the conference. Jaydn Ott is a strong All-American candidate, but can the rest of the offense – and the defense – do enough to get this team to six+ wins?
11
SMU Mustangs
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Preston Stone and SMU were expected to be a high octane offense in their first ACC season, but they did not look the part whatsoever against Nevada. There is of course plenty of time to turn things around, but expectations are tempered after Game 1.
12
Boston College Eagles
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Boston College brought in former NFL coach Bill O’Brien to lead the program, and quarterback Thomas Castellanos believes the development is “the best thing that ever happened to me”.
If he’s right, this team could be rocketing up these rankings.
13
Pitt Panthers
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Offensive Coordinator Kade Bell brings a much faster offense to Pitt, and if quarterback Nate Yarnell adjusts well to the new system things could be trending in the right direction for the Panthers under coach Pat Narduzzi.
14
Duke Blue Devils
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Duke rebuilt both the offensive and defensive lines this offseason, and that can make things pretty difficult especially in the early going. If former Miami head coach and Penn State DC Manny Diaz can get this train rolling early, perhaps the Blue Devils will climb as the year goes on.
15
Stanford Cardinal
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Troy Taylor has endured growing pains in his young tenure with Stanford, but the Cardinal bring uber-talented wide receiver Elic Ayomanor over to the ACC. A wicked travel schedule and question marks all over the roster make this look like a tough year for Stanford.
16
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
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The offense was in a bad place last year for the Demon Deacons under Dave Clawson, and while few believe it will be that problematic again in 2024 – we need to see it to believe it.
17
Virginia Cavaliers
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Virginia has an absolutely brutal schedule, and while they were in a bunch of games last year – losing five games by seven or less – this young roster is going to struggle against the best of the ACC all year long.
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Courtesy : https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/lists/acc-football-power-rankings-florida-state-clemson-miami/