Chris Mitch Pat
1. Florida State 1. Florida State 1. Florida State
2. Clemson 2. Virginia Tech 2. Virginia Tech
3. Georgia Tech 3. Clemson 3. Clemson
4. UNC 4. Miami 4. Georgia Tech
5. Virginia Tech 5. Maryland 5. UNC
6. Miami 6. UNC 6. Miami
7. Maryland 7. Georgia Tech 7. Maryland
8. Wake Forest 8. Wake Forest 8. UVA
9. UVA 9. NC State 9. NC State
10. NC State 10. Duke 10. Wake Forest
11. Duke 11. UVA 11. Duke
12. Boston College 12. Boston College 12. Boston College
Power Rankings
1. Florida State (LW 1) (2-1)
Mitch: Losing to #1 Oklahoma and dropping nine or more spots in the polls is too reactionary, especially when they had the game tied in the 4th, a backup quarterback in, and three receivers down. So they'll stay atop TSPPR this week... If they lose to Clemson next week, I'll have to move them down.
Chris: Florida State proved themselves this weekend against Oklahoma and should hold the top spot even after the loss. Their defense looked fast and strong against one of the best offenses in the country. They go to Clemson this weekend and will play in front of a raucous crowd that impressed me last weekend. (The Clemson team impressed me as well but more on them in a moment) A few things Florida State should be worried about is EJ Manuel's health going forward and the running game. Manuel hurt his shoulder in the 3rd quarter of the game against Oklahoma and did not return. FSU seems to have a solid backup in Clint Trickett but this team needs Manuel if they are going to be as successful as they want to be this season. FSU rushed for 27 yards against Oklahoma on Saturday and that concerns me. Yes, Oklahoma is a top-tier defense but there are good defenses in the ACC. FSU will have to establish a running game to be successful this season.
2. Clemson (LW 7) (3-0)
Pat: All ACC fans should rally behind this win for the Tigers over the weekend. It’s not every day a middle-of-the-pack ACC team beats a ranked opponent, and even less often does one end the defending national champions’ win streak. I’m not buying them to win the Atlantic division just yet, but they’ll at least compete for it, for now. The plain and simple truth is they are lacking a little bit on defense. But, give credit where credit is due, Tajh Boyd is my new favorite quarterback outside of my Alma Mater’s. Stat time!!!! (and I won’t even break it down on this, his best game yet, but instead the season) Tajh is about to break the one thousand yard mark on passing yards after only 3 games, 67.3% completion percentage, 173.8 QB rating, 10 Touchdowns with a single interception. This guy is doing it well, right now. With him, they may not need a defense….nah!
Mitch: They looked like world beaters, but they also played an Auburn team who has a porous defense. It was an impressive display of offensive execution. They have incredible athletes. Did you see their first touchdown? That wide receiver made everyone look like they were jogging. Unfortunately for Clemson, Dabo is their coach and there are at least 10 coaches better than him in the conference.
3. Virginia Tech (LW 2) (3-0)
Chris: I put Virginia Tech at 5th in my power ranking. This isn't a reverse jinx. Of the top teams in the ACC (FSU, Clemson, Georgia Tech, UNC and Virginia Tech) Virginia Tech has proved the least to me. They have played Appalachian State, East Carolina and Arkansas State and I am sorry those teams aren't in the caliber of Oklahoma, Auburn or even Kansas and Rutgers. Virginia Tech's defense seems to be back at the "Virginia Tech" level. After giving up a 51-yard pass on Arkansas State's first play from scrimmage, Virginia Tech held the Red Wolves to only 218 total yards the rest of the game. Logan Thomas is not quite there as a quarterback and threw one "freshman" interception and another where his wide receiver slipped giving the defender the easy pick. He will get there though and didn't let his poor performance against ECU the week before affect his game this weekend. This team still has something to prove to me but I don't expect them to stay at 5th in my rankings I expect them to move back up towards that #2 spot over the upcoming weeks.
Mitch: I was surprised to see a close game early on with Arkansas State. I'm curious as to what is happening in Blacksburg. Will the Hokies retain their position among the top of the conference? After this week, parody among the middle teams may graduate somewhere to upper echelon.
Chris: Georgia Tech can throw the ball. Once again this scares me more than anything. It doesn't have to be a prolific passing game it just has to get the job done and keep defenses off balance and that's exactly what it did to Kansas this weekend. Starting with UNC this weekend I hope someone figures out a way to stop this Georgia Tech offense before they play Virginia Tech.
Pat: Ok, ok, ok… Nice job, Georgia Tech. A great performance by a team that I’ve been hating on since the preseason. Maybe my buddy Chris is on to something? Maybe the threat of a passing offense will open up a lot of room for expansion on this team? I’ll buy them next week though. In the game against Kansas, they only had 164 passing yards, compared to a whopping 604 yards rushing. To me, this indicates they might have been going up against a defense incapable of defending the option. In this game, the option opened up the pass, not the other way around. I still have to think an experienced defensive coordinator whose seen this style of offense before has a better idea of how to defend against it. (i.e. Everett Withers, perhaps?) Okay, you guys get a win at home next week and I’ll agree with 25th in the nation. North Carolina didn’t struggle with Northern Iowa.
5. UNC (LW Tied for 3) (3-0)
Pat: First off, let me start by saying I didn’t see this game. For purposes of the blog, I like to seem as neutral as possible, but I am an avid Tarheel supporter. The reason I didn’t see this game wasn’t because I was busy doing something else, because very few things are more important to me than Carolina athletics (Wow, I need a life). I wasn’t watching a different game, or searching for ways to improve my incredible fantasy football team. Nope, I didn’t see this game thanks to Time Warner Cable (shout-out). Instead, I was forced to listen to Jones Angel, while Texas, Florida, New Mexico, and Notre Dame were covered in Greensboro, North Carolina. My response to the cable company customer service rep that spoke with me on the phone at 3:35 Saturday afternoon? I don’t live in Texas or Florida, New Mexico or Indiana. (If you agree, contact your local legislator) Anyways, this was a good win for the Tarheels against a Virginia team that I think will overachieve by Charlottesville standards this season. The Tarheels were outnumbered on nearly every statistic but still managed to pull out a victory. Game play centered around Bryn Renner who is improving from week to week, and a defense that played well enough to win. If only I’d have seen it.
6. Miami (LW 8) (1-1)
Mitch: Good for Al Golden. He is a good coach and his talented seniors believe in him, and he managed through a two interception night from Jacory Harris. It's good for the conference, and now I slightly fear our early November meeting.
Pat: Jacory Harris wasn’t lights out by any means in this game. But, it’s apparent that he changes the entire look of this offense. As well, Miami succeeded in shutting down a Big Ten offense, which is never easy to do. 200 yards total offense for a top 25 team is a great defensive display by an otherwise struggling Miami team. This early in the season, when teams are playing out of conference, it is vital to the success of the conference as a whole to represent themselves well. Thanks to Clemson, Miami, and nearly Florida state and Maryland, this was accomplished. Moving forward, there should be a little more respect for anyone competitive in the conference.
7. Maryland (LW Tied for 3) (1-1)
Pat: For the Terrapins, the scoreboard was spread out way too much way too early for a sustainable comeback. A second half surge to reclaim the lead fell just shy with time running short. The final score was indicative of the play presented by both teams, it was pretty evenly matched. The biggest problem for the Terrapins was their beloved Danny O’Brien, and rightfully so, he’s great. But in this game he made some critical mistakes. 10-3 in the closing minutes of the 1st quarter, O’Brien threw a pick-6 which killed any momentum accumulated by the Terps to that point. O’Brien threw 3 total interceptions on Saturday, the last of which came with 1 minute remaining on the West Virginia 9 yard line. Still, I must admit, even Maryland, the ACC team who probably had the worst day with a top 25 team, impressed. In my opinion, two plays (Danny O’Brien’s last interception and the big hit on a scoring Kenny Shaw for Florida State) stood in the way of the ACC going 4-0 against top 25 teams on Saturday. Helmet Sticker for the ACC top 25 matchups
8. Wake Forest (LW 9) (2-1)
Chris: Tanner Price seems to be the key to Wake Forest's success this early in the season. He has a 62.2 completion percentage and has thrown for 867 yards with six touchdowns to just one interception. Wake Forest teams are always well coached and fundamentally sound. This team might not have the talent the rest of the ACC has but they will win a few more games just by playing smart and doing things correctly.
Mitch: They are trending up and maybe the offensive scheme is making sense to the Deacons. You know, they grow them smart in Winston Salem.
Pat: The Wahoos led UNC in every statistic on Saturday except turnovers and rushing yard. To me, this game focused on two things, Renner’s play and the Tarheel defense. On paper, these teams seem to be evenly matched. UNC just seems to have a notch more talent at the key positions. With that in mind, I know it’s cliché, but Virginia had to maintain a grip on the turnover margin to win this game. They played well enough, according to the stat line, but with a few less turnovers this game could have been more one-sided in favor of UVA. Like I said, I didn’t see it. Thanks TWC (shout-out)
Chris: UVA is currently starting a sophomore qaurterback, Michael Rocco, and a freshman running back, Kevin Parks. Needless to say, UVA is a young team but one that has talent. It's a little too early for them to compete for the ACC title this year but with a solid core it is possibility in a few seasons.
Mitch: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha you lost to Wake Forest... Is it wrong to keep bringing this up? Ps. I secretly hope Russell Wilson wins the Heisman.
Pat: It’s hard to get a great feel of how well NC State will do this season. The loss to Wake is the only real subtle indicator of the Pack’s struggles. They’re +5 in the turnover margin thus far, as should be expected after playing 3, what-should-be cupcake teams. Mike Glennon is doing well, but his skills players can’t hold onto the ball. In the game against South Alabama, for instance, they lost 3 fumbles. The game this weekend against Cincinnati should be the litmus test for the Wolfpack going forward. I’ll give them the slip-up against Wake, but even with the simple schedule State faces this season, Cinci should be the caliber team they will face on an average weekend. If Cinci scores 75+ points this time, it’ll be a surprise. But, State has to get things going; they’re obviously underachieving at this point.
11. Duke (LW 12) (1-2)
Pat: Ever heard the phrase ‘comedy of errors’? What can you say about this win, other than the fact that all three Duke fans, excluding David Cutcliffe and wife, are ecstatic about having a lead over someone in the ACC for a change? Actually, they’re tied for first in the coastal division now. A sign of things to come? Definitely, go ahead and bet Duke won’t finish last. Well maybe in the Coastal, but at least not in the ACC as long as BC is available to beat up on
Chris: Duke is tied for 1st in the Coastal Division. I was going to write nothing but that, but that seemed silly you are paying for more analysis from me. Oh.....you aren't paying for this. Well then...Duke isn't as bad as Boston College but almost. There don't seem to be a lot of wins left on Duke's schedule and they probably won't climb any higher than this 11th spot. Sorry Duke fan. (Yes I just meant the one.)
12. Boston College (LW 11) (0-3)
Chris: Boston College lost this game on a missed field goal with less than a minute to go in the game. They tried a 23-yard field goal on 4th and 1 and would have taken the lead with 47 seconds left to go in the game. Missed it. If you play Duke at home and have to kick a field goal with less than a minute remaining to win the game, you have already lost. I wanted to rank Boston College in 12th last week and they have now given me the justification to do so.
Mitch: Boy was I wrong about them always being solid. Yeah, they are 0-3 and lost to the Pre-season bottom feeders. Oh well, they can beat the new additions to the conference. Cuse and Pitt struggle in the Big East. ... The Big East. Yep, the ACC just ensured they are to basketball what the SEC is to football.
Thanks for your continued support of The Sports Party. If you agree or disagree with us put it down in the comments or give us your power ranking for the ACC and tell us where we messed up. If you have questions or comments email us at thesportsparty@gmail.com.
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