Welcome to The Athletic’s ACC power rankings. Each week, Manny Navarro and Grace Raynor take turns drafting teams based on how they performed the previous week (and all season). Manny has the first pick this week, Grace will take it next week.
1. Florida State (previously No. 1): The Seminoles begin a three-game homestand against Virginia Tech on Saturday and could soon get safety Akeem Dent back. Dent, a 32-game starter, would certainly help FSU’s pass defense, which ranks 82nd in yards per attempt and has given up nine plays of 30 yards or more (92nd). Even if Dent is held out another week, FSU should be able to cover the 24-point spread against the Hokies at home. — Navarro
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2. North Carolina (3): Hello, Tez Walker. After originally denying Walker’s waiver for immediate eligibility, the NCAA reversed that decision on Thursday afternoon, making our beloved ACC and the race for the conference title all the more intriguing. The Tar Heels were already rolling under quarterback Drake Maye, but Walker was expected to be his top target. He instantly gives UNC another weapon outside. — Raynor
Guess who’s back 🤗 pic.twitter.com/ZYW6fEAqaj
— Carolina Football (@UNCFootball) October 5, 2023
3. Miami (2): All-American safety Kam Kinchens returns this week from the scary head/neck injury he sustained late in the win over Texas A&M on Sept. 9. Georgia Tech can fling the ball around with Haynes King, but the Yellow Jackets can’t stop the run and Mario Cristobal’s team is averaging 6.5 yards per carry and 222.5 yards per game on the ground. The Canes should cover the 21-point spread at home and look good doing so in their all-black uniforms before next week’s highly anticipated road trip to Chapel Hill. — Navarro
4. Louisville (5): Yes, it was clunky, and yes, NC State is having a down year. But any win at Carter-Finley Stadium — one of the most hostile, exciting environments in the ACC — is impressive. Louisville trailed 10-0 at the half and still found a way to get it done. This week against Notre Dame will undoubtedly be the Cardinals’ toughest matchup of the season, but it’s starting to feel like nine wins is certainly possible for Jeff Brohm’s squad. — Raynor
5. Duke (4): The off week comes at the perfect time for the Blue Devils, who could probably afford to give quarterback Riley Leonard a few weeks after his scary high ankle sprain in the gut-wrenching loss to Notre Dame. Duke could probably beat offensively challenged NC State at home without Leonard when it returns to action a week from Saturday. Mike Elko definitely needs his star quarterback back for consecutive road trips to Florida State and Louisville. — Navarro
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6. Clemson (8): The Tigers bounced back against Syracuse to pick up their first ACC win of the season. Saying that out loud feels bizarre for a Clemson program that spent most of the last decade dominating the ACC, but that’s the way it’s gone for the Tigers in 2023. As quarterback Cade Klubnik continues to settle in, the brightest spot of Clemson’s season has no doubt been the emergence of true freshman wide receiver Tyler Brown. A late pickup in the 2023 recruiting cycle, Brown didn’t receive an offer from Clemson until last November. After nine catches for 153 yards against the Orange, it seems to be working out quite nicely for both parties. — Raynor
7. Syracuse (6): The Orange’s come-back-to-earth moment happened against Clemson, but I feel like there’s a clear line of demarcation after this spot in our poll. Despite losing to the Tigers and losing all-conference tight end Oronde Gadsden for the season a few weeks ago, Syracuse looks good enough on defense and with a healthy Garrett Shrader at quarterback and new tight end sensation Dan Villari to win six or seven games and reach a bowl. I don’t feel the same about the seven teams ranked below them. — Navarro
8. Wake Forest (10): Wake Forest was off last week, which meant the Demon Deacons had to sit with a sloppy 14-point loss to a Georgia Tech team that just fell to Bowling Green (at home!) for an extra week. Not ideal. But Dave Clawson’s team has an opportunity to make a statement at Clemson this week, having had two weeks to prepare for the Tigers. And after last year’s loss in a double-overtime thriller, it stands to reason the Demon Deacons have had Clemson on the mind for a while. — Raynor
9. NC State (7): Brennan Armstrong getting benched this week in favor of sophomore MJ Morris is the official sign the Wolfpack’s season is in trouble. Armstrong, a sixth-year transfer from Virginia, definitely stunk it up. But the good news for NC State is Morris, who was headed for a redshirt, gets an opportunity to save the season. He also gets to prove whether coach Dave Doeren has to go back to the transfer portal for help after the season. It’s better to figure that out now. — Navarro
10. Virginia Tech (11): Well, well, well. Just when all hope seemed lost in Blacksburg, the Hokies beat Pittsburgh by 17 points last week. It was a great way for Brent Pry’s team to rebound after the Marshall loss and gain some confidence. The Florida State game, on the road, could be ugly this week, but credit to the Hokies for (finally) taking care of business. — Raynor
Victory Vibes 😎#ThisIsHome pic.twitter.com/WGKjn2f86h
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) October 1, 2023
11. Georgia Tech (9): Changing defensive coordinators five games into the season isn’t ideal, but the Yellow Jackets got pretty good results last year when they replaced head coach Geoff Collins with offensive line coach Brent Key. New DC Kevin Sherrer has to clean up the poor tackling first and foremost. The Yellow Jackets had 18 missed tackles in the loss to Bowling Green and are surrendering a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry. — Navarro
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12. Boston College (13): The Eagles picked up their first conference win last week against Virginia on an afternoon when quarterback Thomas Castellanos had two touchdowns and two interceptions. Boston College will need him to play more consistently, but it’s good news that the Eagles still found a way to win on a day when he wasn’t at his best. — Raynor
13. Pittsburgh (12): Pat Narduzzi benched quarterback Phil Jurkovec this week, and there are reports that the sixth-year senior will get a look at tight end. The Panthers need to do something to get their offense going — they have picked up the fewest first downs and are tied for scoring the fewest touchdowns in the league (one score came on defense and another via special teams). But we can’t let Narduzzi’s defense off easy either after giving up 38 points and 427 yards last week to Virginia Tech. — Navarro
14. Virginia (14): The Cavaliers came so close to picking up their first win of the season last week against Boston College. A home game against William & Mary this week should do the trick. — Raynor
Bonus question
What non-ACC stadium would you most like to watch a game at?
Navarro: This one is easy for me: Notre Dame. Considering I grew up in South Florida during the Catholics versus Convicts battles of the 1980s, I would have loved to go to South Bend to see Touchdown Jesus and watch the Hurricanes play the Irish. I’ve never gotten the opportunity. I have been to a lot of other great venues, though, including Oklahoma, Ohio State and Florida for nonconference games involving the Canes.
Raynor: I was lucky enough to go to Notre Dame when I was a student reporter in college and it lived up to every bit of the hype. The campus was stunning and the atmosphere was awesome. Penn State is No. 1 on my bucket list, though. Specifically one of the “White Out” games. I have never been to a Big Ten stadium, and from what I’ve seen on TV, it looks like Beaver Stadium on a Saturday night is hard to beat.
(Photo of Brent Pry: Ryan Hunt / Getty Images)