#goacc Power Rankings: Week 4

There weren't many marquee matchups last week, but the ACC had some awesome games. A 58-55 shootout? A game that went into triple overtime? A team that dominated West Virginia...a positive accomplishment for any team on this list? It seems particularly fitting that even in a week with a ton of terrible football, the conference came through with some solid entertainment.

The Dave Shinskie Division

(Dregs of the conference)

14. Wake Forest (2-2, LW: W 25-11 @ Army): With its win over Army last weekend, the Demon Deacons have probably played the last team that they will be favored against. They struggled for two-and-a-half quarters in West Point, but eventually pulled it out behind their rushing attack (something that will only be said once this season). Could Wake's loss to Boston College in week two really have meant the end of the road in terms of bowl eligibility? As depressing as that sounds, it's close. The Deac's Coastal opponents are Miami and Duke, giving them four of the conference's best teams remaining on their schedule (Miami and the best of the Atlantic). That being said, would it surprise anyone if Wake beat Miami at Miami and had to beat Duke or Vanderbilt to become bowl eligible?

Side note: doesn't it seem as if Vanderbilt is Wake's more successful little brother? Both are private, well-regarded, academic institutions that traditionally have similar troubles recruiting. Wake used to beat up on the 'Dores when they were younger, but now that they're both grown up, Wake just doesn't stand a chance and has to put up with Vandy's stories at Thanksgiving.

The Cameron Sexton Division

(Not the worst, but really, REALLY close)

13. Syracuse (2-2, LW: W 52-17 vs Tulane): The good news is Terrel Hunt seems like a pretty legit threat at quarterback. The bad news is that he showed what he can do against Tulane and Wagner, not necessarily the cream of the crop when it comes to competition. Now, after a bye week, they'll get Clemson and all of the Terrel Hunt momentum will be in a sad, twisted pile of scrap metal after being destroyed by Sammy and the Cubs (my tentative nickname for Watkins and all of the receivers that drop all of those passes...wanted to go with Sammy and the Kittens but it sounded too much like a strip club). In the grand scheme of things, however, that Clemson game means very little. What will mean a lot are the next three games against NC State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. If 'Cuse can take two of three, they'll be in a lot better shape than anyone thought. If they lose all three, well, there's still room at the kids' table next to Wake and Virginia.

The Reggie Ball Division

(Not good, but somehow wins games)

12. Virginia (2-1, LW: W 49-0 vs VMI): I think we all know how important this season is for Mike London. Another dumpster fire like last year, and he could be looking at a Kiffin-esque hot seat going into next year, a fact that I don't think is lost on the Head Ball Cop. How many more games will he watch David Watford struggle (even with the training wheels on) before he gets the itch to try another quarterback? I say that there is at least a 40% chance that we see this Brodie Croyle wannabe start against Tech. If that's the case, can Mike Rocco start a support group for Virginia quarterbacks with shattered confidence? In fact, just for fun let's make a list of all of the quarterbacks to start since the graduation of Matt Schaub:

• Marques Hagans
• Jameel Sewell
• Christian Olsen
• Peter Lalich
• Marc Verica
• Vic Hall (a cornerback)
• Mike Rocco
• Phillip Sims
• David Watford

In case you didn't count, that's nine different starters...in ten years. Man, the Al Groh years were fun.

11. Boston College (2-1, LW: BYE): Coming out of a bye, the Eagles get to play Florida State...not the best gift one could receive. The news that was even worse? The ACC couldn't even do them a favor and make it a noon game! As we know, if BC is going to upset anyone, it's going to be when someone sleepwalks through three quarters in Chestnut Hill. They also better celebrate being at the top of the cellar. They're still getting credit for being .500, but that's not going to last much longer. Let's also cherish that despite a coaching change, we still get to watch a glorious mustache grimace when Chase Rettig checks down for a two-yard completion on 3rd-and-12.

The Chris Rix Division

The Rollercoaster of Emotions

10. Duke (2-2, LW: L 58-55 @ Pitt): In what turned out to be one of the most exciting games of the weekend, Duke lost a barnburner to Pitt 58-55. The Blue Devils could be the most exciting team in the conference, after racking up 532 yards of offense, returning a punt for a touchdown, and had quarterback Brandon Connette account for 424 total yards and six scores. The part that makes them even more exciting to watch? They also gave up nearly 600 yards and Connette threw four picks (one of which was returned for a score). That's the best part of Duke football this season, you just never know what's going to happen. Do they still have enough winnable games for a second year of bowl eligibility? Probably. Will they win those games? Who knows?! That's the magic of Duke football!

9. Pittsburgh (2-1, LW: W 58-55 vs Duke): Good lord, the Panthers have some awesome weapons on offense. You could have me at quarterback if I had Devin Street and Tyler Boyd at receiver and James Conner at tailback, and we'd score at least 30 points (and my flag football teammates' nickname for me was Glennon...for obvious reasons). This Pitt team has the ultimate fear-factor when your team plays them. I know for a fact that I will be watching the Tech–Pitt game with one hand over my eyes.

Okay, I won't be doing that, but a heavy cloud of bourbon over my eyes is about the same, yes?

8. NC State (2-1, LW: L 26-14 vs Clemson): Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and sometimes you lose while looking like you should be in a Birdman video. On a list of uniforms that include everything Hokie orange and basically anything given to Maryland by Under Armor over the past few years, there's nothing I hate more than the NC State all-reds. Seriously. The only person who should hate wearing that much red more than those players is Andy Reid. It's just not a good look.

7. Virginia Tech (3-1, LW: W 29-21 vs Marshall): The only thing more depressing than a three-overtime game against Marshall is a three-overtime game against Marshall which featured videos of players trying to hawk their horrendous helmets. By the time the third or fourth video came on the jumbotron (with the team still down seven) it just became humorous. I still think that it's possible for this team to win ten games and go to the ACC Championship Game, but each game will give me heart palpitations.

The Danny O'Brien Division

(This could go well, or it could go off the rails...fast)

6. North Carolina (1-2 LW: L 28-20 @ Georgia Tech): It's really hard to put a team that is 1-2 ahead of a bunch of teams that are 2-1, but let's just look at the facts shall we? Carolina lost to a team that is in the top-10 (South Carolina) and a team that might be in the top-25 next week (Georgia Tech), let's hold off on the whole "the Tar Heels are regressing" thing for a little while longer. And while they have six-consecutive winnable games to end their season, they also have to play Miami and Tech back-to-back. Well, kind of back-to-back, getting a bye after what will be a hard fought game in Lane Stadium. Isn't it great that the ACC looks out for teams that go to conference championship games and have carried the conference since 2004 by giving them weeks off before a Thursday nighter? Oh wait, sorry, only Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech fall into that category...and are both playing on five-days rest this week.

The I Told You So Division

(I'm not usually right, so I'll definitely gloat when I am)

5. Georgia Tech (3-0, LW: W 28-20 vs UNC): The Yellow Jackets held UNC scoreless in the second half last weekend, which is a concerning development for everyone else in the conference. If the Jackets can actually play defense, who's to say that they can't regain the form we saw from a very good ACC Champion in 2009? On top of that, it looks like this defensive turnaround helps Paul Johnson, whose seat was warmer than some would suggest, stay completely safe in Atlanta. It's really amazing what getting rid of Al Groh does to your program. Can we do this for struggling programs? Have them hire Groh, just to fire him and attempt to reap the good energy that seemingly follows his departure everywhere he goes.

4. Maryland (4-0, LW W 37-0 vs West Virginia [in Baltimore]): Does anyone remember that time in the mid-2000s when Dirk Nowitzki lost in the NBA playoffs to an inferior team, couldn't shake the "Irk" nickname and was never thought to be a guy that could win a championship... and then just went missing for an entire summer? There were just stories of Dirk in the Australian Outback, trying to find himself and exhume all of the bad juju that had built up in his life over the past year. This seems to be an "Australian Outback" year for Maryland. Here's a list of things that went wrong over the past few years: James Franklin broke up with them (for Vanderbilt of all schools), they fired their tenured head coach after a season in which they won nine games (don't forget they were also screwed out of the Gator Bowl because Bobby Bowden's corpse was coaching its last game), his successor's hiring was met with about as much enthusiasm as someone who won tickets to a WNBA game and whose spread offense forced the former conference Freshman of the Year to transfer. That doesn't even mention the rash of injuries that destroyed the team last year (which were 100% brought on by Ralph Friedgen falling asleep while trying to use a voodoo doll).

Now? C.J. Brown, Stefon Diggs and what was a criminally underrated defense makes for a team that wants to exhume all the negative energy that surrounded it over the past few years. Could they end the year second or third on this list, especially after beating Clemson or Florida State? Sure they could, but they could still inexplicably lose to Virginia or Syracuse and make me look like an idiot (which isn't all that hard to do in the first place). One thing's for certain though: with the early success of both Maryland (my surprise team) and Florida State (my surprise national title contender) I'm going to get a little ornery.

The It REALLY IS Too-Soon-To-Tell Division

(They're actually good, right? Maybe? Who knows for sure?)

3. Miami (3-0, LW W 77-7 vs. Savannah St.): Somehow, we still don't know exactly how good Miami is. Sure, they beat a ranked Florida team, but that same team also looked better when its starting quarterback got hurt in their game against Tennessee. We know how talented they are on offense, it's tough to score 77 against anyone, but what do we know about the defense that is at the heart of Al Golden's profuse sweating problem? Playing South Florida this week won't provide us with any answers either, but if you think that Vad Lee isn't licking his chops with the chance to play Miami in two weeks (with 10 days rest), you're crazier than those mid-week Mountain West games.

The Tyrod Taylor Division

(The People's Champs)

2. Clemson (3-0, LW W 26-14 @ NC State): One thing that I completely forgot could become a problem for Clemson is that they're no longer just one of the best teams in the ACC, but one of the best teams in the country. That means that every single team on your schedule will give you their best shot, and every opponent's stadium will be out for blood (well except Virginia's, who will be out for blood but only because they're making sure that their steak isn't overcooked).

The Tigers ended up beating NC State by 12, but it was a struggle to get there. Will things go as well for them if they're down ten on the road against Maryland? What about if they only score 10 in the first half against UVA? The defenses will be flying around, even the bad ones, and that's going to be something that Dabo and Co. will have to work with every game. I'm not saying that will be their downfall, but is this a face you trust while down in the fourth quarter? Me neither...at least not yet.

1. Florida State (3-0, LW: W 54-6 vs Bethune Cookman): Fine, I did it. I don't care that they played Bethune-Cookman, I'm convinced that Florida State is the best team in the ACC and I was looking for any excuse to put them number one in this power poll. If they weren't Florida State, I would write extremely obnoxious columns about how their team would be the darlings of this college football season. Considering though that I am extremely bitter about the 1999 Sugar Bowl and that I hate everything about Chris Weinke and Peter Warrick, I'll save everyone from that.

(One guy I don't hate though? Sebastian Janikowski. I love that guy. Any time you have a kicker that's shamelessly listed at 258 lbs you have to respect him.)

Anyways, I'm now going to go stare at a wall until football is on. See you guys later.