Ranking the ACC After Week Three of College Football Action

Now that's more like it for the ACC. Virginia Tech and Florida State gave the ACC two very strong out of conference wins this week.

Virginia Tech beats a good Nebraska team, and Florida State pounds a solid BYU squad by 26 in Provo. Not all was good news for the ACC, as Maryland loses to Middle Tennessee for the second straight year.

Previous Rankings

Pre-season

Wk 1

Wk 2

1) Virginia Tech Hokies (2-1, 0-0). Last Week: 2

No ACC team has played tougher out of conference schedule in the early part of the season than the Hokies. First Alabama, then a decent matchup with Marshall, and then a rapidly rebuilding Nebraska squad.

The Hokies pull out the win over the Cornhuskers, 16-15, with a Tyrod Taylor 11-yard touchdown pass to Dyrell Roberts with 21 seconds left.

Nebraska had more yards on offense, more first downs, and ran more plays, and Virginia Tech still found a way to win. The Hokies usually get better as the season progress, and have a major showdown with Miami next week in Blacksburg.

2) Miami Hurricanes (2-0, 2-0). Last Week: 3

I'm convinced; Miami is for real, and quarterback Jacory Harris is on his way to become a star. The Hurricanes dismantled the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in every phase of the game this Thursday night. The offense looked crisp, and the defense held the Jackets to 95 yards rushing.

I didn't think there was any way Miami could start better than 2-2, and they already have the two wins so far. The winner of the Miami/Virginia Tech game becomes the early Coastal favorite, though a loss eliminates neither.

3) North Carolina Tar Heels (3-0, 0-0). Last Week: 4

So far, the Heels defense has been carrying them. They have only given up 33 points through three games. If the offense starts to come around, then suddenly the Heels become an extremely dangerous team that no one is talking about.

I like what I saw on Saturday—a 31-17 victory over East Carolina. The Heels had 285 yards passing and 148 on the ground in a balanced attack.

Next week the Heels head to Atlanta where they face a Georgia Tech team with all kinds of defensive line issues. Expect UNC quarterback T.J. Yates to take it to the air early and often.

4) Florida State Seminoles (2-1, 0-1). Last Week: 7

Which team is Florida State—the one that gave up 34 to Miami in a loss, or the one that struggled with Jacksonville State, or the one that produced the ACC's best win of the season?

FSU had a 54-28 win over the No. 7-ranked BYU team that had an 18-game home winning streak to boot. The Noles churned out 514 yards of offense and 313 on the ground.

Any team that is capable of a performance like that is capable of winning the ACC. South Florida is up next and we will see which Noles team shows up.

5) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-1, 1-1). Last Week: 1

It's seems odd to say it, but if Georgia Tech doesn't win next week against North Carolina at home, they will be virtually eliminated from the ACC Coastal race before October. They simply ran into a buzzsaw in Miami, and couldn't match the Canes' intensity.

I'm really not that worried about the offense. It will have better games, but it does need work. What really worries me is the defensive line. It was a concern before the season started and now it's a major problem.

Miami manhandled Tech up front. What's defensive coordinator Dave Wommack going to come up with to get pressure on opposing QB's?

He better think of something quick, because right now with the exception of DE Derrick Morgan, the rest of the D-line are a liability on every single down.

Starting DE Robert Hall looks like he'll be out several weeks with a knee injury. That's more bad news for the struggling D-line.

6) Clemson Tigers (2-1, 1-1). Last Week: 5

Clemson did nothing to warrant a drop in the rankings. It was only a product of the impressive FSU win that got the Tigers leap-frogged. I think the Tigers are headed very much in the right direction.

QB Kyle Parker struggled a little bit Saturday, but the Tigers didn't really need him because the defense played lights-out against Boston College in a 25-7 victory.

Kevin Steele's defense only gave up four first downs and 54 yards in total. Up next is BCS Buster TCU. I expected a victory over BC, but if Clemson beats TCU, they could really get rolling.

7) Boston College Eagles (2-1, 0-1). Last Week: 6

I'm not really sure what to think of Boston College at this point. I think defensively this is a pretty solid team.

They held Clemson to 253 total yards, but couldn't muster anything on offense. Justin Tuggle got the majority of the time at quarterback but threw three interceptions.

Ask me about Boston College this time next week after an important game with Wake Forest. Neither Wake or BC will contend for an ACC Title, but this game could determine bowl pecking order later this year.

8) North Carolina State Wolfpack (2-1, 0-0). Last Week: 8

The Wolfpack seemed to have worked out their offensive issues. After scoring only three points in their first game against South Carolina, NC State managed 110 in their last two.

It was against two FCS schools, but with the way some ACC schools have struggled with FCS teams you can't totally dismiss it. Saturday was 45-14 win over Gardner-Webb.

Russell Wilson set the NCAA record for the most passes thrown without an interception as well. The Wolfpack get a good test next week with the Pitt Panthers coming to Raleigh.

9) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-0). Last Week: 9

The Deacs followed up last week's win over Stanford with an easy victory over FCS school Elon 35-7.

Wake Forest quarterback Riley Skinner was 14-20 for 289 yards and one touchdown in an efficient game. The gap between the No. 9 team on this list and No. 10 is pretty big.

Looking for what should be a competitive but under the radar game next week? Try Boston College vs. Wake Forest in Boston.

10) Duke Blue Devils (1-2, 0-0). Last Week: 10

Maybe Duke, Maryland, and Virginia should just engage in a round robin pillow fight. I think you can just interchange the three for the bottom three ACC positions.

At least Duke has a Division I win to its credit. Duke was no match for a good Kansas squad in a 44-16 loss.

What's interesting for Duke is what is developing at the QB position. Sean Renfree is getting much more playing time, and was 14-of-23 for 115 yards and a TD today. Thad Lewis is still starting, but Renfree is getting plenty of opportunities.

11) Maryland Terrapins (1-2, 0-0). Last Week: 11

Maryland's defense is terrible. The 32 points they gave up to Middle Tennessee is the fewest points they have given up this year in a 32-31 loss to the Blue Raiders. That's two years in a row the Terps have lost to Middle Tennessee.

Maryland wasn't expected to be good, but I don't think anyone thought they'd be this bad. A mediocre Rutgers squad comes to College Park next week.

12) Virginia Cavaliers (0-3, 0-0) - Last Week 12

I'll give the Cavs credit for one thing: They haven't quit. Virginia actually showed they have a pulse in their 37-34 loss to a pretty decent Southern Miss team.

Quarterback Jameel Sewell had 312 yards passing in a good effort. Maybe just maybe the Cavs team is starting to pick up their new spread offense.

They get a bye week to regroup before a game with North Carolina. It's not like the Cavs will go on without a win. I don't see that happening.

They are going to upset somebody later this year.