Power Rankings: ACC Quarterbacks

The first week saw a lot of action from the Atlantic Coast Conference. With some easy victories and some hard fought losses, the first week showcased what is widely expected to come this year in the ACC.

With a stable of veteran quarterbacks and some surprising performances by some of the weaker links, the ACC could end up being the conference of quarterbacks when the season is all said and done.

Without further ado, here is the power rankings of the quarterbacks in the ACC.

11. Ted Stachitas—Wake Forest

First and foremost, Wake Forest trounced Presbyterian, but then again it was Presbyterian. Riley Skinner is no longer walking through that door so the offense is in the hands of Ted Stachitas. Stachitas went 7 of 13 for 84 yards and no touchdowns. What makes him better than Maryland's Robinson is that Stachitas had ten carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. He did manage the game well and he only played a short time, but Stachitas will need to improve on his passing when he faces some of the top tier teams in the ACC.

12. Jamarr Robinson—Maryland

Jamarr Robinson of Maryland barely escaped with a win and while this might be up for debate on whether or not he should be higher up on this list, the numbers tell the story. Robinson was three of six  for 16 yards and an interception. On the flip side he did add 91 yards on the ground, but he still failed to score a touchdown.

Maryland was facing a tough opponent in Navy and many believed that Navy would come out as the victor having boasted one of the best dual threat quarterbacks in all of football; Ricky Dobbs. Robinson has Maryland on the right track and winning game one is a huge stepping stone for a better season than last years.

10. Marc Verica—Virgina

Marc Verica performed well for the Cavaliers against the Richmond Spiders. Verica went 24 of 35 for 283 yards and a touchdown.

Verica started nine games back in 2008, but was hardly used last year as former head coach Al Groh went to a spread attack. The performance was solid for Verica, who was playing against former USC quarterback Aaron Corp.

9. Sean Renfree—Duke

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LAWRENCE, KS - SEPTEMBER 19: Quarterback Sean Renfree #19 of the Duke Blue Devils looks to pass the ball during the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Lawrence, Kansas. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Ge

Sean Renfree takes over for the departed Thaddeus Lewis, who was the most productive passer in Duke history.

Renfree started the season off with a bang connecting on 31 of 39 passes for 350 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Then again he was playing against Elon. At the same time having that good of pass efficiency and yards has to boost Renfree's confidence going into the rest of the season.

8. Dave Shinskie—Boston College

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CHESTNUT HILL, MA - SEPTEMBER 04: Dave Shinskie #15 of the Boston College Eagles passes in the first quarter against the Weber State Wildcats on September 4, 2010 at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

Dave Shinskie didn't look the form he looked like a year ago. While his day was overshadowed by the return of Mark Herzlich, Shinskie performed average at best.

He completed just 10 of 20 passes for 185 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. While Boston College notched the victory, the game was against Weber State.

If Boston College is going to shock the conference and win the championship like a lot of analysts are predicting, (see Kirk Herbstreit), then they will have to perform better once the get into conference play.

7. Kyle Parker—Clemson

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TAMPA, FL - DECEMBER 5: Quarterback Kyle Parker #11 of the Clemson Tigers directs play at the six-yard line in the first quarter against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 2009 ACC Football Championship Game December 5, 2009 at Raymond James Stadium i

Kyle Parker of Clemson is only a sophomore so he may be a little high on this list, but his performance against North Texas was borderline average. He completed 9 of 17 for 170 yards with two touchdowns, but he also threw an interception.

Clemson isn't picked to win the conference and C.J. Spiller isn't coming back anytime soon, so Parker will have to come up big in the big games and not play at the competition's level.

6. Josh Nesbitt—Georgia Tech

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - JANUARY 05: Josh Nesbitt #9 of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets warms up against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the FedEx Orange Bowl at Land Shark Stadium on January 5, 2010 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Everyone in the country knows that Josh Nesbitt is not a passer, especially after seeing the Orange Bowl a year ago, so it's not surprising to see him complete just one pass out of six attempts for a measly eight yards. It's well known that he's not a pure passer, the offense isn't made for that.

Nesbitt on the other hand is arguably the best scrambling quarterback in the country. He had 16 rushes for 130 yards and three touchdowns against South Carolina State. That's eight yards per carry, a very impressive statistic. Nesbitt could easily be higher on this list and there's a lot of season left for him to do just that. 

5. Tyrod Taylor—Virginia Tech

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LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 06: Quarterback #7 Tyrod Taylor of the Virginia Tech Hokies avoids defensive end #92 Shea McClellin of the Boise State Broncos at FedExField on September 6, 2010 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Geoff Burke/Getty Images)

It's safe to say that Boise State is the real deal, but at the same time Virginia Tech just didn't make the plays when they needed to. The fact that they lost the game doesn't rest solely on the shoulders of senior quarterback Tyrod Taylor.

Taylor was 15 of 22 for 185 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 73 yards on the ground.

What separates Taylor from a year ago is his poise in the pocket. He showed leadership and the ability to look down field and to check off. Had Virginia Tech not lost this game, this could have been seen as a coming out party for Taylor being a legitimate passer and not just a runner.

4. Russell Wilson—North Carolina State

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RALEIGH, NC - SEPTEMBER 3: Quarterback Russell Wilson #16 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack drops back to pass against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the game at Carter-Finley Stadium on September 3, 2009 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Str

Russell Wilson looks to be back to his old freshman form after his performance on Saturday against Western Carolina. He was 21 of 31 for 306 and four touchdowns.

A solid performance to say the least. The question is can he keep this up for an entire season? Wilson has shown the poise to be a pure passer and to be a solid quarterback, but his teams have faltered in the past. Now a junior, can he display the type of leadership skills to get N.C. State over the hump?

3. Christian Ponder—Florida State

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CHAPEL HILL, NC - OCTOBER 22: Christian Ponder #7 of the Florida State Seminoles runs upfield against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Kenan Stadium on October 22, 2009 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images)

Christian Ponder could easily be number one on this list, even number two, but he comes in at number three this week with another solid performance we have come to expect from him.

The pre-season Heisman candidate went 12 of 14 for 167 yards and four touchdowns in the first half to go along with a tipped pass that resulted in an interception.

He showed the poise and the leadership to bring Florida State back to the glory days, but his real test comes next week against Oklahoma. With a win in Norman, Ponder can put his name in at least the top five of Heisman candidates.

2. Jacory Harris—Miami

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MIAMI GARDENS, FL - OCTOBER 03: Quarterback Jacory Harris #12 of the Miami Hurricanes drops back to pass against the Oklahoma Sooners at Land Shark Stadium on October 3, 2009 in Miami Gardens, Florida. Miami defeated Oklahoma 21-20. (Photo by Doug Benc/

Jacory Harris is arguably the best quarterback in the conference and all he did against Florida A&M was complete 12 of 15 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns.

He put on a clinic and showed the country that Miami might just be the real deal this season. A lot of sport's analysts have Miami winning the conference and possibly representing the ACC in the National Championship, but they will have to get by Ohio State this upcoming week before they can even think of Championship implications.

1. T.J. Yates—North Carolina

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ATLANTA - SEPTEMBER 4: Tyrann Mathieu #14 of the LSU Tigers forces a fumble by quarterback T.J. Yates #13 of the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Georgia Dome September 4, 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

The picture says it all. All summer we heard nothing about T.J. Yates; all we heard about was the ferocious defense from Chapel Hill.

The fact of the matter is that Yates showed more heart than anyone could have dreamed of in Saturday nights loss to LSU. He completed 28 of 46 passes for a staggering 412 yards and three touchdowns.

While he threw it a ton, the running game for North Carolina was virtually non-existant and the defense was depleted from suspensions. Yates literally carried this team on his back and if it wasn't for a couple of dropped passes to end the game, Yates could be in the Heisman mix.