College Football Rankings: There Is a New No. 1 in ACC Power Poll
How does the ACC power look after week one?
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1) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 2
Georgia Tech wins 41-10 over SC State this past Saturday. Georgia Tech was a little sloppy on defense with several missed tackles, and the offense completed only two passes for 12 yards. Quarterback Joshua Nesbitt ran for 130 yards.
The Jackets won big, but it was far from a perfect effort. Georgia Tech goes to Kansas next week. The Jayhawks are coming off a 6-3 loss to North Dakota St. so you wouldn't think they'd have any business losing there. Georgia Tech will get leap-frogged if either FSU or Miami wins next week.
2) Florida State Seminoles 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 3
FSU opens with 59-6 over Samford. I don't care if it was Samford that's impressive. Christian Ponder was 12 of 14 passing with 4 Touchdowns. There’s nothing to complain about there.
Is Florida State for real? We will find out next when they head to Oklahoma to play a Sooner team that struggled with Utah State.
3) Virginia Tech Hokies 0-1 (0-0) Last Week - 1
The Hokies lost to Boise St. to 33-30 Monday night. They made a great comeback after falling behind 17-0 to take the lead 30-26 late, but a secondary and defense that struggled at key times couldn't stop Boise St. when it counted.
Special teams early for the Hokies were a nightmare and if it wasn't for the play of QB Tyrod Taylor the final score could have been a lot worse. Taylor played his heart out and should be proud of his effort, but in the end the ACC fails to pull out another big non-conference game. It's a tired story. The Hokies get to lick their wounds against James Madison this upcoming Saturday.
4) Miami Hurricanes 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 4
Miami's game with Florida A&M and week summary is a virtual carbon copy of Florida State’s. Jacory Harris had 210 yards passing and 3 Touchdowns. The defense pitched a shutout. There’s nothing to complain about here either.
The competition takes a gigantic step up this week as the Canes head to Ohio St. to take on Heisman candidate Terrell Pryor and the Buckeyes. A win here would open eyes across the country.
5) North Carolina Tar Heels 0-1 (0-0) Last Week - 5
North Carolina ended up losing 30-24 to LSU, but I can't move them down, not after that effort. Down 13 players and down 30-10 in the 2nd half, T.J Yates suddenly became Tom Brady and nearly led the Heels back to an epic win. He got the Heels inside the 10 with :06 seconds left, but UNC couldn't finish things off.
Assistant Coach John Blake resigned recently and Marvin Austin is done. The other 12 players may or may not return. The Heels don't play next week, then get Georgia Tech on September 18.
6) Clemson Tigers 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 6
That's as unsatisfying a 35-10 win as you'll ever see. The Clemson defense gave up 462 yards of offense to the “vaunted” North Texas Mean Green. I was at this game, and Tiger fans were none to pleased with the defensive effort.
QB Kyle Parker was not sharp either. The good news is that RB's Andre Ellington and Jaime Harper ran well. In fact, it was the best I've ever seen Harper run. Presbyterian is next for Clemson. They lost by 40 to Wake Forest . That's another week to work out the kinks.
7) Boston College Eagles 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 7
The most important result from this weekend's game with Weber St. was that LB Marc Herzlich was back on the field. Beating Weber St. 38-20 doesn't hurt either. Trust me, the game wasn't that close. Montel Harris had 115 yards rushing in this one.
The Eagles get another tuneup this week when they face Kent St.
8) Maryland Terrapins 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 10
I have to move Maryland up after that thrilling win over Navy. That's a high quality win for Maryland, Navy has been a top 40 team the last two years. The underrated Maryland defense had a strong game and a great goal line stand in the final seconds.
9) Wake Forest Demon Deacons 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 8
The Demon Deacons dropped 53 points on Presbyterian. That's a lot of scoring. The Deacs had a whopping 415 yards on the ground, and Ted Stachitas did nice job leading the offense in his first start replacing Riley Skinner. He had 76 yards rush and 84 passing. In an early ACC matchup Wake Forest gets Duke in Winston-Salem on the 11th of September.
10) NC State Wolfpack 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 9
Operation save Tom O'Brien's job is off to a good start with a 48-7 win over Western Carolina. NC State QB Russell Wilson played as good as advertised with 306 yards passing and 4 touchdowns.
LB Nate Irving was back in action after last year's serious car accident. He only had one tackle, but that's not what mattered. He was back. They head to Central Florida Saturday. That's not one the Wolfpack want to overlook.
11) Duke Blue Devils 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 11
Duke head coach David Cutcliffe knows how to coach quarterbacks. In QB Sean Renfree's first start he had 350 passing and the Duke had over 500 yards of offense.
The 27 points and 400 yards given up to Elon has to be a concern though for the defense.
Duke will face Wake Forest Saturday. Winner gets an early leg up in the ACC Bowl race.
12) Virginia Cavaliers 1-0 (0-0) Last Week - 12
The Cavaliers 2010 is already off to a better start than 2009. They didn't lose to their opening day FCS opponent. Last year was the loss to William & Mary this year it's a 34-13 win over Richmond.
They might have discovered a running back too. Keith Payne had 114 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. QB Marc Verica had a nice day too with 283 yards passing. The Cavs get the USC Trojans on the 11th. They don't need to win, but if they can keep it close for a half anything else is a bonus.
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