ACC Week 4 Power Rankings

Week 3 was the biggest of the year so far for the ACC.

ACC teams played four games against ranked opponents, winning two in a convincing fashion and barely coming up short in the other two.

The highlight was Miami's 24-6 dismantling of Ohio State, a team that has not looked like its old self this year without Terrelle Pryor or Jim Tressel.

Clemson also was a big winner as they beat the defending national champion, Auburn Tigers.

North Carolina has grabbed the top spot in the Coastal Division while Boston College joined Wake Forest and Maryland atop the Atlantic.

Non-conference play is winding down and this is how things stand heading into the last week of September.

12. Boston College

Boston College is the only 0-3 team in the ACC.

Last week they missed an extra point and, in the last minute of the game, a 23-yard field goal that very well could have been the game winner.

So, from an Eagles' fan perspective, it may not be even that Duke beat Boston College so much as Boston College self-destructed and lost.

For this, the Eagles have earned their last-place ranking on this week's list.

11. Duke

While Boston College may have felt like last week's game was theirs to win, Duke actually deserves plenty of credit for the things they did right.

Sean Renfree threw for a career-high 368 yards and rushed for the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Stud receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon combined for 18 receptions, 194 yards and Vernon's two touchdowns.

Duke's defense also bottled up Boston College's vaunted running game to the tune of 81 yards on 3.2 yards per carry.

They didn't allow any second-half points to the Eagles and won the yardage battle 465-328.

Duke has started to recover from their season-opening loss to Richmond and will continue to try and rise through the power rankings with a game against Tulane next week.

10. NC State

Once again, NC State let an FCS program hang around for too long.

In the end, though, the Wolfpack put together their most complete performance of the year so far and defeated South Alabama's second-year program 35-13.

Their defense looked especially good against the Jaguars.

However, on offense they only averaged 2.6 yards a carry and lost three fumbles.

Mike Glennon was finally very sharp, a promising sign for this team going forward.

However, they still don't have a win over an FBS team.

They get that chance this Thursday against Cincinnati.

9. Virginia

Virginia is a mixed bag at this point.

They have the most returning starters in the ACC, but those are the same starters who went 4-8 last year.

The Cavaliers started the season out with a dominant win over FCS power William and Mary before struggling to put away lowly Indiana.

Virginia ranks fourth in the ACC in total offense this year but have had just one passing touchdown and mostly mediocre quarterback play.

The Cavaliers outgained North Carolina 468-401 this weekend but stumbled 28-17 against the Tar Heels.

Virginia has the talent to make a bowl game, but they must get better at scoring, not just moving the football.

You don't get a kicker who's tied for the national lead in made field goals by being good in the red zone.

8. Wake Forest

Wake Forest had their third straight impressive performance to open the season this week.

They took care of business by crushing Gardner-Webb 48-5.

The Demon Deacons would have risen higher in the power rankings this week had the teams in front of them not all played so well.

Tanner Price is looking like a top-tier field general, and this team is primed for success.

7. Clemson

Just like Wake Forest, Clemson could have deservedly jumped into the top half of the conference power rankings if other conference teams had stumbled.

Beating the defending national champion almost allowed Clemson to do that despite how well everyone else played.

However, this Auburn team almost lost to Utah State and allowed 34 points against Mississippi State.

They have serious defects, which the Tigers from South Carolina continued to expose in their 38-24 victory over the other Tigers from Alabama.

Clemson's offense looks unstoppable right now and could cause major headaches for Florida State this week.

If Clemson conquers the Seminoles, they will rise big time in our rankings.

6. Georgia Tech

Paul Johnson has the best offense in the country and the numbers to back it up.

So no one can be sure what will happen when Georgia Tech faces stiffer defense than they have played against so far this year.

However, it's hard to envision a path to stopping this attack.

The Yellow Jackets are so far this year's point-a-minute offense, a distinction originally given to former great Michigan teams.

Even Fielding Yost would be amazed by what the Ramblin' Wreck are accomplishing.

Against Kansas, the team posted its highest second-half point total since John Heisman coached them to the most lopsided victory in history.

They also established school records for total offense and rushing yardage.

The team, with seven rushing touchdowns from six different players, averaged 12.1 yards per carry: the highest mark ever.

The team had two 100-yard rushers, neither of whom had more than five carries.

It goes on and on and on: sort of like Georgia Tech's offense.

5. Maryland

Maryland couldn't do anything right for the first two-and-a-half quarters against West Virginia.

When they woke up, they showed what a dangerous team they are.

Maryland pushed the Big East's flagship program to the brink in a 37-31 defeat, which was part of a solid out-of-conference weekend for the ACC.

Right now, the Terrapins are looking like the best bet to challenge Florida State for the Atlantic Division crown, although Clemson and even Wake Forest may end up mounting challenges as well.

Danny O'Brien may be the best quarterback in the ACC and the Terrapins have one of the conference's most potent ground games.

That is going to be a deadly combination for most of their opponents this year.

4. Miami

Miami's defense looked completely different with the return of several suspended players.

Ohio State couldn't pass the ball or stop the run against Miami.

However, Jacory Harris struggled to move the ball downfield for the Hurricanes.

Right now, Miami's offense isn't even in the Top 100 in the country in passing yards per game and that could be a major problem.

Otherwise, Miami looks like a smashing success.

Ohio State has not looked like the same program this year, but they are still a ranked team and holding anyone to four completions for 35 yards is an all-American performance.

The ACC is now officially on a Hurricane Watch for this season.

3. North Carolina

North Carolina struggled to stop Virginia this past weekend.

They gave up 170 rushing yards to the Cavaliers and allowed Michael Rocco to post a career-high 287 passing yards and his first touchdown toss of the year.

However, the Tar Heels have a complete offense.

Their running game led by Giovani Bernard is a handful, and Bryn Renner is probably the most accurate quarterback in the conference.

This upcoming week against Georgia Tech is going to be a huge test for both sides and may ultimately decide the Coastal Division championship.

2. Virginia Tech

Ordering the top two teams was probably the toughest task of this week's power rankings.

Virginia Tech fans won't like the fact that Florida State lost and is still ranked ahead of the Hokies.

However, if win-loss records were all that mattered in power rankings, there would be no point in making them.

They already keep tables of team records.

The fact of the matter is that Virginia Tech's offense has been less than convincing in their contests against East Carolina and Arkansas State.

Their defense is playing as strongly as anyone in the country, especially considering that ECU and Arkansas State both have dangerous offenses led by great quarterbacks.

However, Logan Thomas still has not proven that he is a top-tier ACC quarterback and Virginia Tech averaged just 3.4 yards a carry against Arkansas State.

There is no guarantee that against a tough opponent like Oklahoma that the Hokies could keep the game as close as Florida State did.

Just as one can point out that Virginia Tech is the defending ACC champion, one also has to remember that Frank Beamer's squad's last game against an elite opponent looked a lot more like OU-FSU version 2010 than OU-FSU version 2011.

1. Florida State

Florida State did not look good on offense against Oklahoma, especially with EJ Manuel.

Their defense delivered a national championship-caliber performance.

Florida State clearly has the talent, especially defensively, to compete with anyone in the country.

Their offense has some major kinks to work out though.

The Seminoles have no time to waste as they turn around and travel to Clemson this week.

If Florida State falters in Death Valley, their chances of winning the ACC would take a major hit.