ACC Week 6 Power Rankings

Don't doubt the power of good coaching. 

The ACC picture is suddenly starting to become very clear as we enter October and prepare for conference play to start in earnest. 

While Virginia Tech and Florida State started the season as trendy picks to contend for the ACC title, a different pair of teams are hogging the spotlight now. Georgia Tech and Clemson have emerged as "surprise" contenders for the ACC title. 

Is this really a surprise, though?

Sure, Virginia Tech and Florida State played for the ACC title last year, but Georgia Tech and Clemson won their respective divisions in 2009. 

After struggles last year, people had written off these two squads. Dabo Swinney and Paul Johnson are once again proving their doubters wrong, just as they did two years ago. 

12. Boston College

Boston College has the worst record in the ACC at 1-4, with its lone victory coming against UMass. 

There are enough teams in the bottom half of the ACC who are struggling for the Eagles to work their way out of the basement fairly soon. 

They have to start winning, though. 

11. NC State

NC State is the only other team in the ACC besides Boston College that has an overall losing record at this early point in the season. 

It also has failed to win any games against FBS opponents. 

The Wolfpack need a 5-2 record the rest of the way in order to be bowl eligible. However, with games against Florida State, Clemson and rival North Carolina left on the slate, it is going to be an uphill battle for NC State even to reach .500 on the year. 

10. Duke

Duke has the ACC's worst loss of the year thanks to the University of Richmond. 

However, it has quietly rattled off three straight victories against Boston College, Tulane and a surprisingly good FIU squad to attain a 3-2 record heading into the meat of the schedule. 

Were it not for the loss to the Spiders, Duke would actually be in great position to contend for bowl eligibility down the stretch. 

As it is, the Blue Devils have a tough test coming up against Florida State next week. That game will help show if the Blue Devils have really improved this year. 

9. Virginia

Virginia had a very ugly win this week, as it triumphed 21-20 in overtime over Idaho. 

That makes three games that have come down to the final minute of play for Virginia, including two games that the Cavaliers have won on the final play of the contest. 

At least they outgained the Vandals by 200 yards in this contest, racking up almost 500 on offense while holding their visitors from the Spud State to under 300.

As you will see, that's more than some other ACC teams were able to accomplish against cupcake opponents.  

At 3-2 with wins over William and Mary, Indiana and Idaho, UVA has yet to establish itself as a viable contender in the ACC Coastal Division. 

A bye week precedes its game against Georgia Tech next week. Virginia needs to make good use of it if it has any hope of challenging the Yellow Jackets. 

8. Maryland

Maryland really struggled for a while against in-state FCS opponent Towson. 

The Terrapins only led 7-3 at halftime before pulling away for a 28-3 victory. 

The visiting Tigers actually had one more first down and 43 more yards than Maryland, shooting themselves in the foot with seven penalties and four turnovers. 

Maryland's offense seems to be having serious problems. 

Maybe it's the departure of Ralph Friedgen and the transition to Randy Edsall, which is going slowly. 

Maybe the loss of Torrey Smith to the NFL is hampering the Turtle Attack. 

Maybe Danny O'Brien is simply overrated. 

Whatever it is, the Terrapins need to figure out their offense in a hurry if they wish to pursue an Atlantic Division title this year. 

Otherwise, they could spend 2011 languishing in mediocrity. 

7. Miami

First Downs: 24 to 15

Yardage: 422 to 335

Wow, Miami only outgained Bethune-Cookman by 87 yards. 

Wait, you mean BETHUNE-COOKMAN was the team with nine more first downs and 87 more yards? 

Chalk up another ACC team that was outgained by an unexceptional FCS program on Saturday.

Miami trailed halfway through the second quarter and the Wildcats were within a touchdown until Miami kicked a field goal late in the third quarter.

The 45-14 score belies the fact that Miami played very poorly in this game.

This week had the ACC's most empty 5-0 record against non-conference opponents it has had in a while.

The bottom half of the conference, including Miami, has some serious work to do. 

6. Wake Forest

Tanner Price continues to be the poster boy for Wake Forest's 2010 turnaround. 

The solid starting quarterback threw for 252 yards and a touchdown as he led his team to a 27-19 victory over Boston College. 

After finishing with a 3-9 record last year, the Demon Deacons have already matched their overall win total from last year and exceeded their conference win total. 

It is looking like the 2011 Deacs are going to be a lot like the 2010 Maryland Terrapins. 

Wake Forest not only has bolstered its bowl hopes for this year, but it is sharing the Atlantic Division lead with Clemson right now. 

5. Virginia Tech

The Hokies' worst fears were realized this week.

There should be some serious doubts about Logan Thomas' ability to lead Virginia Tech to an ACC title in his first year as a starter. 

After one division title and one conference championship in its first three years in the ACC, Virginia Tech asserted itself as the face of the conference by winning three titles in Tyrod Taylor's four years on campus. 

The Hokies had been spoiled under the reign of arguably their greatest-ever quarterback but a 23-3 loss to Clemson brought them back down to earth. 

Prior to the last couple years with Taylor, Darren Evans and Ryan Williams, the Hokies had been a team with great defense and special teams that could never field a high-level offense. 

It seems that Virginia Tech might once again fit that mold this year. 

With North Carolina's potent attack and Paul Johnson's point-a-minute squad at Georgia Tech in the Coastal Division, the Hokies just might have to sit a year and capture their fifth ACC title next year. 

4. Florida State

Florida State had a bye this week and could neither help nor hurt itself. 

After two decisive victories against small-time opponents, the Seminoles managed to hang with two of the nation's best teams before conceding narrow defeats. 

In a 23-13 loss to Oklahoma, the offense could manage nothing until freshman Clint Trickett came in to play at quarterback. 

Trickett was also the man who helped the 'Noles put up 30 points in a narrow loss to the surging Clemson Tigers.

EJ Manuel was supposed to be the No. 1 guy for this team in his senior season, but he is being outplayed by a freshman right now. 

A freshman who can stay healthy. 

For all the inconsistency and uncertainty surrounding the most important position on the team right now, the talented Florida State squad will have to be content with the No. 4 spot in the power rankings this week. 

3. North Carolina

North Carolina had no trouble putting away an East Carolina team that gave Virginia Tech a scare.

The better Georgia Tech does, the more respectable the Tar Heels' sole loss on the season appears. 

Their defense is performing at a high level despite losing a slew of NFL draft picks and the offense is clicking with Bryn Renner, Dwight Jones and Giovani Bernard. 

North Carolina has struggled against a couple lesser opponents (Rutgers, Virginia) but has still taken care of business better than most of its ACC counterparts. 

It has also placed itself firmly in the middle of a three-way race for the Coastal Division title. 

This is going to be an exciting battle in the division this year. 

2. Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets have performed better on offense so far this year than anyone could have dreamed.

Their 413 yards of offense this week against NC State was Georgia Tech's worst output of the year—and they still scored 45 points. 

Paul Johnson's triple option is tallying a cool 51.6 points per game. 

You know that when you start putting up Wilt Chamberlain numbers you are doing something right. 

The only knock against this squad I can think of is that the combined scoring total from the first four games still fell nine shy of the school (and national) record set back when Heisman was a coach, not a trophy. 

Now that's a scary thought. 

1. Clemson

Clemson maintained its top spot in the power rankings by knocking off its main competition 23-3. 

The Tigers have now defeated both preseason conference favorites by a combined 58-33. 

Oh yeah, they also beat up the defending national champions, who have proved they still have teeth by knocking off Marcus Lattimore and the mighty Gamecocks. 

There might not be a single team in the country right now with a more impressive resume than Clemson, which has knocked off three straight ranked opponents. 

If polls were released starting in October rather than August, there is no telling how high Clemson might be in them. 

If this defense continues to make strides in the right direction, Clemson has a shot at making some noise on the national scene. 

Pretty good for a squad that, two weeks ago, was at No. 7 in these power rankings.