ACC Week 10 Power Rankings

Georgia Tech lunged towards conference supremacy by taking down Clemson in a decisive 31-17 victory that may have been even more lopsided than the score indicates.

This was only one of several notable games that made us readjust our views of the ACC teams involved.

Several favorites got scared on Halloween weekend and not everyone made it out alive.

Check out the updated conference picture!

12. Maryland

Neither Danny O'Brien nor CJ Brown has been able to pull off a win against an FBS team since Labor Day.

The season started out on a high note in the Terps' 32-24 conquest of Miami and has been all sour since.

Even their one win was tarnished by the fact that they only held a 7-3 halftime lead against Towson.

While Boston College and Duke both have stable quarterback situations, Maryland doesn't even have that benefit.

Neither O'Brien nor Brown has clinched the starting quarterback job through their play on the field.

If one of them can pull off a win against Virginia this week, that might start to change.

They need it to if they have any hope of playing in a bowl game.

11. Boston College

The Eagles got their first win over an FBS squad Saturday by topping Maryland.

Their next game, against Florida State, promises to be a bit tougher.

However, Boston College has now officially started to rise in the standings after climbing over the Terrapins.

If any team can climb out of a deep hole in the ACC, it's the Eagles.

Last year they won their last five games to finish the regular season at 7-5.

They are looking to replicate that this time around.

10. Duke

Duke nearly pulled off a big upset over Virginia Tech this week.

Just like they nearly beat Wake Forest.

Just like they nearly beat Richmond.

The Blue Devils are much improved under David Cutcliffe but just haven't figured out how to close out games against teams not named Virginia.

Until then, they are going to continue to stay in the bottom half of the ACC and fail to make their first bowl appearance since 1995.

9. NC State

NC State had some momentum going after its two best performances of the year but looked abysmal against Florida State.

The Wolfpack totaled 166 yards on 62 plays—an average of 2.68 per play.

Even those with severe arithmophobia can figure out that trying to get 10 yards every three plays going 2.68 at a time is not a winning formula.

The defense yielded 444 yards in a complete team meltdown. NC State turned over the ball three times.

Hopefully for the Wolfpack this is just an anomaly.

After all, there's no shame in losing to Florida State.

8. Miami

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. It's entirely possible that Miami could end up with a worse record than it had during 7-5 regular seasons in 2008 and 2010.

Miami was supposed to be resurgent but Hurricanes fans are going to have to wait another year to see a dominant team on the field.

However, Miami certainly has enough talent to knock off rival Florida State later this month.

If that happens, the hype machine will be in full swing once again this offseason.

7. Virginia

In every one of its losses this year, UVA has just been one or two big plays away from winning.

The Cavaliers have moved the ball well but haven't been able to finish.

Against Miami in primetime Mike London's squad got those plays.

There were times when Charlottesville's best and brightest would only have been more open had they been running through the fan seating in Sun Life Stadium.

If the Cavs can keep this up, they can hang with anyone.

6. Wake Forest

At midseason, Frank Beamer said that Jim Grobe should win ACC Coach of the Year.

For that to happen, the Deacons have to break out of this slump they have been in.

Virginia Tech and North Carolina both scored decisive victories over the black and gold in the past two weeks.

However, one victory over Clemson could propel this squad to its first division title in six years.

If you think that can't happen, Jimbo Fisher would like to have a talk with you.

5. North Carolina

Another potential coach of the year candidate got his team back on track after a pair of bad losses against Miami and Clemson.

The Tar Heels showed they have some fight in them by blowing out Wake Forest.

With a high-quality conference win under their belts UNC is bowl-eligible and trying to climb its way back into the Coastal Division race.

They have some serious ground to make up however, as the Heels need VT and Georgia Tech each to suffer two more losses.

Next week, they have a chance to deal the Hokies one of them.

4. Florida State

The Seminoles are essentially out of the Atlantic Division race entering November.

However, they did not seem to be lacking motivation in their game against NC State.

Florida State should be favored the rest of the way and have a great chance of once again winning ten games this season.

The next step on the path to greatness for the 'Noles is establishing consistency.

3. Virginia Tech

Give credit to the Hokies.

They know how to win.

However, as Andrew Jones of Fox Sports said, "The Hokies might be the worst good team in the nation this season."

Three lackluster wins out of conference, less than impressive victories against Duke and Boston College, and a blowout loss to Clemson leaves very little for Virginia Tech fans to get truly excited about.

Most other fans would be pumped by an 8-1 record but Hokies fans want dominance by their team.

Besides dominance over an FCS team in their season opener, the only quality wins for Frank Beamer's squad have been a narrow victory over slumping Miami and a 38-17 conquest of Wake Forest.

Virginia Tech will have another quiet, uneventful 10-win season this year.

That's impressive, but their fans want more.

2. Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets easily had their most impressive performance of the year when they derailed Dabo Swinney's squad in a 31-17 victory.

The Ramblin' Wreck have now exceeded last year's win total and are looking to win their second ACC title in three years.

Well, officially they haven't won it since 1998.

We all saw who beat Clemson in the title game in 2009, however.

Speaking of Clemson...

1. Clemson

Despite their letdown this week, the Tigers are still the best team in the ACC.

Now, we could very well end up seeing a rematch of the ACC title game from two years ago when Paul Johnson's crew beat Clemson with a late touchdown.

First, Clemson plays Wake Forest and Georgia Tech plays Virginia Tech in what effectively may be conference semifinal matches.

While opinions are split on the Coastal Division race, most observers (including myself) fully expect to see the Tigers representing the Atlantic Division on Dec. 3.