ACC Week 11 Power Rankings

The top three ACC teams took the week off to rest and relax on Saturday.

That doesn't mean it wasn't an eventful week for the conference.

Wake Forest almost knocked off Notre Dame and the ACC looked like a normal league for once, with higher ranked teams easily taking care of business against lower squads.

Florida State blew out Boston College, Miami took Duke to the woodshed, and surging Virginia pulled away in the second half against bottom-of-the-barrel Maryland.

The only game that really threatened to shake up the rankings was NC State's surprising 13-0 win against UNC.

The fact that the Wolfpack took down the Tar Heels for the fifth-straight time wasn't the eyebrow-raiser; that 13-0 scoreline was.

Without further ado, your somewhat stable and predictable rankings...

12. Maryland

This year keeps looking more and more like 2009 for the Terrapins.

The truly terrifying part of this for the future of Maryland football is not the prospect of three more possible losses left on the schedule.

What should be making Terps fans lose sleep at night is that the failures of 2009 are no longer the aberration.

The successful 2010 year has taken over that role.

Our perception of one rough year being followed by a recovery for a proud program is changing.

Now the more likely scenario is that Maryland just got one lucky year to break up a death spiral.

Fortunately, Randy Edsall's squad is now a front-runner to land Andrew Luck...

11. Boston College

Boston College, like Maryland, has been taken off the respirator at Our Lady of Bowl Eligibility Hospital and declared medically dead.

Rumor has it that cousin Duke is receiving hospice care right now.

BC is resigned to playing spoiler for the rest of the season.

Fortunately, they have rivalry games against Notre Dame and Miami left to spice up the schedule.

Halftime of those games should feature DeLoreans, Mark Hamill, and other things that were relevant in the 1980s.

10. Duke

There was a time a few years ago when Duke's 3-6 record with competitive games against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech would have been applauded in Durham.

Now, it's a pretty disappointing season for the Blue Devils.

David Cutcliffe is now in his fourth year and has started to see his recruits take over the team.

So far he does not have enough to show for it.

The Blue Devils have gotten much better under him and should continue to take steps forward.

It is just taking longer than many fans would like.

9. Miami

Miami had an impressive victory over Duke this week but will need to conquer higher caliber opponents before rising in these rankings.

They get that chance this week in their showdown against Florida State.

A win in this rivalry game would make them bowl eligible and could very well spark a four game winning streak to end the season.

The last time the Canes had a winning streak that big was when they won five in a row back in 2008.

Since then, their standard is a three game run against Oklahoma, Florida A&M, and Central Florida in 2009.

8. North Carolina

North Carolina's players were calling for more respect after a 5-1 start to the season.

Since then, they haven't earned any.

The Tar Heels have lost three out of four as their defense got lit up by Miami and Clemson and rival NC State embarrassed their offense in a 13-0 defeat.

UNC is on their Heels with games against Virginia Tech and rival Duke left on the slate.

A 2-6 conference record is actually plausible, something thought near impossible before the season.

7. NC State

The Wolfpack are rolling, excelling in three of their last four games to surge into the tail end of the season with a 5-4 record.

NC State is out of the Atlantic Division race but can still make a bowl game by winning two of their last three games.

With contests against cellar dwellers Boston College and Maryland remaining, it seems likely that Tom O'Brien will lead his guys to the requisite five FBS wins.

Pretty impressive for a squad that didn't notch it's first victory against top level competition until October 8.

6. Virginia

The Cavaliers have already exceeded expectations this year and still have three games to go.

Now that Virginia is bowl eligible for the first time since 2007, they have their sights set on bigger goals.

Their Coastal Division destiny is in their own hands.

Its conceivable that they could even go 2-1 with wins over Duke and Virginia Tech and advance to the ACC Championship Game.

If UVA can break their losing streak against Duke this week, look for Mike London to get serious Conference Coach of the Year attention.

5. Wake Forest

Wake Forest has been struggling recently.

Virginia Tech and North Carolina blew them out while Duke almost shocked them.

They recovered with a solid performance against Notre Dame but still need a win to become bowl eligible.

However, beat Clemson this week and they are a win against Maryland away from their first Atlantic Division championship since 2006.

This game could make or break their season.

4. Florida State

Florida State has four straight blowout wins.

Obviously, they are good.

However, those wins have come against Duke, Maryland, NC State, and Boston College.

Miami, Florida, and even Virginia should provide a better measuring stick for the Seminoles.

If Florida State lives up to its potential, it could very well be looking at its second consecutive ten win season.

3. Virginia Tech

Soon, Virginia Tech will no longer have to hear complaints about its schedule.

The Hokies can prove themselves to be the real deal against Georgia Tech and North Carolina.

If they pass those tests, they could be in line to get the ultimate revenge against Clemson on December 3.

This is put up or shut up time for the fighting Beamers.

2. Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets were dismissed after a 6-7 season last year.

The same old complaints about Paul Johnson's spread option offense surfaced.

Georgia Tech is now going through the annual rite of proving the critics wrong.

However, if the Ramblin' Wreck can't beat Coastal rival Virginia Tech, their season might once again be considered a disappointment.

This team is the ultimate representation of the axiom that winning cures everything.

1. Clemson

Clemson may be coming off a deflating loss to cross-division rival Georgia Tech but they are still the team to beat in the ACC.

A win next week against Wake Forest would guarantee them a spot in the conference championship game.

The Tigers could very well finish with an 11-1 regular season record and go to the Orange Bowl with 12 wins in their hip pocket.

Can somebody else knock them off?

Maybe the Yellow Jackets will get a second shot.