Week 10 did not disappoint, delivering some nail-biters, as well as a few unexpected outcomes.
So how did these results impact our weekly power rankings? Here’s the latest installment:
14. Syracuse
Last Week: 14
The Orange got beat by 31 at home by a team that entered the game with a losing record in conference play. Ouch.
Let’s hope that new defensive coordinator Steve Stanard can turn things around so that ‘Cuse can return to a bowl this season.
13. Georgia Tech
Last Week: 13
The Jackets played Pittsburgh close, but were too inconsistent on third down. Tech is still showing improvement and should return to a bowl next year.
12. Florida State
Last Week: 3
As many of you know, I call them as I see them. Miami thrashed Florida State from start to finish. The game was never even close. The ‘Noles allowed nine sacks and could only muster 203 yards of total offense. As a result of this poor showing, FSU fired Willie Taggart.
For the record, I don’t agree with that decision. Very few coaches — if any — could have turned things around in two seasons given the mess that Jimbo Fisher left.
11. North Carolina State
Last Week: 10
The Wolfpack struggled mightily on both sides of the ball against Wake Forest. They will need to pull an upset or two over the final four games to qualify for a bowl.
10. Duke
Last Week: 12
The Devils did not play last week. They face Notre Dame on Saturday.
9. Boston College
Last week: 10
The Eagles ran all over the Syracuse defense, racking up 496 yards and a whopping 7.63 yards per carry. It’ll be interesting to see what they can do against a Florida State defense that’s playing under an interim head coach.
8. North Carolina
Last Week: 9
The Tar Heels lost a hard-fought contest to Virginia. I won’t punish them for losing to a talented UVA squad that is one of the best in the conference when it’s playing well.
This defeat was Carolina’s fifth loss by a touchdown or less. The last time I remember a team having that type of bad luck was Frank Beamer’s 1992 squad, which went 2-8-1. The following season, the Hokies went 9-3.
7. Pittsburgh
Last Week: 8
It wasn’t pretty, but the Panthers took care of business against Georgia Tech. The Pittsburgh D held the Yellow Jackets to under 200 yards and dominated third down, allowing Tech to convert of only 2 of 13 on third down conversions. While Pittsburgh needs Virginia to lose in order to play for the ACC title, it can still share the division crown if it were to win out.
6. Virginia
Last Week: 7
Bryce Perkins posted one of the better efforts in college football this season, racking up 490 yards of total offense, and scoring five touchdowns. As long as the run defense gets better (413 yards and 4.91 yards per carry over the last two games), there’s no reason to think that UVA won’t win the Coastal Division.
5. Miami
Last Week: 6
The ‘Canes continue to impress, throttling arch rival Florida State from the opening whistle. The Miami defense has very quietly put together a solid season, ranking 14th nationally in total defense and 11th in yards per play. This is a dangerous team that could still finish the year with nine wins.
4. Virginia Tech
Last Week: 5
Admit it, Hokie fans: the loss to Notre Dame will sting for awhile. The Virginia Tech defense looked like it had the Irish stopped twice, only to watch Ian Book and company come up with a clutch fourth down conversion. Despite this gut-wrenching loss, Tech still has a chance to win the Coastal if it can take care of business from here on out (including extending its winning streak over Virginia).
3. Louisville
Last Week: 4
The Cardinals did not play last week. They play Miami in one of the more intriguing games of Week 11.
2. Wake Forest
Last week: 2
The Demon Deacons solidified their grip on the second spot with a solid performance against NC State. Wake’s defense played extremely well without star LB Justin Strnad, holding the Wolfpack to a season-low 265 yards. If anyone in the conference has enough firepower on offense to hang with Clemson, it’s Wake Forest.
1. Clemson
Last Week: 1
This is an easy choice. However, it still baffles me that many people — including those on the four-letter network — go out of their way to make a case that Clemson doesn’t belong in the top four. The Tigers continue to show why they are one of — if not the — best teams in the nation week in and week out. Go ahead and underestimate the Tigers… we all saw how well that worked out last year.
Terry Johnson is a Contributor to the All Sports Discussion. He is a member of the Football Writers Association of America. Follow him on Twitter @TerryPJohnson
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