ACC Football Power Rankings, Nov. 29: Wake & Pitt get ready for title bout

Here are the final ACC Power Rankings of the 2021 season — topped by the two teams headed to league’s title match.

 

1. Wake Forest

Wake Forest put together a statement win on the road vs. Boston College: 41-10, with Sam Hartman accounting for four total touchdowns. In doing so, Wake Forest clinched the Atlantic Division.

Feels like 2006, you guys.

 

2. Pittsburgh

Kenny Pickett did the thing — four touchdown passes — and Pitt rolled Syracuse, 31-14.

 

3. NC State

It looked like the lights were about to go out on NC State — and then lightning struck. NC State’s improbable come-from-behind victory over North Carolina was one for the ages.

This is a truly incredible statistic, too.

 

4. Clemson

Don’t look now: The Tigers have won five straight games, including two victories over Wake Forest and South Carolina the last two weeks by a combined 51 points.

It’s hard to believe, I know: the team with all over the really talented players is good at winning football games.

 

No. 5 Miami

The final game of the David Cutcliffe era at Duke was just another day at the office for Tyler Van Dyke. The freshman quarterback threw for 381 yards and three touchdowns as the Canes stomped the Blue Devils, 41-10.

Van Dyke finished the regular season with 2,931 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and only six interceptions.

 

No. 6 Louisville

Louisville’s run defense was shredded by Kentucky, and the Cards flopped in Saturday’s rivalry matchup: 52-21.

 

No. 7 North Carolina

What looked like a soon-to-be defiant road win for Sam Howell over NC State went south — quickly. As unlikely as that final result was, it’s really a fitting coda for North Carolina’s 2021 regular season.

Now, it remains to be seen what Howell will do next.

 

No. 8 Virginia

The Hokies, for the most part, held Brennan Armstrong in check, which is a big problem for the Cavaliers. Virginia was outscored by Virginia Tech 5-0 in the fourth quarter and lost 29-24.

 

No. 9 Virginia Tech

It wasn’t pretty, but Virginia Tech won a wild rivalry matchup with Virginia over the weekend. The victory was VT’s first since Justin Fuente left. Virginia Tech is now bowl eligible, too.

 

No. 10 Florida State

Florida State’s comeback effort fell just short vs. Florida. For Mike Norvell and FSU, there will be a lot of eggs in the 2022 basket.

 

No. 11 Boston College

Buoyed on with support from Wolfpack Nation, Boston College was still unable to prevail at home vs. Wake Forest. Hartman and the offense were simply too much.

 

No. 12 Syracuse

After moving to 5-4 with a win over Boston College back on Oct. 30, Syracuse lost three straight games and fell just short of qualifying for a bowl game.

Dino Babers could be in some trouble at Syracuse, as evidenced by multiple staffing changes following the season.

 

No. 13 Georgia Tech

Unsurprisingly, Georgia Tech was thumped by Georgia; the Yellow Jackets lost 45-0. Over the final two weeks of the season, Georgia Tech lost to Notre Dame and UGA by a combined 100 points. Georgia Tech was shut-out in both games, too.

 

No. 14 Duke

There’s no doubting some of the accomplishments David Cutcliffe achieved at Duke. Unfortunately, the writing had been on the wall for some time now. As the two parties mutually part ways, Nina King must now look for the next head coach in Durham, which is never an easy process.

 

Contributor Rankings

BGJGConsensus
1Wake ForestWake ForestWake Forest
2PittsburghPittsburghPittsburgh
3NC StateNC StateNC State
4ClemsonClemsonClemson
5MiamiMiamiMiami
6LouisvilleLouisvilleLouisville
7UNCUNCUNC
8Virginia TechVirginiaVirginia
9VirginiaFSUVirginia Tech
10BCVirginia TechFSU
11FSUBCBC
12SyracuseSyracuseSyracuse
13Georgia TechGeorgia TechGeorgia Tech
14DukeDukeDuke

 

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