ACC football power rankings after Week 1
The 2023 college football season is in full swing, as each ACC team has officially participated in a game this season.
It was a wild week for the ACC, that saw some great matchups. Florida State proved that they are the real deal in their thrashing of LSU, while Duke upset Clemson in a 28-7 upset that no one saw coming.
The ACC is back, and it was an exciting week, with each team showing us some of what we can expect this season. With the crazy week of football, we are releasing our first batch of ACC rankings for the 2023 season. Here is how I’m breaking down the ACC after Week 1’s performances.
Florida State Seminoles
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1: Win, 45-24 vs. No. 5 LSU
Week 2: vs. Southern Miss; 8:30 p.m.
There was a wild amount of hype surrounding the Seminoles heading into Week 1, and they lived up to that hype. Former No.5 LSU definitely floundered in this matchup, but there’s no denying what we saw from starting quarterback Jordan Travis and Florida State’s bend don’t break defense. They’re now the clear favorites to win the conference.
Duke Blue Devils
Record: (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 28-7 vs. No. 9 Clemson
Week 2: vs. Lafayette; 6 p.m; 8:30 p.m.
After watching the Blue Devils’ historic 28-7 win over Clemson, I have to place this team at No.2 in the ACC. Mike Elko has done a fantastic job as head coach, with Duke clearly having some athletes on that roster. The score doesn’t necessarily reflect the game, as Clemson was pretty self-destructive in this matchup. Still, regardless, this Duke team is legit.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 31-17 vs. South Carolina
Week 2:vs. Appalachian State; 5:15 p.m.
North Carolina’s defense looked far better than expected as they handled business against Spencer Rattler and South Carolina. Drake Maye was solid but had two bad interceptions that could have had the Gamecocks back in the game if they had taken advantage. Promising performance for Mack Brown and the Tar Heels.
Clemson Tigers
Record: (0-1, 0-1 ACC)
Week 1: Loss, 28-7 at Duke
Week 2: vs. Charleston Southern; 2:15 p.m.
This was a brutal loss for Dabo Swinney and the Tigers, but I need to see more before I drop them further down the ACC power rankings. They had 407 total yards of offense and two turnovers inside the Duke 10. If they can clean things up, they can win games like these. I’m not counting out the Tigers yet, but this was about as poor of a start imaginable.
Louisville Cardinals
Record: (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 39-34 vs. Georgia Tech
Week 2:vs. Murray State; 7:30 p.m.
The Cardinals battled with Georgia Tech in Jeff Brohm’s first game as Louisville head coach and walked away with a comeback victory. Their offense turned things up in the second half while the defense recovered from an incredibly poor 2nd quarter performance. This team has a very high ceiling.
Pittsburgh Panthers
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 45-7 vs. Wofford
Week 2:vs. Cincinnati; 6:30 p.m.
Pittsburgh had an easy matchup with Wofford in Week 1, so I’m not going to move them up or down from where I expected in the preseason. Need to see more to move them below or above some of the other ACC teams.
Miami Hurricanes
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 38-3 vs. Miami (Ohio)
Week 2: vs. Texas A&M; 3:30 p.m.
In the battle of Miami, the Hurricanes dominated and impressed me. I was expecting a closer contest, but it seems Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes have improved.
NC State Wolfpack
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 24-14 at Connecticut
Week 2: vs. Notre Dame; 12 p.m.
This is a tough assessment for me. I expected the Wolfpack to perform better, but I’m also higher on UConn than most. Regardless, this wasn’t the most impressive performance from Dave Doeren’s squad.
Syracuse Orange
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 65-0 vs. Colgate
Week 2:vs. Western Michigan; 3:30 p.m.
The Orange looked good in this win over Colgate, but it is Colgate. We need to see more from Dino Babers’ squad to better understand how good they are.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Record: (0-1, 0-1 ACC)
Week 1: Loss, 39-34 vs. Louisville
Week 2: vs. South Carolina State; 1 p.m.
Brent Key looks like the guy the Yellow Jackets needed as head coach. This was a great performance from his team, but they failed to put together a complete game. I was impressed by how competitive they were.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Record: (1-0, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1:Win, 37-17 vs. Elon
Week 2: vs. Vanderbilt; 11:00 a.m.
New starting quarterback Mitch Griffith was good, but this performance from the Demon Deacons was uninspiring. Elon battled hard and kept things on the closer side before a fourth-quarter interception. Their O-Line looks like it is going to be an issue.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1: Loss, 36-17 vs. Old Dominion
Week 2: vs. Purdue; 12:00 p.m.
Tech beat ODU this year, so that’s good! They looked better than last season, but this program should be far better.
Boston College Eagles
Record: (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1: Loss, 27-24 vs. Northern Illinois
Week 2: vs. Holy Cross; 12:00 p.m.
To be completely honest, I was fully in on NIU heading into this matchup. Boston College lost their star Zay Flowers, and I don’t expect much from them in 2023. This program needs to turn things around.
Virginia Cavaliers
Record: (0-1, 0-0 ACC)
Week 1: Loss, 49-13 vs. No. 12 Tennessee
Week 2: vs. James Madison; 12:00 p.m.
This was a tough Week 1 matchup for the Cavaliers, but they looked better than I expected they would. Things could have gone a lot worse here, and I saw some promise on this Virginia team.
