Monkeys. No, I don’t mean the cute ones who invade the screens of Friends and Outbreak (though those were as dangerous as they were cute). Nor do I mean the winged ones who wreaked havoc on Dorothy and her
friends in The Wizard of Oz.
No, I am talking about the imaginary ones who climb on your back and hang there, pulling you down inch by inch. The longer they stay there, the bigger they get like you’re feeding a mosquito just with bananas made of doubt instead of blood. But there is also the relief you can see in a person’s face when they finally reach back and rip that monkey off tossing it to the ground in victory (one of the greatest moments of this was Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX).
This week in the ACC, five of the eight games featured coaches that dealt with the monkey on their back by either tossing it off or feeding it more of those doubt bananas. So without further ado, here are this weeks ACC Football Power Rankings.
The Contenders
1. Virginia Cavaliers (8-1, 5-0)
Last Week: Won 31-21 vs California
Virginia won the battle of the teams that struggled against UNC with their 10-point victory over Cal. The win keeps Virginia unblemished in ACC play (even though their loss was to an ACC team, it was a non-conference matchup) as they look for their first ACC Championship appearance since 2019. How big is that non-conference loss to NC State? It’s the difference between being the favorite to make the title game and being in a six way tie for first (which is a good thing because the ACC tiebreaking rules get weird quick).
This Week: vs Wake Forest
2. Louisville Cardinals (7-1, 4-1)
Last Week: Won 28-16 vs Virginia Tech
The Cardinals take the top spot amongst the gaggle of one loss teams as they have one of the best wins (a victory at Miami) as well as the best loss (a home loss to first place Virginia). Louisville will look to keep their ACC Championship hopes (as well as rematch against the Cavaliers) alive when they welcome in a California team still looking for that evasive sixth win on the season.
This Week: vs California
3. SMU Mustangs (6-3, 4-1)
Last Week: Won 26-20 vs Miami in OT
Rhett Lashlee had one of the best Halloween weekends of anybody in the ACC. First he got an extension with the Mustangs. Next he coached his team to a victory over a top ten Miami team, extending the Mustangs conference home winning streak to 13 (additional props go to Lashlee for not settling for a field goal attempt in OT after Beck threw an interception on the Canes opening possession). SMU, who became bowl eligible for the sixth straight season with the win, will look to keep themselves in the running when they travel to Chestnut Hill to take on a Boston College team that has lost eight straight.
This Week: at Boston College
4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-1, 5-1)
Last Week: Lost to NC State 48-36
The Yellow Jackets loss did two things. One, it ended Georgia Tech’s eight game winning streak. Two, it, along with SMU’s victory over Miami, probably ended any chance the ACC has of getting two teams in the CFP now. The Yellow Jackets get a bye week to get back on track (their rushing defense got absolutely demolished by a back who nearly doubled his season total with 196 rushing yards) before traveling to play at Boston College.
This Week: Bye
5. Pittsburgh Panthers (7-2, 5-1)
Last Week: Won 35-20 vs Stanford
The Panthers won for the fifth straight time as they beat the Cardinal in a game that wasn’t as close as the score says it was (Stanford scored a garbage time TD with 18 seconds remaining in the game). Pittsburgh is still undefeated since turning to freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, who finished the game with 304 yards passing and three touchdowns. The Panthers will get a bye to prepare to welcome in a Notre Dame team (in a game that wont have any impact on the ACC race but could have huge implications in CFP one) that is 9-1 in its last ten games against ACC foes and who beat Pittsburgh by 51 the last time the two teams played in Pittsburgh.
This Week: Bye
6. Duke Blue Devils (5-3, 4-1)
Last Week: Won 46-45 vs Clemson
The Blue Devils moved one more game closer to bowl eligibility by beating the Tigers on the road thanks to a questionable DPI on fourth down with 49 seconds left (to be fair, Clemson got away with at least a hold on third down that wasn’t called). Then Coach Manny Diaz showed Bill Belichick how one converts a two-point conversion to win a game as Samhir Haggans easily ran into the endzone. Duke will look to become bowl eligible for the fourth straight season when they travel to play a Huskies team that is 1-1 against the ACC this season.
This Week: at UConn
Why Not Us?
7. Miami Hurricanes (6-2, 2-2)
Last Week: Lost to SMU 26-20 in OT
I promised you monkeys and here is one of the biggest. Coach Mario Cristobal failed to get the monkey off his back with the Hurricane’s latest loss. The loss not only puts Miami in a horrible position to play for the ACC championship (they currently would lose tie breakers with both Louisville and SMU) but also means that Cristobal and Miami will once again miss the CFP (both have never made the playoff despite its expansion and high expectations for both). Miami will get to get back on track this week as they return to the Sunshine State (the game against SMU was the first time the Canes left the state of Florida, something they will only do 3 times total this season) to welcome in a hopelessly lost Syracuse team.
This Week: vs Syracuse
Bowl Game or Bust
8. Virginia Tech Hokies (2-3, 3-6)
Last Week: Lost to Louisville 28-16
The Hokies looked to be in good position to cause even more chaos in the ACC (as a former Coastal squad they know it well) as they led Louisville 16-7 at halftime. However, the second half did not go as plan and now instead of needing two wins to be bowl eligible, Virginia Tech will need to win all three of its remaining games including two versus ranked teams in Miami and Virginia. Luckily they have a bye week to recoup before traveling down to face a Seminoles team that no longer looks as damaged as it did.
This Week: Bye
9. NC State Wolfpack (5-4, 2-3)
Last Week: Won 48-36 vs Georgia Tech
Another team with a monkey on it’s back, the Wolfpack, losers of four straight to FBS schools, got said monkey off their back with their huge win over the Yellow Jackets. The win not only increases NC State’s bowl chances (they now only need one more win and finish against FSU and UNC, two teams that are a combined 2-7 in ACC play), but also gives coach Dave Doeren some extra ammunition as Virginia and Georgia Tech are a combined 16-2 on the season with both losses coming to the Wolfpack. NC State will use to the bye to prepare to take on their second straight ranked team (and third in four games) when they travel to Miami.
This Week: Bye
10. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (5-3, 2-3)
Last Week: Lost to Florida State 42-7
The Demon Deacons failed to get bowl eligible this week as they were absolutely destroyed by the Seminoles. Coach Jake Dickert, whose monkey is the shadow of former coach Dave Clawson, will need to get Wake Forest to rebound quickly as they travel to face a Virginia team that just keeps finding ways to win, if they want to become bowl eligible in his first season.
This Week: at Virginia
11. California Golden Bears (5-4, 2-3)
Last Week: Lost to Virginia 31-21
Since narrowly escaping against the Tar Heels and becoming one win shy of bowl eligibility, the Golden Bears have lost two straight and are still one win shy of that elusive six. California will try to get it this week when they travel to play a Louisville team that has only lost once this season and has its eyes set on more than just a simple bowl game.
This Week: at Louisville
Preparing For Next Year
12. Stanford Cardinal (3-6, 2-4)
Last Week: Lost to Pittsburgh 35-20
Since beating Florida State two weeks ago, the Cardinal have been outscored 77-27 in its two losses to Miami and Pitt. Stanford will now need to win out to make a bowl game and though their next two are winnable (at UNC, home for Cal), they end the season at a Notre Dame team that has beaten Stanford 105-30 in their past two meetings.
This Week: at North Carolina
13. Clemson Tigers (3-5, 2-4)
Last Week: Lost to Duke 46-45
The monkey on Dabo Sweeney’s back probably can’t get any bigger thanks to the enormous spotlight he brings on himself as the coach at Clemson. The Tigers loss to Duke was their sixth consecutive home loss to a Power Four School. The Tigers, who will need to win three out of four to become bowl eligible, will look to avoid making it seven such games as they welcome in a Seminole’s team that just ended their own ugly losing streak against Wake Forest.
This Week: vs Wake Forest
14. Florida State Seminoles (4-4, 1-4)
Last Week: Won 42-7 vs Wake Forest
Now that is how you get a monkey off your back Coach Norvell. The Seminoles ended a nine game conference losing streak in dominating fashion running up 421 yards of offense while scoring 42 unanswered points against a Wake Forest team that had won three straight coming into that competition. The Seminoles need just two more wins this season to become bowl eligible and will look to get their first when they travel to Clemson in what might be a bowl elimination game for the loser (the Seminoles have a much easier final three games than the Tigers do).
This Week: at Clemson
15. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-5, 1-3)
Last Week: Won 27-10 vs Syracuse
On the one hand, the Tar Heels are just a foot away (six inches against Cal and six against UVA) from being 5-3 and 3-1 in the ACC, just a win away from bowl eligibility and in the midst of the ACC championship race. On the other hand, I am just one foot away from being a NBA Power Forward. Regardless North Carolina still has an outside shot at a bowl game as coach Bill Belichick got the monkey off his back by getting his first conference and Power 4 win. However, the Tar Heels will need more from an offense that just broke the 20 point mark for the first time against a Power 4 school thanks to an 182 yard and two touchdown performance from running back Demon June (even with the win UNC still ranks 128th in yards per game and 121st in ppg), if they want to make it two wins in a row and try to get one step closer to bowl eligibility when they welcome in a Stanford team going in the wrong direction.
This Week: vs Stanford
16. Boston College Eagles (1-8, 0-5)
Last Week: Lost to Notre Dame 25-10
Coach Bill O’Brien and the Eagles failed to get the monkey off their backs this week losing for the eighth straight time. On a positive note, the 25 points is the fewest the Irish have scored all season (they were averaging nearly 40 points a game coming into this one). Boston College will now welcome in a SMU team that is riding high after beating Miami earlier this season.
This Week: vs SMU
17. Syracuse Orange (3-6, 1-5)
Last Week: Lost 27-10 to North Carolina
The Orange take over the bottom spot here by failing to get the monkey off their back by losing their fifth straight game, this time to UNC. Not only did they lose to UNC, but their only touchdown came from the defense as their offense unsurprisingly cratered after coach Fran Brown started a walk-on freshman who plays lacrosse at quarterback. Syracuse will now need to win out if they want to make a bowl game this season, but play two ranked teams the next two weeks whose offense are a whole lot better than the Tar Heels (Miami is 47th in ypg and 44th in ppg, while Notre Dame is 17th and 14th).
This Week: at Miami
