2021 ACC Rankings Week Seven

Atlantic

1. Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Wake Forest was idle. This week they visit Army.

2. NC State Wolfpack: Throwing for 251 yards, three TDs, and zero INTs, QB Devin Leary and NCST trounced Boston College, 33-7. Leary had TD passes of 40-yards and 79-yards. BC kept it close until the start of the second half when an Eagles’ fumble was returned for a score by the Wolfpack. Next week the Wolfpack hosts Miami.

3. Clemson Tigers: Clemson barely escaped Syracuse, 17-14, and only avoided overtime because the Orange missed a 48-yard field goal. Syracuse outgained Clemson 356-yards to 314-yards. The defense saved the day, again, when they intercepted Syracuse at the Tigers’ 13-yard line, halting the Orange while in a scoring position. The following drive was one of two TD drives for Clemson. The bye week does not seem to have helped Dabo and company iron out their offensive woes. Next week the Tigers will be doubly dependent on their defense when they visit high-scoring Pittsburgh.

4. Boston College Eagles: An ugly but unsurprising loss for BC. They were fully in it until a disastrous third quarter. The Eagles received the second half kick-off but suffered a scoop and score fumble. Their very next possession was an interception which NCST’s offense converted into a touchdown. In eight minutes, the score went from 10-7 to 24-7. BC never found the end zone after quarter one except when they found their own during the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, giving NCST a safety. Big game next week against Louisville.

5. Louisville Cardinals: Louisville was idle. This week they visit BC.

6. Syracuse Orange: Syracuse became the third team to lose to the Tigers by a single score. All the Orange conference losses are by only a field goal. Both WF and Clemson barely survived Syracuse. This is a dangerous team that is only nine points from being 6-1 and 3-0 in the ACC. They face the Hokies next week.

7. Florida State Seminoles: Florida State was idle. They host UMass this week.

Coastal:

1. Pittsburgh Panthers: Pickett was held to mortal numbers during a windy day in Blacksburg, but Pitt didn’t need much to beat the Hokies 28-7, taking full control of the Coastal. The Panthers are looking to make a statement this weekend when they host Clemson.

2. Virginia Cavaliers: UVA blanked Duke, 48-0, and Armstrong threw for 364 yards, two TDs, and ran for another. The defense seems to be improving every week and they managed four turnovers (two INTs and two fumbles) against the Blue Devils. The nations leading FBS passer hosts GT on Saturday.

3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: GT was idle. They visit UVA this week.

4. North Carolina Tar Heels: The latest ACC team to survive a second half surge from the Hurricanes. QB Sam Howell was held to 154 passing yards but found 98 more on the ground. He also scored four TDs – two passing and two rushing. RB Ty Chandler had a nice game, rushing 18 times for 104 yards and two scores. The Tar Heels are on a bye this weekend.

5. Virginia Tech Hokies: The Hokies are not playing good football and there is little to indicate potential improvement. The defense is keeping VT in games, but the horror that is the Hokie offense is severely limiting. Virginia Tech narrowly avoided their first offensive shutout since 1995. This weekend the Hokies will host their penultimate home game against a Syracuse squad that looks quite capable of beating the current iteration of VT football.

6. Duke Blue Devils: Ouch! Zero points is not a good look. Duke was simply no match for UVA and turned the ball over four times while finding few answers for the Virginia offense. The Blue Devils have a tough run remaining but get a bye week first.

7. Miami Hurricanes: That’s two games in a row where Miami has had a poor first half and almost come back in the second. Miami QB, King, was still sidelined and Van Dyke’s three interceptions was tough to recover from. NCST awaits this weekend.

Overall

1. (No. 16 AP / No. 15 Coaches) Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-0, 4-0 conf.) – Static

2. (No. 18 / No. 18) NC State Wolfpack (5-1, 2-0) – Static

3. (No. 23 / No. 23) Pittsburgh Panthers (5-1, 2-0) – Up One

4. (Unr. / No. 24) Clemson Tigers (4-2, 3-1) – Down One

5. Virginia Cavaliers (5-2, 3-2) – Up One

6. Boston College Eagles (4-2, 0-2) – Down One

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-3, 2-2) – Up One

8. North Carolina Tar Heels (4-3, 3-3) – Up Three

9. Louisville Cardinals (3-3, 1-2) – Down One

10. Syracuse Orange (3-4, 0-3) – Static

11. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-3, 1-1) – Down Four

12. Florida State Seminoles (2-4, 2-2) – Up One

13. Duke Blue Devils (3-4, 0-3) – Down One

14. Miami Hurricanes (2-4, 0-2) – Static