While there were some notable exceptions like Pitt’s thrilling Backyard Brawl win against West Virginia, it was a relatively quiet Week 3 of the college football season for the ACC, with five of its 17 teams on byes,
Whatever sense of calm or predictability enveloped much of the coast-to-cost league did not extend to Tallahassee, Florida.
MANDATORY READING:Florida State’s fall to 0-3 has Mike Norvell’s team leading college football’s Week 3 Misery Index
Florida State, the conference’s reigning champion and preseason favorite, is enduring a stunning 0-3 start after entering the season ranked No. 10 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Seminoles’ 20-12 loss at home to Memphis on Saturday, a game in which they were held to 238 total yards, is the latest and most notable setback in what is quickly becoming a lost season.
As coach Mike Norvell’s team continues to tumble, where does the rest of the conference stand? This is how the ACC looks after week 3:
ACC Football Power Rankings for Week 3
1. Miami (3-0)
- Last week: 1
- This week: against South Florida
Another week, another dominant performance from the Hurricanes, with Cam Ward throwing for 346 yards and five touchdowns in a 62-0 win against Ball State. Miami has outscored its three opponents 159-26 heading into what could be a tough matchup against South Florida.
2. Clemson (1-1)
- Last week: 2
- This week: vs NC State
Saturday’s game against NC State could offer an important and instructive look at which team the No. 19 Tigers are closer to being: the one humiliated by Georgia, or the one that can blow out Appalachian State.
3. Louisville (2-0)
- Last week: 3
- This week: vs. Georgia Tech
The Cardinals have looked impressive, especially offensively, through two games, but they came against overmatched opponents. That will change Saturday against Georgia Tech.
4. Syracuse (2-0, 1-0)
- Last week: 5
- This week: against Stanford
After a bye, the Orange can get off to a 3-0 start for the third straight season with a win Friday at home against Stanford.
5. Boston College (2-1, 1-0 ACC)
- Last week: 4
- This week: against Michigan State
The Eagles jumped out to a 14-3 lead at No. 8 Missouri before falling 27-21 in a game where they were outscored by a 440-298 margin. It’s a bit of a shame to lose on the road against a top-10 team, so Boston College only falls that far.
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6. Georgia Tech (3-1, 1-1)
- Last week: 6
- This week: against Louisville
The season-opening win against Florida State in Ireland looks less impressive every week, but the Yellow Jackets are still an improved, tough team, as they showed in a 59-7 rout of VMI.
7. Pitt (3-0)
- Last week: 11
- This week: vs. Youngstown State
Pat Narduzzi’s Panthers have pulled out statistically improbable wins in each of the past two weeks, beating Cincinnati 28-27 after trailing by 21 late in the third quarter and rival West Virginia 38-34 after trailing by 10 with about three minutes left.
8. NC permission (2-1)
- Last week: 7
- This week: at No. 19 Clemson
The Wolfpack are a confusing team three games into the season. After a 41-point loss to Tennessee, lowly Louisiana Tech trailed by 11 at halftime before backup quarterback CJ Bailey relieved an injured Grayson McCall to rally NC State to a 30-20 victory.
9. North Carolina (3-0)
- Last week: 9
- This week: vs. James Madison
Omarion Hampton was dominant in a 45-10 win against North Carolina Central, helping the Tar Heels overcome a slow start by rushing for 210 yards and matching a career high with three touchdowns while averaging 8.4 yards per carry carry.
10. Cal (3-0)
- Last week: 12
- This week: at Florida State
With star Jaydn Ott out with an injury, Jaivian Thomas and Kadarius Calloway more than shouldered the load, combining for 256 rushing yards and a touchdown on just 26 carries in a 31-10 win against soon-to-be Pac-12 member San Diego State.
11. Duke (3-0)
- Last week: 10
- This week: in Middle Tennessee
The Blue Devils squandered a 17-point lead early and needed a late rally to pull UConn by five, which is a sentence no Power Four conference team should ever hope to have to read over itself.
12. Virginia Tech (2-1)
- Last week: 13
- This week: vs Rutgers
The Hokies have rebounded effectively from a season-opening loss at Vanderbilt with two straight wins. Virginia Tech gained 465 total yards, including 289 on the ground, in a 37-17 win against Old Dominion.
13. SMU (2-1)
- Last week: 14
- This week: vs. TCU
After three weeks of alternating between Kevin Jennings and Preston Stone at quarterback, Mustangs coach Rhett Lashlee named Jennings the starter for this weekend’s rivalry game against TCU.
14. Stanford (1-1)
- Last week: 16
- This week: in Syracuse
After a bye last week, the Cardinal will make its ACC debut Friday at Syracuse — more than 2,800 miles from the school’s Palo Alto, Calif. campus.
15. Virginia (2-1, 1-0)
- Last week: 14
- This week: at Coastal Carolina
After an encouraging 2-0 start to a season with low expectations, the Cavaliers were far too sloppy in a 27-13 loss to rival Maryland. They finished the game with four turnovers, three of which (two interceptions and one fumble) came from quarterback Anthony Colandrea.
16. Florida State (0-3, 0-2)
- Last week: 8
- This week: vs. Cal
At a certain point, whatever goodwill a team’s talent, past performance and preseason ranking gave it heading into a season dissipates. For the Seminoles, that point is now. A one-possession loss to Memphis, perhaps the best Group of Five team in the country, isn’t devastating in itself. But Florida State’s overall work through three games certainly is.
17. Wake Forest (1-2, 0-1)
- Last week: 17
- This week: against Louisiana
The Demon Deacons were shredded by No. 5 Ole Miss in a 40-6 home rout, with the Rebels more than doubling coach Dave Clawson’s team in total yardage, 649-311.
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