It was yet another difficult week for ranked teams in the ACC.
Sixth-ranked Clemson struggled past Georgia Tech, No. 15 Virginia Tech fell on the road at West Virginia and Michigan State smacked No. 24 Miami in its own building.
Not to mention Pitt’s demise at the hands of Western Michigan.
Each week The Clemson Insider ranks every team in the ACC 1-14 based off their performance from the previous week of competition. Here are TCI’s ACC power rankings after three weeks of the 2021 season.
- Clemson – The Tigers looked anemic offensively in a 14-8 win over Georgia Tech at Memorial Stadium. But Clemson’s defense continued to impress and is the only team in the FBS that has not allowed an offensive touchdown. It faces its first true road test on Saturday at North Carolina State.
- Virginia Tech – The Hokies fell 27-21 at West Virginia in a big rivalry matchup this past week. But its hard to drop them behind North Carolina who they defeated in the season opener. Virginia Tech hosts Richmond at noon on Saturday.
- North Carolina – North Carolina’s offense clicked on a cylinders in a 59-39 win over Virginia this past weekend. Quarterback Sam Howell continued to impress completing 14-of-21 passes for 307 yards and five touchdowns while Ty Chandler racked up 198 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. The Tar Heels travel to Atlanta to face Georgia Tech Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
- Virginia – Despite surrendering a halftime lead over North Carolina the Virginia offense rolled in Chapel Hill last week. Brennan Armstrong led the ACC is passing as he completed 39-of-54 passes for 554 yards and four touchdowns. Virginia needs to improve on defense as they host Wake Forest on Friday at 7 p.m.
- Wake Forest – The Demon Deacons smacked Florida State 35-14 to remain unbeaten last week. Quarterback Sam Hartman looked stout, and Wake Forest added 225 yards rushing. It faces a tall task at Virginia on Friday night.
- N.C. State – The Wolfpack rebounded from a flat performance in Week 2 with a 45-7 win over Furman in Raleigh. NC State faces Clemson at home on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. in the renewal of the Textile Bowl rivalry.
- Louisville – The Cardinals continued to look like a completely different team in a 52-35 win in a shootout against UCF. Micale Cunningham was at his best despite a hitch in his giddy-up. Louisville travels to Florida State at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
- Pitt – One week after the Panthers looked like the best team in the Coastal Division, they fell 44-41 to Western Michigan at Heinz Field. Since the Panthers joined a conference in 1991 they have never gone undefeated in non-conference play. Pitt hosts UNH at 12 p.m. on Saturday.
- Georgia Tech – The Yellow Jackets showed marked improvement in a 14-8 loss to Clemson at Death Valley. Georgia Tech had multiple opportunities to take a lead at the end of the game but came up short against a stingy defense. They host North Carolina on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
- Boston College – The Eagles bounced back after the tough news quarterback Phil Jurkovec could miss the rest of the season and defeated Temple 28-3. The offense lacked the muster brought on by Jurkovec. BC hosts Missouri at noon Saturday.
- Miami – The Hurricanes went out with a whimper in a 38-17 loss to Michigan State at home last week. And to add on to the apathy in Miami, quarterback D’Eriq King is doubtful for Saturday’s matchup with Central Connecticut.
- Duke – The Blue Devil’s defense showed up in a 30-23 win over Northwestern as Duke held off a late surge. Duke hosts Kansas on Saturday at 4 p.m.
- Syracuse – The Orange responded to last week’s loss with a lopsided 62-24 win over Albany in the Carrier Dome. Syracuse hosts Liberty in a tough Group of 5 matchup on Friday night at 8 p.m.
- Florida State – As if things could not get worse in Tallahassee, Florida State looked uninspired in a 35-14 loss to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem. It marked the first time the Seminoles lost consecutive games to the Demon Deacons since it dropped three straight from 2006-08. The Noles host Louisville on Saturday at 3:30 as they look for their first win of the season.