ACC Football Rankings: October 15, 2012
This is particularly complex with Pitt and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done. This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC football teams as of October 15, 2012:
1. Florida State (6-1)–A week after doing what it normally does (losing to teams from Tobacco Road for no reason), Florida State did what it was supposed to do–annihilate Boston College. Halfway to a BCS bowl for the Seminoles.
2. Clemson (5-1)–Clemson was idle, but nobody below it did anything worthy to leapfrog them. Sitting nicely in the #2 slot.
3. North Carolina (5-2)–The Tar Heels defeated a tough Miami team on the road. This team looks like it might be ready to take the next step.
4. North Carolina State (4-2)–The Wolfpack was idle this week, but will look to have a strong second half en route to another bowl appearance.
5. Virginia Tech (4-3)–The Hokies finally put something together–defeating upstart Duke at home. Giving up 20 points in the first quarter was a poor start, but the final score was all Hokies.
6. Duke (5-2)–Duke’s second half schedule will be brutal–they need to get that 6th win ASAP. They had the Hokies on the ropes too.
7. Maryland (4-2)–Without question, Maryland is battling Duke for the surprise team of the year. The difference is that Maryland very well could end up with a better record due to Duke’s tough schedule. This is why you do NOT fire head coaches after one year.
8. Miami (4-3)–Miami had a chance to take the next step, but faltered against the Tar Heels. This is still an OK team, but not ready to be classified as “good.”
9. Wake Forest (3-3)—Wake Forest is sitting at .500, a mediocre record after a mediocre first-half of the season. Not going to get any easier for the Demon Deacons.
10. Syracuse (2-4)–Syracuse lost to undefeated Rutgers, but the Orange continue to self-destruct. Looking at the results up and down these rankings, Syracuse fans need to be careful in losing patience with their coach. That being said, Doug Marrone needs to re-evaluate what he is doing.
11. Pittsburgh (2-4)—Pitt also lost to an undefeated Big East team–Louisville. Pitt did not keep it quite as close as Syracuse did, but that is not a surprise.
12. Georgia Tech (2-4)–Georgia Tech needed the bye week to regroup and gather its thoughts. There are still opportunities on the schedule, but becoming bowl eligible will take some work.
13. Virginia (2-5)–All that momentum from last year has stalled. Maryland and Virginia seemed to have swapped teams somehow. A bowl seems unlikely.
14. Boston College (1-5)–After losing to the Seminoles by 40+ points, Boston College is squarely in the basement. A bowl seemed highly unlikely.
Do you agree with these rankings? If not, let us know.
The Confidential 