The Confidential

The ACC Sports Blog

Archive for the category “Rankings”

18 Dec 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 18, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball teams as of December 18, 2012:

1.  Duke (9-0)–The Blue Devils are sitting pretty at 9-0, with plenty of good victories.  An easy choice for #1.

2. Syracuse (10-0)–The Orange are 10-0, which is great.  Next up, Temple.  Congrats to Jim Boeheim on win #900 too.

3. Louisville (9-1)–So far, only #1 Duke has toppled Louisville.  With wins over Missouri and Memphis, Louisville has an argument to be #2.  But undefeated trumps one loss.

4.Notre Dame (10-1)—The Irish have now beaten Purdue and Kentucky.  That’s good enough for #4 here.

5. Pittsburgh (9-1)--The Panthers are off to a good start, but lacking a real quality win yet.   Only loss is to a very very good Michigan team.

6. Maryland (7-1)–The Terps have been good, losing only to Kentucky.  Still waiting on an impressive win though.  Northwestern is it right now.

7. Miami (6-1)–Not sure why Miami only has 7 games, but they have won 6 of them.  A bad loss, but a nice win over Michigan State.

8.North Carolina State (8-2)–The wins over Stanford and UConn look good.  The two losses are reasonable. 

9. North Carolina (8-2)–At 8-2, the Tar Heels really lack a quality win.  Losses to Butler and Indiana are understandable though.

10. Virginia (8-2)–10 through 12 are a toss-up.  The Wahoos have terrible losses early, but now have wins over Tennessee and Wisconsin.

11. Virginia  Tech (8-2)— Va Tech has ugly losses, but a great win–over Oklahoma State.  Gives them the slide edge over Georgia Tech.

12. Georgia Tech (7-2)–No shame in the two losses, but it’s hard to find even a decent win for the Yellow Jackets.  The worst of the two loss teams so far.

13. Clemson (6-3)–The Tigers have tough losses–Gonzaga, Illinois, and Arizona.  Clear edge over the rest.

14. Florida State (6-4)–At 6-4, the Seminoles are still the ACC’s disappointment so far.  Not sure what the deal is.

15. Wake Forest (5-5)–At least Wake is at .500.

16. Boston College (5-5)–At least BC is at .500.

Right/wrong?  Disagree?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
10 Dec 2012
2 Comments

ACC Basketball Rankings: December 10, 2012

This is particularly complex with Pitt, Louisville, Notre Dame, and Syracuse not yet in the ACC, but it can still be done.  This is how the Confidential ranks the ACC basketball teams as of December 10, 2012:

1.  Duke (9-0)–The Blue Devils are hated by many.  But you cannot deny how successful this season has gone.  An impressive 9-0.

2. Syracuse (8-0)–The Orange have two good victories, but no truly great ones.  A decent OOC slate, but the real meat comes in the Big East regular season.

3. Louisville (8-1)–The ACC’s newest addition has only lost to Duke.  A win over Missouri is the big victory on the schedule.

4.Pittsburgh (9-1)--The Panthers are looking to rebound after last year’s disappointing season.  Only loss is to a very very good Michigan team.

5. Notre Dame (8-1)–The Irish lost to St. Joseph’s, which is not uber-embarrassing.  Still, that has them behind several teams.  The win over Kentucky was nice, but less impressive now.

6. Maryland (7-1)–The Terps have been good, losing only to Kentucky.  Still waiting on an impressive win though.

7. North Carolina State (6-2)–The Wolfpack have been somewhat disappointing at only 6-2.  But the losses are not awful and they do have a win over surprising UConn.

8.Virginia Tech (7-1)–Despite losing to WVU, the Hokies have decent wins, such as Iowa and Oklahoma State.  Not too bad.

9. North Carolina (7-2)–As good as 7-2 looks, the Tar Heels have not beaten anyone of note.  The best win might be Mississippi State, a lower tier SEC team.

10. Miami (5-1)–Miami’s win over Michigan State was very impressive.  Need to see the Hurricanes against major competition a few more times before having them elevate over the teams ahead of them.

11. Virginia (8-2)—The Wahoos struggled in the first few games, but are rounding into form.  With wins over Tennessee and Wisconsin, look for this team to rise to the top half.

12. Georgia Tech (6-2)–No shame in the two losses, but it’s hard to find even a decent win for the Yellow Jackets.  Time will tell.

13. Clemson (5-3)–The Tigers have tough losses–Gonzaga, Illinois, and Arizona.  This team may peak late in the season.

14. Florida State (5-4)–At 5-4, the Seminoles are easily the ACC’s disappointment so far.  The losses to Mercer and South Alabama stand out.

15. Wake Forest (4-5)–The Demon Deacons did beat Mercer, but few other teams.  The losses are not horrible, but just way too many to get to NIT-level play.

16. Boston College (4-5)-Losses to Charleston and Bryant land Boston College in its familiar, cellar position.  So it goes in Beantown.

Right/wrong?  Disagree?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
04 Dec 2012

The Confidential’s College Basketball Top 25 & Bottom 5: December 4, 2012

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Basketball, as well as the Bottom 5 major conference teams.  Here is the December 4, 2012, update, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 5:

  1. Duke (8-0): The Blue Devils have beaten Kentucky, Louisville, and Ohio State.  Who has beaten better teams?  Nobody.
  2. Indiana (8-0): Tough call between Syracuse and Indiana, but the edge goes to the Hoosiers.  Indiana has convincing wins over Georgetown and North Carolina already.
  3. Syracuse (6-0): The Orange have beaten San Diego State in San Diego and Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Looking very good as the calendar hits December.
  4. Michigan (7-0): With wins over Pitt and NC State, the Wolverines are off to a perfect start.  The most talented Michigan team in a long, long time.  Well, outside East Lansing anyway.
  5. Florida (6-0): Gator-mania is back.  Florida has already beaten Wisconsin and Marquette.  Struggling Seminoles are up next.
  6. Louisville (6-1):  The Cardinals are not coping well with the injury to Gorgui Dieng.  Still, only loss of the season is to Duke.
  7. Gonzaga (8-0): After a few quiet years, Gonzaga hopes to return to national prominence.  Hmmmm…does the Big East need a team in Washington?
  8. Ohio State (5-1).  Like Louisville, Ohio State has only lost to Duke.  The Buckeyes are part of a strong upper tier of the Big Ten.
  9. Cincinnati (7-0): Lack of elite opponents makes this ranking a bit high.  But the Bearcats are at least beating some major conference opponents (Oregon, Alabama, Iowa State).
  10. Arizona (5-0).  The Wildcats have not really played anyone yet.  So the undefeated start is not all that impressive.  Yet.
  11. Missouri (6-1).
  12. Illinois (8-0).
  13. New Mexico (8-0).
  14. San Diego State (5-1).
  15. Creighton (7-1).
  16. Georgetown (5-1).
  17. Notre Dame (7-1).
  18. Minnesota (8-1).
  19. Wichita State (8-0).
  20. North Carolina State (4-2).
  21. Oklahoma (6-1).
  22. UNLV (5-1).
  23. Kansas State (6-1).
  24. North Carolina (6-2).
  25. Michigan State (6-2).

* * *

300. West Virginia (2-3).  A lot of teams with 3 wins knocking on the door here, but the Mountaineers and their 2 wins earn the spot.  Not likely to last though.

301.  Vanderbilt (2-4).  Vanderbilt has lost to Oregon, Villanova, Marist, Davidson.  Yikes.

302.  Georgia (2-5).  The Bulldogs losses to Youngstown State, UCLA, Southern Mississippi, and South Florida are perplexing.  Indiana is understandable.

303.  Mississippi State (2-5).  No shame to losing to North Carolina, Marquette or Texas.  Providence was a disappointment.  Troy an embarrassment.

304.  Auburn (2-5).  Is Auburn the worst athletic department in the country?  Football team faces more scandal and was terrible this year.  The hoops team has now lost to Murray State, Rhode Island, Boston College, DePaul, and Dayton.

These rankings are early and will certainly shake up as the season progresses.  Still, if you feel like debating, share your comments…

Posted by acaffrey in Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
26 Nov 2012

ACC Football Rankings: November 26, 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 November 26, 2012:

1.  Florida State (10-2)–The Seminoles can complain about the computers, the conference, and everything else… but they just do not get it done on the field.  Again and again.  Still, the win over Clemson makes them the class of the ACC.

2. Clemson (10-2)–The SEC is all about defense.  And South Carolina’s defense did to Clemson what no team did all year–keep them under 25 points.  So Clemson remains firmly in the #2 spot here.

3. North Carolina (8-4)–The Tar Heels won a shoot out against Maryland.  Not sure how impressive it is to give up 38 points to this Maryland team, but a win is a win.

4. Syracuse (7-5)–The Orange defeated Temple, behind yet another solid rushing/passing game.  Interestingly, still alive for a Big East co-championship if Louisville beats Rutgers.

5. Miami (7-5)–The Hurricanes are far from back, but 7-5 is a good start.  Indeed, this would have been their first appearance in a CCG, but for the looming sanctions.  Y

6. North Carolina State (7-5)–The Wolfpack won!  That’s the good news.  The bad news is that 7-5 was not good enough to keep Tom O’Brien on the payroll.  The worse news is that Debbie Yow is in charge of finding the replacement.

7. Georgia Tech (6-6)–At 6-6, the Yellow Jackets “earned” the right to play Florida State in the ACC Conference Championship Game.  This is why you need a North/South split.  Let the northern schools pillow fight themselves to a point where some team can win 8 games.

8. Duke (6-6)–No doubt about it… going to a bowl is great for Duke.  But there is also no dispute that Duke is backing in.  When is the last time they actually won?  Answer: two Saturdays before Halloween.  Wow.

9. Pittsburgh (5-6)–The Panthers rallied to defeat Rutgers in fine fashion, 27-6.  If Pitt can beat South Florida, they’ll be bowl eligible.

10. Virginia Tech (6-6)–The Hokies also make it a bowl, albeit riding wins over Boston College and Virginia to get there.  Better than missing out though.

11. Wake Forest (5-7)—The Demon Deacons, who the Confidential thought had the best chance of the ACC bottom feeders to make a bowl, missed out.  Garden-variety mediocrity here.  At best.

12. Virginia (4-8)–Virginia was a tough team to figure out and the end of the season was more of the same.  Good enough to beat almost anyone, bad enough to lose to almost anyone.  They did a lot of latter too.  Onto 2013.

13. Maryland (4-8)–At 4-8, Maryland deserves a lot of credit for improving and “overcoming” challenges.  Then again, they are going to be an appetizer for the Big 10 football dinner each week.

14. Boston College (2-10)–At least a new coach will give Boston College fans a reason to be a little optimistic.  Beyond that… not sure what else can be said.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
21 Nov 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25 & Bottom 4: Week 12

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football, as well as the Bottom 4 BCS-level teams.  Here is the Week 12 version, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 4:

  1. Notre Dame (11-0): The Fighting Irish shutout Wake Forest to draw within one game of the national title.  Oh, and Matt Barkley is injured now.
  2. Ohio State (11-0).  The Buckeyes took care of Wisconsin, which is a pretty good football team for the Big 10.  Nicely done.
  3. Alabama (10-1): Alabama beat Western Carolina.  Or West Carolina.  Or something.  Good grief.  Up next?  The Iron Bowl.
  4. Florida State (10-1):  The Seminoles demolished Maryland, who promptly quit the ACC.  Perhaps Western Carolina is looking for a new home?
  5. Florida (10-1): Florida did better against Jacksonville State than it did against Louisiana-Lafayette.  Huge game against the Seminoles looms.
  6. Oregon (10-1): The Ducks are good at putting up 50 points on inferior defenses (and USC).  Stanford exposed them.
  7. Kansas State (10-1): The Wildcats were cruising, until Baylor stopped them.  Still a great season no matter what happens in two weeks against Texas.
  8. Clemson (10-1): The Tigers have quite an offense this year.  We’ll see how they fair against the South Carolina defense.
  9. Georgia (10-1): Georgia beat up on Georgia Southern.  Another exciting SEC game last week.  Georgia Tech should provide slightly more resistance.
  10. Oklahoma (8-2): The Sooners eked by West Virginia to claim the final spot in the top 10.  Up next is rival Oklahoma State.
  11. Texas A&M (9-2).
  12. LSU (9-2).
  13. South Carolina (9-2).
  14. Nebraska (9-2).
  15. Louisville (9-1).
  16. Oregon State (8-2).
  17. Stanford (9-2).
  18. Michigan (8-3).
  19. Texas (8-2).
  20. UCLA (9-2).
  21. Oklahoma State (7-3).
  22. Rutgers (9-1).
  23. Boise State (9-2).
  24. Northern Illinois (10-1).
  25. Utah State (9-2).

* * *

121.  Illinois (2-9).  The Illini lost the pillow fight with Purdue.  Even Northern Illinois is ranked!

122. Washington State (2-9).  The Cougars were blown out by Arizona State.  Tough debut year for head coach Mike Leach.

123. Kansas (1-10).  Kansas was demolished by Iowa State, losing some momentum.  Well, as much momentum as a team can get with close losses.

124. Colorado (1-10).  The Buffaloes lost by 35 to somebody.  Sadly, this is a defense that WOULD benefit from having Greg Robinson.  Wow.

So there it is.  If you do not like it… sorry.  But feel free to share your reasons why…

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
19 Nov 2012

ACC Football Rankings: November 19, 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 November 19, 2012:

1.  Florida State (10-1)–The Seminoles did not destroy Maryland, but beat them convincingly enough, 41-14.  Hard not to be giddy about the upcoming contest against the Gators.

2. Clemson (10-1)–Clemson gave up 48 points.  And won.  You get the feeling that the Tigers could give up 70 points to West Virginia again and actually win.  Huge game against South Carolina this week.

3. North Carolina (7-4)–Duke should be here, but they seem to have gotten fat and happy after beating the Tar Heels to become bowl eligible.  Meanwhile, North Carolina keeps on winning.

4. Georgia Tech (6-5)–The Yellow Jackets have gone from losing to a directional Tennessee college to the ACC Championship Game.  Unless they pull a huge upset against Georgia, they’ll do so with a 6-6 record.

5. Syracuse (6-5)–An argument could me made that Syracuse is #3 here.  They played USC close, and have only lost to bowl eligible schools (Northwestern, Rutgers, Cincy, and Minnesota).  Meanwhile, they beat Mizzou on the road and are the only team to have beaten Louisville.  So much for being basketball-only.

6. Duke (6-5)–The Blue Devils are coasting to their bowl.  Not finishing strong at all.

7. Miami (6-5)–At 6-5, the Hurricanes are bowl eligible, but wisely foregoing the post-season while the NCAA continues how hard to come down on them.  Ohio State wishes they had that level of foresight.

8. North Carolina State (6-5)–North Carolina State moved the ball against Clemson, but allowed 60+ points.  Still, looking at a bowl after the Boston College game.

9. Wake Forest (5-6)–The Demon Deacons have to beat 7-4 Vanderbilt to get to a bowl.  Not looking good.

10. Virginia Tech (5-6)–The Hokies can still get to a bowl if they can beat rival Virginia.  The performance against Boston College was not exactly a confidence builder.

11. Pittsburgh (4-6)—The Panthers still could get to a bowl.  The Big East refs may prefer that Pitt beat Rutgers too.

12. Virginia (4-7)–Virginia had a chance to make this week a game for a bowl… but fell short against rival North Carolina.  Anything can happen in this week’s game against the Hokies.

13. Maryland (4-7)–At 4-7, Maryland has still done better than expected.  Not sure how many 4 win seasons they will have in the Big Ten though.

14. Boston College (2-9)–At 2-9, Boston College fans are more interested in the coaching search than this week’s game.  BTW, they are playing North Carolina State.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
17 Nov 2012

The Confidential’s College Basketball Top 25 & Bottom 5: Week 1

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Basketball, as well as the Bottom 4 major conference teams.  Here is the Week 1 version, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 4:

  1. Duke (2-0): The Blue Devils beat Kentucky.  Who has beaten a better team yet this year?
  2. Syracuse (1-0): The Orange have beaten San Diego State in San Diego.  Aircraft carrier or not, that’s worthy of #2.
  3. Indiana (2-0):  The Hoosiers have not been tested yet, but they will be soon enough.
  4. Louisville (2-0).  These are good times in Louisville, with both major teams ranked.  May be outgrowing the Big East.
  5. Michigan (3-0): It’s hard to be fully sold on the Wolverines, but they are beating their cupcakes.  Better than losing to them.
  6. Gonzaga (2-0): Gonzaga obliterated a good West Virginia team.  That gets them higher in the Confidential’s eyes than in the polls.
  7. Connecticut (3-0):  This will not last.  But the Huskies have beaten MSU and Wake Forest.  Can anyone top that?
  8. Michigan State (1-1): Tom Izzo is a favorite of the Confidential.  Who else has the courage to open a season with UConn and Kansas?
  9. Florida (2-0): The Gators have already beaten a tough Wisconsin team.  Nice for the strength of schedule.
  10. Kansas (2-1): Losing to MSU by 3 is more impressive than beating Southwest State A&M or any other cupcake.  Kansas will be there at season’s end.
  11. Kentucky (2-1).
  12. Arizona (2-0).
  13. North Carolina (2-0).  Note: At time of publication, the Tar Heels were leading Long Beach State by one at halftime.
  14. Missouri (2-0).
  15. North Carolina State (3-0).
  16. UNLV (1-0).
  17. Ohio State (1-0).
  18. Baylor (3-1).
  19. UCLA (3-0).
  20. Wichita State (1-0).
  21. Notre Dame (2-0).
  22. Wisconsin (1-1).
  23. Creighton (2-0).
  24. San Diego State (1-1).
  25. Alabama (4-0).

* * *

300. Purdue (1-3).  The Confidential understands that the Boilermakers have played some tough games already.  But three losses in mid-November is three losses.

301.  Georgia (1-2).  The Bulldogs are having a great football year.  Not so much on the hardcourt though.

302.  Mississippi State (1-1).  Losing to Troy is not a great way to start the season.  So it goes.

303.  Washington (1-1).  The Huskies lost to Albany.  The Great Danes traveled 3,000 miles and won.  Not good.

304.  Rutgers (2-1).  The Scarlet Knights have two wins.  But they lost to the St. Pete’s Peacocks.

These rankings are early and will certainly shake up as the season progresses.  Still, if you feel like debating, share your comments…

Posted by acaffrey in Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
14 Nov 2012

The Confidential’s College Football Top 25 & Bottom 4: Week 11

Each week, the Confidential will provide its ranking of the top 25 teams in College Football, as well as the Bottom 4 BCS-level teams.  Here is the Week 11 version, with analysis of the top 10 and bottom 4:

  1. Oregon (10-0): The Ducks had no trouble dealing with Cal.  And Alabama’s loss opened up the #1 spot.
  2. Notre Dame (10-0): The Fighting Irish edged Boston College.  Up next is mediocre Wake Forest.  Not the week to be looking ahead to USC.
  3. Kansas State (10-0):  The Wildcats got by TCU, albeit without the offensive fireworks.  Up next is Baylor.
  4. Ohio State (10-0).  The Buckeyes had a week off to rest.  This week they travel to surging Wisconsin.
  5. Alabama (9-1): Alabama lost to Texas A&M to drop out of the top spot.  Still in prime position for a BCS berth.
  6. Georgia (9-1): Georgia destroyed a desperate Auburn team.  That justifies the leapfrog over the Seminoles.
  7. Florida State (9-1):  The Seminoles struggled to beat a fading Virginia Tech team.  They need to focus on Maryland this week and avoid the upset.
  8. Florida (9-1): Florida eked by Lousiana-Lafayette and has Jacksonville State next.  The real test is the looming battle with Florida State.
  9. Clemson (9-1): The Tigers keep on rolling–this time easily defeating Maryland.  An at-large BCS berth remains possible.
  10. Oklahoma (7-2): Again, if there is going to be a two-loss team in the top 10, how about one that lost to two teams in the top 4?  That’s the Sooners.
  11. Texas A&M (8-2).
  12. LSU (8-2).
  13. South Carolina (8-2).
  14. Nebraska (8-2).
  15. Louisville (9-1).
  16. Oregon State (7-2).
  17. Michigan (7-3).
  18. Louisiana Tech (9-1).
  19. Texas (8-2).
  20. Stanford (8-2).
  21. UCLA (8-2).
  22. Boise State (8-2).
  23. Cincinnati (7-2).
  24. Central Florida (8-2).
  25. Southern California (7-3).

* * *

121.  Illinois (2-8).  The Illini keep losing.  Again, though, Purdue is in the same boat and the two teams play in this week!  Classic pillow fight!

122. Boston College (2-8).  Boston College looked decent against Notre Dame.  Then again, Notre Dame is not a dominant, high-scoring team.

123. Kansas (1-9).  Kansas is losing by tighter margins than Colorado.  So they move up a slot.

124. Colorado (1-9).  The Buffaloes lost by 25 to somebody.  It they had played someone good, they would have lost by 50.   Just another level of terrible.

So there it is.  If you do not like it… sorry.  But feel free to share your reasons why…

Posted by acaffrey in Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , ,
13 Nov 2012

ACC Basketball Rankings: Week 1

While there is plenty of football left to be played, basketball is now started.  Here are the Confidential’s ACC basketball rankings in Week 1:

  1. Syracuse (1-0).  With a win over ranked San Diego State, in San Diego, the Orange rightfully claim this spot.  For now.
  2. North Carolina State (1-0).  The Wolfpack destroyed Miami (Ohio), retaining the #2 position easily.
  3. Duke (1-0).  Duke beat a cupcake, but the polls had North Carolina leapfrog them.  Too soon for that.
  4. North Carolina (2-0).  Although North Carolina beat two cupcakes to Duke’s one, plenty of season left for a true justification to swap the two teams.
  5. Notre Dame (1-0).  The Fighting Irish struggled to beat Evansville.  But they won.
  6. Pittsburgh (2-0).  The Panthers are off to a good start.  Last year started strong too, until it imploded.
  7. Virginia Tech (2-0).  The Hokies are off to a 2-0 start, including a nice win over Rhode Island.  
  8. Miami (1-0).  Miami started the season with a struggle to beat Stetson.  Baby steps.
  9. Boston College (1-0).  This team had so much difficulty last year–every win is worthy of note. 
  10. Wake Forest (1-0).  The Demon Deacons are young, but undefeated!
  11. Georgia Tech (1-0). The Yellow Jacket’s season started nicely with a win over Tulane.
  12. Clemson (1-0).  The Tigers really took care of Presbyterian to start off the season.  Up next is Furman.
  13. Maryland (1-1).  The Terps played very well against Kentucky.  Look for this team to start rising up the rankings.
  14. Virginia (1-1).  No shame in losing to George Mason.  The defense is as good as ever.
  15. Florida State (1-1).  You cannot lose at home to South Alabama and expect to be ranked ahead of any teams.  Sorry Seminoles.

So there it is.  Agree?  Disagree?

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
12 Nov 2012

ACC Football Rankings: November 12, 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 November 12, 2012:

1.  Florida State (9-1)–The Seminoles did not look great against Virginia Tech, but they got the needed win.  Up next is a trip to Maryland to face the undermanned Terps.

2. Clemson (9-1)–Clemson did what they needed to do against Maryland–take them out of the game early.  And now Clemson is set up nicely for its finale against the Wolfpack.

3. Duke (6-4)–Duke gets the nod here by beating North Carolina.  With Miami and Georgia Tech left on the schedule, anything from 6-6 to 8-4 is possible.

4. North Carolina (6-4)–The Tar Heels scored 50 points and lost.  That cannot happen–even to Georgia Tech.  Especially to THIS Georgia Tech team.

5. North Carolina State (6-4)–The state of North Carolina is playing some downright, slightly above-average football this year.  The Wolfpack took care of Wake Forest handily to get to bowl eligibility.

6. Syracuse (5-5)–The Orange have lost to 5 teams that are already bowl eligible.  The Orange have beaten a 9-1 team and are 4-2 in conference play.  They get the nod.

7. Georgia Tech (5-5)—The Yellow Jackets have the worst resume of the 5-5 teams.  But they are atop the Coastal division right now and playing quite well.

8. Miami (5-5)–At 5-5, the Hurricanes are simply impossible to figure out.  The loss to Virginia is very perplexing.  Up next is reeling South Florida though.

9. Wake Forest (5-5)–The Demon Deacons are going in the wrong direction at the wrong time.  Losing by 34 points to a struggling North Carolina State is Exhibit 1.

10. Virginia (4-6)–This team deserves credit for not letting its terrible start lead to a disaster of a season.  Bowl eligibility remains possible, with Virginia Tech and North Carolina both looking vulnerable.

11. Maryland (4-6)—The Terps were last year’s disappointment.  This year, they have shown the heart of a champion.  But not enough talent (especially at QB right now) to prevent this slide down the standings.

12. Virginia Tech (4-6)–The Hokies have likely bottomed out, with Boston College next up and a home game against Virginia remaining.  No excuse for not bowling this year.

13. Pittsburgh (4-6)–At 4-6, Pitt can still get to a bowl.  It will need to beat 8-1 Rutgers and then travel to South Florida and defeat the Bulls. 

14. Boston College (2-8)–At 2-8, Boston College is playing for 2013.  Or should be, anyway.  They acquitted themselves well against Notre Dame, despite losing.

Do you agree with these rankings?  If not, let us know.

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Football, Rankings and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Post Navigation

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →