Well this makes sense

[DeRRtyTree]

Another week, another new guest at the top. So it goes in the ACC ...
1. Miami (7-3, 4-2 ACC) -- The Hurricanes have now won five straight -- their longest win streak since 2005 -- and are in sole possession of first place in the Coastal Division. Not bad for a team with 11 true freshmen on its two-deep roster.
2. Maryland (7-3, 4-2) -- The Terps have defeated a school-record six straight ranked opponents and are the only program in the country to have beaten four teams in the AP Top 25 this season. They're undefeated at home, and that's where they'll play FSU this weekend.
3. Boston College (7-3, 3-3) -- After putting together one of their most complete games of the season, the Eagles are also two wins away from the ACC championship. The combination of freshman running back Montel Harris and a stingy defense makes this team tough to beat.
4. Florida State (7-3, 4-3) -- The Seminoles were out-schemed and outplayed in their own stadium, and the loss of five suspended receivers had little, if anything, to do with it. BC exposed FSU's weaknesses in the passing game by taking away its ability to run the ball.
5. Virginia Tech (6-4, 3-3) -- The Hokies were humbled at Miami, and everyone was reminded how important their running game is to their success. Even with shifty quarterback Tyrod Taylor back in the lineup, Virginia Tech couldn't get anywhere.
6. North Carolina (7-3, 3-3) -- After a poor performance by quarterback Cam Sexton, an inability to stop the run and generate it, the Tar Heels didn't look like one of the better teams in the league. The defense couldn't make the necessary stops on a game-winning, 82-yard touchdown drive.
7. Wake Forest (6-4, 4-3) -- The Demon Deacons couldn't take care of business in Raleigh, and they couldn't stop quarterback Russell Wilson. Wake has now lost three straight road games.
8. Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3) -- The Yellow Jackets had a bye week to regroup after their poor performance at North Carolina. They needed it to get healthy, as defensive tackle Vance Walker and quarterback Josh Nesbitt haven't practiced since then.
9. Clemson (5-5, 3-4) -- The Tigers are quietly playing better under Dabo Swinney and should have some confidence heading into Charlottesville. The playmakers are finally making plays.
10. Virginia (5-5, 3-3) -- After back-to-back losses, the Cavaliers' hot streak is over. And while they're not out of the Coastal Division race entirely, a bowl game seems like a much more realistic goal. They need one more win and have two games left to do it.
11. NC State (4-6, 2-4) -- With every late-season win, it's hard not to ask "what could have been" with this team. The best the Pack can hope for now is bowl eligibility and the joy of crashing UNC's or Miami's party.
12. Duke (4-6, 1-5) -- There was a time this season when Duke football was exciting. David Cutcliffe has definitely made a difference in Durham, just not in the standings -- yet.

 

[hdtvfan]

You should probably indicate that this is Heather Dinich's ACC power rankings for this week. Pretty interesting that we are 8 and Miami is 1 but we are listed initially as a 3-4 point favorite for the game.

The ACC may not have any top teams but we sure have a logjam inside the conference.

 

[midatlantech]

I just don't understand why the ACC isn't showing what a great conference we have. This conference is exciting right now, with every single team still in bowl contention and every single game mattering.

If this was the NFL, the commissioner would have a big grin on his face. But we let the northeast media turn it into a negative.

We're the #2 ranked conference and have 8 teams still fighting for the conference championship. It just doesn't get any better than that.

 

[ncjacket]

I just don't understand why the ACC isn't showing what a great conference we have. This conference is exciting right now, with every single team still in bowl contention and every single game mattering.

If this was the NFL, the commissioner would have a big grin on his face. But we let the northeast media turn it into a negative.

We're the #2 ranked conference and have 8 teams still fighting for the conference championship. It just doesn't get any better than that.

Until we beat some top teams outside the conference we wont' get much love and probably don't deserve it.

 

[midatlantech]

Until we beat some top teams outside the conference we wont' get much love and probably don't deserve it.

Well I must say that I disagree with that opinion from the media. Why they become fixated on a couple of teams is beyond me (I know they have to to sell their ads).

The ACC is good football and each Thursday night game has been very important.

I was watching an important Penn v Harvard game on Saturday. The Ivy League is also very competitive this year and the game came down to the last minute. There was nothing wrong with that game. I was surprised to see a grand total of 1,000 fans at the game but still it's college football.

 

[GT65_UGA89]

The perception of the ACC, from media and football fans in general, is that it is a second tier conference. My brother-in-law (UGA fan, knowledgeable college football fan) and a friend of his (UGA fan, ? the rest) stopped by the house just as Maryland had defeated UNC, so I was talking about the topsy-turvy ACC.

This friend of my b-i-l's attitude is probably the attitude of most non-ACC fans, that being that the ACC is second rate, there are no really good teams, etc. The lack of a top-notch top ten team hinders the public view of the conference --and it won't help at all if UM and FSU end up in the ACCCG because both are perceived as not being up to the level of their glory days and that would make the rest of the conference look second rate.

 

[kirbee]

Here's my rankings:

10. Everyone except 12.
12. NCState and Duke (not that far behind 10).

 

[Allen Koholic]

The national media is a bunch of dopes who really don't know squat. And ignorant people will eat all the crap their shoveling. The media only cares about the laundry, not the actual team.

If the ACC wins the orange bowl this year, all that should go away, but it won't. Mark May was sitting around on Gameday Final arguing with Lou Holtz that the conference champions shouldn't be given automatic bids. The funny thing is, if Mark May had talked about both the ACC and Big East being down, it would have helped his argument. Either way, it's dumb.

 

[Rodzilla]

Here's my rankings:

10. Everyone except 12.
12. NCState and Duke (not that far behind 10).

No kidding. The whole top 10 was like reading this past week's eulogy. Every team was like "Well they were doing well and then they lost to another team in the ACC."