ACC power rankings, Week 2: Clemson takes back top spot
Duke Blue Devils 1-0
Last week: Won 60-7 over NC Central
Last rank: 11
Don’t look now, but Duke could surprisingly be on the rise in the ACC based on the offensive performance they put on in Week 1 and the inconsistency of a lot of teams around them in the conference.
Although it was just a game against NC Central, the Blue Devils pulled off a 60-7 win to open up their season, and having a quarterback actually returning from last season, unlike many other teams in the ACC, proved to be beneficial in the game. They were up 47-7 once halftime rolled around, and showed that they have some explosiveness on offense to utilize in some of these upcoming games.
Pittsburgh Panthers 1-0
Last week: Won 28-21
Last rank: 8
Pittsburgh survived a big scare on Saturday that could’ve put a big dent in their hopes of contending in the ACC, and somehow found themselves move up a spot in all of this madness in the conference after the opening weekend.
After going up 21-0 on Youngstown State on Saturday, the Panthers saw their halftime lead slip into a 21-21 game by the end of the fourth quarter and needed overtime to pull out the win in an embarrassing game for the team and the ACC as a whole. Even after that, with teams like North Carolina and NC State faltering, they still move up in a weird week in the ACC.