As I’ll get into on the next spot, it’s unfortunate for Virginia Tech that the team in the third spot didn’t play this week, because they certainly made a good argument for a move in Week 8 in their “battle” with North Carolina.
The Hokies absolutely obliterated UNC over the weekend, crushing the Tar Heels with a 59-7 rout to move to 6-1 on the year. While that was an impressive win, it’s tough to match that up against a team on a bye who has had some impressive wins of their own over the course of the 2017 campaign. A big game with Miami in a few weeks could help their case, however.
Unlike the next team on the power rankings, the NC State Wolfpack actually benefited from not having to play in Week 8, and keep their spot at third on the list because of it.
With the Virginia Tech Hokies rolling past North Carolina over the weekend, there may have been a case for them to move into NC State’s spot heading into Week 9, depending on how the Wolfpack played. However, they lucked out by not having a game to worry about that, and stay at 6-1 to remain even with the Hokies through Week 8.
A huge game on the road with Notre Dame is next for NC State, and that’ll be a big test to see where they’re at after the bye.