ACC power rankings, Week 4: Florida State goes down in flames

SYRACUSE, NY - SEPTEMBER 15: Deondre Francois #12 of the Florida State Seminoles is sacked by Chris Slayton #95 of the Syracuse Orange during the second half at the Carrier Dome on September 15, 2018 in Syracuse, New York. Syracuse defeats Florida State 30-7. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /

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PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 15: Pittsburgh Panthers running back Qadree Ollison (30) and Pittsburgh Panthers wide receiver Dontavius Butler-Jenkins (88) celebrate after a touchdown run during the college football game between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Pittsburgh Panthers on September 15, 2018 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Panthers needed to bounce back from last week’s thrashing against Penn State. Getting a valuable conference win against Georgia Tech should help the team’s mood considerably.

Qadree Ellison was the star for Pittsburgh once again. He managed to grind out 91 yards on 17 carries against the Yellow Jackets defense. His two touchdowns were the reason Pittsburgh has moved up one spot in our power rankings.

Anyone still think the Seminoles won’t miss Jimbo Fisher this season? That idea was always ludicrous, but not many people expect the Willie Taggart era to start this poorly.

We easily could have dropped Florida State further. The only game they’ve managed to win this season was an ugly victory over Samford. This team has more talent than they’ve shown thus far, but they don’t look close to putting it together on the field.

If Taggart can’t notch a win against Northern Illinois next weekend things are going to get even uglier in Tallahassee. That game is suddenly much more important than anyone thought it would be when the schedule was first released.

The Blue Devils are off to a 3-0 start with wins over Army, Northwestern and Baylor. None of those teams are poised to compete for a national title, but Duke isn’t in a position to give back wins over other FBS programs.

David Cutcliffe’s chances of going 4-0 next weekend are also pretty good. They should easily dispatch of local rivals North Carolina Central. That should set them up to host Virginia Tech at 4-0 the following weekend. Everyone in Durham would have happily accepted those circumstances when the year began. This could be a special year for Duke.

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