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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RALEIGH, NC – SEPTEMBER 08: Ryan Finley #15 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack during their game against the Georgia State Panthers at Carter-Finley Stadium on September 8, 2018 in Raleigh, North Carolina. North Carolina Sate won 41-7. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

The Wolfpack were set for a really high-profile showdown against West Virginia, but Hurricane Florence had other plans. Now Dave Doeren and company will have to set their sights on a dangerous game at Marshall next week.

It’s a game NC State needs to win if they want to be taken seriously as ACC title contenders. Ryan Finley is garnering a lot of buzz from NFL scouts. If he can keep his team in the mix for a New Year’s Day Bowl game, he could make a lot of money at the next level.

The Hokies were set to take on East Carolina in Blacksburg, but Hurricane Florence defeated them as well. Now they’ll switch their preparations to a really weird road game next week. Going to Old Dominion shouldn’t be an issue for the Hokies, but it will be a wild atmosphere.

This team is too talented to stub their toe against a team like the Monarchs though. Virginia Tech is for real. Josh Johnson has matured into an excellent leader for the offense and they’re going to put up serious points all season long. They are Clemson’s biggest threat this season.

The Tigers enjoyed a comfortable victory over Georgia Southern, but that wasn’t the real story in Clemson this week. A chest injury to Kelly Bryant caused real concerns about the quarterback’s health. Fortunately, it’s just a bruise. It still might be enough to hand Trevor Lawrence the keys to this explosive offense.

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If Swinney goes to Lawrence due to Bryant’s minor injury, it’s a blessing in disguise for the program. The gunslinging freshman raises the offense’s ceiling considerably. Bryant is the sort of quarterback who can get you to the College Football Playoff, but Lawrence is the type of signal caller who can win you a national title.

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