ACC power rankings, Week 7: Clemson and Notre Dame separate themselves

Credit Mark Richt’s team for grinding out a win against Florida State. They fell down early to their in-state rivals, but they stuck with their gameplan and that allowed them to secure a narrow victory.

It was a really strange game for N’Kosi Perry. On the surface, going 13 for 32 would indicate a quarterback had a really poor game. However, Perry did manage to throw for four touchdowns on those 13 completions. In the end, it wasn’t a masterpiece for the redshirt freshman, but his ability to lead his team to a comeback victory was really impressive.

It’s fair to criticize the Wolfpack for not winning this game more convincingly. Taking on a Boston College team without A.J. Dillon gave NC State a chance to really dominate the Eagles. Instead, they sputtered to a narrow 28-23 victory.

This wasn’t Ryan Finley’s best day under center. He threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns, but his two interceptions hurt his team. Add it all up and NC State deserves credit for handling their business at home, but we’re still waiting for this team to put it all together in a single game.

Consider Notre Dame’s 45-23 win at Virginia Tech as a formal announcement of their candidacy for the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish have now put themselves in position to be in the top four when the dust settles at the end of the season.

Ian Book continues to impress at the quarterback position. He stepped into a really difficult atmosphere and went 25 for 35 for 271 yards and two touchdowns. He wasn’t perfect, but he was more than good enough to get his team a big road win. Don’t sleep on Dexter Williams moving forward either. He rushed for 178 yards on just 17 carries in this one. His 97 yards touchdown was a huge play for the Fighting Irish.

Wake Forest probably isn’t any good, but the Tigers still deserve credit for blowing them away on the road. In particular, Clemson’s ground game deserves special attention. They had three guys rush for over 100 yards against the Deacons. That made life really easy for Trevor Lawrence and the passing attack.

Clemson’s star-studded defensive line also deserves praise. The group completely dominated the line of scrimmage all game long. Their constant pressure on Wake Forest’s quarterbacks held the Deacons to just 74 yards passing on the afternoon. Everyone on the line put some great tape on film for NFL executives to watch as the draft approaches.