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ACC power rankings: Notre Dame gives Syracuse reality check, Pitt continues to impress

By Rucker Haringey

NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 17: Chase Claypool #83 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown as against the Syracuse Orange during their game at Yankee Stadium on November 17, 2018 in New York, New York. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 17: Chase Claypool #83 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish celebrates a touchdown as against the Syracuse Orange during their game at Yankee Stadium on November 17, 2018 in New York, New York. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images) /
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BRONX, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book (12) throws a pass during the first half of the college football game between the Syracuse Orange and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 17, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
BRONX, NY – NOVEMBER 17: Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book (12) throws a pass during the first half of the college football game between the Syracuse Orange and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on November 17, 2018 at Yankee Stadium in Bronx, NY. (Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Syracuse thought they were ready to compete with the ACC elite, but Notre Dame put them in their place at Yankee Stadium. 

Not everyone was a big fan of the uniforms Notre Dame wore on Saturday, but it was hard not to appreciate the way they played. Syracuse came to Yankee Stadium with big hopes of pulling off a historic upset, but they limped out of the Bronx with a 36-3 loss.

That result, coupled with Clemson’s comfortable home victory over Duke made life at the top of this week’s power rankings pretty boring. Those two squads have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. It’s no surprise both teams have a legitimate shot at making the College Football Playoff.

That doesn’t mean things throughout the rest of the league were calm. There’s still a lot to be decided between now and the end of the season for the rest of the ACC. Credit Pittsburgh for handling their business at Wake Forest to clinch the Coastal Division. Of course, they get a date with Clemson in the ACC Title game for their efforts.

We start our rankings this week with a team that was hoping for a change of fortune after firing their head coach.

Louisville’s administration might have hoped that axing Bobby Petrino might give their program an immediate lift, but that didn’t happen against NC State. Instead, it was more of the same against an angry Wolfpack squad. Malik Cunningham was a bright spot for the Cardinals. He mercifully put Javon Pass on the bench by throwing for 90 yards, but more importantly, rushing for 100. Perhaps he can be a building block for Jeff Brohm, or whoever Louisville gets to take over for Petrino.

Teams at the bottom of the power rankings who win usually move up. However, defeating Western Carolina at home isn’t enough to move Larry Fedora’s team up the ACC ladder. The Tar Heels put this game out of sight on the ground. The run game hasn’t been great this year, but rushing for 296 yards on 50 carries was too much for the Catamounts. This wasn’t a program-changing win for Carolina by any stretch, but it should temporarily lift the spirit of fans in Chapel Hill.

Dave Clawson’s team led this football game 10-6 at the half, but the wheels came off down the stretch. In the end, the Demon Deacon defense just couldn’t play with enough force to keep Pittsburgh’s offense at bay. Wake’s inability to run the football really cost them. This team will struggle to win anytime they only run for 79 yards on 28 carries. Part of that was due to Matt Colburn’s injury, but more of it was due to the offensive line’s inability to generate any push. That’s something Clawson and his staff need to address in the offseason.

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