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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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CHESTNUT HILL, MA – OCTOBER 27: Jacob Pugh #16 of the Florida State Seminoles defends a pass from Anthony Brown #13 of the Boston College Eagles during the first quarter at Alumni Stadium on October 27, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – OCTOBER 27: Jacob Pugh #16 of the Florida State Seminoles defends a pass from Anthony Brown #13 of the Boston College Eagles during the first quarter at Alumni Stadium on October 27, 2017 in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

There haven’t been many bright spots for Seminoles fans this year, but they should enjoy knocking off Boston College. The Eagles weren’t at full strength due to A.J. Dillon’s injury, but this was still a good win for Willie Taggart and company. Limiting BC’s rushing attack to just 125 yards on 49 carries was the biggest win of the day for Florida State. Cam Akers was the best running back on the field Saturday. He ran for 110 yards on just 14 carries, including a 55-yard scamper. He did just enough to get his team a much-needed victory.

Three turnovers really hurt the Hokies’ chances of hanging in against Miami. This is a team that started the ACC campaign with big dreams, but their season has quickly turned into a nightmare. Just Fuente’s offense just couldn’t get anything going against Mark Richt’s stingy defense. The Hokies only ran for 119 yards on 33 carries. The passing game wasn’t much better. Ryan Willis went 18 for 36 with two picks. The Virginia Tech defense played a decent game, but their offense didn’t give them a chance to knock off the Canes at home.

A few weeks ago it looked like Virginia might be primed to meet Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. Unfortunately for Bronco Mendenhall, his team hasn’t made the plays they’ve needed to down the stretch to reach the big game. That trend continued at Georgia Tech on Saturday. The Cavaliers made it to overtime against the Yellow Jackets, but a missed field goal by Brian Delaney ended their hopes for a big win in Atlanta. In truth, Virginia easily could have won this game if their special teams hadn’t given up a 77-yard free kick return for a touchdown. It was a tough emotional loss for Bryce Perkins and company.

Quietly, Paul Johnson’ team has managed to reel off four wins in a row. This win over Virginia wasn’t a work of art, but few efforts from Georgia Tech really are. The Yellow Jackets’ rushing defense deserves credit for shutting Virginia down. They only gave up 130 yards on the ground on 33 carries. They let Bryce Perkins get free a few times, but he wasn’t able to really turn the game with his legs. This win puts Johnson into a solid position to negotiate a new contract with Georgia Tech. Nothing is certain given the changes in Tech’s athletic department, but he’s done enough to earn a new deal.

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