ACC power rankings: Miami, Clemson, Pitt hold on to top three spots after Week 7

As all of its teams have reached the midway point of the 2024 college football regular season, the ACC is a conference that has settled into solidifying tiers.

Week 7 only reaffirmed it.

With No. 6 Miami and No. 23 SMU enjoying hard-earned bye weeks, No. 9 Clemson and No. 20 Pittsburgh both won. Louisville and Syracuse, both among the teams receiving votes outside the top 25 of the US LBM Coaches Poll, also picked up victories. Meanwhile, programs like North Carolina and NC State fading to the bottom of the conference standings continued to come up short on the field.

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Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 7 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. Miami (6-0, 2-0 ACC)

• Last week: 1

• This week: at Louisville

After six straight games to open the season, Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes were idle last weekend. It could be a well-timed break, too, with one of their most difficult remaining games — a road matchup against Louisville — looming Saturday.

2. Clemson (5-1, 4-0)

• Last week: 2

• This week: vs. Virginia

The Tigers got off to a slow start against Wake Forest, trailing 7-0 early in the second quarter, but once they got rolling, they really got rolling on their way to a 49-14 win. Cade Klubnik threw for 309 yards and three touchdowns in the win while the Clemson defense held a strong Demon Deacons offense to just 233 total yards.

3. Pitt (6-0, 2-0)

• Last week: 3

• This week: Bye

Against Cal, the Panthers’ offense was stifled in a way it hadn’t been all season, gaining just 277 total yards. Still, Pat Narduzzi’s team is off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 1982, all the way back when its quarterback was a 21-year-old local product named Dan Marino.

4. SMU (5-1, 2-0)

• Last week: 4

• This week: at Stanford

The Mustangs were idle last weekend, but before that, they pieced together quite the impressive three-week run: a blowout win over rival TCU, a 26-point thumping of Florida State in their ACC opener and a win on the road against what was a ranked Louisville team.

5. Syracuse (5-1, 2-1)

• Last week: 6

• This week: Bye

Kyle McCord continued his post-Ohio State renaissance with 346 passing yards and two touchdowns to help the Orange go on the road and knock off NC State 24-17 in a game it led by 17 early in the fourth quarter. After a bye week, a big Thursday night matchup at No. 20 Pitt awaits.

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6. Louisville (4-2, 2-1)

• Last week: 8

• This week: vs. No. 6 Miami

The Cardinals nearly squandered a 10-point lead in the third quarter to extend their losing streak to three, but a Tyler Shough touchdown pass with 1:55 remaining allowed his team to escape Virginia with a 24-20 win. After losing to SMU and Notre Dame by a touchdown each, coach Jeff Brohm’s team got on the right side of a one-score game.

7. Virginia (4-2, 2-1)

• Last week: 5

• This week: at No. 9 Clemson

Despite Anthony Colandrea racking up 363 yards of total offense, and despite out-gaining their opponent by 41 yards, the Cavaliers fell to Louisville 24-20 after previously rallying from a 10-point deficit. Coach Tony Elliott’s team is two wins away from reaching bowl eligibility, though four of its final six games come against current top-25 teams.

8. Boston College (4-2, 1-1)

• Last week: 7

• This week: at Virginia Tech

Bill O’Brien, Thomas Castellanos and the Eagles were idle over the weekend, but fall one spot in the rankings due to the result of the Louisville-Virginia game, since the Cardinals defeated the Cavaliers, who beat Boston College the previous week.

9. Georgia Tech (5-2, 3-2)

• Last week: 9

• This week: vs. No. 11 Notre Dame

The Yellow Jackets gave away a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but got a 68-yard touchdown run from Jamal Haynes with just 16 seconds remaining to beat North Carolina 41-34 in a game that had three touchdowns in the final 3:27. Georgia Tech put up 505 yards of total offense on a Tar Heels defense led by former Yellow Jackets coach Geoff Collins.

10. Duke (5-1, 1-1)

• Last week: 10

• This week: vs. Florida State

Manny Diaz and the Blue Devils got some rest after six straight games to open up the season. They can achieve bowl eligibility with a win Friday night against Florida State. It would send Duke to its ninth bowl game since 2012, something it did only twice from 1961-2011.

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11. Virginia Tech (3-3, 1-1)

• Last week: 11

• This week: vs. Boston College

Before their bye last week, Brent Pry and the Hokies impressed in back-to-back games, nearly upsetting a top-10 Miami team on the road before traveling across the country and beating Stanford by 24. Can that positive momentum continue on Thursday night against Boston College?

12. Cal (3-3, 0-3)

• Last week: 12

• This week: vs. NC State

The Golden Bears’ first season in the ACC has been a challenge, with Justin Wilcox’s team still in search of its first conference win as a member of its new league. It has gotten awfully close, though. After a 17-15 loss at No. 20 Pitt, a game in which it was without star running back Jaydn Ott, Cal has lost its three ACC games by a combined eight points.

13. Wake Forest (2-4, 1-2)

• Last week: 13

• This week: at UConn

The Demon Deacons’ defense continues to languish. After a 49-14 loss to No. 9 Clemson, Wake Forest is allowing 34 points per game this season, the worst mark among ACC teams. It will get a break from ACC play this week with a game at UConn, which is off to a 4-2 start this season.

14. Stanford (2-4, 1-2)

• Last week: 14

• This week: vs. No. 23 SMU

Little, if anything, has gone right for the Cardinal since its surprising win at Syracuse on Sept. 20. Since then, Stanford has dropped three consecutive games by a combined 92 points, a run capped off by a 49-7 loss last Saturday at No. 11 Notre Dame. Saturday’s meeting with SMU will be its third matchup against a ranked foe in its past four games.

15. NC State (3-4, 0-3)

• Last week: 15

• This week: at Cal

A late rally from the Wolfpack, who trailed by 17 with 10 minutes remaining in regulation, wasn’t enough for coach Dave Doeren’s team to topple Syracuse in a 24-17 home loss. There was a bright spot in the disappointment, though, as freshman quarterback CJ Bailey threw for a career-high 329 yards on just 24 attempts.

16. North Carolina (3-4, 0-3)

• Last week: 16

• This week: Bye

The Tar Heels’ loss to Georgia Tech was their fourth in a row following a 3-0 start. In those four losses, coach Mack Brown's team has allowed an average of 41.5 points per game.

17. Florida State (1-5, 1-4)

• Last week: 17

• This week: at Duke

Mike Norvell and the Seminoles were idle over the weekend. They return to action Friday at Duke, one of just three ACC games remaining on the team’s schedule at this relatively early stretch of the season.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC power rankings: Miami, Clemson, Pitt stay on top after Week 7