The ACC saw some crazy upsets in Week 4, but also saw some of its dominant teams take care of business. Entering the 2025 season, not many projected Syracuse to upset Clemson in Week 4, SMU to be 2-2, and Miami to be the dominant frontrunner. But here we are, and the college football fans are loving the drama.
So after three conference games this week a couple of upsets, and dominant wins, here are the week five ACC power rankings.
17. Boston College (1-2, 0-1)
Boston College was on bye this week. They come in at the bottom due to two losses, one including Stanford. Things are not looking up for the Eagles as they host 4-0 Cal. It is still early in the season, but the Eagles will have to start stringing some wins together quickly if they want a shot at a bowl game this season. They look to bounce back at home next week.
16. Stanford (1-3, 1-1)
The only reason Stanford is not last is that they did pick up a win against Boston College last week. Other than that, they have lost and lost badly. They traveled to Virginia this week and lost in an uncompetitive effort. This team was not projected to do much in the ACC this season, but you still wanted to see some progression for this program under head coach Troy Taylor. The Cardinal will host San José State next week.
15. Virginia Tech (1-3, 0-0)
Virginia Tech had a demanding out-of-conference schedule this year, with two SEC teams. The Hokies ended their four-game home stretch this week, beating up on a poor Wofford team. Now that Florida State and Georgia Tech are legitimate, their conference schedule is not favorable either. They will go on the road for the first time this season and go head-to-head with NC State next week. This will be the Hokies' first ACC game of the season.
14. Clemson (1-3, 0-2)
Now for the most disappointing team in the conference. The Clemson Tigers were the pre-season favorites to win the ACC, returned more production than any other FBS team from last season, and had a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback. They start the season 1-3, with their only win being Troy. Not only do they have three losses, but two of them are already conference losses. The Tigers fell at home to Syracuse this week. If you are the Tigers, you have to focus on just becoming bowl-eligible this season. They will go on the road in their game and face off against North Carolina and Bill Belichick. Next week, they have a much-needed bye.
13. North Carolina (2-2, 0-0)
North Carolina came into this season with a lot of talk around them from the media. The talk was for Bill Belichick and all that drama, not necessarily for the team itself. The Tar Heels just got tossed around by UCF this week. So far, they have beaten up on two small schools and been beaten up on by Power Four teams, specifically the Big 12. They have lost to a combined score of 82-23 in those two losses. The Tar Heels host the disappointing Clemson Tigers in their next game. Next week, they will be off with a bye.
12. Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1)
Wake Forest was not expected to do much this season with a roster overhaul and a new head coach. They did start the season off 2-0 with nonconference wins. The Demon Deacons suffered a competitive conference loss to NC State in their last outing. They had an early bye this week. They host an excellent Georgia Tech team next week. The Demon Deacons will look to keep it competitive and slowly progress throughout the season.
11. Pitt (2-1, 0-0)
Pitt came out of the gates hot and won big in their first two non-conference games. They suffered a one-score loss on the road to West Virginia in their last matchup. The Panthers had a bye this week. They will look to keep their passing attack going next week when they go up against Louisville. Quarterback Eli Holstein has thrown for over 300 yards in back-to-back games for the Panthers. They could have a real shot in their first conference game of the year.
10. NC State (3-1, 1-1)
NC State and its close games caught up with them this week. The Wolfpack fell to Duke on the road while giving up 45 points. They are still in a decent spot in the conference currently, but the end of the season does not look good for them. The Wolfpack has four ranked opponents left on the schedule, including two top-10 teams. Their defense will need to step up if they want a real shot in the ACC. They will host Virginia Tech next week.
9. SMU (2-2, 0-0)
After a playoff appearance last season, SMU had high hopes for this season. They have not started the season out the way they wanted. They lost to TCU this week, giving up 35 points. All hope is not lost for the Mustangs, as they have not started conference play yet. They will need to get it in gear and pick up where they left off last season, if they want to go back-to-back playoff appearances.
8. Cal (3-1, 0-0)
Despite losing to San Diego State last night the Cal Golden Bears are 3-1and are so far the biggest surprise in the ACC. The Golden Bears were projected to finish in the bottom half of the ACC this season, and they will continue to prove the doubters wrong. They will try and bounce back on the road next week to go head-to-head with Boston College. A 4-1 start could fire up this team in a huge way as they have one of the easier ACC schedules.
7. Virginia (3-1, 1-0)
Virginia picked up a nice conference win over Stanford this week. Their passing attack was on fire. This has to be a nice confidence booster after a close loss to NC State in their last conference matchup. The goal for the Cavaliers this season has to be to end the bowl game drought. The program has not reached a bowl game in five seasons, and fell just short last season. They are on a good track to start the season. The Cavaliers will host one of the top-ranked teams in the country next week in Florida State.
6. Duke (2-2, 1-0)
Duke started ACC play this week with a good win over NC State. Head Coach Manny Diaz made some noise in the conference last season. The Blue Devils will look to continue that momentum. They have suffered back-to-back non-conference losses, but a good conference win could get this team back on track. The Blue Devils will go on the road next week and face off against a Syracuse team that just beat Clemson.
5. Syracuse (3-1, 1-0)
How about Syracuse! After an opening season loss to Tennessee, the Orange have followed that up with three straight wins. They went into Death Valley this week and knocked off the Clemson Tigers. This win may end the Tigers' playoff hopes. Syracuse has the potential to shake up the ACC even more in the upcoming weeks. They play Georgia Tech and Miami, so let's see if they can keep ending teams' dreams in the ACC. The Orange will return home next week to go up against Duke.
4. Louisville (3-0, 0-0)
Louisville got a dominant victory this week against Bowling Green, following a game that was a lot closer than they would have liked versus James Madison. Now with Clemson falling out of the picture, the ACC may be the Cardinals to lose. They only have one ranked team on the schedule in Miami. If they take care of business throughout conference play, then the Cardinals may have a date in the ACC title game. Star, Isaac Brown, will be a key player to watch after he was limited in the game this week. The Cardinals will hit the road next week to play Pitt. They can not take this game lightly.
3. Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0)
Georgia Tech keeps on rolling. They destroyed Temple 45-24 this week. Speaking of a favorable schedule, the Yellow Jackets have just that. They currently do not have a single-ranked conference game left in the year. Haynes King and company may finally get over the hump this season. They will need to keep their heads on straight as they go on the road next week. The Yellow Jackets will play a Wake Forest team that will be coming off a bye.
2. Florida State (3-0, 0-0)
After a complete embarrassment of a season last year, Florida State is back. The Seminoles keep on scoring. They have now put up 143 points in their previous two games! Is this team unstoppable? The Seminoles ran for 498 yards this week, which broke the school record for most rushing yards in a single game. Transfer Tommy Castellanos is showing the college football world that he is legit. Castellanos and his Seminoles will kick off ACC play next week when they travel to take on Virginia.
1. Miami (4-0, 0-0)
Miami has been in complete dominance this season. They already have two ranked wins under their belts. They chomped down rival Florida this week. Carson Beck is on his revenge tour after Georgia basically forced him out of the program. This program as a whole has a lot to prove. They have been so close to getting to the playoffs in the past few seasons. Cam Ward and the Hurricanes fell just short last year. Beck looks to do what Ward failed to do and take them to the promised land. They will have a deserved bye next week.