ACC Football Rankings Shakeup

Week 5 of the college football season brought out the true identities of many ACC programs. We saw teams move up and down the top 25 rankings while having an unexpected newcomer.

Syracuse Has Best Start Since 1987

The Syracuse Orange have had a tremendous start to this college football season. The Orange are 5-0 for the first time since 1987. They sit at the 22nd spot in the rankings and have a much-deserved bye week. When they return in Week 7, they will be met with their toughest challenge of the season so far. The Orange will be hosting the 14th-ranked NC State Wolfpack who just went down to the wire with Clemson. Syracuses’ key so far has been their star running back Sean Tucker. Tucker is leading the ACC in rushing, averaging 109 rushing yards per game.

https://twitter.com/accnetwork/status/1576356546430341122

3 Other ACC Teams Are Ranked

Clemson, NC State, and Wake Forest all remain ranked in the top 25. Clemson kept the fifth spot after their incredible performance against the NC State Wolfpack. The Tigers are putting up great quarterback play by DJ Uiagalelei and their defensive front seven is dominant.

NC State only fell four spots after their loss to Clemson. The AP voters took into account the difficulty of playing at Death Valley. They did recognize that the Wolfpack fought for the entirety of the game and gave  Clemson a run for their money.

Wake Forest moved up seven spots after defeating, at the time, the 23rd-ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Demon Deacons took a commanding lead from the get-go and never looked back. Quarterback Sam Hartman threw for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns in a great performance.

5-0 pic.twitter.com/HWKXUItsWe

— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) October 2, 2022

FSU and Pitt Drop From Rankings

After starting the season 4-0, Florida State made its way into the top 25. There was some pushback on their placement in the rankings because they hadn’t beaten any good teams. In week 5, they faced their first true test, Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons controlled the game from the get-go and exploited the Seminoles’ defense. After suffering a 10mpoint loss at home, FSU would be dropped from the rankings.

Pitt had a solid start to the season, winning three games and losing to a talented Tennesse team. However, in week 5, the Panthers were upset by a one-win Georgia Tech team at home. Pitt’s offense made a last-minute effort in the fourth quarter, but Georgia Tech was able to put more points on the board to secure the victory. The Panthers are now unranked and have yet to win against an ACC opponent.

Final. #NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/ZniNWmXx5Z

— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) October 1, 2022