Miami (FL) football reigns supreme in the state of Florida — beating four different in-state foes. Yet the Hurricanes' victory over Florida State brings forth new concerns moving forward. At the same time, Miami's Atlantic Coast Conference power rankings spot remains intact — but there are a few other changes including one involving Duke.
1. Miami (-)
The Hurricanes completed the Sunshine State sweep on Saturday. Head coach Mario Cristobal has Miami needing to clean up penalty issues, though, moving forward. But he's also watching wide receiver Malachi Toney immediately threaten ACC Freshman of the Year honors.
2. Georgia Tech (-)
The Yellow Jackets took a nice breather Saturday with the bye week. Quarterback Haynes King heads into Virginia Tech week with 10 combined touchdowns.
3. Virginia (-)
The Cavaliers are proving they're built for overtime — by beating Louisville in the extra period this time. J'Mari Taylor fooled the Cardinals on the designed direct snap to the running back for the final touchdown.
4. Duke (+1)
Darian Mensah catapulted himself back into the conversation for ACC Player of the Year with a 265-yard performance at Cal. He also did that in his return to the Golden State — and has the Blue Devils moving up.
5. Pittsburgh (+4)
The Panthers pummeled an imploding Boston College team by scoring 45 of their 48 points through the first three quarters. Now they get a suddenly skidding Florida State team on the road.
6. Louisville (-2)
Miller Moss threw for 329 yards against a nationally-ranked foe. But the Cards drop two spots after taking their first loss of the year.
7. SMU (+5)
The Mustangs jump back into the top 10 of the rankings by beating previous No 6 Syracuse. QB Kevin Jennings has thrown a combined seven touchdowns the last two weeks.
8. Florida State (-3)
The Seminoles are slowly fading from the top 10 picture. FSU's late rally wasn't enough to topple the Hurricanes — and also leaves the ‘Noles at No. 25 nationally.
9. North Carolina State (+1)
The Wolf Pack earned nice redemption from a stunning Virginia Tech loss by trouncing Campbell 56-10. We'll see if NC State is a serious ACC contender, though, by taking on No. 16 Notre Dame on the road.
10. Syracuse (-4)
The Orange have dropped two in a row, but fell to a previously struggling SMU team. Head coach Fran Brown must reignite the offense, as Syracuse has scored no more than 18 points the last two games.
11. Wake Forest (-)
The Demon Deacons held off a suddenly improving Hokies team. They earn a non-conference break against Oregon State Saturday.
12. Cal (-4)
The Golden Bears have once again become a hard team to get a gauge on after the first three weeks. Prized college football recruiting addition Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele struggled against Duke in tossing three interceptions. While Justin Wilcox's defense allowed their most points this season.
13. Clemson (+3)
Dabo Swinney somewhat eased some tensions in Death Valley, by beating a legendary NFL head coach in Bill Belichick Saturday. Can this be the much needed momentum swing for the Tigers?
14. Stanford (+1)
The Cardinal now have a $50 million individual gift to the program. Perhaps that massive monetary donation will spark a road upset of SMU Saturday.
15. North Carolina (-2)
The Belichick era took a new turn Wednesday. North Carolina insider Andrew Jones of 247Sports reported that there's “preliminary discussions” the university has looked into an exit strategy for the coach. Belichick and the Tar Heels also have an NCAA violation in front of them too.
16. Virginia Tech (-2)
Phillip Montgomery has Virginia Tech playing more inspired football. We'll see if that's enough to hand him a new chance at being a head coach.
17. Boston College (-)
Belichick isn't the only former New England Patriot struggling in the ACC. Bill O'Brien's season has gone backwards — with many wondering if he's on the hot seat too.
