ACC power rankings after Week 12: Clemson, SMU survive tough November tests
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Week 12 of ACC action is complete.
It was a relatively quiet week in the ACC, as only 11 teams were in action due to late-season byes. Still, there was plenty of action — particularly in close games between Clemson-Pitt and Louisville-Stanford.
Here’s Saturday Down South’s updated ACC Week 12 power rankings:
17. Florida State (Previously: 17)
FSU was off this week.
16. Wake Forest (Previously: 15)
Wake Forest fell to North Carolina on Saturday, putting its bowl hopes in further peril.
15. Stanford (Previously: 16)
Stanford gets another ACC win! The Cardinal upset Louisville on Saturday thanks to a 52-yard field goal at the horn. Ashton Daniels had arguably his best game of the season. It hasn’t been a great season for Stanford, but that’s a win you can feel good about.
14. NC State (Previously: 14)
NC State was idle this week.
13. Cal (Previously: 7)
Cal fought hard, but ultimately lost to Syracuse on Saturday night. It’s been an up-and-down season for the Golden Bears, but they can still clinch bowl eligibility with a win in one of their last 2 games.
12. Virginia Tech (Previously: 13)
Virginia Tech did not play in Week 12.
11. Boston College (Previously: 12)
Tough week for Boston College. The Eagles gave SMU all it could handle, but they also lost quarterback Thomas Castellanos to the portal this week. We’ll see if Grayson James can lead BC to a crucial 6th win over the last 2 weeks.
10. Virginia (Previously: 10)
Virginia got smoked by Notre Dame this week. There’s no shame in that, though — that’s happened to just about everyone in the ACC who has met the Fighting Irish in 2024.
9. North Carolina (Previously: 11)
North Carolina is bowl-eligible! Big win over Wake Forest, led by star running back Omarion Hampton and his 244 rushing yards. After all UNC has been through this season, it’s nice to see the Tar Heels get on a winning streak in November.
8. Pitt (Previously: 8)
Pitt fought admirably without quarterback Eli Holstein running the show. Unfortunately, the Panthers had a seemingly-infinite number of pre-snap penalties in this game. They just weren’t able to overcome it in the end.
7. Syracuse (Previously: 9)
Good win for Syracuse this week. Kyle McCord had his best game in awhile as he threw for 323 yards, 1 touchdown and zero interceptions.
6. Duke (Previously: 6)
Duke was idle in Week 12.
5. Louisville (Previously: 4)
That’s one of the worst losses that any team in the ACC has endured all season, Louisville. Dreadful stuff.
4. Georgia Tech (Previously: 5)
Georgia Tech was on bye this week.
3. Clemson (Previously: 3)
Clemson narrowly avoided defeat on Saturday against Pitt. The Panthers just couldn’t get out of their own way and they were able to bring down Cade Klubnik on a game-winning 55-yard touchdown run. The result was good, but it’s hard to feel too good about this performance if you’re a Clemson fan.
2. Miami (Previously: 2)
Miami was off this week.
1. SMU (Previously 1)
SMU played a relatively close game with Boston College, but got out of it still undefeated. Kevin Jennings threw 3 touchdown passes in the win.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
