The Atlantic Coast Conference has historically run second fiddle to the SEC in terms of football.

In recent years, the ACC has made progress in closing the gap between the two conferences, but there is still a way to go before it catches up to the SEC.

Here is a look at how the two conferences’ teams rank against one another:

PLAYOFF CONVERSATION

Ole Miss still seems to be the team to beat by virtue of the best win this season at Alabama. Georgia is still in contention and we will learn much more about the Bulldogs this week as they welcome Alabama to Athens. If the Crimson Tide beats UGA, they are back in it. Meanwhile, Texas A&M is right there as well. In the ACC, Clemson and Florida State are the favorites, and Clemson can make serious noise this weekend with a win over Notre Dame.

  1. Ole Miss
  2. Georgia
  3. Texas A&M
  4. Clemson
  5. Florida State
  6. Alabama

SERIOUS CONTENDERS

In the SEC, Leonard Fournette has LSU on the cusp of getting into the playoffs with Florida a dark horse. A win over Ole Miss in The Swamp gets the Gators some serious respect. A logjam of teams in the ACC are still in contention and in that league, any number of teams can still win the conference title.

  1. LSU
  2. Miami
  3. NC State
  4. Boston College
  5. Duke
  6. Florida

CHALLENGERS

If Syracuse can bounce back from the loss to LSU, it can be a factor in the ACC race. The same goes for Pitt, North Carolina and Wake Forest, which hosts FSU this week. Three other SEC teams will help decide who wins the conference title.

  1. Mississippi State
  2. Syracuse
  3. Kentucky
  4. North Carolina
  5. Wake Forest
  6. Missouri
  7. Pittsburgh

NO ONE WANTS TO PLAY THEM

Three teams fit this category from the two conferences. These are the teams no one wants to see get off the bus outside its stadium.

  1. Tennessee
  2. Georgia Tech
  3. Virginia Tech

ON THE UPSWING

Its record does not seem to merit placing it in the positive-sounding section, but it has improved each week.

  1. Vanderbilt

AND THE REST

Unfortunately, each conference has its have-nots who are already looking forward to the offseason.

  1. Auburn
  2. Arkansas
  3. Virginia
  4. South Carolina
  5. Louisville