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ACC Power Rankings: Where is Virginia Tech after its 20-16 win over Clemson?
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- ACC Power Rankings: Where is Virginia Tech after its 20-16 win over Clemson?
Virginia Tech Athletics
Virginia Tech picked up its second consecutive ACC win with a 20-16 victory over Clemson. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer found tight end Luke Reynolds in the end zone with 104 seconds remaining to put the Hokies up four. The bottom tier of the conference was chaotic, which mixed up the rankings since last week . Where does every team sit after eight weeks of college football?
17. Georgia Tech (2-5, 1-3 ACC)
Georiga Tech looked inept against Boston College, as they suffered a 49-27 loss. The Yellow Jackets allowed 500 total yards and 400 rushing yards, including 170 from quarterback Mason McKenzie. Georiga Tech's win against Duke two weeks ago now looks to have just offered false hope.
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16. NC State (3-4, 1-3 ACC)
NC State lost to Stanford 31-28, and following the loss, long-time head coach Dave Doeren was fired. The Wolfpack may be going quit mode following their disappointing start.
15. Cal (3-5, 2-3 ACC)
Cal led against SMU heading into halftime, and that was by far the best headline to come out of the performance. The Golden Bears allowed 42 unanswered points in the second half to mark the second straight beat down they have suffered to two of the ACC's best.
14. Stanford (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
Stanford won its second straight game with a 31-28 victory over NC State at home. In the win, quarterback Davis Warren threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns. Don't look now, but the Cardinal are now just two wins away from being bowl eligibility.
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13. Syracuse (3-4, 1-4 ACC)
Quarterback Steve Angeli in his return after being sidelined by injury for three games led Syracuse to its first conference win - a 31-30 overtime win over North Carolina. The Orange have a tough game coming up as they host SMU next week.
12. Virginia (4-4, 2-3 ACC)
Virginia continued its disappoing season with another ACC loss, this time a 19-16 defeat to Duke. The Cavaliers have now lost 3 of their last four and look like a shell of last year's team. Quarterback Beau Pribula's struggles continued as he put up a line of 158 yards and an interception in the loss.
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11. North Carolina (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
After back-to-back wins against Pitt and Duke, North Carolina fell 31-30 in overtime to Syracuse after a late collapse. The Tar Heels have a tough week coming up with Miami coming to town on Halloween.
10. Florida State (3-4, 1-3 ACC)
Florida State had a bye week to think about the controversial ending to its game against Miami two weeks ago. They host Clemson this Saturday.
9. Boston College (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
If you had told a college football fan that Boston College had made its way into the top 10 in the ACC they might would have laughed in your face, but now here we are. The Eagles had their way with Georgia Tech, as they totaled 500 yards in the 22-point win. Duke, Florida State, Notre Dame, Syracuse and Miami remain on their schedule; is a bowl-eligible season possible for Boston College?
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8. Pitt (5-3, 2-3 ACC)
Pitt has now lost three straight following quarterback Mason Heintschel's injury against Virginia Tech, and the season has took a turn for the worst. The latest being a 52-23 blowout loss at the hands of Miami. The Panthers have a chance to be bowl eligible
7. Clemson (4-3, 2-2 ACC)
Clemson nearly outplayed Virginia Tech in every aspect of the game, and yet still came away with the loss. The Tigers held the Hokies to a mere 3.3 yards per play, had six sacks and outgained Tech by about 50 yards, but they couldn't get the job done. A deflating loss for head coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson program.
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6. Duke (5-2, 2-2 ACC)
Duke snapped a two-game losing skid with a 19-16 win over Virginia last Friday, and are now in prime position for a bowl game. In last year's ACC Championship Game rematch, a trick pass from runningback Nate Sheppard gave the Blue Devils the game-winning touchdown. Duke has a blazing hot Boston College coming to Durham this weekend.
5. Louisville (4-3, 3-2 ACC)
Louisville had a bye week in Week 8 and host Stanford this week, coming off two straight wins.
4. Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-2 ACC)
Virginia Tech went on the road to beat Clemson in Death Valley for the first time since 2007 behind big plays down the stretch from Grunkemeyer. If a couple of plays had gone the Hokies way against Pitt and Cal, there could be an undefeated team in Blacksburg. Regardless of that, Virginia Tech is still alive and has an important bye week before a pivotal matchup at SMU.
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3. SMU (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
SMU looked to be on upset watch as they trailed Cal by three at halftime. The Mustangs then proceeded to score 42 unanswered points to win 59-20. Quarterback Kevin Jennings threw for 223 yards and three touchdowns in the win.
2. Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1 ACC)
Wake Forest had a bye week and looks to continue its hot streak against Virginia this weekend. The Demon Deacons have a rather favorable schedule from here on out, with a marquee matcup against SMU scheduled for Nov. 14.
1. Miami (7-0, 5-0 ACC)
The No. 1 team in the country steamrolled Pitt 52-23, behind incredible performances from quarterback Darian Mensah (387 yards, four touchdowns) and wide receiver Malachi Toney (16 catches, 194 yards, three touchdowns). Miami has been dominant in ACC play so far this year, and that trend looks to continue.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/virginiatech as ACC Power Rankings: Where is Virginia Tech after its 20-16 win over Clemson? .
