ACC football Power Rankings: Where does Syracuse land after win at Cal?

Syracuse, N.Y. — The Syracuse football team moved up in my ACC power rankings and came close to cracking the top-25 polls as well after its 33-25 win at Cal.
We’ll see if Syracuse can keep the momentum against UConn this week. The Orange opened up as a nine-point favorite over the Huskies, but that line soon jumped to 10.5 or 11 on other sportsbooks.
UConn has played two tough games against ACC opponents this year, losing to Duke 26-21 and Wake Forest 23-20. The Orange has to be careful with the Huskies coming off a bye.
Elsewhere in the ACC, Stanford pulled off a big upset, SMU and Miami still appear on course for an ACC Championship Game matchup (but Clemson looms in the clubhouse with a 7-1 conference record), Pitt is free fallin’ and who is ready for a matchup between two one-win teams?
Here is how I ranked the ACC this week:
Record: 9-1 (6-0)
Last week’s rank: 1
Last week’s result: Win 38-28 over Boston College
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Virginia, 12 p.m., ESPN2
Why No. 1? SMU not only has a clear path to the ACC title game with Virginia and Cal left on its schedule, that could also lead to a spot in the expanded College Football Playoff. SMU is the only of the 17 ACC teams without a league loss, while No. 12 Miami and No. 17 Clemson both have one. The conference champion is likely guaranteed a spot in the playoff.
Record: 9-1 (5-1)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Wake Forest, 12 p.m., ESPN
Why No. 2? Miami has a home game against Wake Forest and a trip to Syracuse ahead to clinch its spot in the ACC Championship Game. If the Hurricanes take care of business and SU beats UConn, a true spoiler situation presents itself for Syracuse on Nov. 30 at the JMA Dome.
Record: 8-2 (7-1)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last week’s result: Win 24-20 over Pittsburgh.
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. The Citadel, 3:30 p.m., The CW
Why No. 3? Cade Klubnik snagged a signature moment with a go-ahead 50-yard touchdown that sunk Pitt’s battleship with 1:16 remaining to lift the 17th-ranked Tigers past the Panthers on Saturday.
The Tigers’ ACC record finishes at 7-1 as it will play out the season against The Citadel and South Carolina out of conference.
Record: 6-4 (4-3)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Thursday vs N.C. State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Why No. 4? The Yellow Jackets’ win over Miami carries them through the bye week, but they’ll have to beat N.C. State on Thursday night to stay in the Top 5 in its last ACC game of the season. A trip to Georgia looms.
Record: 7-3 (4-3)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last week’s result: Win 33-25 over Cal.
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. UConn, 12 p.m., ACC Network.
Why No. 5? Syracuse put together its best overall effort of the season in its win over Cal. Next week, the Orange can hit the eight-win mark in the regular season for just the third time in the last 26 years.
Record: 7-3 (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Virginia Tech, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Why No. 6? Manny Diaz’s defense held N.C. State to just 268 yards of offense, forced two turnovers, recorded a safety and stifled N.C. State in the red zone in its last game before the bye, where six drives inside Duke’s 20 resulted in a touchdown, four field goals and a missed kick.
Record: 6-4 (4-3)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last week’s result: Lost 38-35 to Stanford
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Pittsburgh, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Why No. 7? The Cardinals tumble down the list after taking a bad loss at Stanford. Louisville blew a 35-21 fourth-quarter lead. Two defensive penalties were killer for the Cardinals.
Record: 7-3 (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last week’s result: Lost 24-20 to Clemson
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Louisville, 4 p.m., ESPN2
Why No. 8? Pitt has dropped three straight since a 7-0 start. Thirteen penalties were costly in its upset bid of Clemson, but the Panthers had the Tigers on the ropes until late in the game.
Record: 6-4 (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last week’s result: Beat Wake Forest 31-24
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Boston College, 12 p.m., The CW
Why No. 9? The Tar Heels have won three-straight games after dropping four in a row. Running back Omarion Hampton has been the engine driving that winning streak. He posted career highs of 35 carries for 244 yards with a key late touchdown that helped North Carolina beat Wake Forest and push the Tar Heels to bowl eligibility. Hampton cracked the 100-yard rushing mark for the eighth-straight game.
Record: 5-5 (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Duke, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Why No. 10? The Hokies slide up here by default off a bye week. They have a chance to make some noise with a primetime slot at Duke this week.
Record: 5-5 (2-4)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last week’s result: Loss 38-28 to SMU
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. North Carolina, 12 p.m., The CW
Why No. 11? The Eagles found out the hard way that if you take a swing at the king, you best not miss. The Eagles piled up 417 total yards against SMU, their most since 559 in Week 2 against Duquesne, but fell by 10 points. Bill O’Brien was smart to make the QB change to Grayson James, who was solid and should give them a chance to get bowl eligible.
Record: 5-5 (3-3)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last week’s result: Loss 35-14 at Notre Dame
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. SMU, 12 p.m., ESPN2
Why No. 12? The Cavaliers have lost four of their last five and have to beat either SMU or rival Virginia Tech to get bowl eligible.
Record: 5-4 (2-4)
Last week’s ranking: 13
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Thursday at Georgia Tech, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Why No. 13? The Wolfpack hold firm here after a bye week. Either Georgia Tech or North Carolina stands in the way of bowl eligibility for the Wolfpack.
Record: 4-6 (2-4)
Last week’s ranking: 15
Last week’s result: Lost 31-24 to North Carolina
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Miami, 12 p.m., ESPN
Why No. 14? The Demon Deacons are two wins away from bowl eligibility and lost its first game on the road after wins at N.C. State, Connecticut and Stanford. Wake was within reach on this one, twice closing 14-point deficits to one-possession games, only to come up short.
Record: 3-7 (2-5)
Last week’s ranking: 16
Last week’s result: Win 38-35 over Louisville
This week’s schedule: Saturday at Cal, 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
Why No. 15? What a win for the Cardinal as a 52-yard field goal as time expired sunk No. 22 Louisville, ending the Cardinals’ six-game losing streak. You’ll recall Stanford also beat Syracuse on a last-second field goal. Former Syracuse quarterback Justin Lamson played a key role in the win with a touchdown pass with 45 seconds remaining.
Record: 5-5 (1-5)
Last week’s ranking: 14
Last week’s result: Loss 33-25 to Syracuse
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Stanford 3:30 p.m., ACC Network
Why No. 16? Some may quibble with Cal being ranked below Stanford and Wake Forest (Cal’s only ACC win), but the Bears’ ACC record can’t be ignored here. They have a chance to bump back up if the Bears beat Stanford this week.
Record: 1-9 (1-8)
Last week’s ranking: 17
Last week’s result: Off
This week’s schedule: Saturday vs. Charleston Southern, 1:30 p.m., ESPN+
Why No. 17? Who’s ready for a barn burner as 1-9 FSU takes on 1-10 Charleston Southern this week! The opposite of must-see TV (unless you like to watch car wrecks).
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