ACC Power Rankings: Syracuse isn’t the only winning team with flaws, but tougher tests lie ahead

Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse is going to enjoy an extended stay taking up residence in the neighborhood of college football’s unbeaten.

Its spot is secure for three weeks.

Yes, there’s a game Saturday evening against Wagner, but the Seahawks have lost 23 in a row dating back to the 2019 season.

After that, SU gets two weeks to prepare for its Oct. 15 home game against North Carolina State.

That kicks off a brutal back-half of the schedule in which Syracuse faces all five teams ahead of it in this week’s Power Rankings — plus Notre Dame.

Settle in, and let’s begin to unpack it.

1. Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC)

Last game: W 51-45 (2OT) at Wake Forest

Next game: vs. North Carolina State; 7:30 p.m.; ABC

They don’t hand out most improved player awards in football, but Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei would be an early candidate.

He threw for a season-high 371 yards and career-high five touchdowns, including the game-winner in the second overtime period to tight end Davis Allen, to get by Wake Forest and extend the nation’s longest winning streak to 10 games.

It sets up a top-10 showdown against North Carolina State in primetime on Saturday night.

2. North Carolina State (4-0)

Last game: W 41-10 vs. Connecticut

Next game: at Clemson; 7:30 p.m.; ABC

N.C. State broke into the Top 10 of the AP poll for the first time since 2002, when Philip Rivers was slinging it to Jerricho Cotchery.

Officially, that was State’s last double-digit win season (though Dave Doeren has taken credit for it last year after UCLA backed out of the bowl game on late notice).

The Wolfpack has self-corrected after an early season scare at East Carolina.

It can now earn its spot as a College Football Playoff contender with a win at Clemson.

3. Wake Forest (3-1, 0-1 ACC)

Last game: L 51-45 (2OT) vs. Clemson

Next game: at Florida State; 3:30 p.m.; ABC

Wake holds firm in the poll after an overtime loss to Clemson in which it sounded alarm bells all throughout South Carolina over the play of the Tigers’ defensive backfield.

This is a team good enough to shake up the Atlantic Division race later in the season, and with Clemson looking anything but a national championship contender to this point, Wake’s chances at returning to Charlotte for the ACC title game should not be discounted just yet.

4. Florida State (4-0, 2-0 ACC) ↑4

Last game: W 44-14 vs. Boston College

Next game: vs. Wake Forest; 3:30 p.m.; ABC

A business-like win against one of the league’s cellar dwellers isn’t what moves the needle for Florida State this week.

What does it is that Jordan Travis looked more than OK after a leg injury ended his night early the previous week against Louisville.

And that standout edge rusher Jared Verse’s knee injury doesn’t appear to be of long-term concern.

The Seminoles, 4-0 for the first time since 2015, can bump up another spot (and improve their standing as Atlantic Division contenders) with a win Saturday against the Demon Deacons.

5. Pittsburgh (3-1)↑1

Last game: W 45-24 vs. Rhode Island

Next game: vs. Georgia Tech; 8 p.m.; ACC Network

We might look up in a couple weeks and see the only result keeping Pitt from the ranks of the unbeaten with bowl eligibility sewn up is an overtime loss to Tennessee.

6. Syracuse (4-0, 2-0 ACC)↓1

Last game: W 22-20 vs. Virginia

Next game: vs. Wagner; 5 p.m.; ACC Network Extra/ESPN+

The Power Rankings are staunch supporters of the nebulous eye test.

So here we go: Syracuse will be off to its best start to a season in 35 years, but it’s been a hand-timed and wind-aided result that will be viewed differently in some circles.

A few unforced blunders in key spots by the opposition factor into the unblemished record as much as the late-game heroics from Garrett Shrader the previous two times out.

Don’t read too much into Florida Atlantic giving Purdue a handful: Star quarterback Aidan O’Connell did not play.

But Virginia has issues, and a four-turnover outing by SU kept the Cavaliers in it.

The prevailing reason for caution: Stefon Thompson, Chris Elmore and now Terry Lockett are significant losses opponents will look to exploit.

7. North Carolina (3-1) ↑1

Last game: L 45-32 vs. Notre Dame

Next game: vs. Virginia Tech; 3:30 p.m.; ACC Network

Drake Maye is the real deal, which means Carolina is going to be in a lot of games the rest of the way.

The Tar Heel defense is decidedly not the real deal, which means Carolina must outscore a lot of teams the rest of the way.

In a weak and wounded division, the Pittsburgh game on Oct. 29 might decide the Coastal representative in Charlotte.

8. Louisville (2-2, 0-2 ACC) ↑1

Last game: W 41-3 vs. South Florida

Next game: at Boston College; noon; ACC Network

Another milestone week for Malik Cunningham, who became the eighth player in NCAA history to exceed 8,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards for a career.

Two have played at Louisville; two played at Nevada, and Syracuse has faced three of these guys since Dino Babers took over in 2016.

Also on the list: Brad Smith (Missouri), Colin Kaepernick (Nevada), Cody Fajardo (Nevada), Quinton Flowers (South Florida), J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), Lamar Jackson (Louisville) and Jalen Hurts (Alabama and Oklahoma).

9. Duke (3-1)↑1

Last game: L 35-27 at Kansas

Next game: vs. Virginia; 7:30 p.m.; ESPN3

It’s become increasingly clear David Cutcliffe left a departing gift to the place he built into a respectable football program.

The evaluation done on a little-known quarterback from Alabama during the height of the pandemic, when in-person recruiting was shut down, has the staying power to help the Blue Devils return to a bowl in Mike Elko’s first season.

In an unthinkable turn of events from the preseason, Riley Leonard has made Duke’s quarterback situation more clear than Miami’s.

Tyler Van Dyke was being talked about as a potential first-round draft pick next year. Elko didn’t even name Leonard as his starter until five days before the opener.

10. Miami (2-2) ↓6

Last game: L 45-31 vs. Middle Tennessee

Next game: vs. North Carolina

Miami, needless to say, plummets in the poll after a humiliating loss to Middle Tennessee that cost the school $1.5 million and even more in misery.

Mario Cristobal blurted some hypermasculinity afterward about “real men” looking in the mirror and not allowing any cracks to happen from inside.

Anyway, Van Dyke got benched after another slow start, raising a bunch of questions for Josh Gattis’ offense with two weeks to prepare for North Carolina.

Congrats to Scott Shafer, the Blue Raiders’ defensive coordinator.

11. Virginia (2-2, 0-1 ACC)

Last game: L 22-20 at Syracuse

Next game: at Duke; 7:30 p.m.; ESPN3

Tony Elliott hasn’t yet cashed in his inheritance from Bronco Mendenhall on the offensive side of the ball. But he’s got a defense to hang his hat on.

After letting an opportunity to steal a conference road win slip away in Syracuse, the Cavaliers ready themselves to face two more dynamic dual-threat quarterbacks in Leonard and Cunningham.

12. Virginia Tech (2-2, 1-0 ACC)

Last game: L 33-10 vs. West Virginia

Next game: at North Carolina; 3:30 p.m.; ACC Network

The Coastal Division “leaders” were served up their worst home loss to West Virginia last Thursday night.

The Hokies haven’t beaten a non-conference, Power-Five opponent at Lane Stadium since 2009, amid a sustained eight-year run of winning 10 or more games.

Quite a climb ahead to get back to those days.