ACC football Week 11 power rankings: SMU climbs to 2nd, closing in on trip to Charlotte
Welcome to The Athletic's ACC power rankings. Each week, Grace Raynor and Manny Navarro take turns drafting teams based on how they performed the previous week (and all season). Grace has the first pick this week. Manny will pick first next week.
The Hurricanes are a perfect 9-0 and on track to close out the regular season without a blemish, as long as they remember to take a knee against Georgia Tech this week and don't get in their own way down the stretch. — Raynor
Crushing previously unbeaten Pitt at home put the Mustangs in the driver's seat to reach the ACC title game. All that stands in SMU's way are wins over three 4-4 teams: Boston College , Virginia and Cal. See you in the Queen City, Rhett Lashlee. — Navarro
The Cardinals played spoiler against Clemson last week, picking up their biggest win of the season along the way. There's not a clear path for the Cardinals to Charlotte , but Louisville has done a good job of beating the teams it needs to and has just three losses on the season, to Miami, SMU and Notre Dame . — Raynor
Sitting at No. 18 in the CFP rankings puts the Panthers in a very interesting position. If Pat Narduzzi's team wins its last four — including games against No. 23 Clemson and No. 22 Louisville — it's hard to imagine Pitt not being right on the bubble to make the 12-team field with an 11-1 record. — Navarro
The Tigers have only one league loss but will need some help to reach the league title game, and an at-large CFP bid seems unlikely after the committee ranked them 23rd this week. — Raynor
The Orange's come-from-behind win over Virginia Tech means they'll go bowling for the third consecutive season. That's notable when you consider that hasn't happened since the late 1990s. — Navarro
The Blue Devils have lost two straight, but one was to Miami and the other was to SMU by a single point in overtime. This final stretch against NC State , Virginia Tech and Wake Forest could help Manny Diaz's inaugural squad end on a high note. — Raynor
Injuries hampered the Hokies (5-4) last week in a tough-to-stomach loss at Syracuse, but there's no time to feel sorry for themselves. If Brent Pry is going to show progress in Year 3, he needs to win out against Clemson, Duke and Virginia. Otherwise, 2024 won't look very different than last season (7-6). — Navarro
Brent Key said he is "hopeful" quarterback Haynes King will be back when Miami comes to town this weekend. That would be a huge boost to an offense that has scored a total of 19 points in the two games that King has missed. — Raynor
Mack Brown had been 0-11 all-time against Florida State as a head coach before the Tar Heels' 35-11 win in Tallahassee last weekend. So, the 73-year-old can cross one of the final items off his bucket list. If the Heels win out against Wake Forest, Boston College and NC State, Brown can put himself in position to do something he's achieved only once in his second go-around in Chapel Hill: win nine games in a season. — Navarro
Everything came together for NC State in a 59-28 win against Stanford last week. True freshman quarterback CJ Bailey looked great, completing 18 of 20 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns. The future should be bright with him running the show. — Raynor
Virginia has made some progress in Year 3 under Tony Elliott but will need to win two of its final four — against Pitt (No. 18), Notre Dame (No. 10), SMU (No. 13) and Virginia Tech — to become bowl-eligible. Good luck, Tony. – Navarro
Five of Wake's seven games against FBS opponents have been decided by four points or less. It has won three of those, including two straight. Wake has a chance to get over .500 for the first time this season when Cal — another team that plays a bunch of close games — visits Winston-Salem this weekend. — Raynor
If you want to measure Cal's progress, don't do it by counting ACC victories. They don't have any. Do it by giveaways. They have only five through eight games. Last year, the Bears had 28, fourth-most among FBS teams. — Navarro
Boston College is on a three-game losing streak, and it doesn't get easier with games against Syracuse, SMU, UNC and Pitt looming. Bill O'Brien's first season started out with a bang, but the Eagles offense now ranks No. 100 nationally. — Raynor
I didn't realize this until I read it in The Stanford Daily , but the Cardinal have lost 12 consecutive home games against FBS opponents. Their last such home win was on Oct. 22, 2022, against Arizona State , a game won 15-14 on the fifth field goal of the day by Joshua Karty . Yikes! — Navarro
The Seminoles continue to make history for all of the wrong reasons. Their 1-7 ACC record is the worst in program history. Another yikes! — Raynor
Bonus question
Who will play in the 2025 (not 2024!) ACC Championship Game?
Navarro: Put me down for Miami-SMU in a rematch. This may not be as tough to narrow down as you might think. Yes, Miami is losing Cam Ward after this season. But I'm fairly confident Miami's NIL spending habits and elite recruiting aren't walking out the door. Clemson doesn't use the portal (or hasn't yet). Pittsburgh and SMU, meanwhile, are in line to bring back their elite young QBs.
Raynor: I'm not sold on a Ward-less Miami team, and the Florida State debacle makes me hesitant to assume the Hurricanes will blow through the league again next year. I'll take Clemson-SMU. Cade Klubnik and Kevin Jennings could be the two most exciting quarterbacks in the league next year, and the Tigers could be on a revenge tour after Louisville (essentially) spoiled their plans this year.
(Photo of Rhett Lashlee and SMU: Chris Leduc / Icon Sportswire via )
