Each week, The Clemson Insider will rank the teams in both the ACC Atlantic and Coastal Divisions.
Here are our power rankings for the Atlantic Division heading into Week 4 of the college football season:
- #2 Clemson (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
Although it hasn’t played its best football through three games, Clemson is 3-0 and remains the clear team to beat in the ACC. The Tigers are the only team in the ACC ranked in the top 20 nationally in both yards per game and yards per game allowed. Led by Kelly Bryant and Trevor Lawrence, Clemson’s offense has proven to be explosive early with seven passing plays of 40 yards or more this season after posting only 11 such plays during the entire 14-game season in 2017. The defense looked vulnerable with numerous coverage busts in the win over Texas A&M but is still 10th in the nation in total defense (268 yards/game allowed). The Tigers have talent and depth all over the field on both sides of the ball, and with a favorable schedule ahead, it looks like they might have already faced their toughest test of the season at Texas A&M on Sept. 8. Next up: at Georgia Tech
- #25 Boston College (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
An athletic and physical bunch, Boston College is the only team in the ACC Atlantic besides Clemson that is ranked in the top 25 nationally (No. 25 in the Coaches Poll). The Eagles have a number of weapons on a potent offense that is averaging 577 yards per game through three games, the 11th-best mark in the country. Quarterback Anthony Brown has completed 68.8 percent of his passes for 626 yards and nine touchdowns with no interceptions, while A.J. Dillon leads the conference and is fifth in the country with 432 yards rushing. The Eagles earned a hard-fought road win over Wake Forest last week, and with Purdue and Temple their next two opponents, they have a good chance to be 5-0 heading into their game at NC State on Oct. 6. Next up: at Purdue
- Syracuse (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
As bad as Florida State has been so far this season, Syracuse’s 30-7 win over the Seminoles at the Carrier Dome last Saturday was impressive nonetheless, especially considering the Orange lost starting quarterback Eric Dungey in the first half due to injury. Backup Tommy DeVito stepped in seamlessly, throwing for 144 yards and a touchdown on an 11-of-16 clip while rushing for another touchdown. Dino Babers’ squad is not an easy out in the ACC, and Dungey is set to return vs. Connecticut this weekend. Next up: vs. Connecticut
- NC State (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
We don’t know much about NC State yet and likely won’t learn much this week when the Wolfpack travel to play Marshall. So far, NC State has played James Madison and Georgia State at home (its Week 3 game vs. then No. 15 West Virginia was cancelled due to Hurricane Florence). Wolfpack quarterback Ryan Finley is one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the ACC. The senior leads the conference with a 74.1 completion percentage and is third in the conference with 679 passing yards despite having played just two games. Next up: at Marshall
- Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1 ACC)
Wake Forest can score with anybody (15th nationally in total offense at 542 yards/game), but the Demon Deacons have a lot of work to do on defense (108th nationally in total defense at 457 yards/game allowed). Wake Forest is especially suspect in its youthful secondary, allowing more than 300 yards passing per game. Offensively, they are relying on a true freshman quarterback in Sam Hartman. The Demon Deacons played Boston College tough at home in Week 3 but came up short. They’ll have another chance at a big early season victory when they play host to No. 8 Notre Dame on Saturday. Next up: vs. Notre Dame
- Louisville (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
Louisville dearly misses Lamar Jackson, as evidenced by the fact its offense is the worst in the ACC and one of the worst in the nation in terms of yards per game (308). Jawon Pass began the season as Louisville’s starting quarterback but has managed to complete just 50 percent of his passes for 341 yards and two touchdowns against four interceptions. As a result, the Cardinals will turn to true freshman Malik Cunningham, who will make his first college start Saturday at Virginia. Next up: at Virginia
- Florida State (1-2, 0-2 ACC)
There isn’t really any other way to put it – the Seminoles have simply been really bad in the first three games of the Willie Taggart era. Florida State lost to Virginia Tech and Syracuse by a combined score of 54-10, while it barely beat Samford, 36-26, at home in Week 2. Its offensive line has shown no signs of improvement, and as a result, Deondre Francois has been sacked 10 times through three games. Overall, Florida State ranks 111th in the country in yards per game (340) and 96th in yards per game allowed (428). The Seminoles will try to right the ship moving forward starting with its home game against Northern Illinois on Saturday. Next up: vs. Northern Illinois