Another week in the books.
What an upset by Georgia Tech, huh? For the ACC, it’s yet another week where the conference performed mightily among the landscape of college football. With a week 3 record of 6-3 in the non-conference slate, and a 32-17 record overall, there are certainly worse conferences out there. And, to be quite frank, there just haven’t been that many games to compare conference health.
Marquee wins this week included the California Golden Bears defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 27-14, and No. 5 Miami defeating No. 18 South Florida, 49-12. Other victories included North Carolina’s win over the FCS Richmond Spiders, and Stanford finally getting in the win column after defeating Boston College.
There is still so much football left to be played, and anything can happen, of course. But for now, here are our ACC power rankings for Week 3 of the 2025 college football season.
No. 17: Virginia Tech Hokies (0-3, 0-0 ACC)
We have a new No. 17. The Hokies have been terrible defensively, letting up 40 points to both Vanderbilt and Old Dominion of all teams. Head coach Brent Pry was fired today. He went 16-24 with the Hokies. I have 6 million more reasons to be pessimistic about this team.
16. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (2-1, 0-1 ACC)
Wake looked good against Western Carolina, but it was all for naught as NC State tormented them all day in a 34-24 loss that puts the Demon Deacons near the bottom of the rankings.
15. Stanford Cardinal (1-2, 1-0 ACC)
Stanford finally joins the win column after three weeks of miserable football. Funnily enough, they are ranked 3rd in the ACC standings, but just 15th in our power rankings. A regression to the expected cellar of the ACC will inevitably happen.
14. Duke Blue Devils (1-2, 0-0 ACC)
Losing to a No. 11 Illinois and a surging Tulane team was practically what everyone expected for Duke this year, which is a shame since they’re typically a team that starts out strong in non-conference play. Thankfully, the rest of their schedule, minus Georgia Tech, gives some hope that bowl eligibility might be possible.
13. Boston College Eagles (1-2, 0-1 ACC)
You lost to Stanford of all teams. STANFORD. It’s like we said before, if you blew all your points for a win against Fordham, you won’t have any left over for the rest of the season. That’s definitely how this works.
12. Virginia Cavaliers (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
A good win over FCS William and Mary for Virginia this week, but you have Florida State coming to Blacksburg in two weeks. A reality check will likely be in order then.
11. SMU Mustangs (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
We all fell for it when SMU was ranked to start the season. If they took down Baylor, they would be much higher on this list. A 28-10 win over FBS newcomer Missouri State does not impress. Take care of business against TCU, then we’ll talk.
10. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
Going to Orlando to take on UCF will go a long way to wash off the stink of losing 48-14 to TCU. You looked good against Richmond, not so good against Charlotte. We’ll see.
9. Pittsburgh Panthers (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
They ate you-know-what. West Virginia was coming off a loss to MAC-member Ohio, so they needed a bounce-back win desperately. Their schedule to end the season is… rough. You’ll have to get to six wins before game 10, probably.
8. Clemson Tigers (1-2, 0-1 ACC)
This is not the Clemson we all know and fear. This is some lesser version of it. A loss to a very good Georgia Tech isn’t the end of the world, but if you lose to Syracuse, or even just one more game, you might as well write off the rest of 2025 and your hopes of making it to the playoffs.
7. Syracuse Orange (2-1, 0-0 ACC)
After a very not-good performance versus Tennessee in Week 1, the Orange defeated both UConn and FCS Colgate. Not the most impressive resume in existence, but defeating Clemson this week would go a very long way.
6. Louisville Cardinals (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
The Cardinals were on a bye this week, so not much can really be said about them for week three. They’re still 2-0, and Bowling Green is coming to town this week. It’s likely the Cards are starting 3-0, so that’s why they’re up this high.
5. California Golden Bears (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
Cal is quietly establishing itself as a sleeper in the ACC. Oregon State and Minnesota aren’t Alabama and Georgia, but they are quality wins any coach would be happy to pick up. It wouldn’t surprise me if 10 wins are possible for this squad.
4. NC State Wolfpack (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
NC State takes down its first real ACC opponent (Virginia didn’t count), but a tough second-half schedule is looming. Keep winning, and they’ll stay near the top.
3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC)
Defeating Clemson was one of their biggest wins in a very long time. Haynes King is for real. It wouldn’t be shocking at all to see the Yellow Jackets in playoff consideration. A paper soft ACC schedule helps greatly.
2. Florida State Seminoles (2-0, 0-0 ACC)
Florida State was on a bye this week, but they take on another doormat in the Kent State Golden Flashes on Sept. 20. The Miami game in a few weeks, I think, should be the site of College GameDay. The Seminoles truly are back, and the coaches rewarded them with a boost of moving up three spots in the US LBM Coaches Poll, despite not playing. Funny how that works.
1. Miami Hurricanes (3-0, 0-0 ACC)
It’s fair to say Miami has earned its spot back at No. 1 in our power rankings. Defeating No. 18 South Florida this week did this, along with Florida State simply not playing. The top spot this year is likely going to keep bouncing between the Seminoles, Hurricanes, and Yellow Jackets. It’s not far-fetched to think all three could make the College Football Playoff.
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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: ACC Football Power Rankings after Week 3: Georgia Tech, NC State make statements
Reporting by Jacob Smith, FSU Wire / FSU Wire
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