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ACC Football: Coastal Division Power Rankings Week 6
Another week of ACC Football. Another round of Coastal Division Power Rankings
Before I get started, let’s take a moment of silence for those affected by the impact of Hurricane Matthew.
That storm left its impact not just on lives and homes but the sports world as well. Games were postponed or severely affected by the winds and rain. Teams that looked invincible were shown not to be when left in the eye of the storm.
Let’s start in the Big Ten where the storm had no impact. Michigan continued the weekly romp of Rutgers. The Scarlet Knights have been outscored 136-0 against the two Big Ten Powerhouses.
The other powerhouse, Ohio State, struggled early but came away with a big win against Indiana.
Meanwhile, Iowa and Penn State got back on the winning track and Purdue won just their third Big Ten game since 2013.
Down the road in the Pac 12, Washington continued it’s dominant run with a complete dismantling of Oregon in Eugene. Stanford lost for the second week in a row and it’s looking like the Pac-12 North will be decided in the annual Apple Cup. It appears no one wants to win the Pac-12 South as Colorado and California fell. USC is not dead once again this season.
In the Southwest, the Big 12 continues to eliminate itself from team play. Teams with no conference losses fell to three this week as Texas Tech lost. TCU needed a late score and a missed field goal to survive Kansas. Oklahoma looks like the team to beat, but the Sooners have two losses already this season.
The best team again might still be Houston, who doesn’t yet play in the Big 12. However, even they lost this week thanks to the effects of Hurricane Matthew.
The Hurricane had it’s biggest impact on the SEC and ACC football. Two SEC games were postponed, while all four Tobacco Road schools played in less than ideal conditions.
Three of those schools did win at home though. So let’s jump into this round of ACC football, starting with one of the winners of those muddy Tobacco Road games.
Oct 8, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils safety Deondre Singleton (33) celebrates a fumble recovery for a turnover against the Army Black Knights in the second half of their game at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Duke Blue Devils
(3-3, 0-2)
Last week: Won 13-6 agsainst ArmyLast rank: 7th
I was tempted this week to move the Blue Devils up a spot with their win over Army. Virginia was on bye and Duke does have one more win than the Cavs do. However, one of those wins was against an FCS opponent. Discarding that you see Duke is 2-0 against two teams that are 5-6 on the season. Virginia meanwhile is 2-0 against teams that are 7-5 on the season. Oh and the Cavs beat the Blue Devils in Durham. In other words, Duke stays here for another week. Duke also lost their stud running back Jela Duncan to a leg injury. Duke will look to get a major win this Friday when they travel to take on the very dangerous Cardinals of Louisville.
Oct 1, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Virginia Cavaliers head coach Bronco Mendenhall gets a hug from running backs coach Mark Atuaia after Virginia beat Duke 34-20 at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Cavaliers
(2-3, 1-0)
Last week: ByeLast rank: 6th
After so many teams on the east coast played in rainy, nasty conditions, I am sure the Cavaliers were happy to be on bye. It also gave them a week to prepare for the Pittsburgh Panthers. While the Panthers were digging it out against Georgia Tech, Virginia was sitting at home enjoying the day of football. The Cavs will be looking to extend their winning streak to three with a potential win over Pitt. Next: Can't win for Trying
Oct 8, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Terrish Webb (2) and defensive lineman Tyrique Jarrett (6) defend Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets running back Dedrick Mills (26) during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
(3-3, 1-3)
Last week: Lost 37-34 to PittsburghLast rank: 5th
Poor Georgia Tech. In the last two seasons they have lost seven games decided by eight points or less. Overall, they are 2-7 in such games since the beginning of 2015. This could explain why they have only won one conference game in their last 11 tries, including going 0-3 this season. It could also explain why their coach is in danger of losing his job. Georgia Tech will look to rebound next week when they welcome in Georgia Southern. This will be Tech’s fifth home game of the season already. The Eagles are 3-2 on the season, though they have lost their last two, both on the road.
Oct 8, 2016; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers place kicker Chris Blewitt (12) kicks a game winning thirty-one yard field goal from the hold of Pittsburgh Panthers punter Ryan Winslow (18) against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the fourth quarter at Heinz Field. Pittsburgh won 37-34. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Panthers
(4-2, 1-1)
Last week: Won 37-34 against Georgia TechLast rank: 4th
Pitt stays in the four spot despite winning this week. A lot of that has to do with losing to one of the teams ahead of them. Pitt also suffers from having won all their games in the confines of Heinz Field. They have won four games this season though. Plus even with a loss to North Carolina they still have a great shot at the Coastal crown. The Panthers still have to play Miami and Virginia Tech. Wins against both of those teams and the Panthers move right back up these rankings. First though Pitt needs to figure out how to win on the road. They will get their chance this week when they travel to play Virginia. The Cavs also control their destiny so the game will have major impact on the Coastal standings.
Next: Unbalanced Storms A'Brewin
Oct 8, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels punter Tom Sheldon (39) punts as Virginia Tech Hokies cornerback Brandon Facyson (31) pressures in the first quarter at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
North Carolina Tar Heels
(4-2, 2-1)
Last week: Lost 34-3 to Virginia TechLast rank: 1st
Last week I was telling someone Carolina needed to find balance. As I was saying this another guy chimed in and said “Why?” He added that UNC didn’t need to run the ball when their passing was so stellar. This game was the why. With the rain and wind making passing nearly impossible, Carolina got destroyed because they couldn’t run the ball effectively or consistently. Part of that had to do with Elijah Hood being out, but part of it had to do with Carolina being too dependent on the pass. This loss was many things. First it was the first time Carolina failed to score a touchdown at home in seven years. It also saw the end of the Heels winning streak at home, their ACC regular season win streak, Mitch Trubisky’s interception- less streak, and Jordan Brown’s redshirt season (three carries for zero yards, good call Fedora). The Heels will look to rebound this week as they return to Florida to take on Miami. UNC still holds a seven game true road winning streak in tact. Hopefully the Hurricanes won’t do the same damage to it that Hurricane Matthew did to the others.
Oct 8, 2016; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Stacy Coley (3) is unable to make a catch in front of Florida State Seminoles defensive back Kyle Meyers (37) during the first half against at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Miami Hurricanes
(4-1, 1-1)
Last week: Lost 20-19 against Florida StateLast rank: 2nd
Miami stays at number two despite losing because no one else did anything to make them fall any further. Miami loses to FSU for the seventh-straight time thanks to a blocked extra point after it looked like Miami had tied the game. They followed that up by actually kicking off with only one minute and 38 seconds left in the game. Miami, playing their first ranked team of the season, scored only 19 points against a defense that had allowed 135 points in it’s last three games. They also had only 276 total yards against that same defense that had been allowing over 500 yards a game in the last three games. Miami will look to get back on track this week when they welcome in the Heels. By the way the last time the Heels lost on the road was in Miami back in 2014.
Next: Beamer Ball with Offense
Oct 8, 2016; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Virginia Tech Hokies quarterback Jerod Evans (4) celebrates after the game. The Hokies defeated the Tar Heels 34-3 at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Virginia Tech Hokies
(4-1, 2-0)
Last week: Won 34-31 against North CarolinaLast rank: 3rd
Beamer Ball was always a design of strong defense and good special teams. Now that Justin Fuente is there, it also comes with a good offense. I will be the first to admit I wasn’t sold on the Hokies. Their two big wins both came against middling FBS teams that hadn’t really beaten anybody this season. However, in a rain soaked wasteland, they dominated with ball control and good tackling. Jerod Evans took his claim as the second best quarterback in the ACC with a dominate game. He had 124 total yards and three scores. He also reminded a lot of Tar Heel fans of Marquise Williams. Speaking of last year’s Heels team, this Hokie team looks more like it than UNC does, just with a better defense. This is the Hokies Division to lose now. They do still have to play Pitt and Miami, but barring a disaster they are the team to beat. Virginia Tech will look to carry their dominance into Syracuse this week. The Orange, one of the few teams Notre Dame beat this year, are coming off consecutive losses and are 2-4 this season.
Well that does it for this week’s rankings. Virginia Tech will obviously hold the top spot with a win. Miami would take it with a win over the Heels and a Hokies loss. UNC can move into second with a win, but wouldn’t surpass Virginia Tech even if the Hokies lost. So is the world of head to head. So keep warm and hunker down for another round of ACC Football.
What did you think of this week’s rankings? Let us know in the comments below.
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