ACC Power Rankings Tiers: Florida State Stands Alone

Tier V: Wake Forest, Virginia & Pittsburgh

Wake Forest probably has the best defense of this bottom tier, but in a major surprise, Dave Clawson's Demon Deacons had a dreadful offense with no answers in sight. They finished with only four wins and just 136 points in the conference. Pittsburgh was dreadful all season but they do have two conference wins. Virginia showed encouraging signs of life, particularly on offense but they still finished just 3-9 including a loss to rival Virginia Tech.

Tier II: Louisville & NC State

The Louisville Cardinals finish the season at 10-3 after the disappointing loss to Florida State in the ACC Championship Game. The Cardinals had a successful first season under Jeff Brohm. They are joined in tier two by the North Carolina State Wolfpack. NC State finished red-hot with five straight victories and a 9-3 record. The defense surrendered only 135 points in ACC play, the lowest number in the league.

Tier III: Clemson & North Carolina

The Clemson Tigers and North Carolina Tar Heels form tier three. The Tigers won four games in a row to finish the season, including wins over North Carolina, Notre Dame, Georgia Tech and South Carolina. Clemson's outstanding defense carried the day while the offense sputtered. North Carolina faded to finish the season but still ended at 8-4, including a 6-1 home record.

Tier IV: Boston College, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Duke & Miami

This tier is crowded but none of these teams distinguished themselves from the pack. Georgia Tech is 5-3 in the league but finished at 6-6 after a fairly competitive loss to Georgia. Virginia Tech is just 6-6 as well and 5-3 in the league. and they need a win over Virginia to reach a bowl game. Boston College, Duke and Miami are all either 7-5 or 6-6. They are going bowling, but are nothing above average.

Tier VI: Syracuse

The Syracuse Orange are 6-6 and going to a bowl game, but Dino Babers was fired as the team lost six of eight games to close the year. They did beat Wake Forest to get to .500, but this was a disappointing season after a strong start.

Tier V: Wake Forest, Virginia & Pittsburgh

Wake Forest probably has the best defense of this bottom tier, but in a major surprise, Dave Clawson's Demon Deacons had a dreadful offense with no answers in sight. They finished with only four wins and just 136 points in the conference. Pittsburgh was dreadful all season but they do have two conference wins. Virginia showed encouraging signs of life, particularly on offense but they still finished just 3-9 including a loss to rival Virginia Tech.