In last week’s power rankings, a lot was unclear, and some bold predictions were made. However, this week, we have a clearer picture, and many of my drastic moves turned out to be warranted. In a week filled with upsets (nearly half of all ranked teams lost at least one game this week), the ACC was on both ends of the madness. With that, there also was the important release of the initial NET rankings, which saw the ACC in a better position than previous seasons. In the ACC power rankings for week five, we will discuss the mood of each team when it comes to their NET ranking.
ACC Power Rankings for Week 5: Blue Blood Drops
18. Virginia Tech, 3-4 (Last week: 17). Initial NET Ranking: 233
Mood: depressed
Not many people saw Virginia Tech taking the place of Louisville from a year ago, but the wheels have fallen off the bus for the Hokies. They have two more tough matchups this week against Vanderbilt and Pitt, so don’t expect the Hokies to rise without a big upset. They’ve earned their spot at the bottom of the ACC power rankings for week five.
17. Miami, 3-4 (14). Initial NET Ranking: 191
Mood: shocked
Depressed would also fit here, but the Hurricanes had zero expectations of being so terrible. Losing the three neutral-site games is somewhat forgivable, but the loss to Charleston Southern is inexcusable. Their next three games give them opportunities to prove they are better than this. But Arkansas, Clemson, and Tennessee won’t make it easy.
16. Georgia Tech, 4-3 (18). Initial NET Ranking: 175
Mood: hopeful
Georiga Tech appears to have turned the corner after an abysmal start. Their reward? Road games against No. 21 Oklahoma and No. 20 North Carolina. The Yellow Jackets should just look to put up a fight. A win would be huge, but this past week gives them some hope moving forward.
15. Stanford, 6-2 (9). Initial NET Ranking: 80
Mood: happy
I am not in Stanford’s locker room, but the consensus outside of it was that they wouldn’t be so high in the rankings. However, one good loss and one bad loss set their dream backward. They still have a chance to pick up a power conference win against Oregon this month.
14. Notre Dame, 4-4 (11). Initial NET Ranking: 97
Mood: neutral
It felt cruel to drop Notre Dame so far, considering they lost three hard-fought games to quality opponents, but that’s the nature of the rankings. Notre Dame is still in the thick of things in the ACC. A win against Georgia would certainly move their NET ranking towards at-large consideration.
13. Syracuse, 4-2 (16). Initial NET Ranking: 177
Mood: annoyed, but understanding
The NET rankings love it when you beat up on bad teams. The Orange just hasn’t done that. Their two losses come against good opponents in close, neutral-site games. However, their wins were at home against lower-quality opponents by slim margins. Their rise in the ACC power rankings for week five is based solely on other teams’ performances. They have a few games in December to pick up some more emphatic victories.
12. Virginia, 5-2 (15). Initial NET Ranking: 125
Mood: upset, yet relieved
Virginia has played three major opponents so far. Two of those games resulted in losses by more than 20 points. Are they happy about this spot? Absolutely not. Are they relieved that the metric that loves blowouts didn’t punish them more? Absolutely. If they can stay close against Florida, expect a substantial rise from the Cavaliers.
11. Boston College, 6-2 (12). Initial NET Ranking: 150
Mood: confused
There are many days I don’t understand the intricacies of the NET. Boston College has certainly looked equal to Virginia and even boasts a better win. The loss to Dartmouth hurts, but nearly 30 spots apart from Virginia seems harsh. A win against South Carolina on Tuesday would certainly give the Eagles a nice boost.
10. California, 6-1 (13). Initial NET Ranking: 78
Mood: ecstatic
California has not beaten a quality opponent yet. Somehow, they find themselves right in the hunt for at-large consideration based on the first NET ranking. This feels surprising, but maybe the Golden Bears have a golden run that starts against Missouri.
9. SMU, 6-2 (10). Initial NET Ranking: 64
Mood: hungry
SMU has had an eventful start to the season. They are right in the thick of things with a respectable position in the NET rankings. They have one more chance for a quality win during the non-conference. If the Mustangs seek to avoid the fate of other ACC bubble teams like Pittsburgh (23-24) and Clemson (22-23), they must find a way to get that win.
8. NC State, 5-2 (6). Initial NET Ranking: 91
Mood: disrespected
They’ve handled business when they needed to. The losses to Purdue and BYU weren’t terrible, yet they find themselves below a team like California, who hasn’t played anybody near the quality NC State has. They have a chance to prove it in December against Texas and Kansas. These games will matter for the Wolfpack in March.
7. Wake Forest, 7-2 (4). Initial NET Ranking: 115
Mood: haunted
What killed the Demon Deacons’ chances of making the NCAA tournament last season was starting in a similar position to this one. Wake Forest needs to keep games close. They’ve shown at times that they can contend for a tournament bid, but they will never come close if they lose again by double-digits in the non-conference.
6. Florida State, 7-1 (8). Initial NET Ranking: 67
Mood: content
Florida State has no quality wins and an expected loss to Florida. However, for once, they have avoided the bad loss. A win against LSU would bolster their resume and give them a good chance at an at-large bid with a respectable conference showing.
5. North Carolina, 4-3 (2). Initial NET Ranking: 26
Mood: eager
They are eager to prove their contender status. However, this team reminds me of the 2022-23 team that narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament more than any championship team. The Tar Heels have some good losses, but where are the wins? A home win against Alabama would be huge for their resume and morale. All things considered, their NET ranking is in a nice spot. Nevertheless, they had to fall in the ACC power rankings for week six.
4. Louisville, 5-2 (7). Initial NET Ranking: 30
Mood: thrilled
Last season, Louisville started at 279 in the NET Rankings. The Pat Kelsey hire appears to be working out for them. They have games against Ole Miss and Kentucky that could help spark a tournament run. For now, they already have a 2-2 record against Quad One (Q1) and Quad Two (Q2) opponents. Last year, they went 1-18 in Q1 and Q2 games.
3. Clemson, 7-1 (5). Initial NET Ranking: 18
Mood: reminiscent
For the second year in a row, the Tigers start out the NET rankings at 18. They don’t have the same quality wins yet, but both Kentucky and Memphis will be traveling to Clemson in the next two weeks. Clemson would feel very good about their chances of qualifying for the NCAA Tournament if they could pick up a win in one of those games.
2. Pittsburgh, 7-1 (3). Initial NET Ranking: 5
Mood: euphoric
Last season, Pitt started at 60 and worked hard to rise up the ranks. They fell short in the end. This year, they’re in the driver’s seat. I wasn’t expecting the Panthers to sit in the top five, but they appear to have figured out the formula. Either way, a win against Mississippi State would almost clinch a tournament bid for Pitt, barring a meteoric collapse. One could argue they deserve the top spot in the ACC power rankings for week five.
1. Duke, 5-2 (1). Initial NET Ranking: 4
Mood: pleasantly surprised
They have two losses on the young season, but they came to the teams currently ranked one and four in the AP poll. I can’t punish the Blue Devils for that. Cooper Flagg now has the task of upsetting the Auburn Tigers, the unbeaten second-ranked team in the country. However, this time it’s on their home court. We will see if they can hold on next week, but for now, Duke is the top team in the ACC power rankings for week five.
