Ben Salama
Graduate Safety Hakim Jones makes a diving tackle to stop a UNC touchdown in the first quarter. Jones finished with 4 solo tackles and 6 total tackles. The NC State Wolfpack fell to the UNC Tarheels, in the last home game of the season, 45-34 at Carter-Finley Stadium on November 28, 2015.
With Championship Weekend looming, here are the final ACC Power Rankings heading into the competition.
T-1. No. 1 Clemson (12-0, 8-0 ACC)
The Tigers made their fans sweat it out this weekend, as they narrowly defeated the South Carolina Gamecocks 37-32. They will get a matchup against UNC-Chapel Hill next to decide the ACC Champion Dec. 5.
T-1. No. 8 UNC-Chapel Hill (11-1, 8-0 ACC)
Despite starting with a 35-7 blitzkrieg in the first quarter, the Tar Heels allowed garbage time scoring, and only won 45-34 against rival NC State. If the Heels want to defeat Clemson on Saturday, the defense will need to show up in every quarter.
3. No. 10 Florida St. (10-2, 6-2 ACC)
The Seminoles made quick work of the Florida Gators this weekend, drubbing the in-state rival 27-2 in the Swamp. The victory concludes another 10-win season for head coach Jimbo Fisher, who now has five seasons of 10 or more wins during his six-year tenure.
4. Pittsburgh (8-4, 6-2 ACC)
An early 17-0 hole after the first quarter proved to be too much for the Panthers, as they fell to Miami 29-24. Despite the loss, rookie head coach Pat Narduzzi has the program moving in the right direction, as his 8-4 record is the best finish for the Panthers since 2009.
5. Miami (8-4, 5-3 ACC)
The Hurricanes managed to right the ship under interim coach Larry Scott, as they defeated Pittsburgh 29-24 to finish 4-1 under Scott’s leadership. Despite the success, many believe that Miami will target Texas’ Charlie Strong or Mark Richt as Al Golden’s permanent replacement.
6. Louisville (7-5, 5-3 ACC)
Down 21-0 early to rival Kentucky, freshman quarterback Lamar Jackson led the Cardinals to a 38-24 win, with a school quarterback-record 186 rushing yards. After starting 0-3, the Cardinals closed the season winning seven of their last nine games.
7. Duke (7-5, 4-4 ACC)
Duke finally ended its post-Miami losing streak, defeating fellow in-state rival Wake Forest 27-21. With the win, Duke clinched its third-straight winning season, thanks in part to 332 total yards and three total touchdowns from quarterback Thomas Sirk.
8. Virginia Tech (6-6, 4-4 ACC)
From a close win against a hated rival to the head coach “dabbing” in the locker room afterward, the Hokies win over Virginia 23-20 had everything we wanted to see in what was potentially Frank Beamer’s last game. With the Hokies finished with the regular season, Beamer has to sit and wait for Championship Week to pass before hearing about a bowl game invitation.
9. NC State (7-5, 3-5 ACC)
The Wolfpack defense was run right out of Carter-Finley Stadium Saturday against the Tar Heels, surrendering 374 rushing yards in a 45-34 loss. The loss now marks the second-straight year the Wolfpack finished with the same regular season record and conference record.
10. Virginia (4-8, 3-5 ACC)
The Cavaliers could not catch a break this season. With the 23-20 loss to rival Virginia Tech, the Cavs lost five games by seven points or less. Perhaps next year the Cavs will be able to figure out how to close out opponents.
11. Syracuse (4-8, 2-6 ACC)
The Orange finally ended its losing streak with an emotional 20-17 victory against Boston College in head coach Scott Shafer’s final game. With freshman quarterback Eric Dungey returning next season, the Orange looks to get some consistency and a chance to play in a bowl game next year.
12. Georgia Tech (3-9, 1-7 ACC)
Once again, turnovers doomed the Yellow Jackets as they fell to the Georgia Bulldogs, 13-7. With Paul Johnson describing the year as a “miserable season,” the Yellow Jackets finished with their worst record since 1994, when they finished 1-10.
13. Wake Forest (3-9, 1-7 ACC)
The Demon Deacons played much better than their record indicates. With the 27-21 loss to Duke this past weekend, Wake Forest fell to 1-4 in games decided by eight points or less. The arrow is pointing up on the Demon Deacons.
14. Boston College (3-9, 0-8 ACC)
Boston College finally ended its putrid season with a 20-17 loss to a struggling Syracuse team. After a promising 3-1 start to the year, the Eagles finished the year on an eight-game losing streak and failed to win a game in the ACC for the first time since they joined the conference in 2005.