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ACC Week 13 power rankings: Clemson reclaims the top spot

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Clemson rolls past South Carolina (0:52)

Hunter Renfrow impresses with two touchdowns, including a 61-yard score, to lead the Tigers alongside QB Kelly Bryant's 272 passing yards to a 34-10 victory over South Carolina. (0:52)


Clemson put together a dominant win over South Carolina on the road, while Miami lost to Pitt. So naturally, there is a shake-up at the top of the latest ACC power rankings.

1. Clemson Tigers (11-1, 7-1). Thanks to a win over South Carolina and Alabama's loss, the Tigers have a good chance to be No. 1 when the next College Football Playoff rankings come out Tuesday. A win over Miami in the ACC championship game, and the Tigers are in their third straight College Football Playoff.

2. Miami Hurricanes (10-1, 7-1). Miami had a disappointing performance in a loss at Pitt on Friday, but the Hurricanes' big goal is still ahead of them. A win in the ACC title game would leave them all but assured of making their first playoff appearance.

3. Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3, 5-3). Virginia Tech won its 14th straight game over Virginia and has an opportunity in the bowl to post consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since 2010-11.

4. NC State Wolfpack (8-4, 6-2). Though NC State fell short of its goal to win the ACC Atlantic, the Wolfpack did put together their best season in conference play since 1994.

5. Louisville Cardinals (8-4, 4-4). The way Lamar Jackson ended this season is in stark contrast to the way he ended last season. Jackson and the Cards are just now hitting their stride and absolutely dominated rival Kentucky on Saturday. Jackson should be a lock to make it back to New York for the Heisman ceremony.

6. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (7-5, 4-4). Though the regular season ended with a disappointing loss to Duke, it's important to remember how far this program has come under Dave Clawson. The Deacs just won seven games for the first time since 2008, including victories over NC State and Louisville.

7. Boston College Eagles (7-5, 4-4). The Eagles started the season 2-5 and many began to wonder whether Steve Addazio was on the hot seat. But Addazio deserves credit for guiding this team to wins in five of its final six thanks to an improving offense that scored 35 or more points in all five of those wins.

8. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-7, 3-5). Pitt pulled a stunner for the second straight season, with a home upset win over Miami on Friday. If the Panthers had managed 1 yard on their final drive against Virginia Tech last week, they'd be bowl eligible.

9. Florida State Seminoles (5-6, 3-5). If Florida State beats ULM in a game rescheduled because of Hurricane Irma, the Seminoles will get to their 36th straight bowl game. Though it hasn't been pretty at times, the Noles had their way with rival Florida and won a school-record fifth straight in the series.

10. Virginia Cavaliers (6-6, 3-5). There's no question a 10-0 loss to rival Virginia Tech was disheartening on Friday night, but the Cavaliers are bowl eligible for the first time since 2011 and are only getting started under Bronco Mendenhall.

11. Duke Blue Devils (6-6, 3-5). After six straight losses, many wondered whether Duke had what it took to get back to a bowl. Credit to David Cutcliffe, his staff and players for pulling two upsets to close the season to get to six wins.

12. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (5-6, 4-4). The Jackets closed a disappointing season with a blowout loss to Georgia, the second time in the past three years they won't make a bowl game. Expect coach Paul Johnson to look long and hard at the defensive breakdowns that kept cropping up throughout the year as he evaluates his team.

13. Syracuse Orange (4-8, 2-6). After beating Clemson, Syracuse ended the season on a five-game losing streak, and that has to be completely dispiriting for coach Dino Babers. While this team wasn't the same once Eric Dungey went out with an injury, the defense couldn't stop anyone over its final three games, allowing a whopping 162 total points.

14. North Carolina Tar Heels (3-9, 1-7). One thing that can be said about the Tar Heels is they never gave up on themselves or the season after a 59-7 loss to Virginia Tech. They came back and nearly beat Miami, put together two straight wins and had NC State down before eventually losing. There are plenty of reasons for optimism going into next season.