Wake Forest is still sitting pretty at No. 2 in the Week 8 ACC Power Rankings, but the way the Demon Deacons got there says a lot more than the placement itself.
At 6-1 overall and 4-1 in the ACC, Wake Forest heads into a bye after pounding Cal 41-7 on the road last week. That win kept the Deacs locked into second place for a fourth straight week, but this time there was no debate inside the voting room. Every member of the editorial staff had Wake at No. 2, pushing its average ranking all the way down to 2.00.
That’s a sharper consensus than last week’s numbers and a much different picture than what Wake looked like in Week 5, when it still landed second despite an average ranking of 4.20. Back then, the second through sixth spots were packed tightly together. Now, the separation is clear.
Miami remains the one team nobody has been willing to bump down. The Hurricanes have not received a vote below first place all season and again were unanimous at No.
- Behind Wake, SMU checked in third, but unlike the Deacs, the Mustangs did not sweep every ballot for that spot and carried an average ranking of 3.38.
A few teams made noticeable jumps or drops this week as well. Duke fell three spots, while North Carolina moved up three. Pittsburgh slid three places, and Virginia Tech climbed three.
The bottom half of the rankings brought another tie, with Pittsburgh and Virginia sharing eighth place. Stanford, for the fourth time this season, ended up at the very bottom.
Each week, ten writers on the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI staff rank all 17 ACC teams, then the votes are tallied to produce the list.
Here’s where everyone landed this week, with each team’s last week, highest and lowest vote, result from last week, and what’s next:
- Miami - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 1; Highest Ranking: #1; Lowest Ranking: #1; Last Week: Beat Florida State 43-35 (2OT); This Week: vs. Pittsburgh
- Wake Forest - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 2; Highest Ranking: #2; Lowest Ranking: #2; Last Week: Beat California 41-7; This Week: Bye Week
- SMU - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 3; Highest Ranking: #3; Lowest Ranking: #5; Last Week: Beat Virginia 23-13; This Week: vs. California
- Clemson - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 4; Highest Ranking: #3; Lowest Ranking: #8; Last Week: Beat Syracuse 34-26; This Week: Bye Week
- Georgia Tech - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 5; Highest Ranking: #3; Lowest Ranking: #13; Last Week: Lost at Boston College 21-27; This Week: at Miami
- Duke - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 6; Highest Ranking: #5; Lowest Ranking: #11; Last Week: Lost at SMU 13-23; This Week: vs. Duke
- Virginia Tech - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 10; Highest Ranking: #4; Lowest Ranking: #10; Last Week: Beat Georgia Tech 34-24; This Week: at Clemson
- Pittsburgh - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 8 (tie); Highest Ranking: #4; Lowest Ranking: #10; Last Week: Beat Charleston Southern 37-0; This Week: vs. Virginia Tech
- Virginia - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 8 (tie); Highest Ranking: #4; Lowest Ranking: #10; Last Week: Beat Duke 24-20; This Week: vs. Syracuse
- North Carolina - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 7; Highest Ranking: #7; Lowest Ranking: #10; Last Week: Lost to North Carolina 20-24; This Week: at Virginia
- Boston College - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 12; Highest Ranking: #6; Lowest Ranking: #17; Last Week: Lost at Miami 35-43 (2OT); This Week: Bye Week
- Louisville - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 11; Highest Ranking: #10; Lowest Ranking: #16; Last Week: Lost to Wake Forest 7-41; This Week: at SMU
- California - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 13; Highest Ranking: #11; Lowest Ranking: #15; Last Week: Bye Week; This Week: at Stanford
- North Carolina State - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 14; Highest Ranking: #12; Lowest Ranking: #16; Last Week: Lost at Virginia Tech 24-34; This Week: vs. Boston College
- Syracuse - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 15 (tie); Highest Ranking: #12; Lowest Ranking: #15; Last Week: Beat Pittsburgh 27-21; This Week: at Georgia Tech
- Florida State - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 15 (tie); Highest Ranking: #14; Lowest Ranking: #17; Last Week: Lost to Louisville 26-34; This Week: at North Carolina
- Stanford - Last Week’s Power Ranking: 17; Highest Ranking: #14; Lowest Ranking: #17; Last Week: Beat Elon 34-7; This Week: vs. NC State
Wake Forest returns from the bye on Saturday, October 31, when the Deacs host Virginia. Kickoff is set for 3:45 pm ET, and the game will air on ESPN.
In Other News...
Wake Forest Is Crashing The ACC Race Faster Than Anyone Expected
The ACC race has tightened quickly, and Wake Forest is suddenly part of the conversation in a way few outside Winston-Salem probably saw coming. With Miami sitting at No. 1 after surviving Florida State in double overtime, Louisville and Boston College rallying for comeback wins, and North Carolina handing Duke a second straight loss, the league picture has taken on a chaotic look, and the Demon Deacons have kept pace by taking care of business in emphatic fashion.
Wake Forests latest outing was the kind that can change how a season feels in a hurry. The Deacons were in control from the start against Cal, building a huge cushion and leaving little doubt about the outcome for most of the afternoon, the sort of performance that can sharpen attention around a team that has been climbing quietly. With conference pressure mounting and bigger tests ahead, the question now is whether Wake Forest can turn that momentum into something lasting in a crowded ACC race. [Read more 🡒]