It was a dominant performance for Duke this week. The Blue Devils rolled over Boston College 47-2 in a game that many projected to be close. The Eagles entered the game with back-to-back wins and plenty of momentum, but Duke snatched all of that away with a 45-point shellacking.
Despite the dominant win, Duke holds steady this week. The stink of the Georgia Tech loss a few weeks ago keeps getting more odorous with the Yellow Jackets continuing their stunning 2026 free fall.
Let's see where things stack up:
ACC Power Rankings after Week 9
1. Miami: 8-0 (6-0)
Miami got its first real scare on Saturday in Chapel Hill with North Carolina going toe-to-toe with the No. 1 team in the country. You could forgive Miami for looking forward a bit to next week's showdown in South Bend, but they did what they had to do to earn the road win.
2. Wake Forest: 7-1 (5-1)
Wake Forest continues decimating everyone in its path. The Demon Deacons rolled to a 51-7 win over Virginia this week. Now, they'll get a tune up game against Merrimack before a critical ACC shodown on the road against SMU on 11/14.
3. Virginia Tech: 6-2 (3-2)
Virginia Tech moves up a spot despite being on a bye week thanks to a stunning loss by SMU.
4. Louisville: 5-3 (4-2)
Don't sleep on Louisville. The Cardinals have won three in a row and dominated Stanford by four touchdowns this weekend. They finish the year with three of their last four games on the road, but they avoid the teams at the top of the conference and are a real threat to get to Charlotte.
5. SMU: 6-2 (4-2)
The Mustangs were in a strong position heading into back-to-back home games against Virginia Tech and Wake Forest, but SMU suffered a stunning road defeat at Syracuse that complicates matters heading into November.
6. Duke: 6-2 (3-2)
Led by Nate Sheppard's record-breaking performance, Duke earned a dominant win in a critical spot over Boston College. The Blue Devils finish the regular season with three of their final four games on the road, starting next week in Raleigh against a resurgent NC State.
7. Clemson: 5-3 (3-2)
Clemson bounced back from a four-point home loss to Virginia Tech by going on the road and earning a 36-24 win over Florida State in Tallahassee. The Tigers remain one of the most confounding teams in the conference. Every time it looks like they are done, they score a big win.
8. North Carolina: 4-4 (2-3)
North Carolina was agonizingly close to the biggest win of the Bill Belichick era, but they fell short by three at home against Miami. There's a fine line between joy and pain in sports, and despite the Heels coming so close, they've now dropped two games in a row thanks to their stunning home loss to Syracuse the week before and sit at .500 on the season.
9. Pittsburgh: 6-3 (3-3)
Pitt found the cure for what had been ailing them on offense after Mason Heintschel was lost for the season: Georgia Tech's defense. The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak with a 34-11 win over the Yellow Jackets.
10. Syracuse: 4-4 (2-4)
Fran Brown and Syracuse have taken a big leap over the last couple of weeks after consecutive wins over North Carolina and SMU to move back to .500 on the season. They'll look to continue that momentum this week at home against Clemson.
11. Boston College: 4-4 (2-3)
Boston College looked to be building some serious momentum for the stretch run, but that came crashing down with a 45-point loss at Duke. They'll look to bounce back at home this week against Florida State in a must-win spot for bowl eligibility. Two of BC's final four games are against Notre Dame and Miami, meaning they can't afford to lose to the Seminoles at home.
12. NC State: 4-4 (2-3)
NC State got the post-coach firing boost this week, snapping a two-game losing streak by beating California 31-10 at home. Back-to-back home games against Duke and Syracuse will likely determine whether the Wolfpack will go bowling or not.
13. Florida State: 3-5 (1-4)
The Seminoles have now lost three straight games after falling at home against Clemson. It's hard to imagine that Mike Norvell will be back in Tallahassee unless FSU can find a way to win out from here.
14. Stanford: 4-5 (2-4)
There has been obvious improvement this year from Stanford, but the Cardinal still have a long way to go. The 28-point loss to Louisville dropped them back below .500 and puts their bowl hopes on life support.
15. Virginia: 4-5 (2-4)
It has been a lost season in Charlottesville after making it to the ACC Championship Game last year and being on the precipice of the program's first College Football Playoff berth. The injuries have piled up to the point that this team is much, much different than the one expected in the preseason.
16. California: 3-6 (2-4)
After a 2-1 start to the season, Cal has now dropped five of their last six games and three in a row. The last three have all been non-competitive, including a three-touchdown loss to an NC State team that just fired its head coach.
17. Georgia Tech: 2-6 (1-4)
Duke's loss to Georgia Tech continues to make very little sense. The Jackets suffered a 23-point loss to Pitt this week and remain comfortably at the bottom of the ACC.
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