Following Duke's blowout win over NC State, the Blue Devils have outscored their last two ACC opponents by a combined score of 88-5. Not bad.
Manny Diaz has Duke hitting its stride in November. At 7-2, the Blue Devils look like one of the top teams in the conference, and are still very much alive in the chase to get back to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game.
Where does Duke stack up this week? Let's take a look:
ACC Power Rankings after Week 10
1. Miami: 8-1 (6-0)
Miami suffered its first loss of the season, but it won't hurt its standing in the ACC. It was a road non-conference game against Notre Dame, and the 'Canes came up short by a touchdown. More worrisome than the loss is the injury to star WR Malachi Toney, who will likely miss next week's game against Duke, too.
2. Wake Forest: 8-1 (5-1)
Wake Forest needs to be taken seriously as a playoff contender. The Demon Deacons are 8-1 and dominated an FCS foe 77-0 this week. This weekend's matchup against SMU on the road is critical in the ACC race, and could deliver a quality win that puts them in the at-large conversation.
3. Duke: 7-2 (4-2)
After back-to-back slip-ups against Georgia Tech and North Carolina, Duke has won three straight over Virginia, Boston College, and NC State to put itself in a position to make some serious noise in the ACC race. They'll head to Coral Gables this weekend to face a Miami team, which could have a hangover from its loss to Notre Dame.
4. Louisville: 6-3 (5-2)
Louisville has won four in a row and dominated Georgia Tech 44-17 in Atlanta this weekend. The Cardinals remain a darkhorse in the ACC Championship picture, and thus the CFP.
5. SMU: 7-2 (5-2)
SMU bounced back from a difficult road loss to Syracuse with a dominant 51-28 win over Virginia Tech at home. The Mustangs have a massive showdown this weekend at home against Wake Forest in a game with major implications both in the ACC and nationally.
6. Virginia Tech: 6-3 (3-3)
Virginia Tech was humbled on the road against SMU to snap a two-game winning streak. They'll have a get right opportunity at home against Stanford before traveling to face Miami on the road.
7. Clemson: 6-3 (4-2)
Clemson keeps finding ways to win games ugly despite next to nothing from its offense. It took a defensive touchdown for the Tigers to claw out an 18-13 win at Syracuse. Clemson is still alive in the ACC race, and the road game in two weeks against Duke could be pivotal.
8. North Carolina: 5-4 (2-3)
The Heels bounced back from back-to-back losses by a combined four points to Syracuse and Miami to earn a 38-21 road win over UConn. They have a huge game coming up this weekend at home against Louisville.
9. Pittsburgh: 6-3 (3-3)
Pitt had a much-needed bye week after beating Georgia Tech, and they'll now host Florida State on Friday night before finishing the season with back-to-back road games.
10. Florida State: 4-5 (2-4)
Florida State snapped a three-game losing streak and earned their first post-Mike Norvell win on Saturday by knocking off Boston College by a touchdown on the road. They'll face Pitt on a short week on Friday night before finishing up at home against NC State and Florida.
11. Syracuse: 4-5 (2-5)
After back-to-back impressive wins over North Carolina and SMU, the Orange fell just short against Clemson. With Notre Dame looming at home to close the regular season, Syracuse probably needs to win back-to-back on the road against NC State and Boston College to garner bowl eligibility.
12. Boston College: 4-5 (2-4)
It looked like Boston College had turned a corner a couple of weeks ago, but they followed up a 45-point loss to Duke with a loss to Florida State at home to fall back under .500. With Notre Dame and Miami still to go, bowl eligibility looks unlikely.
13. NC State: 4-5 (2-4)
NC State was dealt a reality check a week after a three-touchdown win over Cal. They ran into a buzzsaw called Duke, which blew out the Wolfpack 41-3 in Raleigh. A home game over Syracuse will be a must-win this week for their bowl hopes.
14. Stanford: 4-5 (2-4)
Stanford was off this week and now they'll travel to Blacksburg looking to pull an upset over Virginia Tech.
15. Virginia: 4-5 (2-4)
Virginia had a much-needed week off after losing three in a row, including a 44-point bludgeoning at the hands of Wake Forest. With back-to-back at home against Cal and UNC, the Cavaliers still have a path to a bowl game.
16. California: 3-6 (2-4)
Cal had a bye and still somehow lost the week with critical comments by GM Ron Rivera about first-year head coach Tosh Lupoi. Things are not going well in Berkeley.
17. Georgia Tech: 2-7 (1-5)
A fourth straight loss by double digits has Georgia Tech alone at the bottom. It has been a massively disappointing year for Brent Key's team. Mercifully, the Jackets only have three more games to endure.
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