ACC Power Rankings 2/3/18: What to do with FSU?

By Mychal Hunter

What the fuck? I mean really. Selling Georgia Tech, they win. FSU finally convinces me they are worth something and they lose at Wake Forest. Is anyone in this league ever to going to step up and be a group that can be counted on for some kind of consistency? The answer is becoming increasingly obvious as the season rolls on and yet, we are only halfway home. So here they are, the latest and greatest.

Virginia 21-1 (10-0): No surprises here. The Cavs continue to roll despite a hobbled DeAndre Hunter. A win over Louisville is nice, it also makes this team the only one in the conference that I feel I know what I am going to get everytime I watch them. Consistency and efficiency is the name of the game here, win or lose.
Duke 19-3 (7-3): A loss to Virginia is no big deal in the grand scheme of things and since no other team in this league can be trusted to go to the market for milk without the possibility of going on a week long coke bender, the Blue Devils remain in the #2 slot. Duke gets an OOC game with St. Johns before their annual showdown in Chapel Hill.
Clemson 18-4 (7-3): It has been interesting watching the Tigers evolve after the Grantham injury. In the last two games they have been ridiculous from deep, going 25-51 and getting wins in Atlanta and at home against UNC. A game in which the 20th ranked team in the nation stormed the court upon securing a victory over the 19th ranked team in the nation. Yes, I’ll be talking about this stupid shit tomorrow.
Louisville 16-6 (6-3): This was a difficult spot this week. I can’t really put UNC here now that they have lost 3 in a row. Miami has suffered a major injury and I tend to take the future into account while doing these rankings, so the Cardinals stroll in to #4 basically by default. I can’t fault them for a loss at John Paul Jones and they put up a pretty good fight. I was wrong about this Louisville team early on this year and while I certainly don’t believe they are a second weekend team, I do think they are a tournament team.
Miami 16-5 (5-4): Losing Bruce Brown is a killer but the ‘Canes certainly still have a ton of talent and this now becomes Lonnie Walker’s team. I am not going to say Miami is going to be better but I am certainly interested in seeing what happens when Walker moves to the 3, Newton gets to his natural spot at the 2 and Lykes runs the show full time. Interesting match-up today with Virginia Tech in a game both teams kind of need for various reasons.
UNC 16-7 (5-5): This is as far as I feel comfortable dropping the Tar Heels. That perimeter defense has been atrocious and has really bitten them in the ass the last three games. Theo Pinson is expected to play today so it will be interesting to see if he is 100%. The Jalek Felton suspension is interesting and something I will speak on tomorrow. Brandon Robinson and Andrew Platek will have to step it up in the mean time.
Florida State 16-6 (5-5): The loss at Wake Forest tells me I was not wrong in questioning this team for as long as I did. I still think they possess the ability to be a second weekend team but I am not sure how much money I am willing to wager on that proposition. Their match-up with Louisville today is another really interesting game.
North Carolina State 15-7 (5-4): Struggle against Pitt and then defeat UNC in Chapel Hill and take a week off. I actually saw on twitter this week that some metrics are projecting Syracuse to get into the dance ahead of the Wolfpack. I don’t see that happening and that is also another reason I am a huge believer in the eye test. The Wolfpack pass that test, just watch them play.
Virginia Tech 16-6 (5-4): This is the last team in the tournament from the ACC in my opinion. The Hokies have now won 3 ACC games in a row, the last two coming on the road and look to finally be putting it together. They showed a lot of heart in that Notre Dame game in a very hostile environment and then went to Chestnut Hill and escaped with an OT victory, something even Duke was unable to do up north.
Syracuse 15-7 (4-5): Despite the result in Atlanta the other night I think ultimately Syracuse is better than Georgia Tech. Neither is a tournament team, Tech is already out and Syracuse will soon play themselves out. At some point you have to be able to score and Syracuse just does not do that efficiently or consistently. They are a one dimensional team with no inside game.
Georgia Tech 11-11 (4-5): My own people are not going to like me putting the Jackets below the Orange but it is what it is. All the things that went right for GT last year have gone wrong this year and now they have lost freshman sharpshooter Curtis Haywood II for the season to a leg injury. The potential is there for another NIT birth but I think it is unlikely given their early season losses.
Boston College 13-9 (3-6): The Eagles are tip toeing on the edge of the cliff right now, having lost 3 in a row. They get Georgia Tech at home before traveling to South Bend. I almost expect them to win both games. In fact, I am going to predict right now that if Matt Farrell does not play for the Irish, Boston College is going to win their next two games.
Notre Dame 13-9 (3-6): The nightmare season continues for Notre Dame as they have now lost 6 in a row. I refuse to put Wake ahead of them after the win over Florida State but right now Notre Dame’s ship is sinking very quickly, hopefully Farrell gets back soon.
Wake Forest 9-13 (2-8): Nice win over FSU. Chaundee Brown looks to have arrived and if he is still around when the recruits arrive this summer, Danny Manning will once again have another really talented team to do absolutely nothing with next season.
Pittsburgh 8-15 (0-10): I see two opportunities for Pitt to get a win in the ACC this season. Home against BC on 2/13 is the most likely. The other is at South Bend on 2/28, which is a huuuuuuuuge stretch. Farrell and Harvey should both be back by then and it will be Senior Night for the Irish but if Farrell is still out, Pitt will have a shot, especially if they are still winless. This team is not without talent but they are still a trainwreck. Fire Stallings. Get your shit together. Start the process now, it is already a 5-7 year rebuild (at least).