Week 5 in college football saw four teams in the ACC with bye weeks, including the Clemson Tigers and one top-10 squad in Florida State, which fell in double-overtime.
The Seminoles (3-1 overall, 0-1 ACC) lost 46-38 in Charlottesville to a surging Virginia Cavaliers team that improved to 4-1 under former Dabo Swinney offensive coordinator Tony Elliott. Florida State will host the unbeaten No. 4 Miami Hurricanes (4-0) in prime time at Doak Campbell Stadium Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).
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For its part, Clemson will look to get on track with a visit to Kenan Stadium for a matchup against a struggling North Carolina team in Year 1 under coach Bill Belichick. The Tar Heels also had a bye in Week 5 and have been outscored 82-23 in their two games against Power Four competition (TCU and UCF).
Despite its early season struggles, Clemson (1-3, 0-2) opens as a heavy favorite over UNC. Kickoff for Clemson vs. North Carolina is scheduled for noon ET. The game will be televised on ESPN.
Also in Week 5, No. 16 Georgia Tech and sixth-year senior quarterback Haynes King rallied from 17 points down in the third quarter and used overtime to survive an upset bit in Winston-Salem against Wake Forest for a 30-29 win. At 5-0 overall and 2-0 in ACC play, the Yellow Jackets sit tied atop the conference standings entering Week 6 with Miami and Duke.
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Louisville (4-0, 1-0), which sits just outside the US LBM Coaches Poll, also remained unbeaten after winning its ACC opener. The Cardinals rallied from 10 points down at halftime to defeat Pittsburgh, 34-27, on the road behind three touchdowns from USC transfer Miller Moss.
Here’s a look at the latest ACC team rankings from veteran USA TODAY Sports analyst Paul Myerberg in his college football 1-136 re-rank entering a loaded Week 6 conference slate that’s headlined by a rekindled Miami vs. Florida State rivalry in a No. 4 vs. No. 19 matchup.
ACC football teams ranked worst to first by USA TODAY Sports after wild Week 5
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 13: Carson Beck #11 of the Miami Hurricanes and Mark Fletcher Jr. #4 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrate Beck’s pass for a touchdown against the South Florida Bulls during the first half at Hard Rock Stadium on September 13, 2025 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
|
Ranking |
Team |
Overall FBS rank |
Record |
|
17. |
Stanford |
No. 101 |
2-3 |
|
16. |
North Carolina |
No. 85 |
2-2 |
|
15. |
Boston College |
No. 82 |
1-3 |
|
14. |
Virginia Tech |
No. 81 |
2-3 |
|
13. |
Wake Forest |
No. 71 |
2-2 |
|
12. |
Clemson |
No. 63 |
1-3 |
|
11. |
Pitt |
No. 62 |
2-2 |
|
10. |
NC State |
No. 57 |
3-2 |
|
9. |
Syracuse |
No. 52 |
3-2 |
|
8. |
SMU |
No. 46 |
2-2 |
|
7. |
California |
No. 44 |
4-1 |
|
6. |
Duke |
No. 40 |
3-2 |
|
5. |
Virginia |
No. 35 |
4-1 |
|
4. |
Louisville |
No. 23 |
4-0 |
|
3. |
Georgia Tech |
No. 21 |
5-0 |
|
2. |
Florida State |
No. 12 |
3-1 |
|
1. |
Miami |
No. 3 |
4-0 |
Clemson fell one spot in the FBS 1-136 re-rank to No. 63, while Florida State (somewhat surprisingly) dropped only one spot from No. 11. With its win on Friday, Virginia had the biggest jump in USA TODAY Sports’ rankings, moving up 20 spots to No. 35.
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USA TODAY Sports ranks the 10 college football teams entering Week 5
|
Ranking |
Team |
Record |
|---|---|---|
|
10. |
Iowa State |
5-0 |
|
9. |
Penn State |
3-1 |
|
8. |
Indiana |
5-0 |
|
7. |
Georgia |
3-1 |
|
6. |
Oklahoma |
4-0 |
|
5. |
Texas A&M |
5-0 |
|
4. |
Ole Miss |
5-0 |
|
3. |
Miami |
4-0 |
|
2. |
Ohio State |
4-0 |
|
1. |
Oregon |
5-0 |
Clemson football schedule 2025
All announced start times Eastern.
-
Aug. 30: vs. LSU (L, 17-10)
-
Sept. 6: vs. Troy (W, 27-16)
-
Sept. 13: at Georgia Tech (L, 24-21)
-
Sept. 20: vs. Syracuse (L, 34-21)
-
Oct. 4: at North Carolina, noon, ESPN
-
Nov. 8: vs. Florida State
-
Nov. 14: at Louisville, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
-
Nov. 29: at South Carolina, noon, ABC or ESPN
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This article originally appeared on Clemson Wire: ACC football team rankings from USA TODAY Sports after wild FSU upset
