Georgia Tech might not have been able to climb out of the bottom spot in the power rankings if they had found a way to beat Pittsburgh, but they sealed their spot with a loss, and they might be there for the rest of the season.

The Yellow Jackets had a dismal effort against the Panthers on Saturday and lost their third straight game and now they are on the brink of missing the postseason for the first time in the Brent Key era. They will try to pull off a stunner on Saturday against Louisville, but it looks bleak in Atlanta.

How did the rest of the rankings shake out?

17. Georgia Tech (2-6, 1-4 ACC). Last week: 17

Georgia Tech could not stop the run, they could not move the ball, and they were not really competitive on the road against Pittsburgh. A 2-10 season is staring the Yellow Jackets in the face and a game against Louisville seems like a nightmare matchup for a team that struggles as much on defense as they do.

16. California (3-6, 2-4). Last week: 15

Cal went on the road to Raleigh to face an NC State team that had just fired head coach Dave Doeren and they lost 31-10, for many of the same reasons that they lose every week. This team continues to be a major disappointment this season and they get a much needed bye week before the final stretch of the season.

15. Stanford (4-5, 2-4). Last week: 14

Stanford was able to hang around for at least the first half on the road at Louisville, but the defense could not get a stop against the Cardinals and the offense lost steam. Stanford has its second and final bye week next week before trying to win two of their last three games and get to a bowl game.

14. NC State (4-4, 2-3). Last week: 16

Credit to NC State: they could have mailed it in after their head coach was fired following an embarrassing loss to Stanford, but they got off the mat at home and were able to take down Cal. While Cal has been a disaster this season, the Wolfpack should get some credit for continuing to play hard, and they are still alive for a bowl game. Can they pull an upset against Duke next Saturday?

13. Virginia (4-5, 2-4). Last week: 12

Virginia continues to spiral and the latest result was a 51-7 drubbing at the hands of Wake Forest. UVA has a lengthy injury report, but to lose by 44 points and never be in the game at any point is embarrassing for a team that wanted to get back to the ACC Championship this season. A bye week is up next for Tony Elliott's team.

12. Florida State (3-5, 1-4). Last week: 11

Well, it has finally happened. Mike Norvell was fired after the latest loss to Clemson and it is a pretty open question as to how much fight this program is going to have for the rest of the season. They can certainly beat Boston College on the road, but it is a loseable game as well.

11. Boston College (4-4, 2-3). Last week: 9

After an impressive showing against Georgia Tech a week earlier, the Eagles went the other way against Duke. They were non-competitive in a 47-2 loss to Duke on the road and after winning two straight and getting some momentum, it all died at the hands of the Blue Devils. Boston College hosts a Florida State team that just fired its head coach today.

10. North Carolina (4-4, 2-3). Last week: 8

Bill Belichick and Bobby Petrino put together an excellent gameplan to face Miami and it nearly resulted in an upset against the No. 1 team in the country. Billy Edwards played the best game of his career, but the defense just could not get enough stops. A weird trip to UConn is up next for UNC.

9. Syracuse (4-4, 2-4). Last week: 13

Syracuse is rolling right now, coming off wins against North Carolina and now, SMU. The Mustangs were one of the favorites to get to Charlotte and play for the ACC Championship game, but Fran Brown and the Orange had a surprise waiting for them in the Carrier Dome. This team is trending in the right direction and they get to host Clemson next. A bowl game is very much a possibility for the Orange.

8. Pittsburgh (6-3, 3-3). Last week: 10

The Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak and defeated Georgia Tech to get to six wins and bowl eligibility. In a year where they lost their star quarterback, this is a nice achievement for this program. A needed bye week is coming up for Pat Narduzzi and Pitt.

7. Clemson (5-3, 3-2). Last week: 7

The Tigers did not move up in the rankings, but they got a solid win over Florida State this weekend and inched closer to getting to another bowl game under Dabo Swinney, though that is not the goal of this program. Can they survive a trip to Syracuse this weekend?

6. SMU (6-2, 4-2). Last week: 3

Once again, SMU just can't get out of their own way.

Last season, they were one win against Cal from getting to the ACC Championship game and competing for a playoff spot, but they lost to the Golden Bears and had to settle for a bowl game. If they had simply won out, they would have reached the ACC Championship game with a shot to make the CFP once again.

But they lost to a 3-4 Syracuse team and things get more complicated. While the focus might be on the matchup against Wake Forest next week, they have to survive a home test against Virginia Tech first.

5. Duke (6-2, 3-2). Last week: 6

Since their two game skid, Duke has rebounded nicely and clinched another postseason berth with their demolition of Boston College on Saturday. Can Manny Diaz get a win over rival NC State this weekend and keep their ACC Championship hopes alive?

4. Louisville (5-3, 4-2). Last week: 5

The Cardinals had some defensive issues in the first half, but they came out and fired on all cylinders in the second half and eventually pulled away from Stanford. They have faint ACC Championship hopes right now, but that is better than not having any at all. They will be heavy favorites against Georgia Tech this weekend.

3. Virginia Tech (6-2, 3-2). Last week: 4

Virginia Tech was off this week and is back in action on Friday night against SMU.

2. Wake Forest (7-1, 5-1). Last week: 2

There is a clear top two in the ACC and Wake Forest is making their case for why they should be considered as a legitimate playoff team. They smashed Virginia at home 51-7 and continued to roll since losing to Miami at home at the beginning of the season. They will roll this weekend against Merrimack before facing SMU in a huge collision on Nov. 14th.

1. Miami (8-0, 6-0). Last week: 1

Miami has been the top team in the conference all season long, but in two of their past three games, they have showed more weaknesses than they would have liked. Miami's offense is the best in the country and could not be stopped against North Carolina, but the Hurricanes defense played poorly, especially the pass defense. The whole country will be watching this weekend when Miami travels to Notre Dame in one of the biggest games of the season.