The Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-1, 4-1 ACC) are coming off a bye, but the week of rest did nothing to change their standing in this week's ACC Football Power Rankings. The Deacs maintained their unanimous spot at No. 2.

This marks the fifth consecutive week Wake Forest has been ranked No. 2 and the second consecutive week in which that vote was unanimous. The Miami Hurricanes are once again the unanimous No. 1. The Canes have not received a vote lower than first place all season. SMU is once again ranked No. 3, and just like last week, the Mustangs did not receive a unanimous vote.

There are two ties in this week's rankings. North Carolina and Pittsburgh are tied at No. 8, with Pitt once again part of a tie after sharing the spot with Virginia last week. NC State and Stanford are tied at No. 14.

How Power Rankings Are Determined

Each week, our nine-person editorial staff ranks the 17 ACC teams individually. We tabulate all the votes and determine the weekly power rankings.

Here's where our staff ranked the teams this week:

2026 ACC Power Rankings – Week 9

• Miami remains in the top spot. No other team received a first-place vote.
• Wake Forest is No. 2, also unanimously.
• Georgia Tech is now No. 17, marking the second time the Yellow Jackets have been in last place.
• Florida State and North Carolina State also received last-place votes.
• The biggest movers this week were Duke (+4), North Carolina (-3), and Stanford (+3).
• Six teams had six or more spots between their highest and lowest rankings; Florida State, once again, had the most, with a 12-point spread.
• Other teams with at least six spots between the highest and lowest rankings are Boston College (8), Clemson (6), Pittsburgh (8), Virginia (6), and Virginia Tech (6).

17. Georgia Tech (2-5, 1-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 15
Highest Ranking: #13
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost to Boston College 27-49
This Week: at Pittsburgh

16. Syracuse (3-4, 1-4)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 16
Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Beat North Carolina 31-30 (OT)
This Week: vs. SMU

14 (tie). NC State (3-4, 1-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 13
Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Lost at Stanford 28-31
This Week: vs. California

14 (tie). Stanford (4-4, 2-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 17
Highest Ranking: #12
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Beat NC State 31-28
This Week: at Louisville

13. California (3-5, 2-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 12
Highest Ranking: #11
Lowest Ranking: #16
Last Week: Lost at SMU 20-59
This Week: at NC State

12. Boston College (4-3, 2-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 14
Highest Ranking: #7
Lowest Ranking: #15
Last Week: Beat Georgia Tech 49-27
This Week: at Duke

11. Florida State (3-4, 1-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 11
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #17
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. Clemson

10. Virginia (4-4, 2-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 8 (tie)
Highest Ranking: #6
Lowest Ranking: #12
Last Week: Lost to Duke 16-19
This Week: at Wake Forest

8 (tie). North Carolina (4-3, 2-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 5
Highest Ranking: #7
Lowest Ranking: #11
Last Week: Lost to Syracuse 30-31 (OT)
This Week: vs. Miami

8 (tie). Pittsburgh (5-3, 2-3)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 8 (tie)
Highest Ranking: #6
Lowest Ranking: #14
Last Week: Lost at Miami 23-52
This Week: vs. Georgia Tech

7. Clemson (4-3, 2-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 6
Highest Ranking: #4
Lowest Ranking: #10
Last Week: Lost to Virginia Tech 16-20
This Week: vs. Virginia Tech

6. Duke (5-2, 2-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 10
Highest Ranking: #5
Lowest Ranking: #8
Last Week: Beat Virginia 19-16
This Week: vs. Boston College

5. Virginia Tech* (6-2, 3-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 7
Highest Ranking: #4
Lowest Ranking: #10
Last Week: Beat Clemson 20-16
This Week: Bye Week

4. Louisville (4-3, 3-2)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 4
Highest Ranking: #3
Lowest Ranking: #7
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. Stanford

3. #19 SMU* (6-1, 4-1)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 3
Highest Ranking: #3
Lowest Ranking: #4
Last Week: Beat California 59-20
This Week: at Syracuse

2. #14 Wake Forest* (6-1, 4-1)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 2
Highest Ranking: #2
Lowest Ranking: #2
Last Week: Bye Week
This Week: vs. Virginia

1. #1 Miami* (7-0, 5-0)

Last Week's Power Ranking: 1
Highest Ranking: #1
Lowest Ranking: #1
Last Week: Beat Pittsburgh 52-23
This Week: at North Carolina

Note: Power Rankings are determined by the Wake Forest Demon Deacons On SI editorial staff.
* - Team is bowl eligible

How Do Other On SI Sites See the ACC?

We aren't the only On SI site ranking the ACC this week. Georgia Tech On SI and Virginia Tech On SI have ACC Football Power Rankings this week. Check out their rankings here to see how they compare with our staff's rankings:

- Georgia Tech On SI - Wake Forest No. 2 (no change)
- Virginia Tech On SI - Wake Forest No. 2 (no change)

What's Next

Wake Forest returns to the gridiron on Saturday, October 31, when they host the Virginia Cavaliers at 3:45 pm ET. The game will be played at Allegacy Financial Stadium in Winston-Salem, NC, and will air on ESPN2.