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After loss to Syracuse, here's how far Louisville fell in ACC football power ranking

jake adams, louisville courier journal
·6 min read

The Atlantic Coast Conference had a strong start to the 2022 football season, posting a 10-4 record in Week 1 with two conference clashes among the nonconference tests.

With the exception of Virginia Tech's embarrassing loss to Old Dominion and Boston College's loss to Rutgers, teams like NC State and UNC escaped with wins against in-state foes while Florida State and Pitt picked up impressive victories in primetime matchups.

Clemson remains at No. 1 after defeating Georgia Tech on Monday, but there was plenty of movement in this week's USA TODAY Network's ACC power rankings.

Mark your calendars:Louisville women's basketball schedule: See the Cardinals' 2022-23 nonconference slate

1. Clemson (1-0, 1-0 ACC)

The No. 4 nationally ranked Tigers and their beleaguered quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei got off to a slow start against Georgia Tech before a blocked punt opened up the offense and led to a convincing 41-10 win. Uiagalelei completed 19 of 32 passes for 209 yards while running back Will Shipley finished with 42 yards and two scores. The Clemson defense is as good as ever.

Last week: No. 1

Up next: vs Furman, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m.., ESPN

2. NC State (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

The Wolfpack escaped near disaster in their Week 1 road game against East Carolina. NC State was held scoreless in the second half and nearly blew a 14-point lead. The Pirates had a chance to win, but ECU Owen Daffer followed up a missed extra point with a 41-yard field goal that missed wide right and preserved the Wolfpack's 21-20 win.

Game day: NC State football survives last-second field goal attempt against ECU

Last week: No. 2

Up next: vs Charleston Southern, Saturday, Sept 10 at 12:30 p.m., ESPN 3

3. Miami (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

The Hurricanes opened the Mario Cristobal era in style with a 70-13 rout of Bethune-Cookman. Tyler Van Dyke completed 13 of 16 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns while the running game combined for 305 yards and seven touchdowns in the win.

Last week: No. 3

Up next: vs. Southern Miss, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m., ACCN

4. Pitt (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

The 105th edition of the Backyard Brawl between Pitt and West Virginia lived up to all the hype in Week 1. The Panthers scored two touchdowns in the final four minutes, including a game-winning pick-six that secured a 38-31 win. Week 2 won't get any easier with a resurgent Tennessee team coming to town.

Last week: No. 4

Up next: vs. Tennessee, Thursday, Sept. 10 at 3:30 p.m., ABC

5. UNC (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

The Tar Heels jump one spot in the poll after a thrilling 63-61 road win over App State. redshirt freshman Drake Maye threw for 352 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing 76 yards and another score. Behind Maye, UNC scored 34 unanswered points to lead 41-21 as the third quarter ended before App's wild comeback attempt.

Last week: No. 6

Up next: at Georgia State, Saturday, Sept. 10 at noon, ESPNU

6. Wake Forest (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

Mitch Griffis passed his first test as Wake Forest's starting quarterback with Sam Hartman out indefinitely. Griffis completed 21 of 29 passes for three touchdowns as the Deom Deacons defeated VMI 44-10 on Thursday.

Last week: No. 5

Up next: at Vanderbilt, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m., SECN

7. Florida State (2-0, 0-0 ACC)

Florida State spoiled Brian Kelly's first game as LSU's coach, holding on for a dramatic 24-23 win in New Orleans on Sunday night. The Seminoles blocked the potential game-tying extra point with no time left on the clock in the fourth quarter to give coach Mike Norvell the biggest win of his tenure. Is FSU back?

Last week: No. 8

Up next: Bye

8. Syracuse (1-0, 1-0 ACC)

The Orange made the largest Week 1 leap after a dominating 31-7 win over Louisville. The combination of dual-threat quarterback Garrett Shrader and Sean Tucker overwhelmed the Cardinal's defense and Syracuse's defense forced quarterback Malik Cunningham into two interceptions and only 34 yards rushing on 13 attempts.

Last week: No. 12

Up next: at UConn, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m., CBSSN

9. Virginia (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

The Cavaliers remain at No. 9 after a 34-17 win over Richmond. Quarterback Brennan Armstrong passed for 246 yards and two touchdowns while adding 105 yards and a score on the ground.

Last week: No. 9

Up next: at Illinois, Saturday, Sept.10  at 4 p.m., ESPNU

10. Louisville (0-1, 0-1 ACC)

Louisville's Scott Satterfield leads his team on to the field before the game against Syracuse on Nov. 23, 2019
Louisville's Scott Satterfield leads his team on to the field before the game against Syracuse on Nov. 23, 2019

Consecutive losing seasons following an 8-5 campaign in 2019 puts coach Scott Satterfield and Louisville football in an interesting position. They have one of the ACC's best quarterbacks in Malik Cunningham back for one more year and an impressive recruiting class in the works for 2023. The Cardinals lost four games by a touchdown or less last fall.

Last week: No. 7

Up next: at UCF, Friday, Sept. 9 at 7:30 p.m., ESPN 2

Fallout from Week 1:Why Louisville football needs to address self-inflicted mistakes quickly

11. Georgia Tech (0-1, 0-1 ACC)

Georgia Tech couldn't pull the upset over Clemson, but the Yellow Jackets held the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter and kept things close early before giving up 17 points in the fourth quarter. Jeff Sims looks to be a dangerous threat at quarterback this year.

Last week: No. 13

Up next: vs. Western Carolina, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 7 p.m., ESPN+

12. Boston College (0-1, 0-0 ACC)

The Eagles dropped a 22-21 decision to Rutgers at home in their season-opener despite 283 yards passing and three touchdowns from Phil Jurkovec and 10 receptions for 117 yards and two scores from receiver Zay Flowers. Rutgers scored the final 10 points of the game and snapped an 11-game losing streak to BC.

Last week: No. 10

Up next: at Virginia Tech, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m., ACCN

13. Duke (1-0, 0-0 ACC)

The Blue Devils began the Mike Elko era with a 30-0 win over Temple. It was an impressive debut for Elko and company against a less-than-stellar opponent. This week's opponent, Northwestern, will offer a better look at this Duke team.

Last week: No. 14

Up next: vs. Northwestern, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m., FS1

14. Virginia Tech (0-1, 0-0 ACC)

The Brent Pry era at Virginia Tech began in an embarrassing fashion over the weekend as the Hokies were upset for the second time in four years by Old Dominion. The Hokies had five turnovers, leading to 17 Old Dominion points. The most crucial came with 2:58 remaining in the game which led to a 20-17 loss. We should've known things were going to go sideways after their coaches got stuck in an elevator before the start of the second half.

Last week: No. 11

Up next: vs. Boston College, Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m., ACCN

David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: ACC football rankings: How far Louisville football fell this week