ACC final power rankings: Florida State, Louisville top conference's 11 bowl-bound teams
The 2023 ACC football season has produced a league-record 11 bowl teams.
Regular-season champion Florida State and conference runner-up Louisville lead the way but first will meet in the ACC Championship Game on Saturday (8 p.m., ABC) in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
Three ACC teams remain ranked in the latest US LBM Coaches Poll. Florida State is ranked No. 4 while Louisville is No. 14 and N.C. State is No. 20.
Here’s how all 14 ACC teams stack up in our final rankings of the 2023 season:
1. Florida State (12-0, 8-0)
Last week: 1
This week: vs. Louisville
What to know: The reborn Seminoles are riding an 18-game winning streak and are 12-0 for the fourth time in program history.
2. Louisville (10-2, 7-1)
Last week: 2
This week: vs. Florida State
What to know: Even a home game wasn’t enough to help the Cardinals snap a five-game losing streak vs. in-state rival Kentucky.
3. NC State (9-3, 6-2)
Last week: 3
What to know: A third consecutive victory against rival UNC had Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren lighting up more locker room cigars Saturday.
4. Clemson (8-4, 4-4)
Last week: 4
What to know: Where there’s a will there’s a way: The Tigers found a way to beat South Carolina without scoring an offensive touchdown.
5. Georgia Tech (6-6, 5-3)
Last week: 6
What to know: Tech put up a fight but lost for a sixth consecutive time to Georgia. It’s hard to believe the skid vs. the Bulldogs is only six.
6. North Carolina (8-4, 4-4)
Last week: 5
What to know: The Tar Heels were 6-0 at the season’s midpoint, but have floundered since.
7. Miami (7-5, 3-5)
Last week: 7
What to know: The Hurricanes are back in the bowl picture thanks in large part to those early season games vs. Miami (Ohio), Bethune-Cookman and Temple.
8. Virginia Tech (6-6, 5-3)
Last week: 8
What to know: The Hokies continued their domination of Virginia, beating the Cavs for the 18th time in 19 games on Saturday.
9. Duke (7-5, 4-4)
Last week: 9
What to know: The bad: The Blue Devils failed to win a road game vs. a Power 5 opponent. The good: The Blue Devils went undefeated at home in ACC play for the first time since 1989.
10. Boston College (6-6, 3-5)
Last week: 11
What to know: The Eagles ended the season on a three-game skid, but still are bowl bound for the first time in the Jeff Hafley era after COVID-19 concerns resulted in withdrawal from a bowl in 2020 and cancellation of a bowl trip in 2021.
MUCH IMPROVED: Improved pass defense has been the catalyst for Clemson's late-season flourish, hopes for future
11. Syracuse (6-6, 2-6)
Last week: 12
What to know: The Orange found a way to win vs. Wake Forest and wrap up a bowl trip under interim coach Nunzio Campanile.
12. Virginia (3-9, 2-6)
Last week: 10
What to know: Moral victory? When Virginia Tech’s players posed for a post-victory photo in front of Virginia’s scoreboard on Saturday, the Hokies turned the sprinklers on them.
13. Pitt (3-9, 2-6)
Last week: 13
What to know: The Panthers have nowhere to go but up after posting just the second losing season in nine years under coach Pat Narduzzi.
14. Wake Forest (4-8, 1-7)
Last week: 14
What to know: The Demon Deacons clinched doormat status in the ACC with a four-point loss at Syracuse to close the season.
Scott Keepfer covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at skeepfer@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter @ScottKeepfer
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Florida State, Louisville still top teams in bowl-rich ACC
