Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck (11) reacts against the South Florida Bulls during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The ACC football season has completed one month of play. There's really no discussion here: The Miami Hurricanes have been the best team in the conference thus far. The real question is which team is No. 2 entering October. ACC football's hottest story right now is not Miami, though. It's a hot seat situation unfolding in Raleigh at NC State, as we wrote about on Sunday:

"NC State lost at home to Virginia Tech on Saturday night. This comes after the Wolfpack gave up almost 50 points to Duke the week before. This season is a wreck, and it adds to the fatigue felt by NC State fans who have lived with the Dave Doeren roller-coaster for a long time. Doeren has forged his share of successes in Raleigh, but he seems to have reached the end of the line. That often happens, and it is the reality NC State has to deal with."

There's a lot to talk about in the world of ACC football. Unrolling our power rankings for all 17 schools enables us to discuss what's going on from Berkeley to Boston to Florida and all places in between:

17 -- Boston College Eagles

A team which loses to Stanford and Cal has to be at the bottom. The Eagles have been a big disappointment. Their schedule will only get tougher from this point onward. They're cooked.

16 -- Stanford Cardinal

Stanford looked like the worst team in the Power Four conferences a few weeks ago but has scratched out a few wins since then. This is still a really bad team, but it's not in last place.

15 -- North Carolina Tar Heels

UCF got smacked by an underachieving Kansas State team. North Carolina got drilled by that not-very-good UCF squad. The Bill Belichick era is a trainwreck through one month.

14 -- Clemson Tigers

Is Clemson better than this? Yes ... but you can't rank a 1-3 team over a 3-2 team through one month of play. Clemson will move up the list as it wins more games. All of that aside, this season has already been ruined. Nothing short of an eight-game winning streak and a spot in Charlotte (for the ACC Championship Game) can save it.

13 -- Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Wake almost beat Georgia Tech. NC State did win at Wake, though, so the Deacs have to be behind the Wolfpack.

12 -- NC State Wolfpack

This is why Dave Doeren is on the hot seat. Losing at home to Virginia Tech is an absolute disaster, one week after being shredded by Duke.

11 -- Virginia Tech Hokies

Virginia Tech has to be ranked ahead of NC State after beating the Wolfpack on the road.

10 -- Pitt Panthers

Pitt could be really good, but blowing leads to West Virginia and Louisville has left the Panthers in dire straits. Pitt is playing 45-minute games, not 60-minute games.

9 -- SMU Mustangs

SMU is probably going to fall out of the ACC top 10 as the season goes along. This team has hugely underperformed, but for now it stays here.

8 -- Syracuse Orange

Syracuse is in huge trouble with quarterback Steve Angeli out due to injury, but the Orange have to be ranked higher than Clemson and others since they beat the Tigers on the road.

7 -- Cal Golden Bears

The 4-1 record looks great, but Cal cratered against San Diego State and barely beat last-place Boston College. This is a volatile team which could rise or fall as the season continues.

6 -- Duke Blue Devils

Duke committed five turnovers against Illinois, but when this team takes care of the ball, it can score. Wins over NC State and Syracuse have Duke pointing in the right direction.

5 -- Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Elliott has cooled off his hot seat with a huge win over Florida State. The defense made timely plays. This team is showing it can be a factor in the ACC.

4 -- Louisville Cardinals

Miller Moss is shaky, but also resilient. He could have crumbled after the terrible start against Pitt, but he and his team didn't quit. Louisville must get a lot better to contend for the ACC title, but the Pitt comeback keeps the Cards in the hunt.

3 -- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Jackets are 5-0, but the Wake Forest escape shows they still play down to their competition. Change that, and they can play for the ACC title in Charlotte this December.

2 -- Florida State Seminoles

Georgia Tech playing with its food is why Florida State stays second despite the loss to Virginia. The Bama win is more impressive than Tech's win over Clemson by far.

1 -- Miami Hurricanes

Next up: Florida State. Follow FSU Wire for extensive coverage of this Week 6 showdown.

Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.

This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: ACC football power rankings through the month of September

Reporting by Matt Zemek, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect