Week 6 ACC football rankings and reactions. Atlantic powers Clemson and Florida State remained the league’s final two unbeaten teams with wins over the Coastal’s Georgia Tech and Miami, respectively.

Week 6 ACC Football Rankings

1. Clemson: W, Georgia Tech 43-24

The defense is nasty. The offense is just fine, too. A week after being slowed by Notre Dame—and Mother Nature—the Tigers located their offensive mojo against the Yellow Jackets. Everybody contributed to the 537-yard outburst, including QB Deshaun Watson, RB Wayne Gallman and even TE Jordan Leggett, who Dabo Swinney wants to employ more liberally the rest of the way.

2. Florida State: W, Miami 29-24

It’s been a long process, longer than most expected, but the Seminole O-line is beginning to gel. And that’s encouraging news for QB Everett Golson and RB Dalvin Cook, who were both instrumental in the win over the Hurricanes. While the blockers have talent, they now need to become a more cohesive group. Now FSU needs to plug the holes in a secondary that was carved up for more than 400 yards and three touchdowns by Hurricane QB Brad Kaaya.

3. Miami: L, at Florida State 29-24

QB Brad Kaaya was borderline heroic in Tallahassee Saturday night, nearly carrying his Canes to an upset of the Seminoles. But he shouldn’t have to do all of the heavy lifting on offense. Miami has had problems run blocking lately, capped by an utterly inept performance against the Noles. FSU dominated Miami at the point of attack, taking RB Joseph Yearby out of the game. And when Yearby’s wheels are neutralized, the Canes are half as explosive and twice as predictable.

4. North Carolina: Bye Week

Next week: vs. Wake Forest

5. Louisville: Bye Week

Next week: at Florida State

6. Pittsburgh: W, Virginia 26-19

The Panthers are winning with timely stops on defense. But this team will have a hard cap on its 2015 potential if it doesn’t start getting more from the offensive playmakers. Against the Cavaliers, the ground game managed just four yards a carry, and big plays have been scarce for star WR Tyler Boyd. You can get by with 16 first downs against the likes of Virginia, but landmines on the schedule lurk ahead if Pitt can’t score more points.

7. Virginia Tech: W, NC State 28-13

There’s a little life in the ground game, and with that comes hope in Blacksburg. When the Hokies rush for 200 yards, which occurred Friday night, they’re 3-0 this season. Long runs from Travon McMillian and Sam Rogers, coupled with the inevitable return of QB Michael Brewer, provides a ray of optimism that Va Tech might have a little more offensive punch down the stretch to go along with its nasty D.

8. NC State: L, at Virginia Tech 28-13

Talk of Jacoby Brissett’s rising draft grade continues to be premature. True, he’s faced terrific defenses the last two weeks, and his supporting cast is mediocre. But when the Wolfpack needed their leader to carry an even bigger load, Brissett went 28-of-53 for 296 yards, two touchdowns and a pick in losses to Louisville and Va Tech. The Florida transfer has the physical gifts, no doubt, but he’s a developmental prospect.

9. Duke: W, at Army 44-3

Finally, a little offense to go along with that underrated D. The Blue Devils played one of their most complete games of the season, scoring five touchdowns a week after failing to reach the end zone against Boston College. And they moved the ball against an Army defense that’s been sneaky-good this fall. David Cutcliffe wants to fine-tune his team, but there’s an awful lot to feel good about heading into the bye week.

10. Georgia Tech: L, at Clemson 43-24

October and November are going to be dreadfully long on the Flats if the Yellow Jackets can’t fix the ground game. Running the ball has been a staple ever since Paul Johnson arrived and installed the triple-option. But Tech is blocking and executing poorly, resulting in Saturday’s hard-to-fathom 71-yard effort in Death Valley. If Johnson can’t turn things around, the Jackets are doomed, because neither the defense nor the passing game will rescue this program.

11. Syracuse: L, at South Florida 45-24

Where’d the defense go that had played so unexpectedly well in September? The Orange was routinely blown off the ball. And the fact that USF was doing the bullying is a very troubling sign for Scott Shafer’s crew. If what happened Saturday in Tampa is a harbinger of things to come, Syracuse is in a heap of trouble, because this program harbors no sure-things on offense to survive a steady diet of track meets.

12. Boston College: L, Wake Forest 3-0

The Eagles will need to pitch shutouts to win another game this fall. The offense is that dreadful for Steve Addazio. Boston College can’t generate anything, with its young quarterback, mediocre receivers, ineffective blockers and spotty kicking game. BC twice had the ball inside the Demon Deacon 10 yard line in the final 75 seconds, yet produced no points. The nationally-ranked D deserves a better fate.

13. Virginia: L, at Pittsburgh 26-19

An inability to run the ball is killing QB Matt Johns and the rest of the Cavalier offense. Virginia entered the Pitt game averaging less than three yards a carry, unable to spring talented RB Taquan Mizzell in September. And aside form one explosion out of Albert Reid, the Hoos managed just 68 yards on their other 30 carries. Johns isn’t gifted enough to prosper without more balance from his ground troops.

14. Wake Forest: W, at Boston College 3-0

The Deacons earned a conference win—somehow—in a game that it produced five first downs and three points. There’s that, plus the offense will improve now that QB John Wolford is healthy again. But the real hero of Saturday’s rare ACC road win was P Alex Kinal, who consistently bailed his team out with booming and accurate punts. Wake needed the Aussie, because the offense was unable to do anything to support the D Saturday.

MORE: Week 6 College Football Rankings, No. 1-128.