POWER POLL
WEEK 6
Miami running back Mark Fletcher Jr. goes over the top for a touch down during the fourth quarter against Clemson at Memorial Stadium on Saturday in Clemson, S.C
1. Miami (Last week: No. 1): Hurricanes RB Mark Fletcher Jr. rushed for 77 yards and two TDs while Miami's defense collected six sacks and nine TFLs in a demolition of Clemson.
2. Pittsburgh (3): Pitt trailed by as many as 10 points in the second quarter, but rallied and managed to hold on for a win at Virginia Tech last Friday. The Panthers forced four turnovers and scored 14 points off of those takeaways to beat the Hokies. DE Isaiah Neal had six tackles, a half sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry.
3. Duke (2): The Blue Devils come out of their bye seeking to stay dominant. In their first four games, they combined to outscore their opponents 145-44.
4. Wake Forest (4): Demon Deacons QB Gio Lopez accounted for five total TDs — two passing, three rushing — in their blowout win over Stanford. It was the largest-margin ACC victory in Wake Forest history.
5. SMU (6): It wasn't a pretty win for the Mustangs, who trailed Boston
College after the opening quarter. But SMU QB Kevin Jennings threw for two TDs and rushed for another to rally his squad to a victory.
6. Virginia Tech (5): K John Love and the Virginia Tech faithful insisted his attempt for a game-winning kick was good, but officials signaled it missed. A make would've sent the Hokies to 5-0 for the first time since 2005, but instead the miss handed them heartbreak and their first loss under James Franklin.
7. Clemson (8): The Tigers stayed with Miami through the first half before falling apart over the final 30 minutes in a home loss to the Hurricanes.
8. Florida State (12): The Seminoles rattled off 38 straight points to crush UVa behind QB Ashton Daniels' 136 rushing yards and program-record five rushing TDs.
9. Virginia (7): UVa was undone during an embarrassing loss in Tallahassee by a disastrous second quarter and an inability to stop Daniels as a runner.
10. NC State (13): Give Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren credit, he's managed to keep his team together following its blowout loss at Virginia in Week 0 and the debacle in Nashville against Vanderbilt. NC State got a field goal with 5:30 left and held on to beat Louisville this past weekend.
11. North Carolina (10): Jaden Jefferson's 98-yard kickoff return for a touch-down cut the Tar Heels' deficit to 21-20 in the third quarter, but Notre Dame scored the next 16 points to stymie North Carolina's hopes of an upset.
12. Louisville (9): No one has lost close games this season like Louisville, which dropped its third game by three points this year on Saturday at NC State. The Cardinals also lost by three to Ole Miss and Wake Forest.
13. California (11): In a disappointing non-conference loss to UNLV, Bears QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele suffered a hard hit late in the first half and did not return.
t-14. Stanford (14): Stanford couldn't run the ball and had no answers for Lopez during its lopsided loss at Wake Forest.
t-14. Boston College (15): Eagles QB Mason McKenzie threw for 208 yards and two TDs, and rushed for 74 yards, but it wasn't enough and BC fell at SMU.
16. Syracuse (17): New starting QB Amari Odom's fourth-down touchdown pass to WR Umari Hatcher and then Odom's run for a 2-point conversion lifted the Orange to a thrilling overtime victory over UConn.
17. Georgia Tech (16): The Yellow Jackets come out of their bye week still seeking a first win over an FBS opponent this season.
— Greg Madia, The Daily Progress (Charlottesville, Virginia)
