1. Syracuse -- 9-0 (#2 in the country)
The newcomers struggled, at times, in football -- but the near-Canadians weren't brought to the ACC for football. They are here because of Boeheim, that cowardly zone-defense and the outstanding Carrier Dome atmosphere for basketball.
2. Pitt -- 9-0 (unranked)
It's criminal they are unranked. *checks their schedule* Oh, Fresno Sta-- *remembers this isn't the football rankings*. Well, at least they don't have any bad non-conference losses.
3. Duke -- 7-2 (#8 in the country)
Losses to Kansas and Arizona are nothing to be ashamed of. A near-loss to Vermont on the other hand...
That could have been scary.
4. UNC -- 6-2 (#18 in the country)
Wins against #1 Michigan State and #3 Louisville. Losses against Belmont and UAB.
5. Florida State -- 6-3
Their win over VCU looked better the day it happened, but that doesn't mean it won't be impressive come March. The loss against Michigan will be looked back upon as a huge missed opportunity. Luckily, the losses to Florida and Minnesota are good RPI boosters, with another RPI boost on the way against UMass.
6. Notre Dame -- 7-2
Lost to the only two good teams they have played, but still have looked quite impressive on offense.
7. Wake Forest -- 8-2
The win over Richmond is nice, but not much else on the schedule is.
8. Clemson -- 7-2
This feels like a typical Clemson basketball season -- rack up wins against a cupcake schedule while dropping one or two along the way. There's no shame in losing to UMass or Arkansas (on the road), but they lack a significant OOC win.
9-12. Virginia Tech/North Carolina State/Georgia Tech/Virginia
All of these teams have a bad loss (or two) on their resume. They have flaws, but they all have room for improvement.
13. Maryland -- 5-4
The win over Providence was nice... and that's about it. I will add that I'm not giving up yet, and neither should you. It should be noted, Maryland is actually higher in the KenPom rankings than Notre Dame (see, I can be positive).
14. Miami -- 5-5
A couple bad losses already for the Canes. They're missing Shane Larkin and others from last year in a big way.
15. Boston College -- 3-6
The only sub-.500 team in the ACC.