ACC baseball power rankings 3/29

Three weeks into Atlantic Conference play, some teams are emerging as legitimate contenders for the conference title while others seem destined for the struggle to avoid finishing dead last in the ACC. To help distinguish the competitors, Tomahawk Nation will be providing a weekly power ranking of the entire conference, top to bottom.

1. Miami (20-4, 7-2 in ACC)

The Hurricanes have opened conference play with a 7-2 start and won nine of their last ten including winning two of three games against Louisville and, most recently, sweeping Clemson. After the productive week, Miami has moved into No. 4 in the latest D1Baseball poll.

This week: The 'Canes travel to Boca Raton to take on FAU in a midweek game before welcoming in No. 7 UNC for a weekend series in Miami.

2. Florida State (18-5, 6-1 in ACC)

FSU has gotten off to a similarly hot start to conference play, sweeping the previously-undefeated Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and taking two of three games at Pittsburgh while winning the only game played against NC State this past weekend. With the 3-0 week last week, the Seminoles shot up each of the college baseball polls.

This week: Florida State travels to Jacksonville today for its second game against the Florida Gators before making the trek to Chestnut Hill this weekend for a three-game set at Boston College.

3. Louisville (19-5, 6-3 in ACC)

Louisville remains one of the most talented teams in the country but has struggled with consistency in the early going, losing two of three games at Miami and dropping one at home this weekend to Virginia. The Cardinals currently sit behind FSU due to losing more conference games which can be attributed to their tougher schedule to date.

This week: UL will play at Bowling Green on Tuesday and welcome in the Hokies of Virginia Tech this weekend for three games.

4. North Carolina (19-4, 6-3 in ACC)

UNC takes a hit this week after losing two of three games to Georgia Tech this past weekend, including them being shut out 6-0 in Saturday's rubber match.

This week: The Tarheels travel to Davidson on Tuesday and travels to Miami this weekend for a top-10 series.

5. Georgia Tech (18-5, 5-4 in ACC)

The Yellow Jackets have bounced back nicely from their sweep at the hands of FSU, sweeping Virginia Tech the next weekend and winning two of three at North Carolina this past weekend.

This week: GT has four games this week, all at home. A midweek matchup with Georgia Southern and a weekend series against Duke.

6. Clemson (17-6, 5-4 in ACC)

Clemson was off to a scorching start in ACC play before running into the buzzsaw that is Miami, falling to the 'Canes in all three games over the weekend.

This week: The Tigers play in five games this week, a pair of midweek games against Furman and Western Carolina and a weekend series in Clemson against Pittsburgh.

7. Virginia (17-8, 5-4 in ACC)

The defending national champion Cavaliers have been struggling with consistency issues this year, going 2-2 last week with a win over James Madison and a 2-1 series loss at Louisville.

This week: UVA plays host to James Madison on Wednesday and NC State Friday through Sunday of this week.

8. NC State (16-8, 3-4 in ACC)

North Carolina State has played two less conference games than most of the other teams due to only playing one game this past weekend in Tallahassee. Still, a 0-2 week including one loss to the Seminoles and another to UNC Wilmington hurts the Wolfpack's standing in the rankings.

This week: NCSU continues its road trip all week with a road game at Charlotte and a trio of games at UVA this weekend.

9. Notre Dame (12-10, 4-5 in ACC)

A four-game winning streak has placed Notre Dame just ahead of the other teams that also possess a 4-5 conference record. Last week, the Irish won at home against UIC and swept Virginia Tech in their own stadium. In all, ND has won five of its last six games as the Irish continue to rebound from their slow start to the season.

This week: Notre Dame kicks off a lengthy homestand this week, playing host to Oregon on Thursday and Wake Forest for a weekend series.

10. Wake Forest (16-10, 4-5 in ACC)

The Demon Deacons went 3-1 last week which was capped off by a 2-1 series win over Duke at home in addition to a midweek win over Charlotte at home.

This week: WF travels to Elon for a midweek before heading to Indiana for a weekend series against Notre Dame in a battle of two middle of the standings teams.

11. Pittsburgh (11-9, 4-5 in ACC)

Playing without a midweek game this week, Pitt took two of three games from Boston College at home last weekend after losing two of three to FSU two weeks ago.

This week: Pitt welcomes Kent State for a midweek showdown and then travels to Clemson for a weekend series with the Tigers.

12. Boston College (13-8, 3-6 in ACC)

BC's 7-0 start to the season has been almost completely forgotten due to losing five of its last six games including a sweep by Clemson and losing two of three at Pittsburgh.

This week: Boston College kicks off its five-game week with a pair of midweek matchups with UConn and Massachusetts before the Florida State Seminoles come to Chestnut Hill for a weekend series.

13. Duke (11-13, 2-7 in ACC)

The Blue Devils ended a six-game losing streak with their win over Wake Forest in the series finale between the two. Still, they have struggled to find any consistency and seem destined for mediocrity in 2016.

This week: Duke plays host to Liberty on Tuesday before taking on Georgia Tech on the road this weekend.

14. Virginia Tech (10-15, 1-8 in ACC)

The losers of 10 straight games, the Hokies have struggled mightily lately. Although their one conference win is impressive (a 14-3 slaughter of Miami), the losses far outnumber the victories.

This week: Fresh of being on the wrong side of a sweep by Notre Dame, VT has four road games this week starting with a midweek game at VMI and capped off by a three-game set at Louisville.