ESPN College Football

Posted by ESPN.com's Heather Dinich

Picking the No. 1 team in the ACC right now is like trying to find the best looking Christmas tree -- it's still too early. This list took me longer than it has all season, but here's the final version:

1. Georgia Tech (7-2, 4-2) -- They're back, and this time they're bowl eligible. The Yellow Jackets have an offense nobody wants to face and a defense that can force mistakes. Just ask last week's No. 1 team.

2. Florida State (6-2, 3-2) -- It's not like the Seminoles got blown away by Georgia Tech, they just couldn't stop the triple option and made one very, very costly mistake. In the end zone.

3. Maryland (6-2, 3-1) -- The Terps remain stagnant after their bye week and have to earn their place over FSU in the power rankings, despite their automatic boost in the conference standings.

4. Miami (6-3, 3-2) -- The Hurricanes snapped Virginia's four-game winning streak and won their third straight ACC game for the first time since 2005. The Canes are on a four-game winning streak and Bill Young has the defense playing much better.

5. North Carolina (6-2, 2-2) -- This isn't punishment for not playing, it's Miami's reward for winning four straight. Every team UNC has beaten -- Connecticut, Notre Dame, Rutgers, Boston College -- has proceeded to lose except Miami.

6. Virginia (5-4, 3-2) -- The Cavaliers had a chance to tighten their grasp on the Coastal Division lead. Instead, they're now lumped in with everyone else.

7. Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2) -- The Demon Deacons finally got big plays in all three phases of the game. Now their challenge is to keep it up while hoping Maryland loses.

8. Boston College (5-3, 2-3) -- The Eagles' deficiencies on offense finally caught up to them, and they almost played themselves out of the Atlantic Division race. Almost.

9. Virginia Tech (5-3, 2-2) -- The Hokies had the weekend off and remain in the same spot heading into Thursday night's game against Maryland.

10. Clemson (4-4, 2-3) -- The Tigers moved up a notch from last week after their road win over BC. They got a solid effort from their defense and were able to move the ball, but Cullen Harper has to cut down on the mistakes.

11. Duke (4-4, 1-3) -- The Blue Devils didn't quit, but it just wasn't enough against Wake. They've lost three of their past four and are still looking for that elusive ACC road win.

12. NC State (2-6, 0-4) -- Their place this year is about the only thing that's certain in the league. That doesn't mean, though, that the Wolfpack won't crash somebody's party this month.