The ACC had a bad week.

But not nearly as bad as the Big East. That is what things have come down to in the latest ESPN Stats & Information conference power rankings, released Monday. The ACC lost major ground to the Big Ten, but at least the league held firm in fifth place. Its conference rivals, however, tumbled all the way to No. 8, falling behind the MAC and WAC.

What these latest rankings make clear is that there are four conferences that have separated themselves, and then there is everybody else. The SEC remained a clear No. 1 after its 4-0 showing against the ACC. Sharon Katz writes:

All four of the SEC’s wins came against ACC opponents, including wins over No. 10 Florida State and No. 11 Clemson. Overall, the SEC won its four non-conference games by a combined 87 points and won every game by double digits. On the season, the SEC is 48-8 in non-conference games, second to the Big 12.

Though the ACC is not going to fill all its bowl slots, the league needs an impressive showing in all its postseason games to begin to repair the damage that has been done to its image in the regular season.

ESPN Stats & Information College Football Conference Power Rankings