While the SEC and Big Ten provide drama for the number of teams capable of winning the National Championship, the ACC provided chaos in a much different way. Last season, the ACC was truly anyone's race as many were discussing 5-team tiebreakers as the ACC Championship neared. This season, the conference is expected to be far more stable with clear frontrunners.
Fresh off their run to the National Championship Game, the Miami Hurricanes have reloaded and look to be the clear favorites to win the ACC. While Miami has high hopes, they also have a target on their backs, and several teams could prove to spoil what should be another great season for the Hurricanes.
Power Ranking every ACC team as the season begins
17. Stanford Cardinal
Andrew Luck picked his long-term fit for Stanford, hiring his former teammate Tavita Pritchard to lead the next era. Transfer QB Davis Warren doesn't bring a ton of excitement to the offense, but running back Micah Ford should be the focal point of the offense. The upside for this team could come from the veteran heavy defense, but the overall talent level on the roster is going to make it hard to compete against the high-end teams in this league.
16. Boston College Eagles
After a promising first season leading Boston College, Bill O'Brien's team had a miserable year last season, going just 2-10. The offense will be turned over to Saginaw Valley State quarterback Mason McKenzie, who's a dual-threat star, but he'll have to prove he's able to succeed while jumping up a level in competition for this offense to succeed. The defense returns an experienced secondary, but the transfers in the middle are going to need to step up for this unit to succeed.
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
Bill Belichick's first season in Chapel Hill couldn't have gone much worse between the off-field headlines and the on-field results. Heading into Saturday's season opener in Ireland, the noise hasn't quieted down, as GM Mike Lombardi is on administrative leave while DC Steve Belichick is dealing with a health issue that will keep him away from the team. Belichick hopes that another transfer-heavy roster can show promise; otherwise, the Tar Heels may choose to cut ties.
14. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse looked to be off to a promising start last season, going 3-1 with a Non-Conference loss to Tennessee before Steve Angeli's injury derailed the team. Angeli should be back to full health to start the season, and the quarterback room has more talent, which should prevent any disasters like last season. Fran Brown looked to have Syracuse trending in a great direction after his first season, and he'll look to regain that momentum this season.
13. Duke Blue Devils
Manny Diaz delivered one of the most underwhelming conference championship seasons as Duke finished the season 9-5. Losing those games to UConn and Tulane will haunt Diaz, as after the season, Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate both left for Miami, setting the roster back in a big way. Manny Diaz does return elite running back Nate Sheppard, but the offense is riding on transfer Walker Eget, who the Blue Devils had to pivot to with how late Mensah left for Miami.
12. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Jake Dickert's first season at Wake Forest provided a ton of excitement as the Demon Deacons finished 9-4. This season, Jake Dickert will be looking to revive Gio Lopez's career after a dismal season at North Carolina. The defense did lose 2 of its 3 leading tacklers but returns a ton of talent headlined by Langston Hardy, who racked up 7 sacks last season.
11. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Brent Key has built Georgia Tech into a constant threat in the ACC, but how he fares in his first full season without Haynes King is a question. Alberto Mendoza, the brother of Fernando, arrives as the Yellow Jackets' next quarterback, and he showed plenty of flashes in mop-up duty to be excited about. The defense brings in several Power 4 transfers, and if those pieces can live up to the potential, Georgia Tech could outperform expectations.
10. Pitt Panthers
If Pitt didn't have such a tough schedule to end the season, they'd be a dark horse to make the College Football Playoff. Mason Heintschel emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the second half of the season giving the offense a chance to be among the best in the ACC. Pat Narduzzi's defenses are constantly solid, but with league games against Miami, Cal, Louisville, Florida State, and Georgia Tech the path is far from easy.
9. Virginia Cavaliers
After 3 losing seasons to start his tenure as a head coach, Tony Elliott was a hot-seat candidate, but he delivered an impressive 11-3 season. Beau Pribula replaces Chandler Morris at quarterback, and behind an offensive line filled with graduates should set him up well for success. If the transfers in the secondary can gel, the Cavaliers could quickly prove to be a contender in the ACC.
8. Virginia Tech Hokies
The James Franklin era begins at Virginia Tech, bringing a ton of optimisms that he can return the program to the heights they reached under Frank Beamer. The offense has some exciting pieces in Penn State defections QB Ethan Grunkemeyer and TE Luke Reynolds along with returning RB Marcellous Hawkins. Brent Pry returning after his firing to run the defense should help the Hokies contend in Franklin's first season if all the pieces can align.
7. Florida State Seminoles
Mike Norvell kicks off the season on the hot seat, and his first task is avoiding disaster against New Mexico State before back-to-back Top 25 games. Ashton Daniels replaces Tommy Castellanos at quarterback, and he may be better equipped to run the offense, even if he's less talented. Once again, the question is going to be if all the transfers can gel together after two failed seasons; otherwise, Florida State may be early to the coaching carousel.
6. NC State Wolfpack
Dave Doeren's team will kick off its 2026-27 campaign in Week 0 facing Virginia in a game that doesn't count toward the ACC standings. The offense lost a ton of talent with the departures of Justin Joly, Terrell Anderson, Hollywood Smothers, Jacarrius Peak, and Noah Rogers, but CJ Bailey returns at quarterback. The schedule sets up favorably for the Wolfpack in conference play, making the question whether Bailey can carry this team to being a dark horse ACC Championship contender.
5. California Golden Bears
Tosh Lupoi takes over at the helm of Cal, and this could be one of the most exciting seasons for the program in a long time. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele flashed as a freshman, and Lupoi's staff quickly built the offense around him giving it the potential to be a top 10 unit nationally. Given how stellar of a defensive coordinator Lupoi has been in his career, and the talent he brought with him, it's hard not to be excited about this group's potential.
4. Louisville Cardinals
Jeff Brohm has built solid teams in his three years at the helm of Louisville, and this group looks like it could continue the upward trajectory. Lincoln Kienholz was neck and neck with Julian Sayin for Ohio State's starting quarterback job, which is encouraging as he steps into a starting role. The Cardinals' defense is led by elite edge rusher Clev Lubin, and the veteran heavy group could be one of the best in the ACC.
3. Clemson Tigers
Clemson massively underperformed expectations in 2025, putting Dabo Swinney in an interesting place coming into this season. The Tigers haven't named a starting quarterback yet, but whoever wins the job will have an elite duo of wide receivers to throw to in TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco. The defense should be the strength of this team as Swinney actually attacked the Transfer Portal while bringing back great veterans in Sammy Brown, Will Heldt, and Ashton Hampton.
2. SMU Mustangs
SMU has only been in the ACC for two seasons, yet Rhett Lashlee has led the Mustangs to a 14-2 record in league play with a conference championship. Kevin Jennings is back at quarterback for a 3rd season, giving the offense one of the best quarterbacks in the Country to count on. The big question will be if the defense, with all of its new transfers, will be good enough to complement the offense, as this group looks best positioned to challenge Miami for the ACC Championship.
1. Miami Hurricanes
After making a trip to the National Championship, Mario Cristobal will look to make it back to that point in much cleaner fashion. The offense has all the firepower in the world with the additions of Darian Mensah and Cooper Barkate while there isn't a staff that's better equipped to overhaul the offensive line. The defense does lose a pair of star pass rushers, but added Damon Wilson to join the pair of potential 1st round DTs, making the Canes the clear most talented team in the conference.
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