ACC football predictions, preseason awards, all-conference teams
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The ACC provided a bit of chaos ahead of last year’s College Football Playoff with Duke winning the ACC Championship game but missing out on the CFP with its 8-5 record.
Miami sneaked into the field, using its Week 1 win over Notre Dame to leapfrog the Irish into playoff. Notre Dame blamed the ACC for lobbying for Miami’s CFP inclusion, threatening to take its ball and go home. While Notre Dame skipped its bowl game, the Hurricanes reached the national title game.
Miami poached standout QB Darian Mensah from Duke in the transfer portal and brings back plenty of playmakers on both sides of the ball.
We polled writers within the USA TODAY Network who cover ACC schools for their preseason predictions, all-conference teams and preseason awards.
The Hurricanes are the favorite to return to the playoff and placed a league-high seven players on the USA TODAY Network All-ACC team ahead of the 2026 season, including Offensive Player of the Year Malachi Toney.
2026 ACC football preseason predicted order of finish
- Miami
- SMU
- Louisville
- Clemson
- Virginia Tech
- Virginia
- Georgia Tech
- Pitt
- Florida State
- NC State
- Cal
- Duke
- Wake Forest
- North Carolina
- Syracuse
- Stanford
- Boston College
2026 Preseason All-ACC football team
* unanimous selection
OFFENSE
- QB: Darian Mensah, Miami
- RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville*
- RB: Mark Fletcher, Miami
- WR: Malachi Toney, Miami*
- WR: Duce Robinson, Florida State*
- TE: Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech
- OL: PJ Williams, SMU*
- OL: Joshua Bates, SMU
- OL: McKale Boley, Virginia
- OL: Lance Robinson, Louisville
- OL: Ryan Baer, Pitt
DEFENSE
- DL: Clev Lubin, Louisville
- DL: Ahmad Moten, Miami
- DL: Damon Wilson II, Miami
- DL: Will Heldt, Clemson
- LB: Sammy Brown, Clemson*
- LB: Braylan Lovelace, Pitt
- LB: Kam Robinson, Virginia
- DB: Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami*
- DB: Chris Peal, Syracuse
- DB: Tayon Holloway, Louisville
- DB: Ashton Hampton, Clemson
SPECIALISTS
- PK: Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech*
- P: (tie) Daniel Sparks, Virginia and Dylan Joyce, Miami
- KR/PR: Tre Richardson, Louisville
HONORABLE MENTION
- Cal: TE Dorian Thomas
- Clemson: WR Bryant Wesco Jr.; OL Brayden Jacobs; DB Corey Myrick
- Duke: LB Luke Mergott; P Kade Reynolds
- Georgia Tech: RB Justice Haynes
- Florida State: DL Mandrell Desir; DB Ja’Bril Rawls; DB Ashlynd Barker; LB Chris Jones
- Louisville: TE Brody Foley; LB Antonio Watts
- Miami: LB Mohamed Toure; WR Cooper Barkate; OL Matthew McCoy; DB Xavier Lucas; DB Zechariah Poyser; OL Ryan Rodriguez
- NC State: OL Jimarion McCrimon
- North Carolina: DL Melkart Abou Jaoude
- Pitt: DB Cruce Brookins; OL BJ Williams
- SMU: QB Kevin Jennings; KR Yamir Knight; TE Randy Pittman; OL Addison Nichols
- Stanford: LB Matt Rose
- Syracuse: P Jack Stonehouse
- Virginia: DL Fisher Camac; OL Noah Josey; OL Monroe Mills; DL Zion Wilson
- Virginia Tech: DB Jacquez White; DL Kemari Copeland
ACC football preseason Offensive Player of the Year
WR Malachi Toney, Miami. Toney is coming off a dynamic freshman season, catching 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown and threw two more.
Also receiving votes: QB Darian Mensah (Miami)
ACC football preseason Defensive Player of the Year
LB Sammy Brown, Clemson. A 2025 All-American, Brown posted a team-high 106 tackles, including 13.5 for loss and five sacks, one forced fumble, six pass deflections and one interception. He has never missed a game in his career and is one of just 26 FBS players over the past 20 years to record at least five sacks and at least 10 tackles for loss as a freshman and a sophomore.
Also receiving votes: DL Damon Wilson II (Miami), DL Clev Lubin (Louisville), LB Mohamed Toure (Miami).
ACC football preseason Newcomer of the Year
QB Darian Mensah, Miami. The Hurricanes tabbed Mensah to replace Carson Beck late in the portal process. Mensah threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns to just six interceptions for the Blue Devils, guiding Duke to the ACC Championship.
Poll participants: Rodd Baxley (Fayetteville Observer), Anna Snyder (Fayetteville Observer), Derrian Carter (Greenville News), Mike Berardino (South Bend Tribune) Blake Toppmeyer (USA TODAY), Austin Curtright (USA TODAY), Paul Myerberg (USA TODAY), Peter Holland (Tallahassee Democrat), Liam Rooney (Tallahassee Democrat), John Brice (USA TODAY).
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ACC football predictions, preseason awards, all-conference teams
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