Where UNC football is projected to finish in ACC by the media

North Carolina was picked 15th in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference media poll, based on votes from 188 media members who attended the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month.

That’s a far cry from last season, when the Tar Heels were predicted to finish eighth in the conference and instead went 4-8 in Bill Belichick’s first season at the helm. 

UNC’s biggest problem was offense: the Tar Heels ranked outside the top 100 in six offensive categories in 2025, including scoring offense (19.3 ppg, 118th). That led Belichick to hire Bobby Petrino to replace Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator. 

Miami, which was defeated by Indiana in the national championship game in January, was tabbed as the favorite to win the ACC. SMU, Louisville, Clemson and Georgia Tech came next, with Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Duke completing the top 10.

UNC opens against TCU in Ireland on Saturday, Aug. 29. The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (ABC).

2026 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)

Rank Team – Points

1. Miami (165) – 3159
2. SMU (6) – 2794
3. Louisville (4) – 2569
4. Clemson (7) – 2520
5. Georgia Tech (2) – 2006
6. Virginia – 1981
7. NC State – 1964
8. Virginia Tech – 1962
9. Pitt – 1740
10. Duke – 1452
11. Florida State (3) – 1439
12. California – 1392
13. Wake Forest – 1103
14. Syracuse – 878
15. North Carolina – 831
16. Boston College – 491
17. Stanford (1) – 483

First-place votes in parentheses (188 media voters)

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Where UNC football is projected to finish in ACC by the media