2026 ACC football power rankings: Can anyone unseat Miami?
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Fall camp is a week in and a picture is starting to get painted of what the 2026 college football season is going to look like. As of now, both the Big Ten and SECbelieve they are going to take home the top prize, but the ACC has at least one team that has a fighter’s chance.
After losing to the Indiana Hoosiers in the national title a year ago, Miami is looking to get back into the picture. However, the ‘Canes aren’t the only ACC program that believes they have what it takes to make a run. Last season, both Virginia and Duke made a case for getting into the College Football Playoff.
Ahead of the 2026 season, here are the ACC power rankings.
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No. 13-17: Hot seat coaches, not enough portal talent
- No. 17: Stanford Cardinals
- No. 16: Boston College Eagles
- No. 15: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
- No. 14: North Carolina Tarheels
- No. 13: Florida State Seminoles
We are only a few years removed from Florida State missing the College Football Playoff, despite earning a spot in it. Since then, the Seminoles have derailed and Mike Norvell is clearly on the hot seat. Another poor season and Norvell could be looking for a new job.
Bill Belichick could see himself on the hot seat as well with a second bad season with the Tar Heels. On top of the coaching temperature checks, none of these programs made big strides in the transfer portal.
Stanford landed former Michigan starting quarterback Davis Warren, who hasn’t played since 2024. Boston College is hoping DII signal caller Mason McKenzie can make it relevant, and Wake Forest landed UNC transfer Gio Lopez, who made some plays at South Alabama, but was rather unspectacular with the Tar Heels.
No. 9-12: Could push into top eight, but need things to fall in their favor
- No. 12: Syracuse Orange
- No. 11: Duke Blue Devils
- No. 10: California Golden Bears
- No. 9: Virginia Tech Hokies
Syracuse appeared to be off and running last season, but quarterback Steve Angeli suffered a season-ending injury. If he’s at 100% health, the Orange really could make some noise in a wide-open ACC. But the key is getting the former Notre Dame starter back to full health.
Duke was right on top of the ACC last season, but a late exit by Darian Mensah left the Blue Devils scrambling. Manny Diaz has done a lot with a little since becoming the Duke head coach, and Diaz will need to show off his coaching acumen this season.
Both Cal and Virginia Tech have the makings to enter the top eight. With new head coaches, both programs re-tooled using the transfer portal. James Franklin has won plenty of games and his new challenge is getting Virginia Tech back into contention.
As for Cal, the Bears return star Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at quarterback, who threw for nearly 3500 yards as a freshman. A step in the right direction could have Cal making a run at the ACC.
No. 5-8: Could generate some excitement
- No. 8: Clemson Tigers
- No. 7: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- No. 6: NC State Wildcats
- No. 5: Pittsburgh Panthers
Both Clemson and Georgia Tech are breaking in a new starting quarterback this season. While both programs have talent around their new, and inexperienced, starters, what happens this season will stem from quarterback play. The Yellow Jackets went and landed former Michigan star Justice Haynes at running back, which could make their offense prolific.
While those two teams are breaking in a new starter, both NC State and Pitt get theirs back. CJ Bailey had 31 touchdowns last season as the starter and he looks to make more improvements for the Wolfpack. Pitt found Mason Heintschel in the weeds, being one of the lower-ranked prospects, but he didn’t play like it.
The Panthers turned to him last season, and if he wasn’t a one-year wonder, Pitt has a shot to unseat Miami.
No. 1-4: Best shot of upsetting Miami
- No. 4: Virginia Cavaliers
- No. 3: SMU Mustangs
- No. 2: Louisville Cardinals
- No. 1: Miami Hurricanes
Miami lost Carson Beck from last season, but the Hurricanes arguably got stronger by landing Duke transfer Darian Mensah. The ‘Canes gave Mensah a massive NIL deal to leave Duke and the Hurricanes are positioned to run away with the ACC.
However, if the ‘Canes aren’t the team to win the ACC, Virginia, Louisville, and SMU are the next best thing.
SMU has the veteran gunslinger Kevin Jennings returning, and he will have an excellent offensive line protecting him. The Mustangs have a good defense and could make life hard on Miami this season.
Both Louisville and Virginia are breaking in a new starter. The Cavaliers went out and landed former Penn State and Missouri quarterback Beau Pribulla, while the Cardinals landed Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz.
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