Where every ACC team landed in ESPN's FPI projections

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With the 2026 college football season drawing closer, ESPN has updated its Football Power Index (FPI), offering one of the sport's most widely referenced predictive models for evaluating team strength and projecting season outcomes.

Among ACC programs, the Miami Hurricanes once again lead the conference in the preseason projections, while the Clemson Tigers, SMU Mustangs, and Louisville Cardinals also enter the year as nationally respected contenders.

Florida State was ranked just outside the national top 25 and fifth among ACC programs entering the season. The Seminoles sit at No. 28 nationally with an FPI rating of 9.3, trailing Miami, Clemson, SMU and Louisville within the conference.

After reaching the College Football Playoff last season, Miami enters 2026 as the ACC's clear favorite according to ESPN's model. The Hurricanes own a conference-best 21.8 FPI rating, placing them seventh nationally and more than eight points ahead of the league's second-highest rated team.

Despite sitting well behind Miami, Clemson remains one of only two ACC teams ranked inside the national top 20. The Tigers check in at No. 19 nationally, reinforcing expectations that Dabo Swinney's program will once again contend for an ACC championship and College Football Playoff berth.

SMU enters the season at No. 24 nationally, followed closely by Louisville at No. 27 and Florida State at No. 28. Just 1.8 FPI points separate the Mustangs from the Seminoles, suggesting ESPN views all three as legitimate contenders capable of challenging near the top of the conference standings.

For Florida State, the No. 28 national ranking places the Seminoles firmly among the ACC's second tier as Mike Norvell looks to guide the program back into conference title contention.

Virginia (No. 32), Virginia Tech (No. 33) and Pittsburgh (No. 36) all enter the year within four spots of one another nationally, giving the ACC another group of teams projected to compete for bowl positioning throughout the season.

North Carolina (No. 42) is the only other ACC school ranked inside the national top 45, while Georgia Tech (No. 48), NC State (No. 51), Duke (No. 52) and Wake Forest (No. 53) form another tightly packed tier. Only 0.8 FPI points separate NC State from Wake Forest, illustrating just how competitive the middle of the conference projects to be.

California leads the conference's bottom four at No. 62, followed by Syracuse (No. 70), Boston College (No. 78) and Stanford (No. 80).

Although ESPN's Football Power Index is designed as a predictive tool rather than a ranking of accomplishments, it offers one of the clearest snapshots of how the conference is viewed entering the 2026 season. With five teams inside the national top 30, seven inside the top 35 and several more clustered in the middle of the FBS, the ACC appears to have one of its deepest conference races in recent memory.

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This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Where every ACC team landed in ESPN's FPI projections

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