Is there anyway Miami fumbles the conference title again?
Despite being the best team in the conference, Miami has missed the ACC championship game two years in a row. They have an embarrasingly easy schedule, Clemson and Georgia Tech are headed towards a down year, Virginia will most likely come back to Earth, and James Franklin and Tosh Lupoi are still in their first years. Everything is pointing towards Miami finally getting a conference title, but there are still a couple teams they may have to worry about if they’re not careful.
Boston College
Conference Rank: 16
Record Projection: 1-11 (0-8)
Impact Opponents: at SMU, at Notre Dame, at Miami
Boston College was a huge dissapointment last year, and I don’t see them recovering in 2026. They have a pretty good TE and that’s about it. They do not excel anywhere on that roster, and they don’t have the talent to make up for inexperience. The schedule isn’t doing them any favors either. Their non-conference slate includes three P4 games: at Cincinnati, vs Rutgers, and at Notre Dame. Their conference slate isn’t much better as they must play at SMU, Georgia Tech, and Miami. They also have home games against Virginia Tech and Pitt. Getting bowl-eligible is an extremely unrealistic goal. 4-8 is probably the ceiling here.
California
Conference Rank: 6
Record Projection: 8-4 (5-4)
Impact Opponents: at SMU, at Virginia, vs Pitt
I have very high hopes for Cal. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele is probably the best QB in the conference, they have built up the trenches in the portal, and Tosh Lupoi was one of the most underrated hires of the 2026 cycle. The schedule is pretty favorable as well. Cal has a chance to reach the ACC Championship for the first time, but year 1 might be a little too early as Lupoi installs his program.
Clemson
Conference Rank: 9
Projected Record: 6-6 (4-4)
Impact Games: at LSU, at Cal, vs Miami
If you thought last year was rock bottom for this program, I’m here to tell you it can get worse. How can they be better when they will almost defintely downgrade at QB? The plight of Clemson football was not Cade Klubnik’s fault. Clemson’s skills have been awful these last couple years, and it doesn’t seem like it will be much better this time around. Without Klubnik, they don’t have a dude who can just makes plays on his own when they need it. The defense should be solid per usual, but just having a solid defense isn’t enough to contend in ACC. Time may be running out on Dabo.
Duke
Conference Rank: 15
Projected Record: 5-7 (3-6)
Impact Games: at Illinois, at Virginia, at Miami
Duke got screwed, plain and simple. They don’t have a QB because of Darrian Mensah’s antics, and the team will pay. They should have an okay defense and the running game should be decent, but it won’t be enough to cover the QB problems. They would not have won the ACC without Mensah last year, and now they are going to be exposed. It doesn’t help that their schedule isn’t all that easy either.
Florida State
Conference Rank: 13
Projected Record: 4-8 (2-6)
Impact Games: at Alabama, at Louisville, at Miami
Yes, I have them going 4-8, but I actually think that they will be better this year. They have some good skills players, and the defense should be improved. Ashton Daniels won’t reach the heights that Castellanos (irony), but he should be more consistent. So why will their record still be bad? Their schedule. They play the top 5 teams in the conference and 6 of the top 8… and they must play Alabama and Florida non-conference. It would be pretty impressive if they make a bowl game this year.
Georgia Tech
Conference Rank: 10
Projected Record: 6-6 (4-4)
Impact Opponents: vs Tennessee, vs Louisville, at Georgia
This will be a rebuild of sorts for Georgia Tech. No more Haynes King, no more Buster Faulkner. This is a very new looking team, but they still have HC Brent Key, so I am sure they will stay competitive. I really don’t know what to expect from Alberto Mendoza at QB, but even if he is good, I doubt he will be as good as King was. The schedule is pretty tough, but they avoid Miami and SMU, so that’s the silverlining. I wouldn’t be completely blown away if they contend for an ACC championship berth, but there are too many question marks for me to be confident in predicting that.
Louisville
Conference Rank: 3
Projected Record: 9-3 (7-2)
Impact Opponents: vs Ole Miss, vs SMU, vs Pitt
As long as they have Jeff Brohm, they will get 8-9 wins and be in the mix for the ACC championship. They have one of the best RBs in the country in Isaac Brown, and they the rest of the roster is solid. That’s the problem. They have been “solid” for a while, but they haven’t been able to take the next step. They need QB Lincoln Kienholz to break out in a big way, or else they will be solid as always.
Miami
Conference Rank: 1
Projected Record: 12-1 (9-0)
Impact Opponents: vs Pitt, at Notre Dame, vs Virginia Tech
Miami will win the ACC assuming a miracle doesn’t happen. Not only is their roster head and shoulders above the rest, but their schedule is also really easy. They don’t have to play any of the top four teams in the conference, they only play one in the top seven, and they play six of the bottom seven. It doesn’t get much easier than that. Notre Dame is the only team on their schedule that can beat them.
North Carolina
Conference Rank: 12
Projected Record: 5-7 (3-5)
Impact Opponents: vs Notre Dame, vs Miami, vs Louisville
North Carolina was underwhelming in year 1 with Belicheck, but I expect them to be improved next year. Bobby Petrino was great hire at OC, and I expect Billy Edwards Jr to be an improvement over Gio Lopez. The talent is not where it needs to be to compete with the best teams in the conference, but they should be able to beat the bad ones. Another year in a more pro style system will be good for their defense, and they should be improved their as well. They should be improved everywhere, but to what extent? They were bad last year, and just getting a little bette won’t make them competitive. It’s not a question of will UNC be better, but how much better will they be?
NCST
Conference Rank: 8
Projected Record: 8-4 (6-3)
Impact Opponents: vs Virginia, vs Louisville, vs Cal
NCST should be marginally better than they were last year, as I believe their defense will get better, while their offense will be more of the same if not a little worse. What does play in their favor though, is their schedule. They don’t play Miami, SMU, or Notre Dame, and they get their 3 toughest opponents at home. NCST could find themselves in the ACC Championship conversation.
Pittsburgh
Conference Rank: 5
Projected Record: 8-4 (6-3)
Impact Opponents: at Miami, at Louisville, at Cal
Pitt has a lot going for them. Pat Narduzzi is one of the best coaches in the conference. Mason Heintschel has the potential to be one of the best QBs in the conference. Their defense should be very good. All of these things could be ACC championship caliber, but I don’t know if they have the juice at WR or RB, to be truly expectional on that side of the ball, even if Heintshcel takes a step forward. They also have one of the tougher schedules in the conference as they must play on the road against Miami, Louisville, Cal, and Virginia Tech. They could make the ACC championship, but they need some playmakers to emerge in order to make that happen.
SMU
Conference Rank: 2
Projected Record: 9-4 (7-2)
Impact Opponents: at Louisville, vs Virginia, at Notre Dame
SMU has one of the best coaches, best QBs, and some of the best talent in the conference. The schedule isn’t particularly easy, but it isn’t the toughest ever. They were 4 points away from being undefeated in conference last year, and they should be improved this time around. If they get into the ACC Championship, and they get lucky, they could beat Miami and go to the playoffs. They’re a lonshot for sure, but sometimes crazy stuff happens in college football.
Stanford
Conference Rank: 17
Projected Record: 2-10 (0-9)
Impact Opponents: vs Miami, at Notre Dame, vs SMU
They will be the worst team in the conference. The defense will be alright, but I just don’t see that offense being productive. Davis Warren? Really? Hey, maybe he will learn to play QB now that he isn’t at Michigan, but dad gum, that’s pretty sad to have the success of your season lying on that guy’s shoulders. Doesn’t help that their schedule is brutal. They get Notre Dame and Hawaii in non conference and they must play Miami, Louisville, SMU, Cal, Virginia Tech, and NCST in conference. This year is gonna get ugly quick.
Syracuse
Confernce Rank: 14
Projected Record: 5-7 (3-6)
Impact Opponents: vs Louisville, vs SMU, vs Notre Dame
Getting Steve Angeli back is huge, and Amari Odom is a good backup. With QB covered, they should be able to win some games. Can they get bowl eligible? That depends on the progression of that defense that was pretty bad last season. They did a bit of a staff overhaul in the offseason, which may lead to some growing pains early on, but should benefit them in the long run. I don’t think they have the talent defensively to make a bowl game this year, but they should be able to get back on track.
Virginia
Conference Rank: 4
Projected Record: 8-4 (6-3)
Impact Opponents: at SMU, vs Cal, at Virginia Tech
Virginia won a lot of close games against some not so great opponents last year. Does that mean they probably weren’t as good as their 11-3 record? Yes. Does that mean they weren’t good? No. Virginia should be good again this year, and Beau Pribula was a great get in the portal. He should be able to thrive in the ACC. The running game should be good again, and the defense should be solid. Their record will take a hit, but they shoulf be just as good.
Virginia Tech
Conference Rank: 7
Projected Record: 8-4 (5-4)
Impact Opponents: at SMU, at Miami, vs Virginia
James Franklin should get this thing turned around immediately. The talent is already siginificantly upgraded, and I can only assume that the culture is too. Everything seems to be upgraded, but I have little faith that Ethan Grunkemeyer can become the star they need to contend. With an average QB, in a league that has several really good, proven stars, they don’t have much of a chance. Year 1 will get them on the right track, and I ecpect them to start contending soon.
Wake Forest
Conference Rank: 11
Projected Record: 7-5 (4-5)
Impact Opponents: vs Miami, at Louisville, at SMU
Wake Forest was a pleasant surprise last year, and I expect Jake Dickert to keep things rolling. QB should be better with Gio Lopez this year, as I expect him to improve with a fresh start. The defense should be really good, and the offense has potential, albeit unproven potential. Their schedule is much harder though, which will hurt their record. They must play Louisville, NCST, Cal, SMU, and Georgia Tech on the road, and they get Miami and Virginia at home. Getting nine wins again seems like a pretty unrealistc expectation.
Notre Dame
Conference Rank: –
Projected Record: 11-1
Impact Opponents: at BYU, vs Miami, vs SMU
They aren’t part of the ACC, but they play a lot of their teams, so I decided to include them here. They look to be just as good as they were last year, if not better in just about every area… except running back. Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price won’t be easy to replace, but with QB CJ Carr and a cast of talented receivers, that may not matter. Notre Dame is a legit championship contender, and they are only two teams that could realistically have a shot at beating them on their schedule. BYU and Miami.
ACC Championship Preview
Miami is the team to beat. Nobody in the conference can beat them under normal circumstances. They would need Darrian Mensah to get injured, or they would need their own QB to have a superman performance. Something in that nature would need to happen. It’s not impossible that they get upset, just extremely unlikely. SMU and Louisville seem like they are the best equipped to take advantage of an oppurtunity to get an upset, while Virginia and Pitt have high ceilings as well if they have some stars emerge. Ultimately, it would be foolish to predict an upset here.
Miami 31 SMU 17
Rankings
- Miami Hurricanes (7)
- SMU Mustangs (20)
- Louisville Cardinals (22)
- Virginia Cavaliers (26)
- Pittsburgh Panthers (32)
- California Golden Bears (35)
- Virginia Tech Hokies (36)
- NCST Wolfpack (44)
- Clemson Tigers (47)
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (48)
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons (53)
- North Carolina Tar Heels (66)
- Florida State Seminoles (67)
- Syracuse Orange (73)
- Duke Blue Devils (74)
- Boston College Eagles (82)
- Stanford Cardinal (85)
*FBS Rank in ( )
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