> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.collegefootballnewsletter.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # ACC Preview - URL: https://www.collegefootballnewsletter.com/a/ - Published: 2026-08-03T16:05:37.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-03T16:05:50.000Z - Author: Will Hendricks The 2025 season for the Atlantic Coast Conference went about as badly as anyone could have scripted it, and yet Miami still managed to make it all the way to the National Championship. To truly understand how that happened, it takes a little backstory. Clemson, coming off its 2024 ACC championship, looked poised to carry that late-season momentum into 2025\. The media certainly thought so, as the Tigers opened the season ranked No. 4 in the country, and quarterback Cade Klubnik entered the year with Heisman aspirations. Things didn't get off to a great start, however, as Clemson fell to LSU on opening weekend. While Clemson stumbled, Florida State's win over Alabama made it look like the ACC race might come down to the Seminoles and SMU. Just a week later, SMU lost, and three weeks after that, Florida State fell to Boston College. That left Georgia Tech and Miami as the conference front-runners. Miami climbed all the way to No. 2 in the country before losing twice in a three-week span, while Georgia Tech rose to No. 8 before dropping three games in November. Somehow, Virginia slipped under the radar, finished 7-1 in conference play, and punched its ticket to the ACC Championship Game. The problem was figuring out who would join them. Five—count 'em, five—teams finished tied for second at 6-2 in conference play: Georgia Tech, Miami, SMU, Pittsburgh, and Duke. Duke had gone just 1-3 in non-conference play and finished the regular season at a pedestrian 7-5\. Surely they weren't winning the tiebreaker... right? Well, for some reason, the ACC's tiebreaker wasn't simply based on who had the better overall résumé. That would've made too much sense, and Miami would've been in. Nope. Duke won the tiebreak... and then went on to win the ACC Championship. The Blue Devils weren't even ranked in the Top 25, which meant the ACC lost its automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. It might've been the only time the Playoff Selection Committee has ever shown compassion for an entire conference. Rather than giving the final at-large bid to Notre Dame, the committee awarded it to Miami—a decision that was probably justified, considering the Hurricanes had beaten the Fighting Irish earlier in the season. Last year is in the past, though, so let's take a look at what the ACC has in store for 2026. --- ## 1\. Miami **2025 Results:** As mentioned above, the Hurricanes came flying out of the gate. They opened the season by beating Notre Dame and rattled off five straight victories, including three ranked wins, to climb to No. 2 in the nation. Losses to Louisville and SMU over the span of three weeks left Miami in a hole it ultimately couldn't climb out of, costing the Hurricanes a chance at their first ACC title. Their defense caught fire at exactly the right time. Miami traveled to Kyle Field and held Texas A&M to just seven points in the first round of the Playoff before knocking off defending national champion Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. They then went blow-for-blow with Ole Miss to punch their ticket to the National Championship Game. It wasn't their fault they ran into the buzz saw that was Indiana, but the Hurricanes still played the Hoosiers better than almost anyone else all season. **Keys for 2026:** Replacing Carson Beck is actually the least of Miami's worries. Defensive leader Rueben Bain Jr. is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Akheem Mesidor and David Blay Jr. also departed for the NFL. Losing three key defensive linemen leaves plenty of questions up front for Mario Cristobal's team. The good news? Mark Fletcher and Malachi Toney are back, and Duke transfer Darian Mensah steps in at quarterback with hopes of keeping Miami's streak of producing NFL Draft quarterbacks alive. The Hurricanes are one of the few ACC teams playing nine conference games this season. Why the entire conference doesn't do that is beyond me. Come on, guys—it really isn't that complicated. Miami also drew a favorable conference schedule, especially if Clemson proves to be mediocre again. Their biggest regular-season test comes on November 7 with a trip to South Bend to face Notre Dame. **2026 Prediction:** **12-0** --- ## 2\. Louisville **2025 Results:** The Cardinals came flying out of the gate, opening the season 7-1 with their only loss coming in overtime to Virginia. They climbed to No. 15 in the College Football Playoff rankings... and that's when the wheels fell off. Consecutive losses to Cal, Clemson, and SMU sent Louisville tumbling down the standings. A narrow bowl victory over Toledo salvaged a 9-4 record, but it was still a disappointing finish considering where the Cardinals stood entering November. **Keys to 2026:** Head coach Jeff Brohm loses starting quarterback Miller Moss to the NFL and now turns to Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz, who spent his time in Columbus behind Kyle McCord, Devin Brown, and Julian Sayin. Louisville's projected starting offense features eight transfers, meaning the Cardinals won't truly know what they have until Week 1. Unfortunately, Week 1 isn't exactly a tune-up game. Instead, Louisville opens the season against Ole Miss. This new-look offense is going to be thrown directly into the fire, and it'll be fascinating to see how quickly everything comes together. **2026 Prediction:** **10-2** --- ## 3\. SMU **2025 Results:** While the Mustangs were embarrassed by their old Texas rivals Baylor and TCU, they fared well against nearly everyone else on the schedule. Losses to Wake Forest and Cal by a combined four points dropped them into the infamous ACC tiebreaker, which, as we already know, they did not win. SMU ended the season on a high note by defeating Arizona in the Holiday Bowl to finish 9-4. **Keys to 2026:** Kevin Jennings returns for his senior season and his fourth year leading the Mustangs' offense. He'll need to hit the ground running with a Week 1 trip to Florida State on Labor Day. The Mustangs leave Dallas just five times during the regular season, although one of those road trips is to South Bend to face Notre Dame. If SMU can somehow knock off the Fighting Irish and take care of business the rest of the way—who are we kidding? No one in the ACC ever takes care of business when they're supposed to—they'll put themselves squarely in the thick of the Playoff conversation. **2026 Prediction:** **9-3** --- ## 4\. Georgia Tech **2025 Results:** The Yellow Jackets were 8-0, loving life, flying high, and seemingly destined for a Playoff berth. Then everything unraveled. Georgia Tech lost four of its final five games. Granted, two of those defeats came against Top 15 teams in Georgia and BYU, but it was still a brutal ending to what had looked like a dream season. At one point, Haynes King's name was even starting to pop up in the Heisman conversation. **Keys to 2026:** The biggest priority for Brent Key is replacing Haynes King. He was the Yellow Jackets' do-it-all playmaker, and without him there's a massive hole in the offense. Georgia Tech is hoping Alberto Mendoza can help fill that void. The younger brother of Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Alberto saw limited action last season, appearing primarily in blowout games, so there's still plenty we don't know about him. Fortunately, he won't have to do it alone. Running back Justice Haynes arrives after rushing for nearly 900 yards and 10 touchdowns at Michigan and should provide stability in the backfield. Georgia Tech opens the season with three non-conference games, highlighted by a matchup with Colorado and Deion Sanders before ACC play begins. The Yellow Jackets also avoid both Miami and SMU during conference play, giving them one of the more favorable schedules in the league. Of course, all of that goes out the window during "Good Old-Fashioned Hate," when they travel to Athens for the regular-season finale against Georgia. **2026 Prediction:** **9-3** --- ## 5\. Clemson **2025 Results:** The Tigers had a very underwhelming season considering the expectations surrounding them. A 3-5 start was a far cry from what anyone expected after opening the year as a preseason Top 5 team. Four straight wins to close the regular season gave Clemson fans a glimmer of hope, but that quickly disappeared with a bowl loss to a Penn State team that had an equally, if not more, disappointing season. **Keys for 2026:** Dabo Swinney remains just as stubborn about NIL as ever. Clemson added only three defensive starters through the transfer portal and, once again, none on offense. Christopher Vizzina is now tasked with replacing Cade Klubnik, which, to be honest, sounds far less daunting than it did a year ago. Once again, Clemson opens the season against LSU, this time in Baton Rouge. Matchups against Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, and South Carolina will provide major tests if the Tigers hope to return to college football's top tier. **2026 Prediction:** **8-4** --- ## 6\. Virginia Tech **2025 Results:** It was a season to forget in Blacksburg. The Hokies stumbled to a 3-9 record, and head coach Brent Pry was fired just three games into the season. Things never improved from there, and Virginia Tech spent the rest of the year searching for any signs of optimism. **Keys for 2026:** Enter James Franklin, who immediately makes Virginia Tech one of the most intriguing—and volatile—teams in the ACC. After being fired at Penn State, it didn't take long for the Hokies to make their move. Franklin brings several former Nittany Lions with him, giving Virginia Tech an instant infusion of talent and familiarity. People in State College eventually grew tired of Franklin's shortcomings in big games, but it's worth remembering he still compiled a 104-45 record at Penn State. Virginia Tech hasn't come close to that level of success since the Frank Beamer era. At this point, simply becoming nationally relevant again would be a huge step forward for the Hokies, and Franklin gives them their best chance to get there. **2026 Prediction:** **8-4** --- ## 7\. Virginia **2025 Results:** The Cavaliers exceeded expectations last season, finishing 11-3\. They narrowly missed out on an ACC Championship —and a trip to the College Football Playoff—after losing to Duke. Beating Missouri in the Gator Bowl was a solid consolation prize, and to make matters even better, Virginia later landed Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula in the transfer portal. **Keys for 2026:** Tony Elliott looks to build on the best season of his coaching career. If regression to the mean occurs—and I think it will—the Cavaliers should still have a solid season, but I don't see them competing for conference or national championships. An early non-conference matchup against West Virginia provides an opportunity to make a statement, but conference games against Florida State, SMU, and Virginia Tech present plenty of chances to step on the "proverbial rake," as Reece Davis likes to say. **2026 Prediction:** **7-5** --- ## 8\. NC State **2025 Results:** It was a fairly mediocre season for the Wolfpack, but a stunning upset of Georgia Tech served as the highlight of the year. A victory over South Florida in the Gasparilla Bowl helped NC State finish with an 8-5 record. **Keys for 2026:** C.J. Bailey returns for his junior season after starting all 13 games for the Wolfpack last year, giving NC State some much-needed stability at quarterback. However, replacing star running back Hollywood Smothers won't be easy after he transferred to Texas following a 1,000-yard season. Duke Scott appears to be the favorite to take over the lead back role after rushing for nearly 500 yards a season ago. He'll need to take a significant step forward, especially in the touchdown department, if the Wolfpack hope to maintain a balanced offense. A non-conference matchup against Vanderbilt provides an early measuring stick before NC State dives into a challenging ACC schedule. **2026 Prediction:** **7-5** --- ## 9\. Florida State **2025 Results:** Starting with the highest of highs—a season-opening victory over Alabama—the wheels quickly fell off for the Seminoles. Losing seven of their final nine games sent Florida State spiraling from No. 7 in the country to missing a bowl game entirely. **Keys for 2026:** I'm not entirely sure what the goal should be in Tallahassee this season: win games, or figure out if Mike Norvell is still the guy? If Florida State decides they want to stick with Norvell, then the seven transfers expected to start on offense will be the key to turning things around. Ashton Daniels appears to be the favorite to take over at quarterback after transferring in from Auburn. His career record of 5-18 doesn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence, but the Seminoles are hoping a change of scenery can bring out a different player. September will tell us a lot, with games against SMU and Alabama setting the tone early. If Florida State shows signs of life in those matchups, things could start to turn around in Tallahassee. But then again... they started strong last year too, and we all know how that ended. **2026 Prediction:** **6-6** --- ## 10\. Duke **2025 Results:** Duke was sitting at 5-5 after November 15, simply hoping to become bowl eligible. Four weeks later, the Blue Devils were ACC champions, and a Sun Bowl victory gave them a nine-win season. It was one of the most unexpected conference title runs in recent college football history. **Keys for 2026:** Manny Diaz enters the season with the biggest question being quarterback. Last year's starter, Darian Mensah, is now at Miami, leaving Walker Eget to take over after transferring in from San Jose State. Look for Charlotte transfer Javen Nicholas to become one of Eget's favorite targets as the new quarterback continues to build chemistry with the offense. Non-conference matchups against Tulane and Illinois will provide early challenges, meaning Duke will likely need to be nearly perfect in ACC play if they want any chance of defending their conference title. **2026 Prediction:** **6-6** --- ## 11\. Pitt **2025 Results:** Losing two of their final three games kept Pitt out of the ACC Championship Game, and a bowl loss to East Carolina put a damper on what otherwise would've been a very successful season. A loss to West Virginia was the low point, but victories over Florida State and Georgia Tech were the highlights of the Panthers' year. **Keys for 2026:** Mason Heintschel returns to Pitt after taking over the starting quarterback job in early October last season. To be completely honest, this is one of the hardest teams in the ACC to predict heading into 2026. In Pat Narduzzi's 11 seasons leading the Panthers, nine of them have ended within two wins of a six-win season. The only exceptions were an 11-win campaign and a three-win season. That's about as consistent—and unpredictable—as it gets. The schedule sets up well enough for Pitt to have another successful year, but with the way the ACC operates these days, who really knows what you're going to get? **2026 Prediction:** **6-6** --- ## 12\. California **2025 Results:** After a loss to Stanford, Justin Wilcox was fired midway through his ninth season as head coach. A win over ranked SMU the following week helped the Golden Bears reach the Hawaii Bowl, where they ultimately fell to Hawaii to finish the season. **Keys for 2026:** Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. That's it. That's the Golden Bears' key. Sagapolutele has the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and he could be one of the most exciting players in college football this season. He will take Cal as far as he can, but the Golden Bears need to maximize every opportunity they have with him. It seems unlikely that Sagapolutele will be back in Berkeley next season, whether that means he declares for the NFL Draft or decides to enter the transfer portal. Either way, Cal has a special talent on its roster right now, and they need to take advantage while they can. **2026 Prediction:** **5-7** --- ## 13\. Syracuse **2025 Results:** There wasn't much to celebrate in Syracuse's 3-9 season. An early victory over Clemson looked impressive at the time, but the Orange followed it up by losing eight straight games. Most of those defeats weren't particularly competitive, with the low point coming in a 70-7 loss to Notre Dame. **Keys for 2026:** Fran Brown managed to keep his job after last season's disastrous campaign, and now Steve Angeli will try to bounce back in his second year as the starting quarterback. With no significant additions through the transfer portal, it's difficult to see where a major improvement on offense is going to come from. The Orange should start the season with a win over New Hampshire, but after that, every game feels like an uphill battle. Syracuse is going to have to earn every victory it gets this season. **2026 Prediction:** **5-7** --- ## 14\. Wake Forest **2025 Results:** Much to my dismay, the Demon Deacons put together a surprisingly solid season, finishing 9-4 and capping it off with a victory in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. **Keys for 2026:** As a Washington State fan, I'm admittedly not going to pretend I'm rooting for this coaching fit to work. Wake Forest will need to replace several key contributors from last year's nine-win team. Whether the Demon Deacons can maintain last season's momentum or take a significant step backward will be one of the more interesting storylines near the bottom of the ACC. **2026 Prediction:** **4-8** *(And yes, the Washington State fan in me would be perfectly happy if it ended up being even worse.)* --- ## 15\. Stanford **2025 Results:** It was another difficult season on The Farm, as wins were few and far between. A rivalry victory over Cal helped ease some of the frustration, but Stanford still limped to the finish line. The hope now is that new head coach Tavita Pritchard can begin turning the program around. **Keys for 2026:** A new coaching staff brings renewed optimism to Stanford as the Cardinal look to bounce back. Transfer quarterback Davis Warren arrives to provide a spark after not seeing game action since 2024\. Shaw Carter, another transfer from UCLA, should also become an important piece of the offense. Unfortunately for Stanford, the schedule doesn't offer many opportunities to build confidence early, meaning the Cardinal will have to improve quickly if they hope to take a step forward. **2026 Prediction:** **3-9** --- ## 16\. Boston College **2025 Results:** The Eagles started the season with a win... and ended it with one too. Don't ask what happened during the 10 games in between. **Keys for 2026:** I'm not sure there's much Bill O'Brien can do to completely turn things around, but he'll certainly give it a shot. Boston College is expected to start nine transfers this season in an effort to fix what went wrong a year ago. Whether Division II transfer Mason McKenzie is the answer at quarterback remains to be seen, but you can't fault the Eagles for trying something different. **2026 Prediction:** **1-11** --- ## 17\. North Carolina **2025 Results:** The Bill Belichick era didn't get off to the start anyone in Chapel Hill envisioned. A 4-8 record wasn't the worst season imaginable, but it wasn't far off. Conference wins over Stanford and Syracuse helped salvage what was otherwise a forgettable year. **Keys for 2026:** We're less than a month away from North Carolina's opener against TCU in Ireland, and the Tar Heels are already making headlines for all the wrong reasons. General manager Michael Lombardi was fired last week following an HR-related complaint, adding another distraction to an offseason that has had no shortage of them. None of that is ideal for a program trying to rebound from a disappointing first season under Bill Belichick. At some point, though, the conversation has to shift from the headlines to the football field. Belichick has a lot to prove after Year 1, and Billy Edwards Jr. isn't exactly Tom Brady. Good luck, Tar Heels. **2026 Prediction:** **1-11** --- If you've made it this far into the newsletter, thank you. I truly appreciate your support and the time you spend reading each week. My goal is to get you just as excited for the college football season as I am, and I hope these previews are doing exactly that. If you've enjoyed what you've read, be sure to follow **The College Football Newsletter** on Instagram and X to stay up to date with news, analysis, and content throughout the week. And if you know another college football fan who would enjoy the newsletter, I'd really appreciate you sharing it with them. As always, thank you for reading, and I'll see you next week. --- ## Looking Ahead Over the next month, leading up to Weeks 0 and 1, I'll be publishing my previews for each Power Conference, along with my final College Football Playoff predictions and Heisman Trophy pick. Below is the schedule for the upcoming conference previews. Get excited, and tune in to see what I have to say about your favorite team. **August 10** – Big Ten Preview (Four titles in a row?) **August 17** – Big 12 Preview (Can they show up on the national stage?) **August 24** – SEC Preview (It does definitely just means more) **August 31** – College Football Playoff & Heisman Trophy Predictions --- [ ](https://x.com/cfbnewsletter?ref=collegefootballnewsletter.com) [ ](https://www.instagram.com/thecollegefootballnewsletter?ref=collegefootballnewsletter.com)