With the 2026 college football season set to kick off this weekend, here are some bold predictions for the upcoming season for the ACC. The top teams to look out for this season are Miami, SMU, and Louisville. Miami is the reigning runner-up of last year’s national championship game and is projected to start the season ranked in the top 10.
Picking up star QB Darien Mensah from Duke in the transfer portal to pair with standout WR Malachi Toney makes for one of the most explosive offenses in the country. Meanwhile, SMU hasn’t had a losing record since joining the ACC, and with star QB Kevin Jennings returning this year, I’d expect another winning season. Rhett Lashlee knows how to coach an offense and will lead his team to another top-five finish in the conference.
Photo Cred: ACC
Lastly, Louisville is an underrated playoff contender this year. The Cardinals have won nine games or more in each of its three seasons. Louisville retained star RB Isaac Brown and brought in key offensive weapons through the transfer portal. The Cardinals also have one of the lightest strengths of schedule in the conference, which could help guarantee them another nine-plus-win season.
Who is primed to have a dark-horse run like Virginia last season?
While Virginia had a miraculous season last year, I don’t believe they’ll see the same success this time around. However, teams like Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh strike me as potential underdogs this year. Virginia Tech brought in James Franklin the new head coach. It came with 27 transfers Among them is transfer QB Ethan Grunkemeyer, who led Penn State to a bowl-game win last season.
This is an entirely revamped Hokies team with a lite schedule looking to make some noise. Meanwhile, Pitt has one of the brightest young stars in QB Mason Heintschel. The sophomore dual-threat quarterback looks to lead this Panthers team back to the early-season form it showed last year. The only concern is that they are a bit lacking in star power defensively.
Here are my preseason ACC rankings:
- Miami
- Louisville
- SMU
- Clemson
- Virginia Tech
- Virginia
- Georgia Tech
- Pittsburgh
- Duke
- NC State
- Florida State
- California
- Syracuse
- Wake Forest
- North Carolina
- Stanford
- Boston College
