The Miami Hurricanes are heavily favored to win the ACC for the first time.
The FanDuel odds list Miami way ahead of the pack at -145. The next two in line, Louisville and SMU, are tied at +750. That’s a huge gap.
In the Big Ten, favorites Ohio State are +190, while second-place Oregon is +270. In the SEC, it’s a virtual dead heat between Texas at +300 and Georgia at +310.
Once the ACC releases the results of their preseason media vote, you can expect the Hurricanes to be listed in the top spot. I cast my official ballot during conference media days last week. Here’s how I voted:
Miami
SMU
Louisville
Clemson
California
Georgia Tech
NC State
Pittsburgh
Virginia Tech
Duke
Florida State
Virginia
Wake Forest
Syracuse
North Carolina
Stanford
Boston College.
Legit threats to win the ACC Championship
I consider my top four to be the teams that can fathomably win the conference, with Miami in a hefty lead due to roster depth, quarterbacking (Darian Mensah looks really, really good), and the experience that comes from a deep playoff run.
I give SMU the slight nod over Louisville since QB Kevin Jennings is entering his third season in that offense, while Louisville breaks in an inexperienced signal-caller in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz.
I have Clemson in my top four because, overall, they are the second most talented team in the conference after Miami. I keep them below SMU and UL, though, because I don’t believe in starting QB Chris Vizzina.
Miami will play at Clemson on October 3rd. That game could be meaningful when it comes to ACC Championship Game implications. The Hurricanes do not play either SMU or Louisville in the regular season. If the Canes can get to Charlotte in early September, they’ll likely have a revenge opportunity against one of the two teams who beat them in conference play last year.
Dark Horses
I consider the group from Cal at #5 to Virginia Tech at 9 as dark horses to play spoiler for my top four. The ACC has proven to be the most unpredictable football conference. NOBODY would have penciled in Virginia vs. Duke as their conference championship matchup before last season started, so you always have to keep your eyes on the spoiler candidates.
My ranking of Cal at 5th is significantly high compared to most preseason publications. I think Cal is getting slept on. Starting QB Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele is electric. They upgraded their WR corps in the Transfer Portal.
Georgia Tech is a tough team. Brent Key has a similar philosophy to Mario Cristobal in terms of building through the trenches. The Yellow Jackets were atop the conference for the majority of 2025 before fading down the stretch.
NC State has a tremendous collection of offensive talent, led by South Florida native CJ Bailey at QB. NC State added a contingent of former Hurricanes through the transfer portal with receivers JoJo Trader (Bailey’s former HS teammate) and Chance Robinson, plus linebacker Raul "Popo" Aguirre. Aguirre can help the NC State defense, but that unit still has holes. The Wolfpack are toward the middle of my pack because I don’t fully trust their D.
Pittsburgh is well quarterbacked with Mason Heintschel, but not as talented overall as my top group. Miami will see the Panthers at home on October 24th.
I have Virginia Tech lower than most at 9th. I believe James Franklin can have them in the conversation in two or three years, but I expect serious growing pains in year one.
Potential trap teams
I look at the teams ranked 10th through 13 as potential trap games for any of the conference contenders, but not legit challengers themselves.
Duke can prove to be a tough out this season, but losing Mensah and Cooper Barkate late in the portal, and not replacing them with anything near as good, will hurt.
Florida State just feels like they are in a holding pattern until Mike Norvell is eventually fired. For now, their transfer portal and recruiting efforts have just not been good enough. I expect them to finish over .500 this season because they have some talent. WR Duce Robinson is one of the best in the country. Miami will host the Seminoles on October 17th.
Virginia punched way above their weight last season, but I expect them to return to earth this year.
Wake Forest quietly put together a 9-win season last year with a cakewalk of a schedule. I expect them to fall closer to the 6-win range this year. Miami plays at the Demon Deacons on September 18th.
Bottom feeders
I just can’t see any scenario where Syracuse, North Carolina, Stanford, or Boston College can compete for anything meaningful this year.
Cuse would be the only team in that group with a slim chance if starting QB Steve Angeli returns strongly from his ruptured Achilles. They were competitive while he was healthy last year and burnt toast after he went down.
North Carolina feels more like a trainwreck of a reality TV show than an actual football program since Bill Belichick got there.
Stanford just doesn’t have the talent.
Boston College doesn’t have a clue.
