{"id":355317,"date":"2026-07-28T20:25:26","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:25:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/355317\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T20:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:25:26","slug":"miami-picked-as-preseason-favorite-to-win-2026-acc-football-championship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/355317\/","title":{"rendered":"Miami Picked as Preseason Favorite to Win 2026 ACC Football Championship"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images \n <\/p>\n


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\n Football
\n July 28, 2026
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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) \u2013 Miami has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2026 Atlantic Coast Conference football championship, according to the media’s predicted order of finish following a vote of more than 185 media members credentialed for this year\u2019s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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\nThe Hurricanes received 3,159 points in the annual preseason poll to earn the top spot, followed by SMU (2,794 points), Louisville (2,569) and Clemson (2,520). Georgia Tech rounded out the top five with 2,006 points.
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\nIn the media voting, Miami received 165 first-place votes. Clemson received seven first-place votes, followed by SMU with six, Louisville with four, Florida State with three and Georgia Tech with two. Stanford also received a first-place vote.
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\nVirginia (1,981), NC State (1,964), Virginia Tech (1,962), Pitt (1,740) and Duke (1,452) completed the top 10 in one of the closest preseason polls in recent conference history, with just 19 points separating sixth through eighth place.
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\nFlorida State (1,439) was picked 11th, followed by California (1,392), Wake Forest (1,103), Syracuse (878), North Carolina (831), Boston College (491) and Stanford (483).
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\nThe ACC enters the 2026 season with one of the nation’s deepest and most competitive conferences, as teams begin the league’s transition to a nine-game conference schedule and compete for a berth in the 2026 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 5, at noon ET on ABC.<\/p>\n

2026 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)

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\n\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\tRank
\n\t\t\tTeam
\n\t\t\tPoints
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t1.
\n\t\t\tMiami (165)
\n\t\t\t3159
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t2.
\n\t\t\tSMU (6)
\n\t\t\t2794
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t3.
\n\t\t\tLouisville (4)
\n\t\t\t2569
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t4.
\n\t\t\tClemson (7)
\n\t\t\t2520
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t5.
\n\t\t\tGeorgia Tech (2)
\n\t\t\t2006
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t6.
\n\t\t\tVirginia
\n\t\t\t1981
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t7.
\n\t\t\tNC State
\n\t\t\t1964
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t8.
\n\t\t\tVirginia Tech
\n\t\t\t1962
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t9.
\n\t\t\tPitt
\n\t\t\t1740
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t10.
\n\t\t\tDuke
\n\t\t\t1452
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t11.
\n\t\t\tFlorida State (3)
\n\t\t\t1439
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t12.
\n\t\t\tCalifornia
\n\t\t\t1392
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t13.
\n\t\t\tWake Forest
\n\t\t\t1103
\n\t\t
\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t14.
\n\t\t\tSyracuse
\n\t\t\t878
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t15.
\n\t\t\tNorth Carolina
\n\t\t\t831
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\n\t\t
\n\t\t\t16.
\n\t\t\tBoston College
\n\t\t\t491
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\n\t\t\t17.
\n\t\t\tStanford (1)
\n\t\t\t483
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\n\t <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nFirst-place votes in parentheses
\n188 media voters
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\nACC Football Notes<\/p>\n

Strongest Non-Conference Schedule Once Again in 2026
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\n\tACC teams are scheduled to play 25 non-conference games against P4 + ND \u2014 most of any conference.
\n\tIncludes 9 games vs. SEC, 5 vs. B1G, 5 vs. Big 12 and 6 vs. Notre Dame.
\n\tTwo-thirds of the ACC\u2019s non-conference games are against P4 or bowl-eligible teams.
\n\tAll 17 ACC teams will play at least 10 games vs. P4 + ND.
\n\t3 of the 5 FBS teams playing 11 or more games vs. P4 + ND hail from the ACC.
\n\t12 non-conference games against teams ranked in ESPN\u2019s 2026 Way-Too-Early Top 25.
\n\t12 games against teams ranked in the final 2025 College Football Playoff rankings and AP Top 25.
\n\t29 games, including 23 teams, that received a 2025 bowl invitation. <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nACC Again Owns Labor Day Weekend with \u201cFive Days of ACC Football\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\t14 teams will compete in 12 games across 5 days (Thursday, September 3 \u2013 Monday, September 7).
\n\tSMU at Florida State on Labor Day Monday marks the ACC\u2019s 17th consecutive year playing on Labor Day (excluding 2020) and 20th since 2005.
\n\tACC leads all conferences in Week 1 P4 non-conference games (5 total). <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\nACC Football Fridays<\/p>\n


\n\tDuring the 2026 season, the ACC is playing a record 15 games on Fridays.
\n\tOver the first 6 weeks, ACC teams will appear in 9 Friday games, which includes 4 Friday contests in Week 2.
\n\tThe league will continue to take center stage in October and November, with:
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\n\t\tAt least one Friday night game will be played in each of Weeks 8, 10, 11, 12 and 13.
\n\t\tThanksgiving week concludes with Florida at Florida State on Black Friday.
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\u00a0
\nStrength and Depth of ACC Football<\/p>\n


\n\tOver the last 3 seasons, the ACC has had 11 or more bowl-eligible teams \u2014 the longest streak of any conference.
\n\tLast year, the ACC had 7 teams with 9 or more wins on the season \u2014 the most in a single season in ACC history.
\n\t9 ACC teams had 8 or more wins in 2025 \u2014 tied for the most in FBS and the most in a single season in ACC history.
\n\tIn 2024, 4 teams finished the season with 10 or more wins \u2014 the first time in ACC history. <\/p>\n

\u00a0
\n2026 ACC Football Championship Game<\/p>\n


\n\tSaturday, December 5, at noon ET on ABC, at Bank of America Stadium.
\n\t2026 marks the 14th consecutive year, and the 18th time overall, that the game will air on ABC.
\n\tACC Title games have been televised on either ABC or ESPN every year since their inaugural season in 2005.
\n\tThe ACC\u2019s top two teams will be showcased in the only P4 conference championship game at noon. <\/p>\n

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