CBS Sports ranked all of the ACC football teams from first to worst in a way-too-early ranking for the 2026 season. Miami topped the list again considering the 2025 season.
Even with some roster turnover and improvements elsewhere, the Hurricanes are the best right now. But others could follow suit in a rise to the top of the ACC.
So without further ado, let’s dive into the ACC’s crop of teams. We’ll start with the projected best coming back.
Miami will top the ACC as of now coming off a run to the national championship game. The biggest transition will be at QB.
Carson Beck turned in a solid season, but goes to the NFL. Now, Miami gets to operate the offense with Darian Mensah, who transferred in from Duke.
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SMU nearly played for last year’s ACC Championship, but they fell to Cal in the final weekend of the regular season. Rhett Lashlee has been elite in conference, but can they claim the crown?
SMU landed Kendrick Raphael and Ira Singleton in the portal at running back and edge rusher, respectively. Kevin Jennings is back at QB as well.
Virginia ended up with 11 wins last season after a massive transfer portal haul but fell short of the ACC title. This time, they brought in 29 new players, including tons of instant impact types.
Beau Pribula comes in at QB from Mizzou, as well as Eli Holstein from Pittsburgh. Right now, the Cavs could find their working formula and should contend once again in 2026.
The Cardinals have been pretty successful in the ACC under Jeff Brohm. Former Ohio State QB Lincoln Kienholz transferred in to help offset the loss of Miller Moss.
Not only that, the Cardinals also added WR Tre Richardson, TE Brody Foley and WR Lawayne McCoy. RB Isaac Brown was probably the biggest addition, in the sense that he elected to come back for 2026.
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Virginia Tech ushers in a new era with James Franklin coming to the ACC from Penn State. Ironically, Brent Pry didn’t go anywhere after getting fired as head coach and will be his DC.
A lot of transfers are coming in, including Penn State QB Ethan Grunkmeyer and TE Luke Reynolds. We’ll see how the defense does with Pry sticking around, but it might be a year before they challenge for the crown. Or, they could just do it right away. It’s college football man.
CJ Bailey is back in the fold at QB for NC State, giving them an upper half team in the ACC. However, Dave Doeren will be in charge of replenishing the offense for him after portal departures.
The wolfpack have been steady as they are in the midst of five straight seasons with a bowl game appearance. But, are they ready to take the next step as ACC contenders?
Clemson in the middle of the pack amongst these teams? The ACC is certainly different than a few years ago isn’t it?
Dabo Swinney didn’t totally dive into the transfer portal, but the Tigers dabbled. Swinney at least maintained strong high school recruiting and retention of players, so perhaps they can climb back up the rankings.
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Georgia Tech raced out to an 8-0 start last year and it looked like they would run the ACC. But, that didn’t happen and they have to find replacements for QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes.Â
They did find portal additions like Justice Haynes, a former Michigan running back and EDGE rusher Noah Carter from Alabama. Perhaps the most intriguing is Alberto Mendoza at QB from Indiana. The younger brother of the Heisman winner was the backup on a title team, but what can he do under the bright lights?
Tosh Lupoi takes over as head coach as he comes to the ACC from Oregon. Cal will usher in a new era of football and already received the commitment of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele at QB.
The Golden Bears reeled in one of the better transfer portal classes in the ACC as well. Can they finish higher than 9th? It’ll be about gelling during the season.
Florida State rounds out the top 10 of the way too early ACC rankings after another disappointing season. Mike Norvell and crew started out with a win over Alabama and then it never got better.
Gus Malzahn retired as OC, so now it’s the Tim Harris show. What can he do with Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels at QB?
11. Duke
12. North Carolina
13. Pittsburgh
14. Wake Forest
15. Syracuse
16. Stanford
17. Boston College
There will surely be eyes on Duke and UNC considering Manny Diaz saw his QB depart for Miami in the portal. Not only that, Bill Belichick goes into Year 2 after his Pro Football Hall of Fame snub.