By Jay Holahan
The ACC sent two teams to the College Football Playoff last year—SMU and Clemson. Both disappointed in big ways on the national scale. Will the ACC bids do better this season?
1. Clemson Tigers
There’s no way around it, the Clemson Tigers seem back on top in the ACC. The title will run through Clemson, S.C., this year and maybe into the future. A tough opener this year against Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers, however, Kelly and marquee opponents don’t mesh well together (especially early in the season). The rest of the Tigers’ schedule is relatively light until they face two of their final three games, both of which are on the road: against Louisville and the annual “Palmetto Bowl” against South Carolina.
Prediction: 11-1, 8-0
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2. SMU Mustangs
The days are long, but the years are short—that will ring true with SMU vs. Clemson for the ACC title once again in Charlotte, N.C. Quarterback Kevin Jennings will lead the Mustangs into the CFP conversation for the second year in a row. With a manageable out-of-conference schedule, the ACC schedule should offer its own set of challenges. However, the lone loss is most likely to occur on the road against Clemson.
Prediction: 11-1, 7-1
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3. Miami Hurricanes
Probably the hardest prediction for college football fans is how transfers will do at their new schools. For the Hurricanes, losing Cam Ward will be a blow, but fortunately for “The U,” the replacement is someone with significant starting experience in Georgia transfer Carson Beck. Beck was expected to be at minimum a day two draft pick heading into last season, but poor play led to an underwhelming year, which has led to the daunting task of starting over again. Miami’s schedule is difficult out of the gate with tough home games against Notre Dame and Florida. Unfortunately, for the ‘Canes, they typically don’t defend home turf well, and history most likely will repeat itself. Assuming Miami loses on the road against SMU, Miami will finish third in the ACC and will settle for another year of being on the outside looking in of the CFP.
Prediction: 8-4, 7-1
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4. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech and North Carolina fans will go back and forth with the “who has the easier schedule” debate. Georgia Tech avoids playing SMU, Miami and Louisville, but do face Clemson at home game, and one they’ll still fall short in. Georgia Tech won’t win games just because they have an easy schedule. They feature two big-time players that should contend for First Team All-ACC honors, with quarterback Haynes King returning and defensive lineman Jordan van den Berg.
Prediction: 10-2, 7-1
5. Florida State Seminoles
I don’t think anyone can put their finger on last season’s horrendous collapse from Florida State. It was one of the biggest letdowns in the history of college football. With a revamped offense and a defense with something to prove, the Seminoles will look to shed the ghost of a horrific 2-10 season. It’ll start with a tough home game against Alabama, then their first home conference game against Miami will prove a challenge. After that, the schedule gets lighter for the Seminoles until they face Clemson and Florida on the road in two of their final four games.
Prediction: 8-4, 6-2
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6. North Carolina Tar Heels
Unlike Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels do not already have an established “core” heading into this season. With new head coach Bill Belichick making headlines throughout this offseason, the question is placed on the 72-year-old head coach as to whether his team will be a force in their first year or will they be a laughingstock. Their roster will take time to gel, but their schedule should ensure they finish above .500 in conference play, and aside from a tough game against TCU to open the season, an 8-9 win season should be in the grasp for Belichick’s first year.
Prediction: 9-3, 5-3
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7. Louisville Cardinals
Will Miller Moss take Louisville to the next level? My answer is no. In four years at USC, Moss struggled to consistently stay on the field, and last year it came to a head. While Jeff Brohm did wonders at Purdue and with Tyler Shough last season, I’d anticipate this year to be a learning curve, and when Louisville faces the upper echelons of ACC competition with the likes of SMU, Clemson and Miami, the jury will decide if he’s up for the task.
Prediction: 8-4, 4-4
8. Duke Blue Devils
Manny Diaz did a great job last season in his first year as head coach. The Blue Devils are returning a fair share of starters, but their first test begins against Illinois in just their second game of the season. Playing Syracuse, Clemson and North Carolina on the road will be a challenge as well.
Prediction: 7-5, 4-4
9. Syracuse Orange
If Kyle McCord opted to try and stay for another year, and in doing so, his top target, Trebor Pena, stayed as well, Syracuse would be a lot higher in my prediction. However, with only one returning starter on offense, it’s tough to see Syracuse be above .500 with the schedule they’ll face. The Orange have tough road games—Clemson, SMU, Georgia Tech, Miami and Notre Dame—but I believe in what Fran Brown is doing, and there should be no shame in a “retooling season.”
Prediction: 6-6, 4-4
10. Pitt Panthers
Pitt started hot last season, ranked as high as No. 18 in the AP Poll and off to a blazing 7-0 start, but then a 48-25 loss to No. 20 SMU and the Panthers turtled up. A six-game losing streak ensued, and then a loss to the Toledo Rockets in six overtimes was the icing on the cake of a brutal collapse. Fortunately, for Pitt fans, they’re returning 14 starters on offense and defense. Unfortunately, there will still be questions considering the program has failed to build on a 10-win season back in 2021. This year, they should start undefeated, but once mid-October comes around, expect the first loss to occur against Syracuse or Florida State, and once again, Pitt will fold like a blanket.
Prediction: 7-5, 3-5
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11. Virginia Tech Hokies
I thought last year was the year for Virginia Tech. A chance to get back to the ACC Championship seemed in the cards during the preseason, no one expected SMU to shoot out of a cannon or for Clemson to rise back up. Unfortunately, for yours truly, a season-opening loss on the road at the hands of Vanderbilt spelled doom for the Hokies, and they never could rebound. The Hokies lost six games in the regular season, all by a combined 35 points and only one of those games, a home loss to Clemson, was by more than a possession. Only a handful of returning starters could make it difficult for head coach Brent Pry to build chemistry and the Hokies will be back to the drawing board for 2026.
Prediction: 6-6, 3-5
12. NC State Wolfpack
This prediction will come as a surprise to people, but when you look at what the Wolfpack are going up against this season, it makes sense. NC State could be facing six top teams in their conference, all battling for a potential spot in the ACC title game, plus a road game against Notre Dame. I’d assume this year to be one where NC State loses a majority of these games by one score.
Prediction: 5-7, 3-6
13. Stanford Cardinal
Like North Carolina, Stanford is taking an unconventional approach to rebuilding their program by hiring a former NFL head coach. Frank Reich has never coached in the college realm, so his teams’ success is difficult to predict. They might reel off early wins against San Jose State and Boston College at home, then it will be rough waters until they face the Cal Bears in the second-to-last game in “the Big Game” rivalry.
Prediction: 3-9, 2-6
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14. Virginia Cavaliers
Tony Elliott’s team surprised me last year with a five-win season, even though it finished the year at the bottom of the standings. It was a season that showed decent improvement, but not enough to make someone believe that they are going to improve. The two probable conference wins will be against Stanford and Wake Forest. As for the rest, just hope Elliott’s crew can keep it close.
Prediction: 5-7, 2-7
15. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Ultimately, Dave Clawson couldn’t get Wake Forest a conference title, but there was a lot of good that he did for the football program. However, it was time for a change. Now, new head coach Jack Dickert, formerly at Washington State, will attempt to bring his Air Raid offense to Winston-Salem, N.C. Quarterback Robby Ashford has minimal playing experience, so there will be a learning curve. I’d expect some hard-fought losses out of the Demon Deacons this season as they build.
Prediction: 4-8, 1-7
16. Boston College Eagles
Like NC State, I’m not sure what the higher ups were thinking when they picked this schedule for the Eagles. Going on the road to face Michigan State, Louisville and Syracuse, and home games against Clemson, Notre Dame and SMU, boy, this could be an ugly year in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Prediction: 3-9, 1-7
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17. California Golden Bears
Cal is losing a lot from what made it a respectable opponent last season. Just one returning starter on offense and three on defense, the Golden Bears will struggle. Winning a conference game and at least playing hard throughout the majority of the year could be good if the higher ups at Cal are willing to hold onto head coach Justin Wilcox for another go-round.
Prediction: 2-10, 1-7
