Miami is the favorite, but the ACC could have several teams crashing the CFB Playoff race

Editor’s note: This story is adapted from The Athletic’s preseason guide to all 138 FBS teams ahead of the 2026 season.

Miami made it to the national championship game last season, but that was after a controversial tiebreaker resulted in Duke beating Virginia for the ACC title. Though the Hurricanes enter 2026 as favorites, nobody can rule out more ACC surprises.

Who’s trending up and down in the ACC entering 2026? What do you need to know about all 17 teams? Here’s our guide to the league’s teams, coaches and top players, with rankings from Chris Vannini’s The Athletic 138, and Playoff and conference championship odds from Austin Mock’s predictor model.

Boston College Eagles

2025 record: 2-10 (1-7 ACC)
Location: Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Odds to make the CFP: 0.3%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.1%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 95th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Same.

Pedigree: The Eagles were an ACC middleweight for most of the past 20 years, with the Matt Ryan era the only exception. There have been dips, but Boston College has always bounced back immediately to another .500-ish season. Is the program invested enough in football to write another comeback story?

Why they’re interesting: It’s not clear the Eagles are. Boston College lost high-profile transfers to Indiana (leading rusher Turbo Richard) and Arizona State (top receiver Reed Harris), plus others to Penn State, UCLA and Vanderbilt. It did add former reserves from Georgia, Notre Dame and Florida State, but the Eagles feel adrift from the rest of the conference.

Who is the coach? Bill O’Brien is one of just six FBS head coaches who have also been NFL head coaches. Only he and UNC’s Bill Belichick have won multiple NFL playoff games. It all makes the 56-year-old Boston native a seeming coup for the Eagles. But without NIL commitment, that experience might not matter.

Who is the QB? Boston College will bet on Saginaw Valley State transfer Mason McKenzie (No. 103 in QB Tiers), who threw for 2,086 yards and rushed for another 942 last season at the Division II level while accounting for 27 total touchdowns. A year ago, Ole Miss struck gold with Trinidad Chambliss from Ferris State, a conference rival of Saginaw Valley State. The Eagles would settle for bronze.

Key player: Safety KP Price made the first-team All-ACC preseason squad after starting 26 consecutive games. The returning captain led Boston College in tackles (94) and interceptions (2) last season.

Game to circle: Sept. 11 vs. Rutgers. With a schedule that includes 11 Power 4 programs, Boston College has to get one in the nonconference if it wants to take a modest step forward. The Scarlet Knights are the best bet.

— Pete Sampson

California Golden Bears

2025 record: 7-6 (4-4 ACC)
Location: Berkeley, Calif.
Odds to make the CFP: 2.4%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.6%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 37th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better by one or two victories.

Pedigree: Cal has not won an outright conference championship since 1958 and hasn’t played in a New Year’s Six bowl game since the Rose Bowl the same year. The Bears last finished a season ranked in the AP Top 25 in 2006. Cal, though, has played in three consecutive bowl games and recruited last year’s Heisman Trophy winner, Fernando Mendoza, out of high school before he left for national champion Indiana.

Why they’re interesting: The Bears are a popular sleeper team pick in the ACC because they have a young star quarterback in Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele whom they’ve surrounded with quality, veteran offensive weapons via the transfer portal. Aside from that, the “Calgorithm” online fan base is a lot of fun — and there’s hope in Berkeley one of their own former players can finally get the program over the hump.

Who is the coach? Tosh Lupoi, 45, begins his first season as a head coach after establishing himself as one of the nation’s top recruiters and defensive assistants at Oregon. Lupoi played defensive line at Cal and began his coaching career with the Bears before working at Washington and Alabama and making NFL stops with the Browns, Falcons and Jaguars.

Who is the QB? Sagapolutele (No. 14 in QB Tiers) started 13 games last year as a freshman. He threw for 3,454 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and his completion percentage, yardage and touchdown totals were all the second most by a freshman in Cal history behind only Jared Goff in 2013.

Key player: Edge rusher Solomon Williams. Cal lost many of its most accomplished defensive players, including All-American cornerback Hezekiah Masses and leading tackler Cade Uluave. Williams, a third-year transfer from Texas A&M, is expected to start opposite Jayden Wayne, Cal’s one returning starter up front.

Game to circle: Sept. 5 vs. UCLA. The Bears open against their longtime rival in the first football meeting between the schools since UCLA left the Pac-12 for the Big Ten.

— Manny Navarro

Read more about the top 100 players in college football here.

Clemson Tigers

2025 record: 7-6 (4-4 ACC)
Location: Clemson, S.C.
Odds to make the CFP: 9.9%
Odds to win the ACC: 3.4%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 33rd

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Slightly better.

Pedigree: The Tigers lived at the top of the sport from 2015 to 2020 with six consecutive Playoff appearances and two national titles. With seven total CFP appearances, Clemson is tied with Ohio State for second-most since 2014 behind Alabama. But this decade has been harder for Clemson, with the Tigers missing the Playoff four times in the last five years.

Why they’re interesting: A two-time national championship-winning coach, Dabo Swinney faces scrutiny after Clemson had its worst record since 2010 despite having nine players drafted in April. Swinney fired offensive coordinator Garrett Riley and brought Chad Morris (previously at Clemson from 2011 to 2014) back into the fold to see if he can recreate some of the magic from the program’s past. Though Clemson has taken a few transfers, Swinney remains reluctant to lean heavily on the portal.

Who is the coach? Swinney, 56, enters his 18th full season as the Tigers’ head coach and is already the winningest coach in both ACC and Clemson history.

Who is the QB? Christopher Vizzina (No. 53 in QB Tiers) was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2023 and spent his first three seasons sitting behind Cade Klubnik. He enters the season with 596 career passing yards, four touchdowns and an interception in limited action.

Key player: Linebacker Sammy Brown. The Tigers need Brown (No. 21 in the Freaks List, No. 57 in our top 100 players) to stay healthy and productive, as they are thin at linebacker. Brown led Clemson with 106 tackles last season, including 13.5 for loss.

Game to circle: At LSU in Week 1. There is no better early litmus test, with two programs (and coaches) that have used wildly different roster-building strategies. Clemson has lost three straight openers, including 17-10 vs. LSU last year.

— Grace Raynor

Duke Blue Devils

2025 record: 9-5 (6-2 ACC)
Location: Durham, N.C.
Odds to make the CFP: 1.7%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.5%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 59th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Worse.

Pedigree: Duke will never not be a basketball school, but the football program — which has one ranked finish since 1960 — has had a nice run lately, going 35-18 over the past four seasons and winning the ACC title last December for the first time since 1989.

Why they’re interesting: The most impactful poaching of the offseason was done to Duke when quarterback Darian Mensah and top receiver Cooper Barkate were last-day portal entrants and ended up at ACC rival Miami. Huge losses to a team that looks pretty solid in a lot of other areas. The biggest questions are in the portal-rebuilt secondary and unproven receiving corps.

Who is the coach? Manny Diaz, 52, heads into Year 3 at 18-9. A defensive whiz, he has done a nice job rebuilding his reputation and stock as a head coach after a bumpy three years at Miami (21-15).

Who is the QB? Sixth-year transfer portal addition Walker Eget (No. 56 in QB Tiers) came aboard after Mensah backed out of a contract and bolted for Miami. The former San Jose State quarterback threw for 3,051 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. He also missed all of spring recovering from a torn ACL. Eget isn’t Mensah, but Duke won nine games with Maalik Murphy at quarterback in this system in 2024 and coaches are confident the Blue Devils can be at least as good with Eget.

Key player: Defensive end Kevin O’Connor. The fourth-year player could be in line for a breakout season coming off the edge in a Diaz defense that produces a lot of negative plays. Sophomore Bryce Davis is the higher-ceiling talent, but O’Connor stood out in spring.

Game to circle: The Blue Devils visit Miami and their former quarterback on Nov. 14. The Hurricanes look loaded again and are the favorite in the ACC under Mario Cristobal, who replaced Diaz in an awkward transition. This would go down as one of the sweeter victories in Duke history if the Blue Devils can spring the upset.

— Ralph D. Russo

Read our July ranking of all 138 projected FBS starting quarterbacks here.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2025 record: 9-4 (6-2 ACC)
Location: Atlanta
Odds to make the CFP: 2.3%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.8%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 40th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Slightly worse.

Pedigree: The Yellow Jackets, who split the 1990 national championship with Colorado, have won the ACC just once since 1998, but they have had periods of consistent success. They went to bowl games every season from 1997 to 2014.

Why they’re interesting: The offense is rebooting with a new coordinator and a very notable quarterback — Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto. Georgia Tech rose as high as No. 7 in the polls after an 8-0 start last season but lost four of its final five games to finish unranked for the 11th straight season. This team has lots of new faces but is a popular dark horse ACC contender.

Who is the coach? Brent Key, 48, was promoted to interim coach in early 2022 after Geoff Collins was fired and earned the permanent job after going 4-4. He played offensive line for the school from 1997 to 2000 and worked as Alabama’s offensive line coach under Nick Saban for three seasons.

Who is the QB? Mendoza (No. 62 in QB Tiers) takes over for human battering ram Haynes King, who carried the ball 430 times in three seasons as starting quarterback. Mendoza played sparingly behind his brother for national champion Indiana last season.

Key player: Running back Justice Haynes is No. 63 in our top 100 players. The Michigan transfer, who started his career at Alabama, averaged 7.1 yards per carry and racked up 857 yards with 10 touchdowns in seven games before an injury ended his season. He came home to Atlanta and figures to be a massive piece of an offense under new coordinator George Godsey that won’t stray far from Key’s physical, run-heavy approach.

Game to circle: Oct. 31 at Pitt. Georgia Tech plays Colorado and Tennessee in nonconference play, but the road date at Pitt on Halloween might help sort who’s an ACC contender and pretender.

— David Ubben

Florida State Seminoles

2025 record: 5-7 (2-6 ACC)
Location: Tallahassee, Fla.
Odds to make the CFP: 8.5%
Odds to win the ACC: 2.4%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 49th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? About the same.

Pedigree: Florida State has three national championships, 16 ACC championships and three Heisman Trophy winners. The Seminoles went 13-0 and won the ACC in 2023 but became the first undefeated power-conference champion excluded from the four-team Playoff. The program has fallen sharply over the past eight years, missing a bowl game five times after making one in 36 consecutive years.

Why they’re interesting: The coach who led the team to an ACC championship and the doorstep of the Playoff three years ago has faced massive backlash from the fan base after going 7-17 the past two years — and yet still has $50-plus million left on his contract, which runs through 2031. FSU refitted the roster with 23 transfers, but none of them included a star quarterback.

Who is the coach? Mike Norvell, 44, enters his seventh season at FSU and his 11th as a head coach. He led Memphis to the 2019 American Conference championship before taking over in Tallahassee, where he has two double-digit-win seasons sandwiched in between four losing campaigns.

Who is the QB? Ashton Daniels (No. 60 in QB Tiers) has played in 37 career games with 23 starts at Stanford and Auburn, throwing for 4,783 yards and 24 touchdowns while rushing for 1,397 yards and 11 scores. He’s also thrown 22 interceptions.

Key player: Wide receiver Duce Robinson is No. 31 in our top 100 players. The 6-foot-6 senior, who previously played at USC, earned first-team All-ACC honors after leading the Seminoles with 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns in 2025.

Game to circle: Sept. 7 vs. SMU. The spotlight will be burning hot and bright on Norvell and the program on Labor Day. Upsetting SMU — picked to finish second in the ACC in the preseason — could relieve some pressure.

— Manny Navarro

Read Bruce Feldman’s annual Freaks List here

Louisville Cardinals

2025 record: 9-4 (4-4 ACC)
Location: Louisville, Ky.
Odds to make the CFP: 13.9%
Odds to win the ACC: 7.9%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 18th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better.

Pedigree: The Cardinals haven’t made the Playoff since it launched in 2014, but they’ve had a good, solid program in the 21st century (an eight-win average since 2000) that has proven capable of punching above its weight and has recently raised its level.

Why they’re interesting: Louisville could be a Playoff contender. There’s good talent at key positions, and Jeff Brohm has delivered consistent results despite annual roster turnover. There are new co-defensive coordinators, but the defense is deep, with difference-makers at all three levels and explosive playmakers at the offensive skill positions.

Who is the coach? Brohm, 55, is an alumnus who set school records as Louisville’s quarterback from 1989 to 1993 and has the program on solid footing since taking the head-coaching job before the 2023 season. He’s 94-56 in 12 years with stops at Western Kentucky and Purdue before returning to the Cardinals, where he’s 28-12.

Who is the QB? Lincoln Kienholz (No. 54 in QB Tiers) is an Ohio State transfer who was highly sought after. He backed up Julian Sayin last year and is light on experience (133 career snaps in 12 games), but teams were bullish on his ability, especially his athleticism. He should add a dimension to Louisville’s offense that wasn’t there with Miller Moss.

Key player: Louisville retained running back Isaac Brown (No. 49 in our top 100 players) after a brief flirtation with the transfer portal. The third-team All-ACC pick has 2,057 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns in his two seasons and is one of the more talented backs in the country. Three of Louisville’s four losses last season came when Brown was injured.

Game to circle: A win in the conference home opener against SMU on Sept. 19 could give Louisville legitimate early-season momentum. The Cardinals are 0-2 against the Mustangs since they joined the ACC, and it’s one of their toughest ACC games (Louisville doesn’t play Miami, Clemson or Virginia).

— Sam Khan Jr.

Miami Hurricanes

2025 record: 13-3 (6-2 ACC)
Location: Coral Gables, Fla.
Odds to make the CFP: 70.8%
Odds to win the ACC: 57.4%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 7th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better — if you take the perspective that the program has never won the ACC before and should make the CFP field again.

Pedigree: Miami was the team of the 1980s and has two Heisman winners and five national championships to its credit — most recently in 2001. The “U” still hasn’t won a league title since it last played in the Big East (2003), but it made a stirring run to the national title game last season.

Why they’re interesting: Few programs were reviled nationally more than Miami during its heyday because of player showboating. The fact that the program spent more than $40 million on its roster, including more than $6 million to swipe the starting quarterback from the defending league champions this offseason, provides plenty of fodder for the cavalcade of Miami haters to rise up.

Who is the coach? Mario Cristobal, 55, enters his fifth season at his alma mater with a 35-19 record, including back-to-back, 10-plus-win seasons and a Playoff appearance. He’s 15-14 against ranked opponents in eight seasons at Oregon and Miami. His teams have been ranked at one point in each of the last eight seasons but have also lost at least one game to an unranked opponent.

Who is the QB? Darian Mensah (No. 4 in QB Tiers) bolted ACC champion Duke late in the transfer portal window after leading the Blue Devils to their first conference title since 1989. He’s 18-9 as a starter between his time at Tulane and Duke.

Key player: Wide receiver Malachi Toney (No. 5 in our top 100 players) led the FBS with 109 catches as a freshman and played a big role in Miami’s run to the national championship game. Toney lines up everywhere on Miami’s offense and makes plays. He went 10th in our draft of Heisman candidates.

Game to circle: Nov. 7 at Notre Dame. The CFP committee dropped the Irish out of last year’s field because of a season-opening loss to the Hurricanes at Hard Rock Stadium. If Cristobal’s team stumbles even once prior to this showdown, Miami could be fighting for its Playoff life when it visits South Bend.

— Manny Navarro

Read Dane Brugler’s top 50 2027 NFL Draft prospects here.

NC State Wolfpack

2025 record: 8-5 (4-4 ACC)
Location: Raleigh, N.C.
Odds to make the CFP: 5.9%
Odds to win the ACC: 2.6%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 48th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Slightly better, even though last year’s top two wideouts and leading rusher transferred to USC, Alabama and Texas.

Pedigree: NC State hasn’t won 10 games since the Philip Rivers era but rarely goes into the tank. The Wolfpack would be one of the overlooked winners of a future super-sized College Football Playoff, having appeared in the final CFP Top 25 five times in the past decade. But they’ve never finished ranked in the AP top 10.

Why they’re interesting: The Wolfpack miss Miami, Clemson and SMU in ACC play, ideal conditions for paving a backdoor path to their first conference title game in Charlotte.

Who is the coach? Somehow, Dave Doeren is one of the five longest-tenured coaches in the FBS, despite a 9-31 record against Top 25 teams and zero ACC title game appearances in 13 seasons. Doeren, 54, has developed a knack for producing hot streaks that break the tension just when it seems like he has run his course in Raleigh. This fall, with a gettable schedule and impatience rising again, would be a good time to find another one.

Who is the QB? CJ Bailey (No. 17 in QB Tiers) reportedly spurned transfer portal interest from deep-pocketed programs and has a chance to be the first NC State starting quarterback to spend his entire college career in red and white since Mike Glennon, who last played in 2012. Eight of his nine interceptions last fall came in ugly losses to Duke, Notre Dame and Miami, but his tantalizing tools have the Wolfpack dreaming big.

Key player: In the tradition of Blake “The Belldozer” Bell at Oklahoma, backup quarterback Will Wilson has become a fan favorite after excelling as a short-yardage battering ram during his freshman season. The 6-1, 228-pound Wilson ran the ball nine times on fourth down and converted on eight of them, and he punched in four of his team-high 10 rushing touchdowns in a cathartic Thanksgiving blowout of archrival North Carolina.

Game to circle: Oct. 31 vs. Cal. Bailey vs. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele could be the sneaky QB duel of the year in the ACC. Bet all your Halloween candy on the over.

— Eric Single

North Carolina Tar Heels

2025 record: 4-8 (2-6 ACC)
Location: Chapel Hill, N.C.
Odds to make the CFP: 0.5%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.1%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 75th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Maybe better?

Pedigree: UNC hasn’t won the ACC since 1980 but played for the title in 2022. Last year was just the fourth time it didn’t play in a bowl game since 2007. UNC has cracked the top 10 of the AP Top 25 in four seasons this century but has ended the year ranked only twice since 1997.

Why they’re interesting: Will the grand experiment work, or is Bill Belichick not long for the college game? Belichick is back for Year 2 and hired Bobby Petrino as his offensive coordinator after Petrino’s brief return to Arkansas. He’s got a new quarterback, too, while general manager Mike Lombardi is on leave.

Who is the coach? Belichick, 74, had never coached in college football but had won six Super Bowls before a highly publicized breakup with the New England Patriots and a year out of football in 2024. Last season was UNC’s worst since 2018, Larry Fedora’s final year in Chapel Hill.

Who is the QB? Billy Edwards Jr. (No. 68 in QB Tiers) was a late addition via the transfer portal. He arrives after a knee injury ended his 2025 season at Wisconsin. He’s in his sixth season but has only stayed on the field during his 2024 season at Maryland, when he threw for 2,881 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine picks.

Key player: Senior defensive lineman Melkart Abou Jaoude is back after notching 12 tackles for loss, earning second-team all-ACC honors and finishing second in the conference with 10.5 sacks. Five of those sacks came in UNC’s two ACC wins.

Game to circle: Oct. 17 at Duke. Last year, Belichick and UNC lost to every in-state rival for the first time since 1989.

— David Ubben

Read our May ranking of the top 100 transfers here.

Pittsburgh Panthers

2025 record: 8-5 (6-2 ACC)
Location: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Odds to make the CFP: 6.7%
Odds to win the ACC: 2.6%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 38th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? The same.

Pedigree: The Panthers have made 39 bowl appearances and are routinely one of the ACC’s top teams at pumping out NFL prospects. Coach Pat Narduzzi has had just two losing seasons with the program since he was hired ahead of the 2015 season, though he is 2-6 in bowl games. But Pitt, which won a national title in 1976, has had six ranked finishes in the past 42 seasons and last finished in the top 10 in 1982.

Why they’re interesting: The Panthers lost their top receivers and their top two linebackers from 2025 and were picked to finish ninth in the ACC’s preseason poll. But the Panthers brought back their quarterback and leading rusher, and nothing is ever boring with the blunt Narduzzi at the helm.

Who is the coach? Narduzzi, 60, took over in December 2014 and won the ACC championship in 2021. He has produced 32 NFL Draft picks and at least one pick in each of the past 11 drafts. His 80 wins rank second-most in program history, behind Jack Sutherland’s 111 from 1924 to 1938.

Who is the QB? Mason Heintschel (No. 23 in QB Tiers) finished his freshman season with eight starts, going 201-of-316 passing for 2,354 yards and 16 TDs. He’ll need to improve his accuracy after also tossing eight picks.

Key player: Running back Ja’Kyrian Turner. Despite starting just five of 12 games in 2025, Turner led the Panthers in rushing as a freshman with 140 carries for 745 yards and seven touchdowns, including 201 yards in a win at Georgia Tech.

Game to circle: At Miami on Oct. 24. The Panthers could be out of the ACC race by then, but there will be drama either way. Narduzzi didn’t hold back at ACC media days when he said Miami tried to swipe Heintschel before landing Darian Mensah from Duke.

— Grace Raynor

SMU Mustangs

2025 record: 9-4 (6-2 ACC)
Location: Dallas
Odds to make the CFP: 22.1%
Odds to win the ACC: 13.2%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 17th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better, with an expectation of returning to the Playoff.

Pedigree: SMU got the NCAA’s Death Penalty in the 1980s for what today might be deemed as underpaying players. It took a long time to recover, but the 21st century has built to this, the most exciting time for SMU football since … Eric Dickerson’s gold Trans Am. SMU made the Playoff in 2024, the same year it moved into the ACC.

Why they’re interesting: When the Mustangs get cooking on offense, they’re tons of fun. This happened at times in 2025 — a 35-24 win at Clemson and a 38-6 rout of Louisville, for example — and SMU also upset Miami. In 2026, the Mustangs seek the consistency of 2024.

Who is the coach? Rhett Lashlee is 38-16 in four seasons, including two 11-win seasons. The 43-year-old had the Mustangs on the verge of playing in the ACC title game — and for a second straight Playoff bid — last season, but a 38-35 heartbreaker at Cal ruined those hopes. Lashlee stayed at SMU this offseason despite a job opening at Arkansas, his alma mater.

Who is the QB? Kevin Jennings (No. 15 in QB Tiers) is a throwback, a quarterback who will end up spending five years all at one program, three as the starter. He was eighth in the FBS with 3,641 passing yards and 17th with 26 touchdown passes last season. He also threw 13 picks, and his rushing yards dropped to 55 from 354 in 2024. SMU needs his full game, with fewer mistakes, to get where it wants to go.

Key player: Senior running back Kendrick Raphael’s ACC tour brings him to Dallas, after two seasons at NC State and a breakout 2025 at Cal. He rushed for 943 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and should be a big help to Jennings.

Game to circle: Sept. 19 at Louisville. Miami, Clemson and Georgia Tech are absent from the schedule, which should bode well for hopes of getting to the ACC title game. And it makes Louisville the highlight of conference play.

— Joe Rexrode

Stanford Cardinal

2025 record: 4-8 (3-5 ACC)
Location: Palo Alto, Calif.
Odds to make the CFP: 0.4%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.2%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 94th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Slightly better, but lots of unknowns.

Pedigree: Jim Harbaugh and David Shaw oversaw the program’s proudest era from 2009 to 2018, winning the Pac-12 three times and finishing in the top 12 of the AP poll six times. The program also claims national titles from 1926 and 1940.

Why they’re interesting: This is Stanford’s third head coach in three seasons. Cardinal legend Andrew Luck oversees the program as the general manager to whom the head coach reports. After Troy Taylor was fired, Luck turned to his former coach, Frank Reich, for one interim season. Now, he turns to his friend and fellow former Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard to try to secure the program’s first full winning season since 2019.

Who is the coach? Pritchard, 39, returns to his alma mater after coaching Jayden Daniels with the Washington Commanders. He was at Stanford for a decade before leaving for the Commanders and was an analyst when Luck was quarterback. This is his first season as a head coach.

Who is the QB? Davis Warren (No. 119 in QB Tiers) left Michigan last season and will start. He struggled in 2024, throwing for 1,199 yards, seven touchdowns and nine interceptions in nine games. He didn’t play last season after tearing his ACL in Michigan’s bowl game to close 2024.

Key player: Senior linebacker Matt Rose made 106 tackles last season, with eight tackles for loss. The Ohio native earned second-team All-ACC honors.

Game to circle: Nov. 21 at Cal. The Cardinal snapped a four-game losing streak in the Big Game last year, but this year’s game could have a bowl berth at stake.

— David Ubben

Syracuse Orange

2025 record: 3-9 (1-7 ACC)
Location: Syracuse, N.Y.
Odds to make the CFP: 2.3%
Odds to win the ACC: 0.7%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 78th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better.

Pedigree: It’s been a mostly rough century for a program that has much more tradition than young folks may realize, including the 1959 national title and a stellar run in the 1990s. Syracuse has just six winning seasons since it went 10-3 under Paul Pasqualoni in 2001. Third-year coach Fran Brown has one of those, his 10-3 debut in 2024.

Why they’re interesting: Not much is expected out of Syracuse, which was picked 14th in the ACC media preseason poll after losing its final eight last year. But there’s a case to be made for an upper-division finish — or at least a feisty spoiler role — if quarterback Steve Angeli stays healthy. Cal, Louisville, Clemson, SMU and Notre Dame all visit the JMA Wireless Dome.

Who is the coach? The 44-year-old Brown brought tons of energy and success to the job in 2024 after two seasons coaching defensive backs for Kirby Smart at Georgia. Ohio State transfer quarterback Kyle McCord threw for 4,779 yards and the Orange won eight one-score games, including a shocker over Miami. Last year’s team lost Angeli early and lost nine games by multiple scores.

Who is the QB? Angeli (No. 44 in QB Tiers), a senior and Notre Dame transfer, was lighting it up in Brown’s offense and leading the nation in passing last season (1,317 yards and 10 touchdowns in four games) before an Achilles tear ended his season. He had 245 yards and two touchdowns in the third quarter of an eventual win at Clemson when he suffered the injury. Syracuse was 3-1 and would not come close to winning again. Angeli is cleared to play, but will he be the same?

Key player: Defensive back play is Brown’s specialty, and he has a potential first-round talent this season in junior cornerback Chris Peal. Brown previously coached Peal as a freshman at Georgia.

Game to circle: Oct. 24 at North Carolina is a big one, in part because Syracuse’s late-season woes helped Bill Belichick collect one of his only two ACC (and Power 4) wins in his 2025 debut season. If the Orange want to go bowling, they’ll need this revenge game in Chapel Hill.

— Joe Rexrode

Virginia Cavaliers

2025 record: 11-3 (7-1 ACC)
Location: Charlottesville, Va.
Odds to make the CFP: 9.6%
Odds to win the ACC: 3.7%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 34th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Probably worse.

Pedigree: UVA reached the ACC title game for the second time in school history last season, losing in overtime to Duke and narrowly missing the Playoff. That ended a five-year bowl drought, but the Cavaliers haven’t won the ACC since 1995 and have just one other ACC title, in 1989.

Why they’re interesting: Rather than jettison Tony Elliott after an 11-23 run in his first three seasons, UVA invested in the roster and got 11 wins for the money. It has to rebuild the offensive backfield, but the Cavaliers can push to win 10 games again this year with some good luck and a healthy roster. They have the most experienced roster in the country.

Who is the coach? Elliott, 46, had his breakthrough season last year after a difficult first three years at Virginia. He won a pair of national titles under Dabo Swinney at Clemson and won the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant in 2017.

Who is the QB? Former Penn State and Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula (No. 46 in QB Tiers and No. 91 in the Freaks List) transferred to UVA after a leg injury late last season in a loss to Vanderbilt. He threw for 1,941 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions and also ran for 297 yards and six TDs. He’ll replace Chandler Morris, who helped spark last year’s turnaround.

Key player: Senior linebacker Kam Robinson returns after making 64 tackles and scoring a pair of touchdowns on his interceptions. He also had 4.5 tackles for loss. He finished second to Rueben Bain Jr. in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting.

Game to circle: Oct. 17 at SMU. Can Virginia challenge for the conference again? The Cavaliers don’t face Miami or Louisville.

— David Ubben

Virginia Tech Hokies

2025 record: 3-9 (2-6)
Location: Blacksburg, Va.
Odds to make the CFP: 6.9%
Odds to win the ACC: 2.5%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 47th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Better, with hopes of a full-on renaissance in the next few years.

Pedigree: The Frank Beamer era at Virginia Tech — which included 16 ranked finishes in a 19-year span, seven in the top 10 with a BCS title game advance — put this program in a lofty position. But a Sugar Bowl loss under Beamer to end the 2011 season was the last major bowl game for the Hokies, who have had two ranked finishes since.

Why they’re interesting: This is one of the most interesting stories in college football. James Franklin, fired at Penn State despite 104 wins in 11 1/2 seasons, has arrived to bring back the glory days and redeem himself. Virginia Tech has lacked investment, attention and personality. It lacks them no more.

Who is the coach? Franklin, 54, was canned six games into the 2025 season, a year after he led Penn State to two CFP wins and nearly to the title game. That was many years and many agonizing losses in big games in the making. But Franklin has been a talent-collecting, program-building force since he got to Vanderbilt in 2011. Virginia Tech craves the opportunity to squander a big game.

Who is the QB? Sophomore Ethan Grunkemeyer (No. 45 in QB Tiers) followed Franklin to Virginia Tech from Penn State, after impressing mostly in Franklin’s absence. He replaced injured starter Drew Allar after the loss to Northwestern, when Franklin was fired. Grunkemeyer went 4-3 from there, nearly engineering an upset of Indiana and throwing for 260 and two scores in a Pinstripe Bowl win over Clemson.

Key player: Count on Franklin to recruit and develop elite pass rushers, and count on Missouri transfer edge Javion Hilson, a top-50 recruit, to be featured in 2026 and potentially be Franklin’s next QB terrorizer alongside returning star tackle Kemari Copeland (No. 7 on the Freaks List).

Game to circle: Pittsburgh’s visit on Oct. 2 represents the first big home game under Franklin, and “Enter Sandman” should hit especially hard under the lights. It’s also a reunion of Franklin and former rival Pat Narduzzi, though Pitt and Penn State last played in 2019.

— Joe Rexrode

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

2025 record: 9-4 (4-4)
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C.
Odds to make the CFP: 2.9%
Odds to win the ACC: 1.1%
The Athletic 138 ranking: 50th

Will they be better, worse or the same this year? Same.

Pedigree: Former coaches Jim Grobe (2001-2013) and Dave Clawson (2014-2024) turned one of the losingest programs of the 20th century into a regular bowl team that won an ACC title in 2006 and played for another in 2021. Clawson’s successor, Jake Dickert, showed he can win, too, with a nine-win debut season.

Why they’re interesting: Wake was easily the most overlooked surprise team last season, when the Demon Deacons improved from 4-8 in 2023 and ’24 to 9-4 with a Duke’s Mayo Bowl win over Mississippi State. The question is whether the Power 4’s smallest university (5,600 undergrads) can keep it up year-to-year amid the never-ending NIL arms race.

Who is the coach? Five years ago, Dickert, 42, was an unknown defensive coordinator at Washington State. But when head coach Nick Rolovich was fired midseason in 2021, Dickert ascended to interim coach and then the full-time job, leading the Cougars to three bowls in four seasons. After Wazzu got exiled to realignment purgatory in 2023, Dickert left a year later.

Who is the QB? Gio Lopez (No. 48 in QB Tiers), who you may remember as Bill Belichick’s QB1 in his first season at North Carolina. The former South Alabama starter largely struggled through the Tar Heels’ 4-8 season, and the two sides parted ways afterward. At Wake, he’s been reunited with his South Alabama OC, Rob Ezell, who resurrected journeyman Robby Ashford’s career last season.

Key player: Wake lost considerable production on offense, but fifth-year senior edge rusher Langston Hardy — who was third in the ACC with 17 TFLs last season — leads a defense full of carryover that finished No. 9 nationally in yards per play allowed (4.6).

Game to circle: Sept. 18 vs. Miami. A Friday night home game against last year’s No. 2 team in the country at 31,500-seat Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium? That’s the stuff of field-stormings.

— Stewart Mandel