WARNING: These predictions was made before the Week Zero
The ACC is pretty funny. If Clemson wasn't building a dynasty and the history with Florida State and Miami (FL), this conference would be irrelevant and the committee put it on display last season just refusing to put more than one ACC team in the CFP every single week while finishing with Miami (FL) in but ACC Champ Duke behind Tulane and James Madison. They are a glorified American Conference from everything I have seen, but with the addition of James Franklin at Virginia Tech and the rise of SMU, there is a literal chance that both teams along with the top three brands I mentioned can return this conference to it's old form.
1. Clemson (CFP)
In the year 2026, this is a bold pick. We all know what Clemson has done, the difference is they haven't won the National Championship since 2018. This is a more matured team with the right coach to coach them out of a slump in HC Dabo Swinney that I am taking him to win the conference.
2. Pitt
That's a name you did expect to hear this high. I got HC Pat Narduzzi working miracles in year 12 with a true sophomore QB in Mason Heintschel that creates such a buzz around the ACC and if the Panthers are legit team or not.
3. Miami (FL)
Talent for talent, this is the best team in the ACC and it's not really close. Why they miss the Conference Championship Game is because HC Mario Cristobal year after year has a great team set and nothing is in his way and his team finds some way to trip over their own feet. I am looking at Notre Dame and Virginia Tech as the obvious, and then Pitt and North Carolina as the trap games. They will also lose enough games to miss the CFP once again and will play a high end bowl game.
4. SMU
The last dance for QB Kevin Jennings. They will finish just short of the ACC Championship Game, but enough to feel high of all their accomplishments they have made.
5. Virginia Tech
Welcome to James Franklin's first year in the ACC, he will start off by losing some dumb games to start ACC play and then finish hot with some wins unexpected for them to win.
6. Wake Forest
Congratulations to Wake Forest for finishing as the top ACC team in the state of North Carolina. I am a true believer of HC Jake Dickert and think he has some guys that could sneak the Demon Deacons to the top of the conference.
7. Louisville
I don't remember the last time Jeff Brohm had an inexperienced QB starting Week 1. I really like RB Isaac Brown, but Brown can't carry the major weight to the ACC Championship Game.
8. Virginia
The Cavailers will take a step back from last year. QB Beau Pribula will be an upgrade, but they don't have a deep weapon room like they did last season.
9. Cal
First season of HC Tosh Lupoi and he is already poised to start his tenure with a bowl appearance. He has a talented offense, but is lacking some heavy hitters on defense that will hold them back early in the season.
10. Syracuse
The Orange have been overlooked lately, and that is in due large part to finishing 3-9 after a 3-1 start to the season. The downfall of the season was due to losing QB Steve Angeli after the Clemson win and struggled to find his replacement throughout the entire season. Angeli is back and Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom will be his expected successor, I anticipate Syracue to bounce back into the bowl game.
11. North Carolina State
Eventually, everything is going to get tiring and the cracks that have shown in this team will just burst and will be hard to repair. We are heading into year 14 with HC Dave Doeren and there is no sign of improvement and the peak of this team was back in 2017 and 2018. They are going to miss a bowl game and there isn't any finger pointing to be made cause everyone ignored the obvious cracks.
12. Georgia Tech
I really like HC Brent Key and company, I just think losing both coordinators and then your bloodline of the offense is going to be a struggle and that we will see them at 5-7 looking at how they can fix it for next season.
13. North Carolina
They will improve, but slightly and enough to show encouragement that HC Bill Belichick can one day get the Tar Heels to a bowl game. They gotten younger and they got more experience as well, it's just a matter of time when everything starts to mesh.
14. Florida State
This has to be it for HC Mike Norvell. QB Ashton Daniels is an improvement to Thomas Castellanos, but he doesn't have a good OC that can coach plays around him properly like what Gus Malzahn was able to for Tommy against Alabama.
15. Stanford
What HC Tavita Pritchard will bring this season is hope. There is hope and a bright future that they will one day return to a bowl game and be competing in the ACC.
16. Duke
From top of the ACC to near the bottom, Duke scrambled to replace Darian Mensah with Walker Eget and there isn't anything I see in his game that gives me hope he can have the Blue Devils competing in the ACC again this season.
17. Boston College
The Eagles is just a joke at this point and if they can't restart then they will push themselves ten years down the drain by one move.
All ACC First Team
QB - Kevin Jennings, SMU
RB - Isaac Brown, Louisville
RB - Mark Fletcher Jr, Miami (FL)
WR - Yamir Knight, SMU
WR - Malachi Toney, Miami (FL)
WR - Bryant Wesco, Clemson
TE - Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech
C - Matt Craycraft, Duke
G - Noah Josey, Virginia
G - Samson Okunola, Miami (FL)
T - Niki Prongos, Stanford
T - PJ Williams, SMU
DE - Will Heldt, Clemson
DT - Amare Adams, Clemson
DT - Ahmad Moten, Miami (FL)
DE - Langston Hardy, Wake Forest
LB - Chris D'Appolonia, Syracuse
LB - Sammy Brown, Clemson
LB - Braylan Lovelace, Pitt
LB - Matt Rose, Stanford
CB - Ashton Hampton, Clemson
CB - Chris Peal, Syracuse
S - Davaughn Patterson, Wake Forest
S - KP Price, Boston College
K - Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech
P - Daniel Sparks, Virginia
LS - David Bird, Cal
KR - Tre Richardson, Louisville
PR - Que'Sean Brown, Virginia Tech
Offensive Player of the Year - Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU
Defensive Player of the Year - Will Heldt, Edge, Clemson
Coach of the Year - Dabo Swinney, Clemson