ACC, at a glance.
Top 10 by power rating — last season final records.
Team
Power
Record
RR50
Home Conferences FBS 2026 season
ACC
The Flip
Is Miami's 13-3 run a dynasty in the making, or a peak year before Clemson reasserts? The next two seasons will define the conference's identity.
ACC carries real selection-room weight with 4 teams inside the top 25 and Miami driving a legitimate national ceiling.
#5overall
#5in FBS
+8.2RR50
+13.1upper strength
17teams
4top-25 teams
Power snapshot
Projected 2026 standing
The Flip
Miami went 13-3 in 2025 and holds the ACC's highest power rating entering 2026 — the strongest the program has looked since winning the 2001 national title. Meanwhile Clemson, who won six straight ACC titles from 2015-2021, went 7-6 last year. The power structure in the ACC just flipped.
4 top-25 teams.
The depth argument for this conference rests on how many credible opponents are clustered behind the leader. A wide talent spread separates the haves from the have-nots.
The question heading into 2026.
Is Miami's 13-3 run a dynasty in the making, or a peak year before Clemson reasserts? The next two seasons will define the conference's identity.
The New Leader
Miami at 13-3 Is the ACC's Best Story in Twenty Years
Miami went 13-3 in 2025 and enters 2026 as the conference's top-rated program. They're recruiting at an elite level and winning games at a rate the program hasn't seen since the 2001 title. The 2026 Miami-Clemson game is the conference's defining matchup — a reigning dynasty against a program reclaiming the standard.
The Fallen DynastyClemson Went 7-6 — the Worst Season Under Dabo Since 2010
Clemson won six ACC titles in a row from 2015-2021 and finished 2025 at 7-6. Dabo Swinney's program has never had a losing conference season in that stretch, but the recruiting gap with Miami and Florida State is closing. Whether 2025 was a down year or the start of a longer slide is the most important question in the ACC entering 2026.
Why it matters →
The Wild CardVirginia at 11-3 Is a Coaching Premium Nobody Expected
Virginia went 11-3 in 2025 with a recruiting class ranked #58 nationally — the biggest overperformance relative to talent in the ACC. A program that had four consecutive losing seasons from 2020-2023 is now winning eleven games. The question heading into 2026 is whether they can sustain it against a Miami program that's now actively competing for the same recruits.
Why it matters →Active arcs our read
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Hot7wk ago
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Florida State
Active8wk ago
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Virginia Tech
Active6mo ago
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How will Colorado State perform against Boise State in their upcoming matchup?
Boston College
Fan pulse
16% positive
60% neutral
24% negative
Clemson
920
↓ negative
California
783
→ neutral
Florida State
525
↓ negative
Georgia Tech
464
↓ negative
Virginia Tech
402
→ neutral
Miami
347
→ neutral
Fan confidence — FBS percentile
Where each ACC program stands nationally in fan sentiment (100th = most positive in FBS, 0 = least). Conference median: 50th percentile.
Rivalry face-offs
The coaching premium
Recruiting class rank vs. SP+ performance — where coaches add or subtract value
Above line = coaching premium
Below line = underperforming
Gap = recruiting rank minus SP+ rank
Positive gap means the coaching staff won more than the recruiting class predicted. Data: ACC teams, 17 programs.
Standings
2026 final — sorted by power rating. Stature tag = interim Zeitgeist calibration (medium confidence).
| # | Team | Record | RR50 | Resume |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
MiamiPower Program I#12
|
0-0 | +20.0 | +99.3 |
| 2 |
ClemsonBlue Blood#4
|
0-0 | +15.6 | +95.8 |
| 3 |
SMUNational Program I#34
|
0-0 | +15.4 | +95.5 |
| 4 |
LouisvillePower Program III#30
|
0-0 | +12.3 | +91.7 |
| 5 |
VirginiaNational Program III#63
|
0-0 | +11.3 | +90.7 |
| 6 |
NC StateNational Program I#37
|
0-0 | +11.0 | +89.6 |
| 7 |
PittsburghNational Program I#33
|
0-0 | +10.1 | +86.9 |
| 8 |
Georgia TechNational Program II#45
|
0-0 | +9.4 | +85.1 |
| 9 |
Virginia TechNational Program I#41
|
0-0 | +8.8 | +83.4 |
| 10 |
DukeNational Program II#58
|
0-0 | +7.6 | +79.9 |
| 11 |
Wake ForestNational Program III#69
|
0-0 | +6.8 | +76.8 |
| 12 |
CaliforniaNational Program III#66
|
0-0 | +6.4 | +75.1 |
| 13 |
Florida StatePower Program II#18
|
0-0 | +5.9 | +73.4 |
| 14 |
Boston CollegeRegional Program I#74
|
0-0 | +2.5 | +64.7 |
| 15 |
StanfordNational Program III#67
|
0-0 | +1.7 | +61.2 |
| 16 |
North CarolinaNational Program II#54
|
0-0 | +1.4 | +59.2 |
| 17 |
SyracuseRegional Program II#90
|
0-0 | +0.6 | +55.0 |
Projected Standings · ACC · 2026
Win Projection
Odds of winning at least N conference games from current power ratings — full slate played out, not locked to results. AVG = expected wins; W–L = most-likely record.
| # | Team | W–L | PWR | AVG | ≥9 | ≥8 | ≥7 | ≥6 | ≥5 | ≥4 | ≥3 | ≥2 | ≥1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Favorites | |||||||||||||
| 1 | Miami | 7–2 | +11.4 | 7.0 | 10 | 37 | 69 | 89 | 97 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 2 | SMU | 7–2 | +6.8 | 6.4 | 4 | 20 | 48 | 75 | 91 | 98 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| 3 | Clemson | 6–2 | +7.0 | 5.4 | 4 | 20 | 49 | 77 | 93 | 99 | ✓ | ✓ | |
| Challengers | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Louisville | 6–3 | +3.7 | 5.6 | 1 | 9 | 28 | 55 | 79 | 93 | 99 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 5 | NC State | 6–3 | +2.4 | 5.6 | 1 | 8 | 26 | 53 | 78 | 92 | 98 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 6 | Virginia | 5–4 | +2.7 | 5.4 | 1 | 6 | 22 | 48 | 74 | 91 | 98 | ✓ | ✓ |
| 7 | Pittsburgh | 5–4 | +1.4 | 5.0 | 3 | 14 | 36 | 63 | 85 | 96 | 99 | ✓ | |
| 8 | Georgia Tech | 4–4 | +0.8 | 4.2 | 4 | 18 | 42 | 70 | 90 | 98 | ✓ | ||
| The Field | |||||||||||||
| 9 | Duke | 4–5 | -1.0 | 4.2 | 1 | 5 | 18 | 41 | 69 | 89 | 98 | ✓ | |
| 10 | Virginia Tech | 4–5 | +0.1 | 4.2 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 40 | 68 | 88 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 11 | California | 4–5 | -2.3 | 4.0 | 1 | 4 | 15 | 37 | 64 | 86 | 97 | ✓ | |
| 12 | Wake Forest | 4–5 | -1.8 | 3.7 | 2 | 10 | 28 | 55 | 80 | 94 | 99 | ||
| 13 | Florida State | 3–5 | -2.8 | 2.9 | 3 | 11 | 31 | 60 | 85 | 97 | |||
| 14 | Boston College | 3–5 | -6.2 | 2.8 | 2 | 9 | 28 | 58 | 84 | 97 | |||
| Rebuilding | |||||||||||||
| 15 | Syracuse | 2–7 | -8.1 | 2.7 | 2 | 9 | 26 | 53 | 81 | 96 | |||
| 16 | Stanford | 2–7 | -6.9 | 2.6 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 52 | 80 | 96 | |||
| 17 | North Carolina | 2–6 | -7.2 | 2.4 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 43 | 74 | 95 | |||
How they play
Six advanced-stat dimensions per team, ranked against all 134 FBS programs, 2025 season. Every column reads higher-is-better. Click a column to sort.
ScoringConvertsBig playsDefensePacePass rate
| Team | Scoring | Converts | Defense | Identity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | +0.22 | 46.4% | -0.02 | Lockdown defense |
| Clemson | +0.17 | 42.5% | -0.09 | Balanced |
| SMU | +0.25 | 43.4% | -0.03 | Lockdown defense |
| Louisville | +0.15 | 44.6% | -0.05 | Lockdown defense |
| Virginia | +0.16 | 40.9% | -0.06 | Balanced |
| NC State | +0.24 | 41.9% | -0.18 | Big-play offense |
| Pittsburgh | +0.17 | 40.0% | -0.07 | Balanced |
| Georgia Tech | +0.28 | 49.1% | -0.19 | Efficient offense |
| Virginia Tech | +0.17 | 41.4% | -0.26 | Defense is the problem |
| Duke | +0.25 | 45.7% | -0.22 | Balanced |
| Wake Forest | +0.17 | 38.0% | -0.04 | Big-play offense |
| California | +0.12 | 40.6% | -0.15 | Balanced |
| Florida State | +0.30 | 46.9% | -0.14 | Big-play offense |
| Boston College | +0.16 | 42.7% | -0.23 | Defense is the problem |
| Stanford | +0.06 | 36.4% | -0.18 | Can't sustain drives |
| North Carolina | +0.07 | 38.8% | -0.14 | Balanced |
| Syracuse | +0.05 | 38.7% | -0.28 | Defense is the problem |
Identity is the single dimension where a team is most above or below the FBS average (pace, defense, big plays, or converting drives) — "Balanced" means nothing stands out either way. CFBD 2025 advanced stats, excludes garbage time.
Top players
ACC's highest CFB Index Scores, 2025 season.
| # | Player | Team | National |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ahmaad MosesS | SMU | #1 of 544 |
| 2 | Bryce FitzgeraldCB | Miami | #4 of 364 |
| 3 | Malachi ToneyWR | Miami | #2 of 485 |
| 4 | Sammy BrownLB | Clemson | #8 of 583 |
| 5 | Terry WebbIDL | SMU | #6 of 330 |
| 6 | Isaiah SmithEDGE | SMU | #10 of 420 |
| 7 | Rasheem BilesLB | Pittsburgh | #14 of 583 |
| 8 | Clev LubinEDGE | Louisville | #14 of 420 |
| 9 | Caden FordhamLB | NC State | #15 of 583 |
| 10 | Jeffrey M'BaIDL | SMU | #12 of 330 |
Where ACC stands nationally
Conference strength by RR50 (round-robin adjusted power).
1
SEC
SEC
+11.4
2
B10
Big Ten
+10.1
3
IND
FBS Independents
+9.4
4
B12
Big 12
+8.3
5
ACC
ACC
+8.2
6
P12
Pac-12
+5.3
7
AAC
American Athletic
+5.3
8
MW
Mountain West
+4.0
9
SB
Sun Belt
+3.7
10
CUSA
Conference USA
+3.6
ACC title odds
Best available American odds · sportsbook consensus.
| # | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Miami (FL)
|
-160 |
| 2 |
SMU
|
+700 |
| 3 |
Louisville
|
+750 |
| 4 |
Clemson
|
+1200 |
| 5 |
Virginia
|
+1300 |
| 6 |
Pittsburgh
|
+1700 |
| 7 |
NC State
|
+2200 |
| 8 |
Virginia Tech
|
+1800 |
| 9 |
California
|
+1000 |
| 10 |
Florida State
|
+2500 |