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Official 2026 Sons of Saturday ACC Preseason Poll

Ryan Castle·July 24, 2026

ACC Kickoff is over, Fall Camp is just around the corner, and the smell of football is returning to the air. Every team in the country is "bigger, faster, stronger" than they were a year ago, has more depth across the roster, and the overall vibes could not be higher. Of course that will change once we start actually keeping score in late August and losses start piling up for teams across the country. As for the ACC, they enter 2026 in an interesting position after a season that produced a five-loss conference champion and a team that was one win away from a National Championship. That dichotomy perfectly illustrates the randomness and unpredictability this conference has provided for years. However, despite the depths of the unknown that the ACC continues to deliver, it is prediction season for media outlets across the country, and we here at Sons of Saturday are ready to take our shot at how the league will shake out this season.

So without further ado, here is the official 2026 Sons of Saturday ACC Preseason Poll:

1. Miami

After an incredible run in the College Football Playoff last season that resulted in a loss to Indiana in the title game, it should be no surprise to see Miami at the top of the ACC pecking order. Mario Cristobal has built a recruiting and portal juggernaut, and that means Miami does not rebuild; they reload. Miami replaces quarterback Carson Beck with another transfer signal-caller in Darian Mensah. Mensah comes over from ACC opponent Duke, which tried to sue Mensah and prevent him from entering the transfer portal, citing a breach of contract.

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Mensah and Miami have put that situation behind them, and whatever you think of Miami’s dealings in the portal, there’s no doubt they landed a talented signal-caller. Between his time at Tulane and Duke, Mensah has thrown for almost 7,000 yards and 56 touchdowns, to just 12 interceptions. Now, Mensah will be surrounded by the most talent he has ever had. Miami returns thousand-yard rusher Mark Fletcher and one of the most electric players in college football in receiver Malachi Toney. Miami also added one of Mensah’s favorite targets from his time at Duke in receiver Cooper Barkate. Miami does have to replace four starters on the offensive line and also lost two talented edge rushers to the NFL. However, Cristobal and his staff have proven they are elite developers of trench talent. If the lines hold up, Miami has the skill position players to go toe-to-toe with any team in the country, and is the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC, especially with the new conference tiebreaker rules.

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2. Louisville

Jeff Brohm has been a model of consistency across his coaching career and during his time at Louisville. Despite having three different starting quarterbacks across his first three seasons, the Cards have still managed to post nine or more wins every year. Now, Brohm will bring in another new quarterback to hopefully take Louisville over the top and deliver their first ACC Championship. Lincoln Kienholz comes in from Ohio State after pushing Julian Sayin for the starting job a year ago. Unlike some of Brohm’s past QB transfers, Kienholz lacks starting experience, with just seven appearances in three seasons. However, he does bring good mobility to the Louisville offense that is likely to heavily feature the ground game with All-ACC running back Isaac Brown back for another season. On defense, Louisville returns All-ACC defensive end Clev Lubin, talented cornerback Tayon Holloway, as well as their entire linebacking unit. Louisville will also benefit from a forgiving conference schedule, as they dodge Miami and Clemson and will not travel to any of the three western ACC schools. In a league of uncertainty, we’re betting on the consistency of Brohm and Louisville to return to the Conference Championship.

3. SMU

At ACC Kickoff, SMU Head Coach Rhett Lashlee was not shy about the success of his program over the past few seasons. He referred to the Mustangs as a “New Blood” of college football and a top-ten program over the past three seasons, due to the fact that they rank in the top-ten in wins over that time frame. Lashlee also donned a “Jennings for Heisman” shirt during his TV appearance on ACC Network, setting up a campaign for his veteran quarterback Kevin Jennings before he’s even completed a pass this season. However, there is some reason for Lashlee’s confidence, starting with Jennings. It is very rare in modern college football to find a quarterback who’s been with the same school for four years and made 26 starts. Jennings was one of the top passers in the conference and the country a year ago, ranking 7th in all of FBS in passing yards and 16th in passing touchdowns. However, outside of Jennings, turnover abounds in the SMU program. Lashlee replaced both of his coordinators this offseason with three co-coordinators on offense and two on defense.

Outside of that interesting coaching staff dynamic, SMU could have six transfers starting for them on defense, but if those transfers can come together and play well, there’s no reason why SMU can’t make another run to Charlotte.

4. Virginia Tech

Call us biased if you want, but this is the most buzz Virginia Tech has had coming into a football season since potentially 2000 when the program was coming off its only National Championship appearance and returned quarterback Michael Vick. James Franklin has gotten the band back together in Blacksburg, bringing back former Hokie head coach and Penn State defensive coordinator Brent Pry to lead the defense, along with old friend Sean Spencer to coach the defensive line. Franklin made headlines at ACC Kickoff by stating the Hokies “won the offseason,” and it is hard to argue that Virginia Tech has not sustained great momentum in the early days of Franklin’s tenure.

Now it is time to see if the hype is real or not. The Hokies will roll out a talented but young roster, led by Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who only has a half-a-season’s worth of starts under his belt. Franklin also opted for an inexperienced offensive coordinator pick in Ty Howle, who, despite building a reputation as one of the best tight end coaches in the country at Penn State, is still unproven as a playcaller. The Hokies also face one of the league's tougher schedules, with road games against SMU, Clemson, and Miami. Despite all that, the Hokies now have one of the top coaches in the country roaming the sidelines, and Virginia Tech will no doubt be extremely competitive in every game this Fall.

5. Clemson

The longtime kings of the ACC have certainly fallen on hard times. This time last year, Clemson was the undeniable favorite to win the conference and was seen as a legitimate National Championship contender. The Tigers proceeded to limp to a 7-6 record before watching much of their veteran roster head to the next level, including quarterback Cade Klubnik. Now Dabo Swinney is facing pressure like he has not felt since his early days in Death Valley. Despite appearing unafraid of that pressure, stating at ACC Kickoff, “I’ve been dead before, I’m still here,” Clemson faces an uphill battle if they want to get back to the top of the college football mountain. Swinney canned offensive coordinator Garrett Riley in favor of an old friend, Chad Morris. Morris’ offenses have not been overly effective this decade, but Clemson is hoping he can recapture that 2010‘s magic. The Tigers will likely roll out junior quarterback Christopher Vizzina to replace Klubnik. Vizzina performed well in his first career start against SMU last season, but he is still an unproven commodity with just 105 career pass attempts. On defense, the Tigers lose seven starters overall but do return talented defensive end Will Heldt. While the vibes are lower in Clemson than they’ve been in years, Dabo has not forgotten how to coach football, and he will likely have the Tigers in a competitive position towards the end of the season; however, there are major questions about this program’s ceiling.

6. Pittsburgh

After coming oh so close to a berth in the conference title game a year ago, Pat Narduzzi’s squad is poised once again to be one of the toughest outs in the league. With Narduzzi, you know you are always going to get tough and physical defense; the question marks have always been on offense. Well, Pitt returns quarterback Mason Heintschel, who was extremely impressive after taking over the starting job a few games into last season. If Heintschel can take a big jump in year two, Pitt could find itself in conference championship contention again, especially with a much easier schedule down the stretch than last season’s Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, Miami gauntlet to end the season.

7. NC State

At ACC Kickoff, Dave Doeren flat out said that he is “sick of coming in second,” after years of consistent, but not quite good enough performances. If NC State is to break out of its run of mediocrity, it will be behind the ascension of its third-year starting quarterback CJ Bailey. Bailey and the Wolfpack averaged over 30 points a game last season, but were let down by inconsistent defensive play. NC State could have as many as nine new starters on defense. Doeren is hoping that overhaul will lead to better complementary football, and perhaps a shot at a championship.

8. Virginia

Virginia enters 2026 with cautious optimism after showing signs of progress in rebuilding the program with a school record 11 wins last season. The Cavaliers have improved their overall talent level and appear more competitive across the roster, though depth remains a concern against the ACC's stronger teams. Coach Tony Elliott will now hand the keys to the offense to veteran quarterback Beau Pribula, who comes over from Mizzou. If Pribula can find similar success to Chandler Morris, UVA could once again punch above its predicted weight class. The Cavs also return three starting offensive linemen and two defensive linemen, giving Elliott a solid foundation in the trenches.

9. California

While our consensus poll has the Golden Bears finishing in the middle of the ACC pack, I believe this is one of the biggest sleepers in the conference. Cal brings in new Head Coach Tosh Lupoi to hopefully elevate the program from the middling success they had experienced under Justin Wilcox. Lupoi brings championship-level pedigree from his time at Alabama and Oregon, and will now try to bring that success to Berkley.

One of Lupoi’s first big moves after being named Head Coach was flying to Hawaii to convince talented quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, better known as JKS. Lupoi surrounded his young, talented quarterback with solid transfer talent as he takes over a defensive rebuild. If he can implement his system on defense and JKS takes the next step in his development, Cal is a sneaky candidate to compete at the top of the league.

10. Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has become one of the ACC's most entertaining teams thanks to an aggressive offense and a willingness to take chances, along with Head Coach Brent Key’s electric personality.

The Yellow Jackets possess explosive athletes at the skill positions, highlighted by running backs Justice Haynes and Malachi Hosely. The Yellow Jackets will lean heavily on that running game as they develop a new quarterback in Alberto Mendoza, who replaces program hero Haynes King. Their biggest challenge remains consistency on defense, where they struggled to force takeaways and sacks in 2026. If Mendoza can manage the offense and the defense can create more havoc, Georgia Tech can continue its reputation as a team that can beat anybody.

11. Florida State

Mike Norvell enters his seventh season in Tallahassee with one of the hottest seats in the country. His enormous buyout was likely one of the only reasons he was not fired last year. At ACC Kickoff, Norvell presided over the most tense press conference of the week, with multiple questions pointed at his job security. Norvell handled the questions with class, emphasizing there was nothing he could say at a podium to save his job, and we would have to deliver results. Norvell turned to Auburn quarterback Ashton Daniels to revive the offense, and turned to himself to call the plays. If that pairing can’t produce some wins, Florida State will likely be spinning the coaching carousel come the Winter.

12. Duke

The reigning conference champs picked to finish 12th? Only in the ACC! Despite five losses a year ago, the Blue Devils found their way to Charlotte and won the league. Despite that, Duke was left out of the College Football Playoff in favor of JMU, something Head Coach Manny Diaz is clearly still a little bitter about.

But now the Blue Devils must turn the page to 2026, and Duke will have a lot of work to do if they want to return to Charlotte. They replace their quarterback, as well as their entire receiving core and defensive line. However, Diaz has been able to pull a rabbit out of his hat the last two seasons, overperforming expectations. Duke faces a tough conference schedule with games against Miami, Clemson, and Georgia Tech.

13. Wake Forest

The surprise team of 2025 is back for another round under Head Coach Jake Dickert. With nine wins a year ago, the Demon Deacons won more games in one season than they had in the previous two combined. At ACC Kickoff, Dickert said, “We have a new team, but the same standard.” On defense, it will not really look like a new team, with seven starters returning. However, on offense, Wake Forest could have 10 new starters, including quarterback Gio Lopez. Lopez comes over from UNC after a tumultuous season, but Dickert hopes that reuniting Lopez with his South Alabama offensive coordinator Rob Ezell will bring the most out of Lopez and lead the Deacs to another surprise season.

14. Syracuse

After a strong 3-1 start to last season, the Orange lost eight straight games to end the season after losing starting quarterback Steve Angeli. Head Coach Fran Brown said he learned his lesson from last season and has a better plan at backup quarterback this season. Syracuse returns just six starters overall, so the challenge for Brown will be bringing this roster together to deliver a bounce-back season. He has shown an ability to bring a group of transfers and newcomers together during his first season at Syracuse, and now he’ll have to do it again to bring Syracuse back to relevance in the ACC.

15. North Carolina

Perhaps one of the biggest disappointments in college football a year ago, Bill Belichick will now try to rebound the UNC program after a 4-8 campaign last year that was filled with drama and negative headlines. Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards is in line to start for an offense that will have nine new starters, while wide receiver Jordan Shipp is one of the lone returning bright spots on the team. The offense will also have a new playcaller with veteran OC Bobby Petrino taking the controls. Petrino could find himself in another interim Head Coach position if Belichick and the Tarheels can’t turn things around quickly.

16. Stanford

The Cardinal are in the early stages of a complete program rebuild under first-year head coach Tavita Pritchard. Pritchard and Stanford General Manager Andrew Luck both understand what it takes to build a winner at Stanford, as both played during the program’s heyday.

Pritchard, a former NFL quarterbacks coach, will have veteran quarterback Davis Warren leading the way and a solid running back in Micah Ford to carry the offensive load. Outside of that, the cupboard is fairly bare for the Cardinal, and this season will serve as a year to establish the culture and foundation for the future.

17. Boston College

Bill O’Brien pretty much summed up Boston College’s outlook for this season with his opening statement at ACC Kickoff: “We have a brand new team.” The Eagles bring in 50 new players from the portal and high school ranks, and have already lost star tight end Kaelan Chudzinski for the year after he suffered an Achilles injury. The lone hope for Boston College resides in their quarterback Mason McKenzie, who won the GLIAC Player of the Year award last season for Division II Saginaw Valley State. That same award was won by Trinidad Chambliss two seasons ago before Chambliss went on to become a star at Ole Miss. Barring a similar breakout campaign from McKenzie, it looks like it will be another season in the ACC basement for the Eagles.

Like every season, these predictions will probably be drastically wrong come December. I mean, who would have picked UVA and Duke to play for the conference title a year ago? But these predictions are always a fun marker that football is almost back, so let's get ready to enjoy the random, and at times maddening ride that the ACC always delivers.