Miami is the overwhelming pick to finally win the ACC title that's eluded the Hurricanes since joining the conference in 2004.
Last year's national runner-up earned 3,159 total points in the preseason ACC media poll released Tuesday, with a whopping 165 of a possible 188 first-place votes.
SMU and Louisville round out the top three in total points, while Clemson sits fourth but received the second-most first-place votes with seven. It's the first time since 2007 that the Tigers aren't the preseason No. 1 or 2 in the conference or division.
| Rank | Team | Total points (1st-place votes) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Miami | 3159 (165) |
| 2 | SMU | 2794 (6) |
| 3 | Louisville | 2569 (4) |
| 4 | Clemson | 2520 (7) |
| 5 | Georgia Tech | 2006 (2) |
| 6 | Virginia | 1981 |
| 7 | NC State | 1964 |
| 8 | Virginia Tech | 1962 |
| 9 | Pitt | 1740 |
| 10 | Duke | 1452 |
| 11 | Florida State | 1439 (3) |
| 12 | Cal | 1392 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | 1103 |
| 14 | Syracuse | 878 |
| 15 | North Carolina | 831 |
| 16 | Boston College | 491 |
| 17 | Stanford | 483 (1) |
The Hurricanes made a run to the national championship game last season, but they didn't appear in the ACC title game due to a series of tiebreakers that went against them. Instead, Duke faced Virginia, and the Blue Devils pulled off a shocking win despite entering with a 7-5 record.
The Cavaliers are at No. 6 heading into 2026, while Duke fell to No. 10 after star quarterback Darian Mensah left for Miami.
Voters didn't show much faith in Florida State's ability to turn things around after a combined 7-17 record the past two seasons, as the Seminoles finished 11th in the poll, just ahead of Cal.
Bill Belichick and his $10-million annual salary haven't inspired much confidence either: North Carolina sits 15th, ahead of only Boston College and Stanford.
Fans displeased by the results can take solace in last year's poll, which put conference runner-up Virginia at No. 14 while Clemson was voted No. 1 and finished 4-4 in the ACC.
