ACC (and Notre Dame) Conference 2026 Preview
- Zak Drapeau
- 1 day ago
- 8 min read
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 8/6/2026
Notre Dame
Odds to Win ACC: N/A
Recruiting Grade: A
Transfer Grade: A+
2026 Schedule: A-
Notre Dame is going to be one of the highest teams when the AP Preseason Top-25 poll comes out and likely a Top-25 team due to their finish to the 2025 season and tremendous transfer portal performance. Bringing back QB C.J. Carr who will be in the running for best QB and even the Heisman trophy in 2026 should secure their offense as one of the best in the nation while experienced DBs like Leonard Moore and Christian Gray will lead a very strong and veteran defense.
Notre Dame also has the luxury of a cupcake schedule in 2026 thanks to the "Notre Dame rule" that allows them to make the CFP if they're in the Top-12 ranking pre-tournament. To be fair, the team was debatebly a Playoff team last year before being snubbed and seemingly got better in every way in the offseason. With a schedule that has Miami and SMU at home while only traveling to BYU for their tough road games, expect Notre Dame to begin the season highly ranked and likely finish that way too with an eventual Playoff berth.
2026 Prediction: 11-1
Lose in CFP Quarter Finals
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Miami
Odds to Win ACC: -136
Recruiting Grade: A-
Transfer Grade: A
2026 Schedule: A-
It's all about the U. Miami's 2025 run to the National Championship was very much unexpected even by the biggest of Hurricane fans and even though they lost Carson Beck, both offensive tackles and both All-American edge rushers, the team shouldn't miss a beat heading into 2026. A favorable schedule will help their cause even with matchups at Clemson and Notre Dame being a part of it, with 5 of their final 7 games being at home in matchups they will be extreme favorites in.
Miami had an efficient transfer class, with only 13 incoming players but with insane value for most. Starters from the portal include coveted QB Darian Mensah and WR Cooper Barkate from Duke, Edge Rusher Damon Wilson II from Mizzou and DB Omar Thornton from BC. The Canes have a lot of players returning that are ready to grab national headlines as well like CB OJ Frederique, TE Elija Lofton and a pair of D-linemen in Ahmed Moton and Marquise Lightfoot that have the tall task of picking up from Bain and Mesidor but seem ready for the task.
To put it simply, Mario Cristobal's Hurricanes have one of their best rosters since the early 2000's after 3 straight Top-15 recruiting classes and one of the best transfer portals. All that after a national championship run last season has them FIRMLY as favorites to win the ACC with another CFP run on their minds.
2026 Prediction: 13-2 (8-1)
ACC Champions
Lose CFP in Round 2
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SMU
Odds to Win ACC: +700
Recruiting Grade: B
Transfer Grade: A-
2026 Schedule: B+
When talking about the new age SMU football you have to realize this team is a product of one of the best cultures in the nation and that all starts with Head Coach Rhett Lashlee. In his 4 years on the job, his 38-16 record has included a bowl game in every season even if their record is 1-3. Now in his 5th year, the Mustangs are bringing back their impressive Quarterback Kevin Jennings for his 3rd year starting and 3 offensive linemen with 36 starts and 2 ACC All-Pro honors between them. Entering transfers RB Kendrick Raphael and WR Zamir Knight were huge acquisitions and should add a lot of playmaking to an already consistent offense.
Their defense was mainly shaped through the transfer portal in a very good way. An entire new defensive line was brought in with their pass rush being a key factor. After graduating both safeties to the draft last year, incoming transfer Jimmy Wyrick out of UTSA should front their secondary while key retention LB Alexander Kilgore captains the defense from the MLB role where he had an outstanding season last year.
SMU's schedule has a few key games like at Louisville in Week 3, a home game vs Virginia in week 7 and what should be a season-defining matchup at Notre Dame in Week 12. The Mustangs have veteran leadership on both sides of the ball but a very strong offense especially through the air that should once lead them toward the top of the conference. It will be very difficult for them to crack the CFP without a conference championship but look for them to be one of the teams right outside the bubble at the end of the season.
2026 Prediction: 10-2 (8-1)
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Louisville
Odds to Win ACC: +800
Recruiting Grade: A+
Transfer Grade: C+
2026 Schedule: B-
Louisville was extremely active in the transfer portal and has one of the highest offensive expectations this season as a result. Their top transfers include Ohio St QB Lincoln Keinholz and a great group of receivers including their top-2 projected WRs and TEs. They will also be bringing back their explosive duo at Running Back Isaac and Keyjuan Brown who combined rushed for over 8 yards per carry last season.
While being completely set on offense, their defense looks promising as well if not a bit up in the air. Returning 4 of their best playmakers from last season is terrific but the remaining 7 starters either have almost no collegiate snaps or have transferred from lower tier schools and haven't seen ACC play before. Louisville's DC Ron English departed from the school and HC Jeff Brohm promoted both Mark Ivey and Steve Ellis as co-Defensive Coordinators for the seasons so their defense may have high expectations but could also have a huge drop off from their 2025 success.
Louisville's schedule is promising as their brutal start to the year is followed up with a favorable final 9 games. An away games at Ole Miss and then SMU at home will be very early tests for them and if they can at least split those, they should be in the running for a conference championship.
2026 Prediction: 11-3 (8-1)
Lose a Bowl Game
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Clemson
Odds to Win ACC: +1400
Recruiting Grade: B
Transfer Grade: A-
2026 Schedule: B+
Alright, this If I'm confident about anything in the ACC this year, it's that I am not confident in predicting Clemson's season. 2026 was supposed to be one of Dabo's greatest rosters and their 7-6 record was one of the biggest surprises of the season. Now after Dabo actually splashed his toes in the water in the transfer portal after MAJOR stars left this team to the draft, the floor for this team is much lower than last year but I also have the feeling that they can't be worse than last year.
Their schedule helps their potential turn around season with their opener in Baton Rouge and a mid year clash with Miami in Clemson are there only two true tests of the year. They'll have to navigate the season with a very inexperienced Chris Vizzina at Quarterback though which is very-Dabo but also very risky; luckily he'll have their best receiver from last year to help him in TJ Moore.
Clemson's defense will be transfer-heavy with a completely revamped secondary expected to start. The defensive line lost several key players to the draft but Edge Will Heidt should immediately help bridge that gap along with several transfers for depth. Overall the team is coming together but feels like the first year of a rebuild for Dabo that will likely win 7-9 wins this year but set this team up expertly for 2027.
2026 Prediction: 9-4
Win a Bowl game
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Virginia
Odds to Win ACC: +1600
Recruiting Grade: B+
Transfer Grade: C-
2026 Schedule: A+
Virginia had a dramatic turn around into one of the best teams in the ACC last year thanks to the transfer portal and they went ahead and had another great portal this offseason. Bringing in Mizzou QB Beau Pribula was an outstanding move and adding defensive stars Matthew Fobbs-White and Michigan's Brandyn Hillman will be huge playmakers on the other side of the ball. Virginia also has the added luxury of bringing back all 5 starting linemen from last year's campaign which ranked close to the top of the ACC last season and should easily top that list in 2026.
Their defense will see a good amount of turnover especially in the trenches. Fobbs-White and veteran D-End Fisher Camac should help the transition on the edge but the unit's run defense is still up in the air. DC John Rudzinski has been known to field a great run stopping defense though so I'm not too worried about it.
All that being said about it's good roster having the potential to be great, their schedule also happens to be the easiest in the ACC for the 2nd year in a row. Pairing both of these factors together gives me a prediction of 9-10 wins easily on the year even if the team isn't quite as talented as some of the other 10-win teams around the country.
2026 Prediction: 10-3
Lose a Bowl game
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Pittsburgh
Odds to Win ACC: +1700
Recruiting Grade: C-
Transfer Grade: C+
2026 Schedule: A
Unlike the previous teams on this list, I am actually much lower on the Panthers than most this season. With a below average prediction of 5 wins as their base it's hard to underwhelm but 2026 should be a rough one for Pat Narduzzi's squad. An abysmal transfer portal saw only 17 players signed to 39 players leaving in the spring including 3 of their top defensive players from the 2025 season.
Pitt has a decent enough ACC schedule this season but I just don't trust them to win any close games. Away games at Miami, Georgia Tech, Louisville and Virginia Tech will be very tough for them especially. Their work in the transfer portal wasn't exactly inspiring but I do think they improved their O-line throughout which isn't saying much but still a positive. Coming into the season they are a "wild card" in the conference and I agree but if last year was any indication, they'll really need to work on their clutch factor or it will be another long season.
2026 Prediction: 5-7 (3-6)
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Georgia Tech
Odds to Win ACC: +3500
Recruiting Grade: C
Transfer Grade: C
2026 Schedule: C
Life without Haynes King most likely means a drop off for the Yellow Jackets but maybe not as much as you'd expect. GT may have lost more than they gained in the portal but securing younger brother Alberto Mendoza as their play caller and Justice Haynes to run their offense through should keep at least the offense running smoothly.
Alabama transfer Jaylen Mbakwe will be a very interesting piece for their defense as he transitions from WR to Corner this season. Under new coordinator Jason Semore who's defenses at So. Miss and Marshall were especially good in the air and with interceptions. After losing several starters to the portal, getting turnovers will be integral to their defense carrying its own weight.
Their schedule has a particularly tough stretch toward the end where they travel to Pittsburgh, Clemson and Georgia in their last 5 games. The team is talented enough under Brent Key to compete and maybe even win 2 of those but this stretch will definitely be make or break for their season.
2026 Prediction:
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