The ACC is used to having heavy favorites lead the conference on the national stage, and the preseason outlook points in that direction again in 2026. Florida State famously went 70-2 in its first nine seasons as an ACC member, winning it all with Bobby Bowden in 1993 and 1999. Dabo Swinney's dynasty era from 2015-20 included six straight conference titles, two national championships and two additional national runner-up finishes.
Now, the ACC has a new school ready to take over the role of overwhelming favorite, even if it's a program that has never done it before. Miami has five national championships and zero ACC titles, and as a program, "The U" is now 3-1 in College Football Playoff games yet 0-1 in ACC Championship Games. When the school joined the ACC in 2004, it was just a couple of years removed from fielding one of the best teams in college football history.
Yet as an ACC member, there has not yet been a point when the mystique of Miami football was on full display as a conference member -- until now. Mario Cristobal's thunderous breakthrough season, punctuated by a run to the national championship game, certified the Hurricanes as one of the top 10 programs in college football. They've been a contender in the national picture for two straight seasons, with 22 combined weeks ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll across 2024-25, and now sit as the unanimous pick from our CBS Sports experts to win the league in 2026.
That's the narrow line that Miami navigates as it prepares for the year. Everyone is expecting Miami to handle its business as the most talented team with the most program momentum in the conference. Yet the ACC has provided annual pitfalls for this proud national title-winning school, and the 2026 season does include its fair share of contenders, with teams like SMU, Louisville and Clemson all lurking in the top 30 of the CBS Sports 138 (though only the Tigers are guaranteed a shot at The U in the regular season).
Never before has Miami been thrust into the role of unquestioned favorite as we've seen with Florida State and Clemson. But when you're talking about the kind of history that comes with winning a first-ever ACC title, Miami will welcome the signs that this year is going to end a little differently in the conference title race. Here's how our experts see the ACC shaking out in 2026.
Clemson: If we consider the last three seasons -- the ones with not only the transfer portal but also open NIL -- to be the modern era of college football, then Clemson is a powerhouse of the past. There's no denying the greatness accomplished by the Tigers under Dabo Swinney, but things have changed. In the "modern era," Clemson is 26-14, including 15-9 in ACC play.
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