ACC Football Power Rankings: Virginia, UNC impress in Week 0

The 2026 college football season is here, and five ACC teams competed in Week 0.

The Miami Hurricanes enter the season as the clear best team in the conference and are looking to win their first conference title since joining the league in 2004. While they are the favorites, they will have some some competetion with the SMU Mustangs and Louisville Cardinals also expected to compete for the conference title.

None of the league's top teams competed in Week 0, but the Virginia Cavaliers and North Carolina Tar Heels both picked up impressive wins. The Cavaliers crushed the NC State Wolfpack 34-8, securing the first ACC win of the season. North Carolina's win wasn't as emphatic, but they managed to grind out a 15-10 victory over the TCU Horned Frogs in Ireland.

The FSU Seminoles and Stanford Cardinal also opened the season with wins. Stanford scored the final 14 points to hold on and beat Hawaii while FSU struggled to pull away from New Mexico State, raising several questions about them.

With the season underway, here are our ACC power rankings after Week 0:

Boston College has never gotten going under head coach Bill O'Brien, and he needs to show signs of progress after going 2-10 in Year 2. They made some intriguing transfer additions, but it could be another long season for the Eagles.

So many things went wrong for the Orange last year, with them going 3-9 after several quarterback injuries. Steve Angeli is back and should stabilize the position, but he is returning from an Achilles injury, and that is always concerning.

NC State entered the 2026 season looking to make some noise in the ACC, but failed to do anything in Week 0, getting crushed by the Virginia Cavaliers on the road. CJ Bailey was just 12 of 23 passing for 84 yards and an interception, also fumbling it away once.

FSU got the win in Week 0 over New Mexico State, but it was far closer than it should have been. The offensive line struggled throughout the game, forcing running backs Samuel Singleton Jr. and Ousmane Kromah to bail them out. Mike Norvell's seat is scorching hot, and the win did nothing to cool it off.

The Cardinal have struggled ever since joining the ACC, but Tavita Pritchard started his tenure off with a win over Hawaii. It will likely be a tough season, but it was a perfect start to the season for them.

Bill Belichick did not impress in his first season as North Carolina's head coach, but the Tar Heels look much improved to start Year 2, picking up a 15-10 win over the TCU Horned Frogs. Time will tell just how much better they are, but they looked like a much better-coached team.

Jake Dickert led Wake Forest to nine wins a year ago and will look to keep it going in Year 2. They have a talented quarterback in Gio Lopez, but had to replace large parts of the roster through the transfer portal.

Duke won the ACC in 2025, but is a prime regression candidate after losing quarterback Darian Mensah and wide receiver Cooper Barkate, among others. Manny Diaz is a good coach, but do not expect the Blue Devils to repeat as conference champions.

Mason Heintschel is back at quarterback and will look to take another step as a sophomore. The defense returns several starters and should once again be a physical group.

California brought Tosh Lupoi home, and he aced the offseason, retaining promising quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. While the offense will rely on JKS taking another step, Lupoi has things trending upwards.

Georgia Tech faces the difficult task of replacing quarterback Haynes King and both coordinators. Michigan running back transfer Justice Haynes should keep the running game humming as Alberto Mendoza takes over at quarterback.

James Franklin will be looking to make an impact in his first season at Virginia Tech, and he has the roster to make some noise. The long-term projection for the Hokies is excellent, with Franklin looking to get them back to competing in the ACC quickly.

Clemson once again enters the 2026 season with one of the most talented rosters in the ACC on paper, but the question is if they can put it together. Last season was a disaster for head coach Dabo Swinney, and he needs to have a good season to show he can still compete in the modern landscape.

Tony Elliott's fourth season was a massive success for Virginia, with the Cavaliers making it to the ACC Championship Game. They are replacing a lot of pieces, but looked excellent in their Week 0 win over NC State, running all over the Wolfpack.

Jeff Brohm went into the portal to get Ohio State quarterback Lincoln Kerholtz, and the Cardinals enter the season as an extremely dangerous team. If running back Isaac Brown can stay healthy, the offense should be improved, putting them in the conference's second tier with SMU.

The Mustangs are looking to make it back to the playoffs and have the roster to make it happen. Quarterback Kevin Jennings is one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country and has SMU hoping to challenge Miami for the conference title.

Miami made it all the way to the national championship game last year and upgraded the quarterback and wide receiver positions over the offseason. While they have new players stepping up at both lines of scrimmage, they are the clear top team in the ACC.