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The 2025 college football season will be here before you know it, and one of the Power Four conferences — the ACC — will look to show its prowess once again.
In the first year of the 12-team College Football Playoff, the ACC had two representatives: Clemson and SMU, with the former reclaiming the conference crown. And by the looks of things, the Tigers appear poised to sit atop the ACC once again in 2025, leading off our conference power rankings.
1. Clemson
Dabo Swinney has found himself back in the good graces of the Clemson faithful — at least for now. The Tigers' ACC title and CFP berth last season have helped make them a heavy favorite for the national championship entering 2025.
It’s not just last year’s finish that has analysts believing Swinney could be in line for another title run. Clemson returns 16 starters, including Heisman favorite Cade Klubnik, and boasts 80% of its production returning — 15% more than any other ACC team, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. This might be the most talented roster Swinney has assembled in years. And to top it off, he even dipped into the transfer portal. That alone should account for something.
2. Miami
The Hurricanes squandered a chance to play for the ACC title — and possibly a CFP berth — last season with late stumbles against Georgia Tech and Syracuse. But the potential was there. It was easily Mario Cristobal’s best team in his three seasons back at his alma mater, led by eventual No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback.
Cristobal made a huge splash in the portal by landing former Georgia signal-caller Carson Beck. But Beck comes with plenty of question marks. If he can return to something close to his 2023 form — and overcome the UCL injury he suffered in January — Miami could be among the best teams in the ACC, if not the country. That said, Beck will need more help from his defense than Ward received. Last year’s group had a bad habit of blowing leads and giving up 30-plus points far too often.
3. Louisville
Jeff Brohm’s first two seasons at Louisville have been productive. Brohm is 19–8 with an ACC title game appearance under his belt. The Cardinals’ consistency is the main reason they come in at No. 3 in our power rankings.
Speaking of consistency, Louisville once again hit the portal hard. Even though they ranked 31st in 247Sports’ portal rankings, the Cardinals are bringing in 31 transfers. One of the most notable is former USC quarterback Miller Moss, who steps in to replace New Orleans Saints rookie Tyler Shough.
4. Georgia Tech
Even though the Yellow Jackets finished 7–6 last season, they gave a lot of good teams trouble throughout the year – just ask Georgia and Miami. Much of that success stemmed from quarterback Haynes King, whom CBS Sports' Tom Fornelli called the most underrated quarterback in college football. King’s 587 rushing yards were the ninth most among Power Four quarterbacks — and that was despite missing two games.
Add in one of the ACC’s top receivers in Eric Rivers and standout running back Jamal Haynes, and this Georgia Tech squad looks like a legitimate dark horse to reach the conference title game.
5. SMU
The Mustangs were one of the biggest surprise teams in college football last season, nearly pulling off the unthinkable by claiming the ACC title in Year 1. Despite falling to Clemson, they still earned a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Quarterback Kevin Jennings returns after throwing for over 3,000 yards and 23 touchdowns last year. Most importantly, head coach Rhett Lashlee is back for Year 4. Lashlee is 29–12 with consecutive 11-win seasons and back-to-back conference championship appearances. The only way he and SMU can top last season in Year 2 of ACC play is by bringing home the conference title.
6. Duke
Manny Diaz’s first year at Duke can be considered nothing short of a success after a 9–4 campaign. Under Diaz, the Blue Devils will likely be solid once again on defense. But what Diaz — and the boosters in Durham — are really banking on is that their investment in Tulane transfer Darian Mensah pays off. Duke reportedly spent $8 million to land Mensah, doubling the more than $4 million Miami paid for Carson Beck.
There’s a legitimate argument that Duke belongs in the ACC’s top five. Still, Diaz must prove he’s learned from the mistakes that plagued his first head coaching stint at Miami by not having a lackluster Year 2.
7. Florida State
Florida State made a lot of unwanted history last season. Thanks to conference realignment, the Seminoles became the first ACC team to finish 17th in the league — the result of a stunning 2–10 campaign that few saw coming. So, how do they now land at No. 7 in our ACC power rankings?
The hope is that Mike Norvell has made the necessary changes — from staff, with two new coordinators, to roster, with the nation’s sixth-ranked transfer portal class — to turn things around in 2025. The coaching and talent are there, which should boost the win total. It still won’t be enough, however, to make them legitimate ACC title contenders.
8. Pittsburgh
A 7–0 start last season had the Panthers on a fast track to the ACC Championship. Then the wheels fell off. Pitt didn’t win another game the rest of the season, losing six straight. Much of that collapse was due to injuries — particularly to quarterback Eli Holstein. Fortunately for the Panthers, Holstein returns this season, and if he can stay healthy, he should help put Pitt back in the thick of the ACC race.
This will be Pat Narduzzi’s 11th season as head coach. He’s reached double-digit wins only once and holds a 2–5 bowl record. Over the last two years, Pitt is just 10–15 under his watch. If this year’s team can’t bounce back from last season’s collapse, Narduzzi could be on the hot seat.
9. Boston College
Bill O’Brien’s return to college football last season has to be considered promising. He opened with a statement win on the road against Florida State and followed it up with a narrow loss to then-No. 6 Missouri just a few weeks later. The Eagles finished 7–6 — not a bad mark by Boston College standards. The question now is how O’Brien follows that up in Year 2.
Don’t be surprised if Boston College gives some teams trouble and pulls off a few upsets along the way.
10. NC State
NC State rounds out the top 10 in our ACC power rankings. The Wolfpack always seem on the verge of doing something special — then suddenly fizzle out. Last year, however, nothing felt particularly special. They finished 6–7 and struggled defensively, allowing 30 or more points in four games.
There is some promise heading into this season, though, with quarterback CJ Bailey under center, along with preseason All-ACC selections tight end Justin Joly and linebacker Sean Brown.
11. Syracuse
The work Fran Brown did in Year 1 at Syracuse may have set the bar almost too high. Brown led the Orange to their first 10-win season and AP top-25 finish since 2018. But Year 2 could prove more difficult. Syracuse ranks last in the ACC in returning production at just 46%. Among those gone are quarterback Kyle McCord — one of the nation’s top passers last season — and wide receiver Trebor Pena, who transferred to Penn State.
12. North Carolina
The talk of the ACC this season may revolve around how Bill Belichick adapts to college football. The 73-year-old is set to begin a venture few expected at this point in his legendary career. And with so many unknowns, this year’s North Carolina team could realistically finish anywhere in the conference standings.
“I think that UNC’s roster is not very good going into this season… I think it might be one of the least successful teams Bill Belichick has had in a long time. Maybe since Cleveland, frankly,” ESPN’s Kevin Clark said.
The roster is indeed a concern, and much will hinge on how well transfer quarterback Gio Lopez performs.
13. California
Justin Wilcox will enter Year 9 at Cal this season. Since taking the helm, Wilcox has only won eight games once, back in 2019. Coming over to the ACC last season had similar result of six wins. And that was with Fernando Mendoza behind center, who is now at Indiana. To replace him, the Golden Bears picked up Devin Brown in the portal.
At least Cal doesn't have to play teams like Miami or Clemson. They will have a road game against Louisville in November and regular season finale against SMU at home.
14. Virginia Tech
Fourteenth might seem too low for Virginia Tech in these ACC power rankings, but Brent Pry has yet to prove he can deliver, making Year 4 a pivotal one. The Hokies were considered a dark horse College Football Playoff contender last year — until a 2-4 start quickly ended that narrative.
Maybe this is the year Virginia Tech makes noise when no one’s talking about them. But for now, they remain one of the ACC’s most untrustworthy teams.
15. Virginia
Tony Elliott is 11–23 and has yet to lead Virginia to a winning season. To be fair, some of that can be attributed to extenuating circumstances. Still, entering Year 4, there’s little reason to believe he’ll turn things around. Then again, Virginia has never been an easy place to rack up wins. There is at least some optimism with the addition of transfer quarterback Chandler Morris.
16. Wake Forest
Jake Dickert arrives from Washington State to take over at Wake Forest. He quietly found success with the Cougars, helping develop quarterbacks like Cam Ward and John Mateer. This new challenge will be no small task. Wake Forest has just eight total wins over the last two seasons and enters a new era without longtime head coach Dave Clawson. Dickert will need time, so it’s unrealistic to expect the Demon Deacons to hit the ground running in Year 1.
17. Stanford
No one in the ACC will have a tougher job this season than Frank Reich. Hired as a stopgap coach, Reich steps in while general manager Andrew Luck takes a year to evaluate the program’s long-term direction. Stanford dismissed former head coach Troy Taylor in the spring and lost 27 players to the transfer portal — including standout edge rusher David Bailey, arguably their best player.
The Cardinals haven’t posted a winning season since 2018 and have failed to win more than four games in any season since. Given the current state of the program, even reaching three wins in 2025 might be a stretch.
