2026 College Football Predictions: Atlantic Coast Conference

I believe there are three teams in the ACC this year that will compete for the conference title. Honestly, Miami should be far and away the best team. I think their only loss will be to Notre Dame. I think SMU and Clemson will battle it out for the second spot. And honestly, one of them could beat Miami. The Hurricanes have a tendency to fumble at least one game every year.

I believe Pitt will be a good team this year. I think Mason Heintschel is going to be one of the top QBs in the country. I know, I am over here hyping up the Panthers. Crazy world we are living in these days! I also think Beau Pribula and Virginia can be a dangerous team. Speaking of Virginia…how will James Franklin fare in Blacksburg? The Hokies will be better this year than last year, but they will struggle in conference play.

Intriguing Team: Syracuse. Their quarterback, Steve Angeli, is healthy and I think that will give this team a huge boost. They were 10-3 two years ago with Kyle McCord, and I think they had similar hopes for Angeli (Penn State fans remember Angeli coming in for Leonard and looking like one of the greatest QBs of all time for one drive). 

Hot Seat: I think there are a few coaches who could be in trouble, but only if the season goes poorly. For example, if Pitt has a losing record, then Narduzzi could be in trouble. The biggest one of these has to be Dabo Swinny. I mean, if Clemson underperforms again, they have to look elsewhere for a coach, right? Also, how much time is Boston College giving Bill O’Brien?