Now, we can say the college football season is truly underway. While UNC and others got the party started in Week 0, this past weekend saw the rest of the country join in the action and truly get 2026 underway. While there weren’t any truly marquee games as you sometimes find in Week 1, there was still plenty of interesting action, and some of that even came in the ACC. While the Tar Heels weren’t part of it, there were plenty of other things to watch around the conference. Let’s see how things shook out — and how the conference is shaping up so far — in this week’s power rankings.
1. Miami (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Last Week: Bye
Despite not being in action last week, the Hurricanes remain the clear top dog at this stage of proceedings.
This Week: Thursday vs. Florida A&M
2. Virginia (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Last Week: Bye
The Cavaliers were also off last week, but I’m moving them up a bit based on the impressiveness of their Week 0 game against NC State compared to some other season openers.
This Week: Friday vs. Norfolk State
3. Louisville (0-1)
Last Week: Lost to Ole Miss 41-38
The Cardinals may have lost their season opener, but playing Ole Miss down to the final seconds will probably end up a fine loss in the grand scheme of things.
This Week: Friday vs. Villanova
4. SMU (1-0, 1-0 ACC)
Last Week: Beat Florida State 27-24
The good news for SMU is that simply by the law of averages, they aren’t going to lose the turnover battle as badly every week as they did against FSU. That being said, they will need to clean up some things going forward.
This Week: Saturday vs. UC Davis
5. Virginia Tech (1-0)
Last Week: Beat VMI 73-3
The James Franklin era in Blacksburg is off to a dominant start.
This Week: Saturday vs. Old Dominion
6. Duke (1-0)
Last Week: Beat Tulane 17-3
It was a winning start for the Blue Devils as they look to make another ACC run this season.
This Week: Saturday at Illinois
7. North Carolina (1-0)
Last Week: Bye
UNC’s victory over TCU is still probably the best non-conference win by any ACC team so far.
This Week: Saturday vs. East Tennessee State
8. Pitt (1-0)
Last Week: Beat Miami (OH) 59-14
Dang, who would’ve guessed that Pitt would beat the ACC favorites that badly? *puts finger to ear piece* OH, I see…
This Week: Saturday vs. UCF
9. Florida State (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: Lost to SMU 27-24
They aren’t going to force opponents into four turnovers every week, but that was a solid effort from FSU on Monday, even if the close loss doesn’t cool off Mike Norvell’s seat all that much.
This Week: Bye
10. Georgia Tech (0-1)
Last Week: Lost to Colorado 14-13
That was a brutal loss for Tech, especially at home.
This Week: Saturday at Tennessee
11. NC State (0-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: Bye
The Wolfpack got last week off and a chance to lick their wounds after getting pushed aside by Virginia.
This Week: Friday vs. Richmond
12. Clemson (0-1)
Last Week: Lost to LSU 51-10
Someone get Tyler from Spartanburg on the phone…
This Week: Saturday vs. Georgia Southern
13. Wake Forest (1-0)
Last Week: Beat Akron 38-16
Former UNC QB Gio Lopez put up some good numbers in Wake’s opener.
This Week: Saturday at Purdue
14. Syracuse (1-0)
Last Week: Beat New Hampshire 66-3
The Orange had no issue with FCS opposition in their opener.
This Week: Saturday vs. Cal
15. Cal (0-1)
Last Week: Lost to UCLA 45-24
Bob Chesney appears to have UCLA in a good spot, and that meant a loss for Cal in their opener.
This Week: Saturday at Syracuse
16. Stanford (1-1, 0-1 ACC)
Last Week: Lost to Miami 45-6
The fact that they won a Week 0 game has me moving the Cardinal off the very bottom of the league, but they’re still not great, as that Miami loss proves.
This Week: Bye
17. Boston College (0-1)
Last Week: Lost to Cincinnati 34-15
Winning on the road at Cincinnati was always going to be a tough ask for a seemingly mediocre BC team, but all of their points came after they were trailing 24-0.
This Week: Friday vs. Rutgers (Side note: Ew.)
