ACC Football Preview and Predictions for 2025 Season
It's the Clemson Tigers vs. the world in the ACC once again this year, though the Miami Hurricanes and SMU Mustangs also enter the season with legitimate playoff aspirations and a prominent spot in the preseason AP poll.
There is a ton of returning talent in the conference, especially at the quarterback position, where Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Carson Beck (Miami) are two of college football's most recognizable stars.
While there is a clear top three in the preseason picture, there are also more than a few teams capable of putting together a surprising run similar to the 2024 SMU squad, with Louisville, Georgia Tech, Duke, Florida State and Pitt all lurking on the periphery of the AP poll.
That's to say nothing of arguably the biggest college football story of the offseason in Bill Belichick joining North Carolina for his first college coaching gig.
Ahead is a full conference preview, with a look at the top players, biggest storylines, key games and everything in between.
Best Players
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The best place to start diving into the talent in the ACC is to look at the recently released preseason AP All-American teams, which featured a total of 11 ACC players across the first- and second-team selections.
Quarterback Cade Klubnik (Clemson), all-purpose player Desmond Reid (Pitt), defensive tackle Peter Woods (Clemson) and linebacker Kyle Louis (Pitt) each earned first-team honors.
Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns last season, and he is among the leading candidates to go No. 1 overall in the 2026 NFL draft. Meanwhile, Reid tallied 184 carries for 966 yards and five touchdowns, 52 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns, and averaged 12.2 yards per punt return with a touchdown.
The second team included running back Isaac Brown (Louisville), offensive tackles Francis Mauigoa (Miami) and Blake Miller (Clemson), offensive guard Keylan Rutledge (Georgia Tech), wide receiver Antonio Williams (Clemson), edge-rusher T.J. Parker (Clemson) and cornerback Chandler Rivers (Duke).
Aside from Klubnik, there are also returning starters at quarterback for Georgia Tech (Haynes King), SMU (Kevin Jennings), Pitt (Eli Holstein), Virginia Tech (Kyron Drones) and NC State (CJ Bailey), along with high-profile transfers at Miami (Carson Beck), Duke (Darian Mensah), Louisville (Miller Moss), Florida State (Thomas Castellanos), Virginia (Chandler Morris) and North Carolina (Gio Lopez).
Turning our attention to pro upside, here's a quick rundown of every ACC player who appeared in B/R's first 2026 NFL mock draft:
5. DT Peter Woods, Clemson
11. QB Cade Klubnik, Clemson
12. EDGE T.J. Parker, Clemson
17. OT Francis Mauigoa, Miami
18. CB Avieon Terrell, Clemson
20. EDGE Rueben Bain Jr., Miami
Don't be surprised if even more ACC talent plays its way into the first-round conversation as the 2025 season unfolds.
Top Storylines
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The Arrival of Bill Belichick
Few offseason stories in the college football world grabbed more headlines than North Carolina hiring Bill Belichick, with ESPN calling it "one of the most stunning and compelling moves in college football history" in December.
The 73-year-old has never held a college coaching position previously, spending his entire career in the NFL, and most recently coaching the New England Patriots in 2023 before staying on the sidelines last year.
The Tar Heels are searching for their first 10-win season since 2015, and they are coming off a 6-7 finish.
Andrew Luck Joins Stanford in GM Role
In a move that could reshape the way college football programs are built, Stanford hired former star quarterback Andrew Luck as general manager, placing him at the top of the program and putting him in charge of everything from coaching decisions, recruiting and player personnel to fundraising, game-day experience and alumni relations.
One of his first major moves in March was to fire coach Troy Taylor, who had been investigated twice in the past for his treatment of staffers, and to replace him with former Colts head coach Frank Reich in an interim capacity.
Stanford has not won more than four games in a season since 2018, and it has posted four straight 3-9 finishes.
Heisman Hopefuls
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik (9-1, second) and Miami quarterback Carson Beck (20-1, eighth) both open the season among the favorites to take home 2025 Heisman Trophy, with Texas quarterback Arch Manning (6-1) in pole position.
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the most recent Heisman winner out of the ACC, taking home the trophy in 2016.
Top Challengers
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Tier 1: Clemson
The Tigers return star quarterback Cade Klubnik to a roster loaded with high-level talent and hungry to improve on last year's 10-4 finish and first-round exit in the College Football Playoff. They start the year at No. 4 in the AP poll, and they will be tested right out of the gates with a matchup against No. 9 LSU. A convincing victory in that game will put them in the No. 1 team conversation.
Tier 2: Miami, SMU
With a stacked offensive line protecting transfer quarterback Carson Beck, who is reportedly fully healthy after shoulder surgery, the Hurricanes are capable of improving on last year's 10-win performance. However, they will have to survive No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 15 Florida before the calendar flips to October.
The Mustangs began last season unranked and ended up in the College Football Playoff, even after a 34-31 loss to Clemson in the ACC championship game. Quarterback Kevin Jennings (3,425 passing yards, 23 TD) and running back Brashard Smith (1,332 rushing yards, 14 TD) both return on offense, and early non-conference tests against Baylor and TCU will set the tone.
Tier 3: Louisville, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Duke
SMU was picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll a year ago. Which team could be this year's Mustangs? The four listed above are the best bet, but don't sleep on Pitt with Eli Holstein back at quarterback, NC State with CJ Bailey poised to take a step forward or even North Carolina if Bill Belichick can make an instant impact.
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Coaches on the Hot Seat
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One of the biggest storylines out of the ACC this fall is the arrival of Bill Belichick as head coach at North Carolina, and he is joined by Jake Dickert (Wake Forest) and Frank Reich (Stanford) as first-year hires in the conference.
The seat will be hot by design for Reich, who was brought in to serve as interim head coach after Troy Taylor was fired in March, but what other coaches could be on their way out in 2025?
The hottest seat in the conference belongs to Brent Pry at Virginia Tech following a 6-7 finish last year. The Hokies went 1-4 over their last five games, including a loss to Minnesota in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, and Pry is now 16-21 in his first three years at the helm.
Meanwhile, after a 13-1 finish in 2023 devolved into a 2-10 disaster a year ago, Mike Norvell will need a competitive season at Florida State to avoid the axe. He agreed to a restructured contract in December that no doubt bought him some goodwill, but that will only go so far.
Cal's Justin Wilcox (nine years, 42-50) and Virginia's Tony Elliott (three years, 11-23) also need to show some semblance of improvement, despite low expectations.
Best Games
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Non-Conference Games
Aug. 29: LSU at Clemson
Aug. 31: Notre Dame at Miami
Sept. 20: Florida at Miami
Nov. 28: Georgia at Georgia Tech
Nov. 29: Clemson at South Carolina
Things start off with a bang in Week 1, with the ACC featured in arguably the two biggest games on the slate outside of the Texas vs. Ohio State battle. In-state rivalries with the SEC round out the top-five non-conference matchups, and it will be interesting to see what Georgia vs. Georgia Tech gives us for an encore after last year's eight-overtime thriller.
Top Conference Matchups
Oct. 17: Louisville at Miami
Oct. 18: SMU at Clemson
Nov. 1: Miami at SMU
If Louisville can win its Oct. 17 game at Miami, it will vault the team into the national conversation and add significant importance to its back-to-back games against Clemson and SMU in November. Otherwise, it's Clemson, Miami and SMU in the spotlight, and since the Tigers and Hurricanes don't play each other, the Mustangs have a chance to control their own destiny if they can run the table.
Best Offense
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The Pick: Clemson Tigers
The Tigers not only have the best offense in the ACC, but they also have a solid claim to the best offense in college football heading into the 2025 season.
Cade Klubnik is one of the Heisman Trophy favorites after taking a significant step forward in his second year as starter, completing 63.4 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards with 36 touchdowns and six interceptions. He had nine games with at least three touchdown passes last season, and the Tigers went 8-1 in those games.
He also returns his top target, Antonio Williams, who hauled in 75 receptions for 704 yards and 11 touchdowns. Former 5-star recruit T.J. Moore figures to step into a larger role after finishing third on the team with 45 catches for 651 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman.
The running game is more up in the air with last year's top three rushers all gone, but they will have the benefit of an experienced offensive line with four returning starters.
After ranking 18th in the nation with 34.7 points per game last season, the Tigers are poised to light up the scoreboard once again in 2025.
Best Defense
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The Pick: Clemson Tigers
The strength of the Clemson defense is in the trenches, where edge-rusher T.J. Parker and tackle Peter Woods both return as projected first-round selections in the 2026 NFL draft.
Cornerback Avieon Terrell is also a high-end NFL talent with All-American upside, and he will anchor the secondary that also has corner Jeadyn Lukus and safety Khalil Barnes back for another season.
Losing first team All-ACC linebacker Barrett Carter to the NFL is a blow, but his running mates, Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown, are both back, giving the Tigers a whopping eight returning starters from last year's defensive unit.
The Tigers allowed 23 points per game last season and were middle-of-the-pack in total defense, but the mix of continuity and high-level talent gives this unit a chance to be a top-10 defense this season.
Projected Order of Finish
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Projected Order of Finish
1. Clemson
2. SMU
3. Miami
4. Louisville
5. Georgia Tech
6. Florida State
7. Duke
8. Pitt
9. NC State
10. Syracuse
11. Virginia Tech
12. North Carolina
13. Boston College
14. Virginia
15. Wake Forest
16. California
17. Stanford
Projected Title Game
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The Matchup: Clemson vs. SMU
It's not out of the question to think we could see another Clemson vs. SMU matchup in the ACC title game, and it provided college football fans with a thriller last year when the Mustangs stormed back to tie things up with 17 fourth-quarter points, only to lose on a 56-yard field goal from Nolan Hauser as time expired.
The Miami Hurricanes are the leading candidates to crash the party, and the deciding factor in how the ACC standings shake out could be their Nov. 1 matchup with the Mustangs.
However, it's advantage SMU on paper, since that game will be played in Dallas, where it's gone 12-1 over the last two seasons.
The Mustangs are ranked in the preseason AP poll for the first time since 1985, and they have an experienced group capable of handling those newfound expectations.
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