Which Atlantic Coast Conference Teams Reach the College Football Playoff: ACC Daily

With just four weeks of the college football season left, the CFP Selection Committee has just begun the process of making an initial template for the 12-team playoff.

Nov 1, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; Virginia Cavaliers linebacker Kam Robinson (5) reacts after sacking California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (not pictured) during the second quarter at California Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The initial College Football Playoff (CFP) top-25 is expected to be released Tuesday night after the CFP Selection Committee’s first official selection meeting of the year, and it is probable that multiple teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference will be featured.

There are only three teams in the ACC with just one win this season, No. 12 Virginia (8-1, 5-0 ACC), No. 16 Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1 ACC), and No. 14 Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC), and the current breakdown of how the CFP is ultimately decided is based on who the five highest-ranked conference champions are, along with the next seven highest-ranked teams.

Here is a breakdown of which ACC teams have a legitimate chance at making the 2025 College Football Playoff.

Potential Locks:

If there is a team in the ACC that has surprised the most this season from a projections standpoint, it is easily the Virginia Cavaliers.

UVA head coach Tony Elliott is in the midst of a complete revival of the Cavaliers’ football program, just a year after posting a conference record of 3-5 and an overall record of 5-7, and it all boils down to the balance of the current roster, offensively and defensively, along with the impending strength of schedule.

Senior quarterback Chandler Morris is playing the best football of his career, completing passes at a rate of 67.0 percent—a career-high for the sixth-year player—with 2,069 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns and five interceptions. Morris has also collected 208 rushing yards and four rushing scores so far.

Senior running back J’Mari Taylor has accumulated 11 rushing touchdowns along with 686 rushing yards on 150 carries, leading UVA on the ground. Virginia ranks third in the conference in rushing yards per game (186.7).

Meanwhile, the Cavs’ defense is limiting opponents to just 22.2 points per game and 111.0 rushing yards per game, which both rank in the upper third of the conference. 

Those rankings are a product of the stellar second-level defensive play from linebackers Kam Robinson and James Jackson, who have combined for 95 tackles, and the interior play of defensive lineman Daniel Rickert, who has generated 5.5 sacks.

Of the three ACC teams with just one win so far this year, the Yellow Jackets arguably have the best chance of reaching the CFP because of a player who is still decently in contention for the Heisman Trophy—Haynes King.

Georgia Tech ranks second in the conference in offensive yards per game (482.1) and first in total offense yards (4,339) thanks to the efforts of King, who is regarded as one of the toughest players in college football and possesses a deep skillset in both the ground game and through the air.

A true dual-threat signal caller, King has registered 1,888 passing yards and 754 with his feet, along with 23 total touchdowns (14 rushing).

And then there is Louisville, which recently pulled off a road upset over then-No. 2 Miami on Oct. 17.

The Cardinals have picked up back-to-back wins against Boston College (38-24) and Virginia Tech (28-16) after their stunning triumph over the Hurricanes at a time when Mario Cristobal’s squad was arguably one of the toughest to beat in the nation and looked poised for a CFP run of their own.

But Louisville is not quite in the same tier as UVA and Georgia Tech in terms of offensive production—the Cardinals rank 13th in the ACC in passing offense—and after two relatively soft conference matchups, the Cardinals’ remaining slate might expose their true colors.

With that being said, the Yellow Jackets just surrendered their first loss of the season, a 48-36 defeat at NC State, and they have No. 5 Georgia standing right between them and CFP contention in the final week of the regular season.

UVA remaining schedule:

Vs. Wake Forest, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. ET

At Duke, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Vs. Virginia Tech, TBD

Georgia Tech remaining schedule:

At Boston College, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Vs Pittsburgh, TBD

Vs. No. 5 Georgia, Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET

Louisville remaining schedule:

Vs. California, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. ET

Vs. Clemson, Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

At SMU, TBD

Vs. Kentucky, TBD

Dark Horses:

Pittsburgh (7-2, 5-1 ACC)

Vs. No. 10 Notre Dame, Nov. 15 at 12:00 p.m. ET

At No. 16 Georgia Tech, TBD

Vs. No. 18 Miami, TBD

Ever since Eli Holstein’s benching, paving the way for true freshman Mason Heintschel to take over the reins of the offense—in five starts, the Oregon, Ohio, native has already manufactured 1,547 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns—the Panthers have been cruising and are currently riding a five-game win streak.

Miami (6-2, 2-2 ACC)

Vs. Syracuse, Nov. 8 at 3:30 p.m.

Vs. NC State, Nov. 15 at 3:30 p.m.

At Virginia Tech, TBD

At Pittsburgh, TBD

The Hurricanes boast one of the most pro-ready rosters in the nation, but struggles as of late—consisting of losses to Louisville and SMU—has cost the program of an easy ride to the CFP, which looked inevitable just three weeks ago.