Updated ACC Football Standings: Georgia Tech in a large group of one loss teams after week five

How does the ACC race look five games into the season?

Sep 26, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets wide receiver Jaiven Plummer (16) catches a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The ACC race is a mess and with just one loss in conference play, Georgia Tech is right in the middle of all of it.

The Yellow Jackets were off during week five and will resume play in week six against the undefeated Duke Blue Devils. Duke has looked like one of the best teams in the ACC through the first few games of the season, while Georgia Tech is going to be desperate to get a win after their 1-3 start.

The top of the ACC looks clear at the moment. Miami is the heavy favorite to reach the conference championship game and showed why in their 41-13 win over Clemson on Saturday night. Duke and Pittsburgh are the other teams who are undefeated in conference play, but how long will that last?

Current ACC Standings (as of 10/4)

Sep 26, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Alberto Mendoza (15) looks to pass during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

1. Miami (5-0, 3-0 ACC)
2. Pittsburgh (5-0, 2-0)
3. Duke (4-0, 1-0)
4. SMU (4-1, 2-1)
5. Wake Forest (4-1, 2-1)
6. Clemson (3-2, 2-1)
7. Florida State (3-2, 1-1)
8. Virginia (3-2, 1-1)
9. Virginia Tech (4-1, 1-1)
10. NC State (3-2, 1-1)
11. California (2-3, 1-1)
12. Louisville (2-3, 1-2)
13. Stanford (2-3, 1-3)
14. North Carolina (2-2, 0-1)
15. Georgia Tech (1-3, 0-1)
16. Syracuse (2-2, 0-2)
17. Boston College (2-3, 0-2)

As you can see, there is a big logjam of teams with one loss. Some of them have a couple of ACC wins under their belt already, while others do not.

Is there any hope for Georgia Tech to get back in this race?

I don't think so, but stranger things have happened.

The Yellow Jackets are going to have a chance to get a big home win against Duke this Saturday, but the way the Blue Devils are playing, that is going to be tough task for Brent Key's team. When looking at how the season has played out, Georgia Tech has lost to a pair of teams that they were favored to beat, Colorado and Stanford, while Duke blew out Stanford 35-7. The beginning of this schedule was supposed to be able to give Georgia Tech a quick start to the season and let all of their new pieces on the roster settle in, but they are 1-3 and have looked every bit of it.

During the bye week, head coach Brent Key talked about the fan frustration with how this season has gone:

"I'm a massive Georgia Tech fan, right? Even if I wasn’t the coach and I'd be pissed as hell at the head coach, if I was out there in the stands, I'd be pissed off. I'd wonder what in the hell is going on. We got to get it fixed. That's the reality of it. So, I'm not saying anything other than what's coming from the bottom of my heart. And you know, I stood in front of the team this morning and had a long meeting with them and spoke the same way, but also the reality of things have to change,” said Key.

This weekend's game against Duke is going to be a chance for Georgia Tech to get its first ACC win and make a move up the standings/