ACC Outlook: Miami Looks Like An Early Lock After Week 2

Two weeks into the 2026 season, the ACC looks a bit deeper and quietly more dangerous than the usual early-September narrative suggests.

Teams have handled business and have played great football to start the year.

At the top of that pile sit the Miami Hurricanes, who have looked every bit the preseason favorite.

Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney have started the season red-hot and are at the top of the early Heisman talks. They already led the Hurricanes to a conference win with a victory over Stanford in Week 1 and just demolished FAMU in Week 2, setting records along the way.

Malachi Toney is inevitable 👋

📺: @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/VCbPOFWW7O
— Miami Hurricanes Football (@CanesFootball) September 11, 2026

The FAMU night produced a program-record 856 total yards, 42 first downs (an ACC record), and 77 points that tied the school mark. Mensah is 41-of-45 for 653 yards and eight touchdowns through two games. Malachi Toney already has 330 receiving yards, and the defense has allowed 13 points total.

Miami jumped from No. 7 to No. 5 in the AP Top 25, but there are a few other ACC teams that are ranked and are a lot better than what is perceived.

Tier 1 - ACC Contenders

SMU Mustangs

SMU (2-0, 1-0 ACC) sits at No. 16 after beating Florida State in Week 1 and rolling UC Davis 56-10. Kevin Jennings has looked good, and Rhett Lashlee’s team continues to give opponents problems. They are clearly the second-best team in the conference after Week 2, as the Mustangs remain the most plausible challenger if Miami slips. They have a huge conference game against Louisville this weekend that will have huge implications.

Louisville Cardinals

Louisville (1-1) dropped its opener to Ole Miss but answered with a 59-13 win over Villanova and moved to No. 23 in the AP poll. They are the third-highest-ranked ACC team, behind Miami and SMU. The Cardinals have talent, and it’s never a good idea to bet against a Jeff Brohm-led team. Louisville gave Ole Miss a run for their money to open up the season, as they will present challenges for most teams they go up against.

Virginia Cavaliers

Virginia (2-0, 1-0) held at No. 25 after a 59-3 win over Norfolk State. They are the fourth and last ACC team ranked in the AP Poll, and it is because of Beau Pribula’s fast start. The Cavaliers have a clean 2-0 look and already have a big conference win over NC State, 34-8.

Tier 2 - On the Verge of being Contenders

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Miami’s next opponent is not getting the attention they should be getting, as Wake Forest (2-0) went into Purdue and won 38-36 in double overtime. They have a nice duo at wide receiver, and new transfer quarterback Gio Lopez has been steady for the Demon Deacons.

Virginia Tech Hokies

James Franklin has had a great start to his tenure at Virginia Tech. Despite playing VMI and Rhode Island to start the season, the Hokies are 2-0 and have looked different from last year. They are not ranked in the AP Poll, but are in the “others receiving votes” section. Look out for Virginia Tech.

Pittsburgh Panthers

Pittsburgh (2-0) squeaked out a 12-7 win over UCF this past weekend. They are the other team mentioned from the ACC in the “others receiving votes” section of the AP Poll. They are considered to be the sixth-best team in the conference (based on the voting) and can make things interesting this season.

Tier 3 - Middle of the Pack

North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina (2-0) has looked a lot better to start the season and can climb into that second tier with a win over Clemson this weekend.

California Golden Bears

California (1-1) just defeated Syracuse on Saturday and can be a team worth monitoring as the season progresses. Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele makes them a lot more dangerous than what people think. The Golden Bears are an interesting team in the ACC.

Duke Blue Devils

Manny Diaz’s team has started the season 2-0 but still has a lot to improve upon. Duke scraped out a win to start the season against Tulane, 17-3. The Blue Devils looked a lot better at Illinois as they won 31-27. They start ACC play this weekend against Stanford.

Tier 4 - Pretenders

Clemson Tigers

Among the pretenders, Clemson (1-1) headlines the tier. They were embarrassed to begin the season against LSU and barely squeaked out a win at home against Georgia Southern. The starting quarterback went down with an injury and won’t play in Week 3 against North Carolina, which is a huge conference game for both teams.

Florida State Seminoles

Florida State (1-1) lost at home against SMU in Week 1 by three points, but did not look great in the process. Their Week 0 game against New Mexico State didn’t look great either despite winning by 17 points. The Seminoles have not passed the “eye test” two games into the season, and now they travel to Tuscaloosa to face Alabama this weekend.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech (0-2) could not have asked for a worse start to begin the season. They dropped the season opener to Colorado at the end of the game and just got blown out by Tennessee at home. Alberto Mendoza has been inconsistent at quarterback for the Yellow Jackets, but they still have everything in front of them in terms of the ACC. They only play one ranked opponent in their conference schedule, which is Louisville. They avoid playing Miami, SMU, and Virginia.

NC State Wolfpack

NC State (1-1) is already behind the eight ball as they lost to Virginia in the season opener, 34-8. They followed up that conference loss and blew out Richmond, 73-0. They travel to Vanderbilt this weekend as they look to get the train back on the tracks and become the sleeper team many expected from the Wolfpack.

Tier 5 - At the bottom

Boston College Eagles

Boston College (1-1) just defeated Rutgers in the “Red Bandana” game, 28-21. They lost the season opener at Cincinnati and still don’t look like they are ready to make noise in the conference just yet. They are the top team in this tier in the conference and have the closest chance of getting to that next tier than the other teams mentioned here.

Stanford Cardinal

Stanford (1-1) is still rebuilding under the supervision of GM Andrew Luck. This team is much improved from last year, but still in that rebuilding phase. Don’t be surprised if the Cardinal makes it tough for some teams in the conference as they continue to develop and get better.

Syracuse Orange

Syracuse (1-1) did not look great against Cal in Week 2, as Fran Brown Jr. needs to turn the ship around soon for the Orange. He has been there since 2023, and it appears that his team will not be competitive this season in the ACC. Syracuse is among the bottom in the conference.

Outlook

Hurricanes have done exactly what a favorite is supposed to do in September. They have looked as advertised, but Miami has its fair share of inconsistent play when it comes to conference games.

The teams in tier one and two can make things interesting for Miami in the ACC.

As of now, Miami is in a tier of its own, and its biggest opponent will be itself in conference play.

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