The ACC Preseason Poll Names Its Pick to Win the Conference

All members in attendance at the ACC Kickoff cast their ballots for the conference favorite.

Jul 15, 2026; Charlotte, NC, USA; Miami head coach Mario Cristobal speaks to the media during ACC Media Days at Hilton Charlotte Uptown. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To nobody's sheer surprise, the media has voted Miami as the preseason favorite to win the ACC Title.

The vote comes after ACC Media Days, when members of the media from across the ACC cast their ballots for their favorite to win this year's bid to the College Football Playoff. Miami received the vast majority of first-place votes (165), followed by Clemson (7), SMU (6), Louisville (4), and Georgia Tech (2). Stanford received one first-place vote.

There were 188 voters in attendance at this year's kickoff, and while Miami led the way as the favorite, the back half of the conference is awash with uncertainty. After the top four teams, many members of the media are uncertain what teams will break out or simmer down in 2026.

One step closer to kickoff 👀

The 2026 ACC Preseason Poll has been announced.

🔗 https://t.co/OqFSBq0LKy pic.twitter.com/6sDkBUQILP

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 28, 2026

Of note, the ACC touts that, according to its metrics, it has the strongest non-conference schedule among P4 rivals. The same was true in 2025.

Miami looks to travel for one of those important non-conference matchups this year in its biggest road test, where the Hurricanes will face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on the road on November 7.

Additionally, this is the first year that the ACC will transition to a nine-game conference schedule, making the strength of the average out-of-conference opponent much more meaningful at the end of the year. After all, it was Miami's head-to-head win over Notre Dame last year that ensured its berth to the College Football Playoff and set the wheels in motion for a run to the national championship game.

Ever the stoic head coach, though, Mario Cristobal said at ACC Kickoff that he and the rest of the staff weren't concerned with preseason rankings. Sure, they're nice, but it's very obvious that Miami is returning a team full of players left with a sour taste in their mouths following last year's loss to Indiana. Cristobal kept it simple enough.

"We don’t want to talk about it,” Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal said at the ACC’s Football Kickoff in Charlotte. “We don’t want to predict it. Let’s go find out.”

The Hurricanes are slated to "find out" for the first time when they take the field against Stanford in a road matchup on September 4 for game one of the 2026 season.