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2026 Preseason Coaches Poll released — Virginia’s result is shocking

The Cavaliers’ placement does not align with their final 2025 ranking
Xander Tilock|
Tony Elliott addresses his team after a practice during Virginia football fall camp.
Tony Elliott addresses his team after a practice during Virginia football fall camp. | Virginia Athletics

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Virginia Cavaliers

The 2026 college football Preseason Coaches Poll was just published on USA Today, and there are some interesting placements. Most of the top half makes sense — the top heavyweights from the Big Ten and SEC occupy most of the top 10 spots.

However, there are seven teams which ended 2025 in the AP rankings and are absent from this coaches poll — Vanderbilt, TCU, Tulane, James Madison, North Texas, Navy and one massive surprise. Here is the poll:

Virginia is unranked in this coaches poll

The Cavaliers are the only Power Four team to win 11-plus games in 2025 and be unranked in this coaches poll.

After finishing 2025 as the No. 16 team in the country, the Cavaliers are left without a prefix before their name in these rankings. Virginia is spotted all the way down at No. 32 (40 votes), behind the likes of Louisville (153), Florida (147), TCU (63), Illinois (62), South Carolina (50) and Arizona (50).

Missouri, the team the Cavaliers beat in their bowl game, is ranked at No. 25. Tennessee is ranked No. 18 even though it finished 32nd in the final 2025 AP Poll. Clemson is ranked No. 23 even though it went 7-6 and finished .500 in ACC play.

South Carolina finished 2025 with a mediocre 4-8 record — yet it is ranked ahead of a Virginia team that boasts the most experience in the country and some continuity from its historic campaign last year.

What about the rest of the ACC?

In order, here is how the coaches ranked the ACC. Several teams did not receive any votes, but 12 teams did — and the conference rankings come with some surprises. 

  1. Miami (No. 7)
  2. SMU (No. 20)
  3. Clemson (No. 23)
  4. Louisville
  5. Virginia
  6. Georgia Tech
  7. NC State
  8. Florida State
  9. Virginia Tech
  10. Duke
  11. Pittsburgh
  12. California

Most notably, California and Pitt are likely way too low, while Florida State and Duke are probably too high. It is also important to note that none of these rankings carry any tangible value other than as a reflection of what coaches are thinking about the college football landscape.

What’s next?

The AP Preseason Poll has not been released yet. Perhaps that poll will feature a higher ranking for a Cavaliers team that is contending for a spot in the ACC Championship game. But even if pollsters underestimate Virginia as well, the Cavaliers will have an opportunity to change some minds by beginning 2026 on a winning streak.

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Xander Tilock
XANDER TILOCK

Xander Tilock serves as the lead editor for Virginia on SI. He previously spent four years as a Senior Writer/Sports Editor for The Cavalier Daily, where he authored the publication’s most articles since 2017 and was named Literary Writer of the Year in 2023. Xander has been referenced on ACC Network, Yahoo Sports, Sirius XM ACC Radio, UVA Today, The Virginian-Pilot, and dozens of other publications nationwide. Outside of journalistic endeavors, Xander graduated with distinction from the University of Virginia in 2026. He is also a proud owner of the Green Bay Packers — and for a final twist, you can find him acting, writing, directing, and producing films and plays. Follow Xander on X @xandertilock

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