ACC Football Power Rankings: Miami Dominates, Louisville And Virginia Plummet

The ACC is proving to be one of the more competitive conferences in the country near the middle of the 2026 college football season.

Only 3 teams remain undefeated in conference play, while 13 have at least one ACC win.

Week 5 certainly got wacky as Florida State steamrolled Virginia, and Louisville lost its second straight game, this time at the hands of North Carolina State, which has looked all out of sorts this season.

The results led to a few shakesup in the Weekly ACC Power Rankings.

ACC Power Rankings After Week 5

1. Miami Hurricanes (5-0, 3-0 ACC)

Miami Hurricanes Head Coach Mario Cristobal during the fourth quarter in a game with Clemson at Memorial Stadium Saturday, October 3, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 1 (no change)

Even though Darian Mensah didn't complete 90% of his passes and Malachi Toney was held to 40 yards, Miami still rolled through Clemson in Death Valley, winning 41-13.

The Hurricanes outscored the Tigers 17-7 in the final frame, twisting the knife in Dabo Swinney's back. Miami is off this weekend before hosting Florida State for its annual rivalry game.

2. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-1, 2-1 ACC)

Last week: 2 (no change)

Wake Forest continues to impress after stomping Stanford, 57-3. There was no letdown after upsetting Louisville on the road.

The Demon Deacons held the Cardinal to 197 total yards and scored at least 2 touchdowns in every quarter. This team is trending up.

3. Duke Blue Devils (4-0, 1-0 ACC)

Sep 19, 2026; Durham, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Manny Diaz looks on against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 3 (no change)

Following a 4-0 start in September, Duke had the weekend off to prepare for a road game at Georgia Tech.

The Blue Devils have a legitimate chance to advance to 2-0 in conference play.

4. Pittsburgh Panthers (5-0, 2-0 ACC)

Last week: No. 6 (+2)

How about the Panthers? Pittsburgh survived by about an inch in Blacksburg, holding on for a 35-33 victory against Virginia Tech on a missed field goal with no time remaining. It was an instant classic and a game that could shape the conference.

Even though Pittsburgh won, the program lost starting quarterback Mason Heintschel to a torn ACL. Backup Holden Geriner has a tough task ahead of him.

5. SMU Mustangs (4-1, 2-1 ACC)

Oct 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) rolls out to pass against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 5 (no change)

SMU really deserves to drop, but the results in the middle of the conference prevented that from happening this week. The Mustangs technically beat Boston College 25-16, but they trailed 10-6 after the first quarter.

Nothing has been easy for SMU since its loss to Louisville a few weeks ago.

6. Virginia Tech Hokies (4-1, 1-1 ACC)

Last week: No. 8 (+2)

Even though Virginia Tech lost to Pittsburgh, the Hokies were in position to win the game and advance to 5-0. It was a heartbreaking ending, but James Franklin's squad could still make plenty of noise in the ACC.

While the Hokies are on the road for the 3rd time in 4 games, they should be heavily favored against Cal.

7. Florida State Seminoles (3-2, 1-1 ACC)

Florida State University football head coach Mike Norvell. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 12 (+5)

What was in the water in Tallahassee last weekend? Florida State beat Virginia 38-7. Not only that, Ashton Daniels set a Seminole record with 5 rushing touchdowns, and the defense racked up 10 sacks after having 7 in the previous 4 games.

Mike Norvell survives another week, and Florida State has something to work with going into a road game at Louisville. The Seminoles haven't won away from home in over 1,000 days.

8. NC State Wolfpack (3-2, 1-1 ACC)

Last week: No. 13 (+5)

Insert the first sentence from the Florida State roundup and apply it to NC State. Two weeks after fumbling away a win against Vanderbilt, the Wolfpack recovered three fumbles in an upset victory against Louisville.

NC State led 28-14 in the third quarter. Despite a late Louisville rally, the Wolfpack tacked on the game-winning field goal in the final minutes of the game.

9. Louisville Cardinals (2-3, 1-2 ACC)

Sep 19, 2026; Louisville, Kentucky, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) looks on after the win against the Southern Methodist Mustangs at L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Carter-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 4 (-5)

Louisville is quickly dropping after back-to-back uncharacteristic performances against Wake Forest and NC State. The Cardinals have an explosive offense, but the defense is a mess, and penalties are piling up.

If Louisville doesn't win on Friday night, this season might slip away quickly.

10. Virginia Cavaliers (3-2, 1-1 ACC)

Last week: 7 (-3)

Virginia failed its first true road test. After leading 7-0 in the first quarter, the Cavaliers were outscored 38-0 the rest of the way and looked outclassed by a Florida State team that was teetering coming into the game.

It's hard to tell what to make of the Cavaliers right now.

11. Clemson Tigers (3-2, 2-1 ACC)

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney disputes a call in the game with Miami during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium Saturday, October 3, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 9 (-2)

Clemson suffered its first conference loss in a 41-13 defeat to Miami. The Tigers have been outscored 92-23 in their two losses to ranked opponents.

Luckily, the program isn't scheduled to face another top-25 team this season.

12. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-2, 0-1 ACC)

Last week: No. 10 (-2)

North Carolina fought hard but wasn't able to pull off an upset against Notre Dame. The Tar Heels might be able to stay competitive against Pittsburgh, considering the injury to Mason Heintschel.

13. Cal Golden Bears (2-3, 1-1 ACC)

Sep 12, 2026; Syracuse, New York, USA; California Golden Bears head coach Tosh Lupoi looks on during the first half against the Syracuse Orange at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 11 (-2)

Cal has dropped 2 straight games, most recently falling to UNLV 39-31. The Bears lost star quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to a scary head injury, and it's unclear if he'll play against Virginia Tech.

Sagapolutele is currently listed as questionable.

14. Syracuse Orange (2-2, 0-2 ACC)

Last week: No. 14 (no change)

Even with a 42-41 overtime victory against Syracuse, the Orange aren't moving up this week.

Syracuse travels to Virginia for its third straight road game, before taking on Louisville, North Carolina, SMU, and Clemson. October might be rough.

15. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1-3, 0-1 ACC)

Sep 26, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets head coach Brent Key looks on before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last week: No. 16 (+1)

Georgia Tech was off over the weekend. The Yellow Jackets can start climbing out of the cellar if they somehow upset Duke this Saturday.

Their last outing was a disappointing loss to Stanford.

16. Boston College Eagles (2-2, 0-1 ACC)

Last week: No. 17 (+1)

Boston College competed for the second straight week, but it wasn't enough. The Eagles have dropped back-to-back games to Virginia Tech and SMU despite holding a lead in both contests.

Bill O'Brien's squad will be off on Saturday as they prepare for a road trip to Pittsburgh.

17. Stanford Cardinal (2-3, 1-3 ACC)

Last week: No. 15 (-2)

Stanford was flat-out lifeless in a soul-crushing 57-3 loss to Wake Forest. The Cardinal weren't able to build on their win against Georgia Tech.

In three conference losses, Stanford has been outscored 137-16.

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