ACC QB Rankings: Daniels, Odom, Bailey Land Top-8 Spots In Wake of Injuries and Benchings

A season-ending injury and a pair of rough performances from ACC quarterbacks opened three top-eight spots ahead of a Week 6 slate featuring a Friday matchup between Florida State and Louisville.

Oct 3, 2026; East Hartford, Connecticut, USA; Syracuse Orange quarterback Amari Odom (12) throws the ball against the Connecticut Huskies during the second half at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Week 5 was a brutal one for starting quarterbacks in the ACC.

For one, two of the league's more prominent starters left their games with injuries. Pittsburgh starter Mason Heintschel was lost for the season with a torn ACL in the Panthers' 35-33 win at Virginia Tech last Friday. California starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele entered concussion protocol following the Golden Bears' 39-31 loss at UNLV.

In addition to Heintschel's injury, rough outings for Beau Pribula and Davis Warren saw them slide out of this week's rankings. Virginia and Stanford both fell into large deficits last weekend, and neither Pribula nor Warren could dig them out.

The ACC also saw its first benching of a starter in Week 5. Kennesaw State transfer Amari Odom got the nod over Steve Angeli for Syracuse last week, guiding the Orange to a 42-41 overtime survival of Connecticut.

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom for ACC quarterbacks last week.

CJ Bailey and Lincoln Kienholz treated fans to an intriguing back-and-forth battle in NC State's 31-28 win over Louisville. Elsewhere, Gio Lopez guided Wake Forest to a 57-3 rout of Stanford, and Ashton Daniels ran wild in Florida State's 38-7 drubbing of Virginia.

Week 6 begins with a matchup between Ashton Daniels and Lincoln Kienholz at Louisville on Friday night. The Seminoles look to sustain their momentum after a big Week 5 win while the Cardinals look to get right after dropping consecutive ACC losses.

The most intriguing quarterback battle of the Saturday slate is at NC State at noon. A resurgent CJ Bailey hopes to guide the Wolfpack to its second consecutive win while Gio Lopez works to lead Wake Forest to its third ACC win in a row.

Below, we rank the eight best quarterbacks in the ACC entering Week 6 of the 2026 college football season.

8. Ashton Daniels

Florida State quarterback Ashton Daniels makes history with five rushing touchdowns in a 38-7 victory against the Virginia Cavaliers. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Daniels was a pedestrian 12-of-19 passing for 183 yards and an interception in Florida State's win over Virginia. His feet were the real story; Daniels ran for 136 yards and five touchdowns, including an 81-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

A trip to Louisville on Friday night awaits Florida State (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Cardinals have failed to keep an opposing Power Four offense from reaching 30 or more points this season.

7. Amari Odom

Odom gave Syracuse's offense a much needed spark in its overtime win at Connecticut. He aired the ball out for 335 yards and five touchdowns and ran for the Orange's lone rush touchdown and the game-winning two-point conversion.

The Orange travels to Virginia for its second ACC road game (7:30 p.m. EDT, ACC Network). The Cavaliers are a mixed bag against Power Four defenses so far, but they allowed both Michael Hawkins Jr. and Ashton Daniels to run for over 100 yards against them.

6. CJ Bailey

Sep 26, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; NC State Wolfpack quarterback CJ Bailey (11) runs with the football guarded by App State Mountaineers during the first half of the game against at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After tumultuous starts at Virginia and Vanderbilt, CJ Bailey has found his way into our rankings following NC State’s win over Louisville. Bailey threw downfield strikes to both Keenan Jackson and Tyran Warren for touchdowns in his 373-yard afternoon, but he did throw an interception that nearly cost the Wolfpack all its momentum in the fourth quarter.

NC State stays home this week to face Wake Forest (Noon EDT, CW). Davis Warren is the only Power Four quarterback the Demon Deacons have truly thrown off balance this season.

5. Ethan Grunkemeyer

Both interceptions Grunkemeyer threw in Virginia Tech’s loss to Pittsburgh were not so much his doing as they were terrific plays by defenders. He threw for 434 yards and three touchdowns and most importantly, put his team in position to win despite his kicker missing the game-winning field goal.

The Hokies fly across the country to California in Week 6 (3:30 p.m. EDT, ACC Network). The Golden Bears mostly limited the damage from opposing quarterbacks through the air in the first five weeks but struggled to defend the run in losses to UCLA, Clemson and UNLV.

4. Gio Lopez

Oct 3, 2026; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Gio Lopez (3) runs in for a keeper touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Lopez didn’t need to take the field in the fourth quarter of Wake Forest’s 57-3 rout of Stanford last week. He led the Demon Deacons on the ground with 88 yards and three touchdowns while throwing for two more, the first of which was a tightly contested pass to Jack Foley.

The Demon Deacons continue ACC road play with a bout at NC State (Noon EDT, CW). Lincoln Kienholz and Louisville challenged the Wolfpack defense last weekend, but a costly turnover prevented another late game collapse.

3. Kevin Jennings

Jennings and the SMU offense dealt with rainy conditions in their 25-16 win against Boston College. Jennings hit an open Randy Pittman for his first touchdown pass and Derrick McFall on a wheel route for his second, and he ran for a four-yard score of his own.

The first game for SMU out of its bye week is Virginia. The Cavaliers allowed Ashton Daniels to break out for 136 yards on the ground in their 38-7 loss at Florida State, something that could be worrisome with a mobile quarterback like Jennings.

2. Lincoln Kienholz

Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lincoln Kienholz (3) throws as Southern Methodist University Mustangs defensive end Aakil Washington (58) pressures in the fourth quarter Saturday. Sept.19, 2026 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The only error from Kienholz in Louisville’s loss at NC State was a strip fumble on a pass attempt in the third quarter. He delivered a beautifully-placed touchdown pass to Lawayne McCoy in the second quarter; he finished the day with 254 yards and two touchdowns while making the Wolfpack pay on the ground a handful of times.

The Cardinals return home to face Florida State on Friday (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN). After dreadful performances against Kevin Jennings and Keelon Russell, the Seminoles stood tall against Beau Pribula in their dominant victory against Virginia.

1. Darian Mensah

Mensah’s efficiency took a hit in Miami’s 41-13 win at Clemson, and his only touchdown pass was on an early screen to Cooper Barkate. However, he showed his mettle on a 34-yard touchdown run and on a 17-yard pass he completed to Malachi Toney on a third down with two defenders in his face.

The Hurricanes are idle in Week 6. The next defense Mensah faces is Florida State, which held Virginia to 205 yards of offense after abysmal showings against SMU and Alabama.