ESPN ranks ACC Football teams from first to last ahead of Week 3

Only two ACC teams have played each other so far this season, but experts are already learning what to expect once conference play begins. This week, ESPN updated its ACC rankings, according to how the first two weeks of college football have played out.

ESPN based its rankings on its Football Power Index (FPI) system. FPI is “a predictive rating system designed to measure team strength and project performance going forward. The ultimate goal of FPI is not to rank teams 1 through 128; rather, it is to correctly predict games and season outcomes.”

The ACC is just 3-9 this season against other Power Four teams, including Notre Dame. Despite this underwhelming record, there are several ACC teams making statements early in the 2025 campaign.

1. Miami Hurricanes (22)

Miami had a breakout season last year under head coach Mario Cristobal, and the Hurricanes aren’t slowing down now. Miami is off to a 2-0 start, most notably defeating defending national runner-up Notre Dame in Week 1.

The Hurricanes’ offense has been excellent through two games, but their defense has been the star of the show. Miami’s defense has struggled in the past under Cristobal, but with new DC Corey Hetherman leading the way, teams will have trouble racking up yards against the Hurricanes this season.

2. Florida State Seminoles (27)

Florida State garnered national attention in Week 1 after downing Alabama 31-17. While the Seminoles’ Week 2 competition wasn’t nearly as elite, their performance was just as impressive.

In Florida State’s 77-3 win over East Texas A&M, the Seminoles amassed a jaw-dropping 729 total yards of offense. FSU had a surplus of weapons, totaling over 300 yards both on the ground and through the air.

3. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (31)

Georgia Tech suffered a scare in Week 1, narrowly defeating Colorado 27-20. Worse, Yellow Jackets star quarterback Haynes King suffered an injury. Georgia Tech ultimately decided to sideline King for its Week 2 game against Gardner-Webb.

Alas, the Yellow Jackets still put on a show without their ring leader. In the win, five Georgia Tech receivers tallied over 50 yards. Meanwhile, running back Malachi Hosley recorded nine carries for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

4. Clemson Tigers (32)

Clemson entered the season as many analysts’ preseason favorite to win the conference. However, the Tigers have underwhelmed thus far. They fell to LSU in their season-opener and had a sluggish start against Troy this past weekend.

At halftime, the Trojans led Clemson 16-3. The Tigers burst out of the locker room in the second half, scoring 24 unanswered points to close the game. Clemson will need to find its footing if it hopes to return to the College Football Playoff this season.

5. SMU Mustangs (35)

ESPN isn’t punishing SMU too much for its 48-45 loss to Baylor on Saturday. It was a devastating blow for the Mustangs, who led 38-24 with eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

“For 3 1/2 quarters, we were the better team and then we didn’t finish. You can’t start the job and not finish the job,” SMU head coach Rhett Lashlee said. “Obviously in the second overtime we weren’t able to put the ball in the end zone, and then on top of it we missed the field goal. So we kind of it made it easy on them, didn’t make them have any game pressure there.”

6. Louisville Cardinals (41)

Louisville showed off its resiliency in Week 2, escaping a tight game against James Madison with a 28-14 victory. The Cardinals’ defense was rock-solid, holding the Dukes to just 263 total yards of offense and forcing them to commit two turnovers.

Unfortunately for Louisville, starting linebacker Stanquan Clark suffered a lower-leg injury in the fourth quarter. He is expected to be out until “well into October,” per CBS Sports‘ Matt Zenitz.

7. Pittsburgh Panthers (50)

Pittsburgh kicked off last season on a seven-game win streak, only to lose its final six outings of the season. This year, the Panthers are 2-0 and aren’t looking to suffer the same fate as last season.

Most recently, Pittsburgh dominated Central Michigan 45-17. Pittsburgh QB Eli Holstein completed 21-of-his-28 pass attempts in the win for 304 yards and four touchdowns while only throwing one interception.

8. Boston College Eagles (52)

Boston College came up short this week, but it has nothing to hang its head about. On Saturday, the Eagles lost 42-40 to Michigan State in a double-overtime thriller. It was a 12-round slugfest between the two teams that never relented until the final snap.

Eagles quarterback Dylan Lonergan was spectacular, completing 34-of-his-45 passes for touchdowns, compared to no interceptions. Unfortunately for BC, its defense couldn’t find enough stops late in the game and ultimately gave up 457 yards to Michigan State.

9. Virginia Cavaliers (54)

Despite suffering a 35-31 loss to NC State this past weekend, Virginia landed ahead of the Wolfpack in ESPN’s rankings. In fairness, it was an extremely tight battle between the two squads and the Cavaliers showed many flashes of promise.

Running back J’Mari Taylor was nothing short of a standout for Virginia, logging 150 touchdowns and three scores on just 17 carries. In total, Virginia collected 514 yards of total offense in the loss.

10. NC State Wolfpack (59)

NC State won’t be happy about being ranked under the team it just beat, but it has plenty of time to continue to improve its place in ESPN’s ACC rankings. NC State was the more disciplined team on the field Saturday, committing just one penalty and zero turnovers.

While, clearly, the Wolf Pack’s defense needs to improve, the team’s offense tallied an impressive 416 yards. NC State quarterback CJ Bailey showed off his wheels in the win, notching 44 yards and two touchdowns in the ground game.

11. California
12. Duke
13. Syracuse
14. Stanford
15. North Carolina
16. Wake Forest