Phil Steele releases preseason ACC Football rankings

Fall is right around the corner, and college football experts are dropping their preseason predictions accordingly. In Phil Steele’s 2025 College Football Preview Magazine, Steele revealed his preseason ACC rankings.

Steele had plenty to consider after the ACC took a wild turn last season. In its first year in the league, SMU went undefeated during the regular season and made a run to the conference title game. Alas, Clemson ended the Mustangs’ win streak, and consequently earned the ACC’s second bid in the College Football Playoff.

Evidently, Steele foresees chaos playing out in the 17-team conference again this fall. With so much to cover, let’s dive into Steele’s preseason rankings.

1. Clemson Tigers

Evidently, Phil Steele expects the Clemson to reign supreme in the ACC again this year. It’s not a bad bet. Clemson is returning quarterback Cade Klubnik, who exploded for career-highs of 3,639 passing yards and 36 touchdowns last season.

He’s far from Clemson’s only talented returner. The Tigers are returning the most production in the country. Additionally, Clemson added three valuable pieces in the portal. Head coach Dabo Swinney will have plenty of weapons at his disposal this fall.

2. Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes had their best season yet under head coach Mario Cristobal last year, just falling short of the CFP. While Miami lost the 2025 NFL Draft No. 1 pick, Cam Ward, this offseason, the program added Georgia transfer QB Carson Beck.

Beck was the No. 1 overall player in On3’s 2025 Transfer Portal Player Rankings, and will immediately make Miami’s offense one of the most-feared in the conference. To pile on, Miami is returning 58% of its production on defense, according to ESPN.

3. SMU Mustangs

After taking the conference by storm in its inaugural season last fall, SMU is receiving more respect than usual this summer. Of course, the Mustangs don’t require outside confidence to succeed. In fact, the media predicted SMU to finish seventh in the conference in last year’s preseason.

All things considered, SMU is less of a dark horse this year than the last. The Mustangs’ hype starts behind center, where QB1 Kevin Jennings will be reprising his role. SMU reeled in a transfer commitment from former Arkansas offensive lineman Addison Nichols this offseason to help protect Jennings, as well.

4. Louisville Cardinals

Since taking over at Louisville in 2023, Jeff Brohm has turned the program into a consistent winner. Alas, he hasn’t been able to get the Cardinals over the CFP hump quite yet. Brohm will look to do just that this fall with transfer QB Miller Moss leading the way.

Louisville is returning its leader on defense, linebacker TJ Quinn. Quinn led the Cardinals with 82 tackles last season. Louisville’s success will largely fall on its offensive line, which underwent a massive makeover this offseason following a strong 2024 campaign.

5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Georgia Tech will quietly be a legitimate contender for the ACC title in the 2025 campaign. The Yellow Jackets are returning 64% of its total production from last season, headlined by dual-threat QB Haynes King.

The 2025 season will be Haynes’ sixth and final year at Georgia Tech. Further, Georgia Tech is returning star running back Jamal Haynes, who racked up 944 rushing yards last season. The Yellow Jackets will have to find a way to make up for the loss WR Eric Singleton, who transferred to Auburn this offseason.

6. Duke Blue Devils

Head coach Manny Diaz had a standout first season in the driver’s seat at Duke, finishing the regular season with a 9-3 record. Evidently, Steele believes Diaz can replicate his first-year success in his sophomore effort. Alas, it won’t be easy.

Duke lost its starting quarterback, Maalik Murphy, from last season to the transfer portal. Thankfully for the Blue Devils, they picked up former Tulane QB Darian Mensah just two days later. Expectations are high for Mensah, who recorded 2,723 passing yards and 22 touchdowns compared to just six interceptions last season.

7. Virginia Tech Hokies

After entering last season with sky-high expectations, Virginia Tech under-delivered. The Hokies went 6-7 and 4-4 in conference play. Now, the pressure is on head coach Brent Pry to deliver as he enters his fourth season at the helm.

Virginia Tech didn’t get off to a hot start this offseason. Returning QB1 Kyron Drones underwent a procedure this spring for an undisclosed injury. While Drones is expected to be available by the start of the season, he’ll now have to compete with backup QB William “Pop” Watson for the starting spot.

8. Pittsburgh Panthers

Pittsburgh’s 2024 season was a tale of two halves. The team electrified the college football world when it started the season on a seven-game win streak. Alas, the Panthers’ momentum quickly sputtered and they lost their final six games of the season.

Pittsburgh is aiming to avoid the same fate in the upcoming season. The program is returning 64% of its production from last season, while adding 15 players via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

9. Boston College Eagles

Head coach Bill O’Brien made a splash in his debut campaign at Boston College last season, picking up solid wins over Michigan State, Syracuse and North Carolina. Now, O’Brien is hungry to take another step forward and be in the race for the ACC Championship.

Fans will be eager to see who starts behind center for the Eagles, with returning QB Grayson James competing with Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan for the coveted spot. Boston College is returning a solid secondary, headlined by KP Price, who was the team’s leading tackler last season.

10. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State’s 2024 season was nothing short of a catastrophe. After being picked to win the ACC, the Seminoles posted a 2-10 overall record and a 1-7 mark in conference play. Consequently, head coach Mike Norvell didn’t hesitate to make sweeping changes after the season.

Norvell fired both of his coordinators and hired Gus Malzahn as the team’s new OC and Tony White to lead the defense. Additionally, FSU hauled in 23 transfers, including expected starting QB Thomas Castellanos.

11. NC State Wolfpack

NC State has a chance to make waves this season. While the Wolfpack clearly isn’t the favorite to win the ACC, they have the pieces to pick up a few surprising wins along the way. Most notably, NC State is running it back with QB CJ Bailey, who had a breakout freshman season last year.

NC State is hoping to maximize Bailey’s potential. In December, the program fired offensive coordinator Robert Anae and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper. As Bailey’s mentor, Roper should have an intimate understanding of Bailey’s strengths and weaknesses.

12. Syracuse Orange

Syracuse head coach Fran Brown has his work cut out for him entering his second year with the program. The Orange are returning just 37% of their production on offense from last season.

Most notably, the team lost starting quarterback Kyle McCord to the NFL Draft. McCord led college football in passing yards per game last season. Brown must find a new star to lead his high-powered offense, or the Orange could be in for a long season.

13. North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina is the biggest question mark in the conference heading into the upcoming season. This offseason, the program hired legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick and there seemed to be endless excitement about what was to come.

Nevertheless, North Carolina’s offseason has been more focused on Belichick’s relationship with his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, than his schemes on the field. With less than two months until UNC’s season-opener, Belichick will look to block out any outside distractions and get his team ready.

14. Virginia Cavaliers

Tony Elliot is yet to lead Virginia football to a winning season. Yet, last year was his best effort yet. The Cavaliers went 5-7 and 3-5 in conference play. Elliot is hungry to build on that success, and demonstrated his excitement through his offseason work.

Virginia added 31 players via the transfer portal this offseason. Most notably, the Cavalier secured commitments from former Louisville OT Monroe Mills and former UAB IOL Brady Wilson. North Texas transfer QB Chandler Morris shouldn’t lack protection this fall.

15. California Golden Bears

Pittsburgh isn’t the only team whose wheels fell off midway through the season. California jumpstarted the 2024 campaign with three consecutive wins, including a victory over Auburn. After suffering a 14-9 loss to FSU in Week 4, California hosted ESPN’s College GameDay for its Week 6 showdown against Miami.

California lost by one point and went on to finish the season with a 6-7 record. Although California didn’t bring in any jaw-dropping talent this offseason, the team won’t face Miami or Clemson in the regular season this fall. The Golden Bears’ relatively easy schedule is leading to some experts speculating that California could go on a run reminiscent of SMU’s last season.

16. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Steele isn’t exactly singing Wake Forest’s praises this offseason, but it’s difficult to blame him. There’s not much to rely on when evaluating the Demon Deacons. The team added 33 transfers this offseason and hired new head coach Jake Dickert.

However, Dickert has serious promise. In four seasons at Washington State, Dickert turned the Cougars into a winning program, posting an 8-4 record last year. Now, Dickert will look to shock the experts and lead Wake Forest to similar success against stiff ACC competition.

17. Stanford Cardinal

It’s a new era at Stanford. In March, the school fired head coach Troy Taylor. He had reportedly twice been the subject of third-party investigations into complaints from employees in the athletic department about his behavior.

In turn, the school signed long-time NFL coach Frank Reich to lead the Cardinal for one season, while they search for a more long-term option to fill the role. It’ll be intriguing to see what Reich brings to the program. Reich has been the head coach for the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers.