ACC Primer: Can Miami — or Georgia Tech — catch Clemson?

It wasn’t that long ago that the Atlantic Coast Conference was winning national titles at as high a rate as any conference.
Between 2013 and 2018, the ACC won three national championships (Florida State in 2013, Clemson in 2016 and 2018), more than any other conference over that span.
In the six years since, the ACC has won zero national titles while the Big Ten, which had won just one title between 2003 and 2022, has surged past the ACC by winning each of the last two.
However, the re-emergence of Clemson last season gives the conference its best shot in a number of years to snap that drought this fall. The Tigers’ No. 4 preseason ranking in the AP poll is the highest for an ACC team since 2022 Clemson was ranked fourth to begin the season.
“We’ve been a target around here for a long time,’ Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said during his preseason press conference. “Whether they’re talking bad about you, good about you, it doesn’t matter. Expectations are always high here, always have been, and they’re all big…
“As I always tell the guys, headlines this time of year, it’s all based on opinions and potential. The headlines that matter are the ones that are written on performance. Those are the ones that ultimately matter in the end.”
The Tigers, who won their seventh ACC championship in the last nine years in 2024, were picked by media voters to win the ACC once again in 2025, receiving 167 of the 183 first-place votes.
Here’s our projection for how the ACC standings will shake out this fall:
Clemson (12-1 projected record)
2024 record: 10-4
Last conference title: 2024
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Aug. 30, vs. No. 9 LSU
Why they will win the ACC: Veteran quarterback Cade Klubnik (6,483 passing yards, 55 passing TDs over the last two seasons) is back and enters 2025 as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner. He’s flanked by a defensive line which has a strong case for being the best in the nation this season, returning Peter Woods and T.J. Parker while adding Purdue transfer Will Heldt.
Miami (10-3 projected record)
2024 record: 10-3
Last conference title: 2003 (Big East Conference)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 1, at No. 16 SMU
Why they will win the ACC: Georgia transfer QB Carson Beck has been getting rave reviews around the program since returning from offseason elbow surgery over the summer. He’ll be protected by what’s expected to be one of the best offensive lines in the country and surrounded by a roster assembled by head coach Mario Cristobal which has a case for being the most talented in the conference.
Georgia Tech (10-2 projected record)
2024 record: 7-6
Last conference title: 2009
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 13, vs. No. 4 Clemson
Why they will win the ACC: Brent Key has had quite a bit of success as head coach at his alma mater, quickly turning things around into back-to-back overachieving seasons to begin his tenure. QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes, who combined for over 1,500 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs in 2024, will anchor what should again be a high-powered offense.
Louisville (10-2 projected record)
2024 record: 9-4
Last conference title: 2012 (BIg East Conference)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Oct. 17, at No. 10 Miami
Why they will win the ACC: Head coach Jeff Brohm has proven to be something of a QB whisperer, and he’s got another promising starter this season in USC transfer Miller Moss. Pair him with RB Isaac Brown (1,173 yards, 11 TDs as a freshman in 2024) and an experienced receiver room and the Cards should have another potent offense on their hands.
SMU (9-3 projected record)
2024 record: 11-3
Last conference title: 2023 (American Conference)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 4, at No. 4 Clemson
Why they will win the ACC: Rhett Lashlee has made SMU a pinnacle of consistency early in his tenure, leading the Mustangs to consecutive 11-win seasons for the first time in program history in 2023-24 after they had just one 10-win season over the prior 37 seasons.
Florida State (8-4 projected record)
2024 record: 2-10
Last conference title: 2023
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Aug. 30, vs. No. 8 Alabama
Why they will win the ACC: It’s hard to see FSU jumping up from its 2024 disaster all the way to ACC champions this season. However, the combination of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s track record with mobile QBs and FSU starter Tommy Castellanos’ remarkable athleticism could be the spark that was badly missing for the Seminoles last season..
North Carolina (9-3 projected record)
2024 record: 6-7
Last conference title: 1980
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Oct. 4, vs. No. 4 Clemson
Why they will win the ACC: While new UNC head coach Bill Belichick has never coached in college, he’s got a strong case for best NFL head coach of all time with six Super Bowl victories. Additionally, the Tar Heels have what appears to be an easier ACC slate, facing just one of the top seven teams in our projected ACC standings.
Duke (6-6 projected record)
2024 record: 9-4
Last conference title: 1989
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 22, at North Carolina
Why they will win the ACC: Manny Diaz did a great job in Year 1 carrying over the program momentum he inherited from former head coach Mike Elko. This offseason, he brought in Tulane QB transfer Darian Mensah (2,723 yards, 22 TD passes to six interceptions as a true freshman), who is being paid a reported $8 million over the next two seasons.
Syracuse (6-6 projected record)
2024 record: 10-3
Last conference title: 2012 (Big East)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 22, at No. 6 Notre Dame
Why they will win the ACC: The Orange made a remarkable Year 1 improvement under new head coach Fran Brown, improving by four wins for just the program’s third 10-win season this century. Brown, previously an assistant at Georgia, has been acquiring talent far above Syracuse’s normal level considering its geographical disadvantages.
Virginia Tech (6-6 projected record)
2024 record: 6-7
Last conference title: 2010
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 22, vs. No. 10 Miami
Why they will win the ACC: When healthy, QB Kyron Drones is a dynamic playmaker capable of raising a team’s level. It sounds like he’s recovered well from an injury-prone 2024 and could help head coach Brent Pry break through the plateau he appears to have hit entering his fourth season atop the program.
Pitt (6-6 projected record)
2024 record: 7-6
Last conference title: 2021
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 13, at West Virginia
Why they will win the ACC: Second-year offensive coordinator/playcaller Kade Bell immediately transformed the Panthers’ offense in 2024. That should only continue to grow with Eli Holstein back as the starting QB. Plus Pitt’s defense, especially the front seven, should be very solid, as it normally is under head coach Pat Narduzzi.
Virginia (6-6 projected record)
2024 record: 5-7
Last conference title: 1995
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 26, vs. Florida State
Why they will win the ACC: While contending in the ACC would be great, even making a bowl game for the first time since 2019 would be a success in Tony Elliott’s fourth season leading the Cavaliers. With North Texas transfer Chandler Morris (3,774 passing yards, 31 TDs in 2024) in the fold, they now have the stability at QB to potentially get there.
NC State (5-7 projected record)
2024 record: 6-7
Last conference title: 1979
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 20, at Duke
Why they will win the ACC: With new coordinators on both sides of the ball, the 2025 NC State team could look quite a bit different. But the stabilizing force is head coach Dave Doeren, who has led the Wolfpack to nine bowl games in his 12 seasons. Sophomore QB CJ Bailey should be improved after he was thrown into the deep end last season as a freshman, and he has preseason All-ACC tight end Justin Joly as a reliable target.
Boston College (4-8 projected record)
2024 record: 7-6
Last conference title: 2004 (Big East)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Oct. 4, at Pitt
Why they will win the ACC: BC has quite a bit of important turnover to deal with entering Bill O’Brien’s second season. All-American defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku and three starting offensive linemen are off to the NFL. It’ll be up to Alabama QB transfer Dylan Lonergan and some solid returning skill-position talent around him to keep things rolling in 2025.
California (3-9 projected record)
2024 record: 6-7
Last conference title: 2006 (Pac-12 Conference)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Nov. 22, at Stanford
Why they will win the ACC: Cal was hit harder than any other ACC team in terms of transfer departures. QB Fernando Mendoza is now at Indiana, star RB Jaydn Ott is now at Oklahoma, and the top 10 players in rushing yards from the 2024 team are all gone. Freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele beat out Ohio State transfer Devin Brown for the starting job. Could the four-star prospect be talented enough to prevent a drop-off in Year 2 in the ACC?
Wake Forest (3-9 projected record)
2024 record: 4-8
Last conference title: 2006
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 11, vs. NC State
Why they will win the ACC: It’s hard to see Wake Forest (4-8 each of the last two seasons) being competitive in Jake Dickert’s first season leading the program after he left Washington State to replace Dave Clawson, who resigned. But in convincing Demond Claiborne (1,049 yards, 11 touchdowns in 2024) to return, the Demon Deacons have a flashy running back who could help them steal a few wins this season.
Stanford (2-10 projected record)
2024 record: 3-9
Last conference title: 2015 (Pac-12)
Circle this game on the 2025 schedule: Sept. 13, vs. Boston College
Why they will win the ACC: Stanford is more likely to be battling to avoid finishing last in the ACC than to come close to competing this season. The Cardinal had a tougher ACC adjustment last season than fellow Pac-12 convert Cal, and then fired head coach Troy Taylor in March after a harassment/bullying investigation. Frank Reich will take the helm as interim head coach for 2025, but he’s made it clear he doesn’t want the job long-term. This season is about surviving before building for the future under GM Andrew Luck.