As we hit the midseason checkpoint of the 2026 college football schedule, the ACC finds itself very much in the national title race but also falling short too often against its peers. The league holds a 6-11 record against other power-conference opponents (plus Notre Dame) and has just one team in the current AP Top 25. It's just that team happens to be No. 1 in the country and currently sits as a consensus top-four pick to win the national championship in the eyes of the oddsmakers.
Yes, Miami's success does count as the ACC's success when we look at how the league is performing overall so far this season. The Hurricanes have met expectations at nearly every turn after finishing last year as the national runner-up, and after a 6-0 start, the ability to close strong and win the conference for the first time ever will become a prominent storyline within the league. But the league also gets to boast about the success story of Wake Forest, which has raced out to a 5-1 start, with its only loss a 13-point defeat to the Miami Hurricanes.
While Miami has met expectations, Wake Forest has more than exceeded them, and now the conversations around Winston-Salem are about how close the Demon Deacons could be to recording a truly banner year for the program. Those success stories have earned the best grades in our assessment of all 17 ACC teams, which, on the whole, included few honor roll candidates. There are multiple hot-seat situations, some Year 1 hires off to rough starts, and more than a handful of frustrating losses in that 6-11 record against other power-conference teams.
As a connoisseur of academic eligibility, I can confirm that C's do indeed earn degrees, but graduation is not the goal in many of these programs. Record: 3-3, 1-2 | Preseason AP ranking: N/A Saturday's home win at Pitt meant a lot to Boston College because it backed up a couple of weeks of improved play with a positive result. After enduring an absolute slop-fest in the rain and losing 21-14 to Virginia Tech, the Eagles fought hard but were ultimately out-manned in a 25-16 loss at SMU.
You could sense that the team, improved on defense and figuring it out with dual-threat quarterback Mason McKenzie, was getting better, but it was storming back from a 12-0 deficit to beat the Panthers that gives a much more positive spin to the team's midseason grade. Grade: C- Record: 3-4, 2-2 | Preseason AP ranking: N/A The inconsistency coming out of Cal can be dizzying, as the program has been changing quarterbacks and play-callers while trying to find answers to problems that are causing the Bears to fall short of expectations. At 3-4 overall, there's still a path to bowl eligibility in Year 1 of the Tosh Lupoi era, but it will likely require more steps forward for an offense that is averaging just 19.7 points per game against FBS opponents (106th nationally).
Quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele has dealt with injury issues, and the run game has been stuck in the mud, leaving a lot to work on when Cal finally hits its off week on Nov. 7. Grade: D Record: 4-2, 2-1 | Preseason AP ranking: N/A We can't technically prove it, but this feels like the lowest grade possible for a team that's still very much alive in the conference title race. Clemson is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in ACC play, and the Tigers have already faced a lot of the tougher opponents on their schedule.
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