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Miami sits atop CFP rankings but it's time to sound the alarm bells on the ACC

Miami is considered the best team in the country, but the rest of the ACC has struggled to establish itself nationally.
ByPatrick Previty
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Oct 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes running back Javian Mallory (21) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Nicco Maggio (96) and linebacker Derek McDonald (15) defend in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Oct 31, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Miami (FL) Hurricanes running back Javian Mallory (21) with the ball as North Carolina Tar Heels defensive lineman Nicco Maggio (96) and linebacker Derek McDonald (15) defend in the first quarter at Kenan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The first CFP rankings of 2026 delivered two very different messages about the ACC. Miami is considered the best team in the country, but the rest of the conference has struggled to establish itself nationally.

With only two ranked teams, nine programs at .500 or worse and two head coaches already fired, the ACC is having a difficult season outside of its top contenders.

First CFP rankings delivers warning to ACC

Miami (8-0) earned the No. 1 ranking Tuesday night, followed by Georgia, Utah and Indiana. Wake Forest (7-1) was the only other ACC representative, checking in at No. 16.

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The ACC's two ranked teams are the fewest among the Power Four conferences. The SEC leads with 10, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with five. The SEC has five teams inside the top 10, while the Big Ten and Big 12 each have two.

The Hurricanes have already defeated the conference's only other ranked program, beating Wake Forest 33-20 on the road. The Demon Deacons have won five consecutive games since that loss and sit second in the ACC standings at 5-1, trailing Miami's 6-0 conference record.

Nine of the ACC's 17 teams have overall records of .500 or worse, representing 52.9% of the conference. Five have losing records: Virginia (4-5), Stanford (4-5), California (3-6), Florida State (3-5) and Georgia Tech (2-6). Another four programs, NC State, North Carolina, Boston College and Syracuse, are sitting at 4-4.

Only six ACC teams have reached six victories: Miami, Wake Forest, SMU, Virginia Tech, Duke and Pittsburgh. Clemson, one of the ACC's traditional powers, is just 5-3 and unranked.

NC State fired Dave Doeren on Oct. 24 following a 3-4 start. The Wolfpack have since improved to 4-4 under interim coach Todd Goebbel, but the program is searching for a replacement after Doeren's 14-season tenure.

Florida State fired Mike Norvell on Nov. 1 after falling to 3-5. The Seminoles, who won the ACC championship in 2023, have already missed consecutive bowl games and are in danger of doing so for a third straight season.

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