How back is the U? Can Clemson rebound? Previewing...
Key takeaways
- That sets a high bar for the 2026 season, but we have quite a bit to look forward to.
- Leading up to the 2026 season, we're previewing every conference in college football.
- And even if Miami actually delivers for the entire regular season for once and claims one of the spots in the ACC title game, the battle for the other spot could be ridiculously wild.
Why this matters: a sports story that could shift standings, legacies, or fan conversations.
In the past year alone, the conference has produced a long and awkward CFP rankings battle, an irate affiliate member, a thrilling national title game run, the strangest tiebreaker result imaginable, an out-of-nowhere 11-win season, the most disappointing team in the country, an epic pro-to-college face-plant, 18 of the 38 best games of the 2025 season, the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft (indirectly) and the most awkward possible move to nine-game conference schedules.
That sets a high bar for the 2026 season, but we have quite a bit to look forward to. We get another mammoth Miami-Notre Dame game (though we have to wait until November for it this time), redemption efforts from both Clemson's Dabo Swinney and North Carolina's Bill Belichick (and, kind of, Florida State's Mike Norvell), James Franklin's debut at Virginia Tech, and a potentially very bitter game between the defending conference champs and the contender that stole their star QB.
Leading up to the 2026 season, we're previewing every conference in college football. Pac-12 | MWC | American | Sun Belt Conference USA | MAC