CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WNCN) — The defending Atlantic Coast Conference football champions have been picked once again to win this upcoming season.
On Wednesday afternoon, the 2025 ACC football preseason poll was released. The rankings are the result of voting by over 180 media members at last week’s ACC Kickoff media days in Charlotte.
Of those ballots, 167 selected Clemson to raise the trophy in Charlotte at the end of the season. Miami received the second-highest number of first-place votes with seven, while SMU and Georgia Tech finished third and fourth with two first-place votes each. Louisville rounds out the top five.
The Duke Blue Devils, who went 9-3 last year in their first season under head coach Manny Diaz were picked to finish sixth. They are the highest-ranked Triangle ACC team. North Carolina, under new head coach Bill Belichick, was picked to finish eighth in the league. In Dave Doeren’s 13th season as head coach of NC State, the Wolfpack were picked to finish 10th.
The full 2025 ACC preseason poll for football is listed below.
2025 ACC football preseason poll
| Rank | Team (First place votes in parentheses) |
| 1. | Clemson (167) |
| 2. | Miami (7) |
| 3. | SMU (2) |
| 4. | Georgia Tech (2) |
| 5. | Louisville |
| 6. | Duke |
| 7. | Florida State (4) |
| 8. | North Carolina |
| 9. | Pitt |
| 10. | NC State |
| 11. | Virginia Tech (1) |
| 12. | Syracuse |
| 13. | Boston College |
| 14. | Virginia |
| 15. | California |
| 16. | Wake Forest |
| 17. | Stanford |