ACC Week 1 Power Rankings: Where do things stand before the season opens for Syracuse?

The college football season is finally here!. We saw one Atlantic Coast Conference team (Stanford) in action during Week 0, and we’ll see the other 16 in action this weekend, including some can’t-miss primetime games. Admittedly, it’s a fool’s errand to judge teams too much before they’ve played a game. Nevertheless, Inside the Loud House needs a starting point for our weekly ACC power rankings. Here is how we view things in the ACC heading into the first week of the season.

1. Clemson

Cade Klubnik is back, giving the Tigers one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the country and a Heisman Trophy contender. The Clemson defense could also be one of the best Dabo Swinney has had in a few years. Heading into the season, Clemson is the ACC’s best chance to compete for a national title. The Tigers will host LSU in primetime on Saturday night, so we’ll know right away how good they are. Clemson can also make an early statement on behalf of the ACC.

2. Miami

Getting Carson Beck to replace Cam Ward should help Miami replicate last year’s success and perhaps take another step forward. The Hurricanes also have a strong offensive line that should make things easy for Beck. Of course, Mario Cristobal needs to hope that all of the transfers he brought in on the defensive side of the ball pan out. Otherwise, Miami could come up short on its championship aspirations. Similar to Clemson, we’ll learn a lot about the Hurricanes right away, as they host Notre Dame on Sunday night in another top-10 showdown this weekend featuring an ACC team.

3. Georgia Tech

If Haynes King can stay healthy, the Yellow Jackets are a legitimate sleeper to make the College Football Playoff. Whether the Georgia Tech defense can reach a championship level is another question. But King is good enough to make the Yellow Jackets a contender in the ACC. They open the season as road favorites against Colorado Friday night, providing an early litmus test.

4. SMU

A weak schedule helped put SMU in the College Football Playoff last season, with that blowout loss to Penn State making some question how good the Mustangs were. However, SMU also played tight with Clemson in the ACC Championship Game. With Kevin Jennings back, the Mustangs should have a potent offense. But with just two starters back on defense, a drop-off on that side of the ball and a tougher schedule could mean a step back. The Mustangs open with a warmup against East Texas A&M before hosting Baylor next week.

5. Louisville

The ceiling is high for the Cardinals, with USC transfer Miller Moss at quarterback and a strong contingent of playmakers around him. However, there are questions on defense, as Louisville will rely heavily on transfers. If that unit doesn’t gel, the Cards will have a tough time breaking into the top tier of the ACC. Luckily for Jeff Brohm, Louisville has three winnable non-conference games before its first true test at Pitt in late September.

6. Duke

Unless Tulane transfer Darian Mensah has a true breakout season, the Blue Devils are probably a level below the ACC’s best teams. But with a strong defense and an experienced offensive line, the supporting cast around Mensah is a good one. They figure to be a tough out in the ACC. The Blue Devils will entertain Elon this week before getting a true test against No. 12 Illinois the following week. That could be a chance for Manny Diaz to give the Blue Devils and the ACC a statement win.

7. Syracuse

Of course, replicating last year’s 10 victories will be difficult with a new quarterback, a new-look offensive line, and several key departures on defense. However, Notre Dame transfer Steve Angeli offers plenty of promise at quarterback, as does the supporting cast around him. After overcoming multiple deficits last season, including the Orange’s upset of Miami, there’s no denying that Fran Brown’s team has fight, which should be enough to put Syracuse in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Syracuse will get tested right away as a two-touchdown underdog against Tennessee, which should tell us more about where the Orange fit in the ACC hierarchy.

8. Pittsburgh

It was shocking to see Pitt finish last season with six straight losses. It’d be even more shocking to see those struggles carry over into 2025. Pat Narduzzi’s team will have its patented toughness and should be solid on defense. If Eli Holstein can stay healthy and take some steps forward, the Panthers will go back to being a team that nobody likes to play. If nothing else, Pitt should be able to win a pair of easy non-conference games early in the season before visiting West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.

9. Virginia Tech

It was a joke or clerical error that somebody gave Virginia Tech a first-place vote in the ACC preseason poll, right? To be fair, injuries held back the Hokies in 2024, especially with quarterback Kyron Drones missing time. A healthy Drones and a huge collection of transfers, especially on defense, give Virginia Tech room for growth in 2025. But questions still linger about the Hokies, especially with a season opener against South Carolina, which is coached by the son of legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer.

10. Florida State

How is anyone supposed to make sense of Florida State heading into the season? The Seminoles were an abysmal 2-10 last season. Even if Thomas Castellanos is an ideal fit for the system of new offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, is the guy who got benched at Boston College last season really going to turn the program around? Former Syracuse defensive coordinator Tony White is also tasked with improving things on that side of the ball. While the talent is undeniable at certain positions, it’s hard to buy FSU stock. If nothing else, we should learn more about the Seminoles when they host Alabama on Saturday.

11. NC State

Most of NC State’s success in 2025 is likely tied to the development of quarterback CJ Bailey. But the sophomore is still young and could have some growing pains. There are also huge questions about the NC State defense that need to be answered. While favored by two touchdowns, the Wolfpack opens 2025 against the same East Carolina team that beat them in the Military Bowl to end the 2024 campaign.

12. Virginia

The Cavs could be one of the ACC’s most-improved teams this season. They have a nice mix of returning players and transfers, including quarterback Chandler Morris, who has a proven track record at North Texas and TCU. Despite a frustrating 5-7 season in 2024, Tony Elliott has things moving in the right direction. The Cavs should be able to handle Coastal Carolina this week before an intriguing road trip to NC State.

13. North Carolina

Bill Belichick being a great NFL coach doesn’t mean he’ll be a success in college. His roster is composed of over 40 transfers, and his quarterback went 6-5 as the starter at South Alabama last season. It seems fair to be skeptical that Belichick can adjust to the college game and hit the ground running. The Tar Heels open as home underdogs against TCU on Monday, so we won’t have to wait long to start forming an opinion about UNC’s Belichick experiment.

14. Boston College

Bill O’Brien deserves a ton of credit for last year’s 7-6 record at BC. But the Eagles had to replace key starters on the offensive line and have lingering questions on defense. They are also breaking in a new quarterback with Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan winning the job. Lonergan certainly has the talent to make waves, but with a lack of experience and a questionable supporting cast, the Eagles have a lot to prove. They get a layup against Fordham this week before a big test at Michigan State the following week.

15. California

Not only did Cal lose a lot of close games last season, but it also lost both coordinators and a ton of transfers during the offseason. Starting quarterback Fernando Mendoza was the biggest loss, putting the Bears in a tough spot heading into 2025. There are a lot of new faces, so there could be some growing pains. However, a road win against Oregon State in the season opener could signal some hope for Cal this season.

16. Wake Forest

Dave Clawson stepped down as head coach following back-to-back 4-8 seasons. He did a tremendous job during his tenure, although that doesn’t make the task for new head coach Jake Dickert any easier. There are big questions on both sides of the ball, so it could be a couple of years until the Demon Deacons are ready to break into the middle of the pack in the ACC. The silver lining is that Wake should be able to handle Kennesaw State and Western Carolina early in the season before starting ACC play.

17. Stanford

It’s a bad omen for the Cardinal after losing to Hawaii in their season opener. An egregious interception and just 109 passing yards on 30 attempts by quarterback Ben Gulbranson doomed Stanford in a game they were actually set up to win with a fourth-quarter lead. After going 2-6 in the ACC last season, albeit with impressive wins over Syracuse and Louisville, things could get worse for the Cardinal in 2025.