2026 ACC Football Preseason Poll: Where NC State, Duke, UNC, Wake Forest Rank

Atlantic Coast Conference football media don’t have a very high view of North Carolina’s four league teams heading into the 2026 season.

The ACC released its 2026 preseason predicted order of finish this week following voting by 188 media members attending ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte. NC State was the highest-ranked in-state team at No. 7, followed by defending ACC champion Duke at No. 10, Wake Forest at No. 13 and North Carolina at No. 15. The ACC features 17 football-playing members.

Miami was voted the preseason favorite after receiving 165 first-place votes. SMU, Louisville, Clemson and Georgia Tech rounded out the top five.

2026 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)

First-place votes in parentheses

While the preseason rankings don’t paint an especially optimistic picture for the state’s ACC programs, last season served as another reminder that media polls don’t determine championships.

Duke was picked sixth last season and went on to win the ACC title, topping Virginia (voted 11th in the preseason) in the championship game.

Former Duke star earns preseason’s highest individual honor

One of the league’s biggest offseason storylines was reflected in the preseason awards.

Former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, who transferred to Miami after leading the Blue Devils to last season’s ACC championship, was voted the ACC Preseason Player of the Year.

Mensah received 97 votes after throwing for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns during his breakout 2025 season at Duke. He was also selected as the preseason first-team All-ACC quarterback.

Duke tight end Jeremiah Hasley voted All-ACC

North Carolina’s representation on the preseason All-ACC team also was thin. Only one player from our state was voted to the list: Duke tight end Jeremiah Hasley.

The 6-3, 250-pound graduate student earned honorable mention All-ACC a season ago. Over 32 games with the Blue Devils, Hasley has recorded 48 catches for 517 yards and eight touchdowns. He needs four more TD catches to reach the Duke record for receptions by a tight end.

NC State’s C.J. Bailey receives player of the year votes

NC State quarterback C.J. Bailey was among the players receiving votes for ACC Preseason Player of the Year.

Bailey finished fourth in the voting with 15 votes, trailing only Mensah, SMU quarterback Kevin Jennings and Louisville running back Isaac Brown. Bailey is entering his third season as the Wolfpack starter.

Quick hits

• Miami led all schools with nine preseason All-ACC selections.
• Clemson and Virginia each placed four players on the preseason first team.
• The ACC begins a nine-game conference schedule this season for most teams.
• The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game is scheduled for Dec. 5 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The Final Word

The preseason poll suggests ACC observers believe North Carolina’s football programs mostly face an uphill climb in 2026. But if last season proved anything, it’s that August predictions don’t always hold up once games begin. Wake Forest won nine games after being predicted near the bottom. Duke went from preseason question marks to conference champion.

While North Carolina teams must once again prove themselves in the eyes of those who cover them for a living, NC State does enter this season with one of the league’s most respected quarterbacks in C.J. Bailey.

Whether in-state teams can outperform expectations will be one of the state’s biggest storylines this fall.

‘Big Four’ and More:

We recently published in-depth season previews for all seven of our state’s FBS football teams, including our four ACC teams. Click a link to read more:

App State | Charlotte | Duke | East Carolina
NC State | UNC | Wake Forest

2026 Preseason All-ACC Team

Offense
QB: Darian Mensah, Miami (112) *
RB: Mark Fletcher, Jr., Miami (127)
RB: Isaac Brown, Louisville (94)
WR: Malachi Toney, Miami (164)
WR: Duce Robinson, Florida State (131)
WR: Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson (64)
TE: Jeremiah Hasley, Duke (61)
AP: Malachi Toney, Miami (94)
OT: PJ Williams, SMU (96)
OT: McKale Boley, Virginia (77)
OG: Noah Josey, Virginia (71)
OG: Samson Okunlola, Miami (53)
C: Josh Bates, SMU (64)

Defense
DE: Will Heldt, Clemson (87)
DE: Clev Lubin, Louisville (79)
DT: Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami (126)
DT: Kemari Copeland, Virginia Tech (89)
LB: Sammy Brown, Clemson (139)
LB: Kam Robinson, Virginia (98)
LB: Mohamed Toure, Miami (64)
CB: Ashton Hampton, Clemson (81)
CB: Chris Peal, Syracuse (45)
S: Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami (86)
S: KP Price, Boston College (45)

Specialists
PK: Aidan Birr, Georgia Tech (105)
P: Daniel Sparks, Virginia (48)
SP: Malachi Toney, Miami (104)

Votes by position in parentheses
*Preseason Player of the Year
188 media voters

2026 ACC Football Preseason Player of the Year

Rank, Name, Position, School
1. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami (97)
2. Kevin Jennings, QB, SMU (25)
3. Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville (16)
4. CJ Bailey, QB, NC State (15)
5. Duce Robinson, WR, Florida State (12)
6. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson (11)
7. Kam Robinson, LB, Virginia (5)
8. Will Heldt, DE, Clemson (4)
9. Mason Heintschel, QB, Pitt (3)
 
Votes in parentheses
188 media voters