RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 2 sourcesNorth Carolina was picked 15th in the preseason Atlantic Coast Conference media poll, based on votes from 188 media members who attended the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, N.C., earlier this month.
That’s a far cry from last season, when the Tar Heels were predicted to finish eighth in the conference and instead went 4-8 in Bill Belichick’s first season at the helm.
UNC’s biggest problem was offense: the Tar Heels ranked outside the top 100 in six offensive categories in 2025, including scoring offense (19.3 ppg, 118th). That led Belichick to hire Bobby Petrino to replace Freddie Kitchens as offensive coordinator.
Miami, which was defeated by Indiana in the national championship game in January, was tabbed as the favorite to win the ACC. SMU, Louisville, Clemson and Georgia Tech came next, with Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Duke completing the top 10.
UNC opens against TCU in Ireland on Saturday, Aug. 29. The 2026 ACC Football Championship Game is scheduled for noon on Saturday, Dec. 5, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte (ABC).
2026 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)
Rank Team – Points
Miami (165) – 3159
SMU (6) – 2794
Louisville (4) – 2569
Clemson (7) – 2520
Georgia Tech (2) – 2006
Virginia – 1981
NC State – 1964
Virginia Tech – 1962
Pitt – 1740
Duke – 1452
Florida State (3) – 1439
California – 1392
Wake Forest – 1103
Syracuse – 878
North Carolina – 831
Boston College – 491
Stanford (1) – 483
First-place votes in parentheses ( 188 media voters )
This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: Where UNC football is projected to finish in ACC by the media
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