Two weeks into the 2026 season, Miami has already separated itself from the pack in the ACC.
The Hurricanes have looked like the preseason favorite, and they’ve backed it up with results. They opened conference play with a win over Stanford in Week 1, then followed it by torching FAMU in Week 2 in a performance that kept piling up numbers. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney have both come out blazing and are sitting near the top of the early Heisman conversation.
That FAMU game was a showcase in every sense. Miami rolled up a program-record 856 total yards, set an ACC mark with 42 first downs, and matched the school record with 77 points.
Mensah has been nearly flawless so far, going 41-of-45 for 653 yards and eight touchdowns through two games. Toney has already produced 330 receiving yards, and the defense has given up just 13 points total.
The Hurricanes moved from No. 7 to No. 5 in the AP Top 25, but they’re not the only ACC team drawing notice.
SMU is right behind them at No. 16 after knocking off Florida State in Week 1 and then cruising past UC Davis, 56-10. Kevin Jennings has been effective, Rhett Lashlee’s group keeps creating problems for opponents, and the Mustangs look like the clearest challenger if Miami ever stumbles. Their matchup with Louisville this weekend could shake up the conference picture in a hurry.
Louisville sits at No. 23 after bouncing back from an opener against Ole Miss with a 59-13 win over Villanova. The Cardinals are 1-1, but there’s still plenty of respect around Jeff Brohm’s team. They gave Ole Miss a real fight to open the year, and their talent makes them dangerous against just about anybody.
Virginia rounds out the ACC teams in the AP poll at No. 25 after hammering Norfolk State, 59-3. The Cavaliers are 2-0 and already own a big conference win over NC State, 34-8. Beau Pribula’s quick start has helped fuel that rise.
Wake Forest has also flashed some real bite. The Demon Deacons went into Purdue and came out with a 38-36 double-overtime win, a result that deserves more attention than it’s getting. They’ve got a strong receiver duo, and transfer quarterback Gio Lopez has been steady.
Virginia Tech has made an early impression under James Franklin. The Hokies are 2-0 after wins over VMI and Rhode Island, and while they’re not ranked, they are getting votes. Pittsburgh is in that same “others receiving votes” group after edging UCF, 12-7, and the Panthers have enough to make this conference race interesting.
North Carolina is also 2-0 and looks noticeably better than it did at the start of the year. A win over Clemson this weekend would push the Tar Heels into that next tier.
California, meanwhile, has become a team to keep an eye on after beating Syracuse. Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele gives the Golden Bears a level of danger that makes them tougher to dismiss.
Duke is 2-0 as well, though there’s still work to do. Manny Diaz’s team opened with a 17-3 win over Tulane and then beat Illinois, 31-27. The Blue Devils begin ACC play this weekend against Stanford.
At the other end of the conversation, Clemson leads the pretender group. The Tigers were beaten badly by LSU to start the season and then barely escaped Georgia Southern at home. Their starting quarterback is injured and won’t play in Week 3 against North Carolina, which turns that game into a major one for both teams.
Florida State has not looked right either. The Seminoles lost to SMU by three points in Week 1, but the performance wasn’t convincing, and their Week 0 win over New Mexico State didn’t help the optics much. They head to Tuscaloosa this weekend to face Alabama.
Georgia Tech has had a rough opening stretch, dropping a close one to Colorado and then getting blown out at home by Tennessee. Alberto Mendoza has been inconsistent at quarterback, but the Yellow Jackets still have a path, especially with only one ranked conference opponent on the schedule: Louisville. They avoid Miami, SMU, and Virginia.
NC State is already playing from behind after falling to Virginia, 34-8, in its opener. The Wolfpack responded by crushing Richmond, 73-0, and now go to Vanderbilt this weekend trying to get things moving in the right direction.
Boston College picked up a 28-21 win over Rutgers in the “Red Bandana” game after losing at Cincinnati to start the year. The Eagles still don’t look ready to push into the upper part of the league, but they’re the closest of the lower-tier teams to making that jump.
Stanford remains in rebuild mode under the supervision of GM Andrew Luck. The Cardinal is better than last year, but still working through that rebuilding phase, and they could make life difficult for some ACC opponents as they continue to improve.
Syracuse has not looked sharp against Cal, and Fran Brown Jr. needs to get things turned around quickly. He’s been there since 2023, but right now the Orange do not appear likely to be competitive in the ACC this season.
For now, Miami is the clear class of the conference. The Hurricanes have done what a favorite is supposed to do in September, and the biggest challenge in ACC play may end up being themselves.
In Other News...
Miami's Next ACC Test Comes With A Wake Forest Threat
Miami heads to Winston-Salem on Saturday night for its next ACC test, a trip that brings a 2-0 start into a tougher road setting against another unbeaten team. The Hurricanes are coming off their win over Florida A&M, and the matchup will kick at 7:30 p.m. EST on ESPN, with Wake Forest waiting after a double-overtime victory over Purdue gave the Demon Deacons some early momentum of their own.
For Miami, the attention now shifts to a Wake Forest offense that has found production quickly through its first two games and has shown it can stress a defense in more than one way. The road environment, the conference stakes and the fact that both teams enter without a loss make this one feel like an early barometer for how Miami handles the first real stretch of its season. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Still Chasing The Kind Of Win That Changes Everything
Miami has spent enough time around the top of the sport to know how quickly one big result can change the way a season feels. Texas comeback win over No. 1 Ohio State early in the 2026 college football season was the latest reminder that statement victories still matter, especially when they come against the team sitting at the top of the poll. For programs chasing bigger goals, those are the wins that can alter playoff conversations, conference positioning and the tone around a locker room in a hurry.
The Hurricanes have their own long memory for what happens when a season turns on one signature moment, and the broader history around college football is full of examples of teams using a win over the No. 1 team as a springboard. Ohio State has even turned that kind of defeat into a path toward national championships in the past, which only adds to the value of landing one of those games in the first place. For Miami, the lesson is obvious: the next climb is not just about being good, but about finding the kind of win that makes everyone else take notice. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Heads Into A Brutal Rivalry Test With Stakes Suddenly Rising
The old Miami-Notre Dame rivalry still has a way of finding fresh edges, and this week is no exception. With the Hurricanes heading into a nationally televised matchup on NBC and Peacock, the atmosphere has already started to harden on the Notre Dame side, where fans have begun signaling plenty of hostility before kickoff. For Miami, it is the kind of stage that brings history, noise and expectations all at once, especially with the Irish crowd set to make the trip feel bigger than a standard early-season road game.
For the Hurricanes, the challenge is not just the setting but how to handle it. Miami is dealing with key absences and uneven recent performances, which puts even more on quarterback Mensah as he tries to navigate a difficult environment and keep the offense steady. Rivalry games often reward the team that stays composed longest, and this one carries enough baggage already that every possession figures to matter long before anyone worries about the final score. [Read more 🡒]