The ACC media sees Miami sitting on top of the league heading into the 2026 football season, and the gap was wide.
The Hurricanes pulled in 88 percent of the first-place votes from the 188 preseason ACC media voters, making them the clear favorite in the conference race. SMU landed second on the ballot, with Louisville right behind it. Clemson came in fourth, even though the Tigers own the most ACC football championships with 22.
That preseason pecking order comes with a few notable twists. Florida State, which has won 16 ACC championships, checked in 11th despite collecting three first-place votes. And the top three teams on the prediction list - Miami, SMU and Louisville - have never won the ACC.
For Miami, the recognition is familiar, but the history is not. Since joining the ACC in 2004, the Hurricanes have never won the league in football.
They have reached the ACC Championship Game only once, in 2017, when Clemson beat them 38-3. Miami has been picked to win the ACC in the preseason just once before, in 2006, and the Hurricanes finished 7-6 that season.
The media’s confidence also lines up with the betting market. FanDuel Sportsbook lists Miami at -145 to win the ACC, while Louisville and SMU are both at +750.
There is a path here, too. Based on the preseason order of finish, six of Miami’s nine ACC regular-season opponents were projected to land 10th or worse in the conference.
The hype around Miami goes beyond the league race. The Hurricanes are also being viewed as one of the best teams in the country entering 2026, and the roster explains why. Offensively, UM could have one of the most productive groups in the nation, with what the source describes as the best combination of quarterback, running back and top pair of receivers in the country.
Quarterback Darian Mensah transfers in from Duke after throwing for nearly 4,000 yards. He will be throwing to Malachi Toney and fellow Duke transfer Cooper Barkate, who each had over 1,000 yards in 2025. Mark Fletcher is back at running back after a 1,000-yard season.
On defense, Miami added pass-rush help from Missouri with Damon Wilson, who posted nine sacks and over 50 pressures in 2025. Defensive tackle Ahmad Moten is back after a breakout year that included nine tackles for loss and 27 pressures. The Hurricanes are also counting on former five-star recruits Marquise Lightfoot, Justin Scott and Armondo Blount to take another step in year three, while veteran linebacker Mo Toure leads that group in his eighth year at the college level.
The secondary brings back plenty as well. Miami returns its top four corners from 2025 - OJ Frederique, Xavier Lucas, Ethan O'Connor and Damari Brown - along with safeties Bryce Fitzgerald and Zechariah Poyser. The Hurricanes also added versatile defensive back Omar Thornton.
Another reason Miami is drawing so much attention: both coordinators are back. Shannon Dawson returns to run the offense, and Corey Hetherman is back in charge of the defense.
That continuity matters because Miami has to replace a lot of talent from the 2025 team that made a run to the National Championship game. Even so, the ACC media clearly believes the Hurricanes have enough to finally win the conference for the first time in program history.
The full preseason ACC media order of finish was: Miami, SMU, Louisville, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Virginia, NC State, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke, Florida State, California, Wake Forest, Syracuse, North Carolina, Boston College and Stanford. First-place votes are listed in parentheses, and the 188 voters produced the final point totals that put Miami well ahead of the field.
In Other News...
Miami Is Suddenly Closing In On A Defining Local Recruiting Moment
Amir Sears move up a class has turned a familiar local recruiting battle into something much bigger for Miami. The Columbus High School standout, long viewed as the top athlete in the 2028 class, is now set to enter the 2027 cycle, and that shift immediately puts him on the same timeline as the Hurricanes next major recruiting push. For a program trying to stack elite talent close to home, it is the kind of development that can change the shape of a class in a hurry.
Sears has been heavily recruited by Miami and several other top programs, but the local angle gives the Hurricanes a real chance to make this feel like more than just another national chase. Columbus sits in Miami, and the relationship between the school and the program only adds to the intrigue as the calendar moves toward his decision. If the Hurricanes can keep momentum here, it would be another major addition to a 2027 class that is already drawing attention. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Recruiting Buzz Hints At Another Massive Cristobal Class Moment
Mario Cristobal has spent the early stretch of the cycle building Miamis next wave on more than one front, and the 2027 and 2028 boards are already starting to look like the kind of classes that can change the conversation around the program. The Hurricanes already hold commitments from offensive lineman Kweli Fielder and quarterback Knox Annis, and they are still pushing hard on a group that includes elite edge rusher Asher Ghioto and running back Xander Edwards while welcoming a steady stream of high-end visitors to campus.
Amir Sears is the name that has the recruiting buzz humming right now, especially after his move into the 2027 class gave Miami another chance to strike early with a premium athlete. The Hurricanes are also lining up fall visits from out-of-state talent such as edge rusher Kameron McGee and cornerback Jordan Hicks, which only adds to the sense that Cristobals staff is trying to stack one big class moment on top of another before the season even settles in. [Read more 🡒]
Ahmad Moten Is Back To Finish What Miami Started
Ahmad Moten Sr. gives Miami something every contender wants and few actually keep: a proven interior force who already knows the standard in Coral Gables. The defensive tackle is back for another season, a move that instantly steadies a front seven that will have to absorb some turnover while the Hurricanes try to carry over the edge they showed on defense last year. Personnel staffers around the sport have taken notice, too, with Moten landing among the top returning defensive players in college football.
For Miami, his return matters because the Hurricanes are not rebuilding so much as reloading around a defense that finished near the top nationally and now has to blend in new pieces from the transfer portal. Motens presence helps anchor that transition, especially with the line losing key pass rushers and the pressure on the unit to stay disruptive from the middle out. The bigger question is how high Miami can climb if one of its most trusted defenders is back in place and the rest of the front keeps pace. [Read more 🡒]