Miami Hurricanes Eye ACC Championship After Strong 2025 Season

The Miami Hurricanes are gearing up for the 2026 college football season with high hopes of capturing their first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. After a remarkable run to the National Championship in 2025, the Hurricanes are now viewed as the frontrunners in the ACC. This season will see a revamped conference schedule, with most teams shifting to a nine-game format, making the path to the championship even more critical. The Hurricanes have only made one appearance in the ACC Championship game since joining the conference in 2004, losing to Clemson in 2017. As Miami prepares for the upcoming season, this article examines how their ACC opponents are ranked in various preseason magazines, including Lindy's, Athlon, and Sporting News. Miami's first opponent, Stanford, is projected to struggle, ranked last in the ACC by both Athlon and Lindy's. Following that, Wake Forest, coming off a surprising 2025 season, is expected to perform better but still ranks in the lower half of the conference. Understanding these rankings will help Miami Hurricanes fans gauge the competition as the team aims for a successful 2026 campaign.