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UVA Football: Way Too Early 2025 ACC Football Power Rankings

Aidan Baller

Aaron Snyder
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It may be February, but it's never too early to begin speculating and projecting the ACC standings for 2025. With that said, here is our way-too-early power rankings for the 2025 ACC Football Season:

No. 1 Clemson 

The reigning conference champions return their star quarterback in Cade Klubnik and his top three wideouts. Dabo Swinney and Co. should leave right where they left off against Texas, where the Tigers showed promise against one of the nation's top defenses in the second half. Clemson also returns a good contingent of its defense in 2025 as the Tigers will look to once again dominate the ACC.

No. 2 Louisville

The Cardinals acquired one of the biggest targets in the transfer portal this season in Miller Moss, who heads to Louisville after three seasons at USC under Lincoln Riley. Louisville also bulks up its defensive line with a few transfer additions and acquired wideouts, such as Bobby Golden and TJ Williams, to fill the void left by star wide receiver Ja'Corey Brooks. Star running back Isaac Brown also returns after posting a 1000-yard freshman season on the ground. The Cardinals were within a touchdown of beating Notre Dame, Miami, and SMU while beating the eventual ACC Champion Clemson in Death Valley, so expect the Cardinals to continue to improve in 2025. 

No. 3 Miami 

After a disappointing end of the season, Mario Cristobal reloaded his offense with arguably the best player in the portal, Georgia quarterback Carson Beck. The Hurricanes added a couple of other high-profile playmakers from the portal and currently have the fourth-best incoming transfer class in the country according to On3. Still, questions surrounding their defense will continually inject doubt into how successful this team can be. 

No. 4 SMU

The Ponies suffered a brutal loss against Penn State in the opening round of the College Football Playoff. They will have a much more challenging road in 2025 to return to the CFP as SMU plays Clemson, Louisville, Miami, and Baylor in the regular season. Kevin Jennings returns, but the Mustangs lose star running back Brashard Smith and wide receiver Key'Shawn Smith. Adding three offensive linemen and six defensive linemen to the portal will help SMU dominate more in the trenches, but the road will undoubtedly be more arduous in 2025. 

No. 5 Georgia Tech 

The Yellow Jackets nearly pulled off one of the greatest upsets of the 2024 season but fell short to the Georgia Bulldogs 44-42 in eight overtimes. The two games Haynes King missed, Georgia Tech lost, and his return this Fall turns the Yellow Jackets into an instant contender in 2025. The addition of wide receiver Eric Rivers will further bolster this dual-threat offense

No. 6 North Carolina 

Chapel Bill, the Tar Heels now have one the greatest coaches ever. Now, the question is, how far can they go? Honestly, UNC in 2025 reminds me of Deion Sanders's first season in Boulder. Like the Buffaloes in 2023, North Carolina opens up its season against TCU, followed by a few tuneup games before facing a top-ten opponent in Clemson. Still, instead of a long road after, the Tar Heels schedule is easy the rest of the way out, with the next toughest opponent being Duke. North Carolina did well in the portal, and with Max Johnson leading this team, the Tar Heels have the potential to produce something special. 

No. 7 Virginia Tech 

The Hokies were considered dark horse CFP contenders in 2024 but fell miles short of expectations, finishing with a 6-6 regular season record before getting crushed by the Minnesota Gophers in the Duke's Mayo Bowl. Kyron Drones, who missed time at the end of the campaign, is set to return alongside 19 transfers, including four-star running back Terion Stewart, to lead a backfield by committee as the Hokies added four total running backs and three linemen in the portal. When people truly underestimate Virginia Tech, it is usually when the team from Blacksburg is at its best. 

No. 8 Duke

The Blue Devils flaunted their NIL budget by signing quarterback Darian Mensah from Tulane to a two-year eight million dollar deal according to John Talty and Chris Hummer of CBS Sports. After a 9-4 season in 2024, the Blue Devils will look to improve despite challenging early games against Illinois, Tulane, Georgia Tech, and Clemson. 

No. 9  Florida State

The Seminoles dropped the ball in 2024, going from first to worst. Despite the difficult season, Mike Norvell has picked up a couple of decent transfers, including quarterback Thomas Castellanos from Boston College, wide receiver Squirrel White from Tennessee, and USC wide receiver Duce Robinson. The Seminoles will be much improved in 2025 but will be a year or two from competing for an ACC title. Opening up the season against Alabama will not be pleasant. 

No. 10 Virginia 

The Cavaliers have gone to work to patch their holes headed into 2025 and have done just that with an improvement at quarterback with Chandler Morris, massive offensive and defensive line additions coupled with the returns of running back Xavier Brown and safety Antonio Clary, who will star on their respective sides of the ball. This Virginia team has the potential to win a lot of games this fall based on their schedule; the question is, can they come together and execute? 

No. 11 Syracuse 

Losing Kyle McCord is a massive loss for a Syracuse team that shocked many in 2024, capping the season with four straight wins, including a huge upset victory over Miami and a Holiday Bowl win over Washington State. Former four-star LSU quarterback Rickie Collins will lead the charge in 2025. The Orange only picked up six players in the portal, and the loss of running back LeQuint Allen will be felt on the offensive side of the ball.

No. 12 Pittsburgh 

The injury of Eli Holstein towards the end of the year and the Panthers losing their last six games left a bad taste in people's mouths after such a strong start. In the portal, Pat Narduzzi bulked up his defense with additions such as Ohio State safety Jayden Bonsu and Oregon linebacker Jaeden Moore, giving this team the potential to prove that their start in 2024 wasn't a fluke. 

No. 13 Boston College 

With the departure of Thomas Castellanos, Alabama's Dylan Lonergan steps into the fold as the quarterback of Bill O'Brien's offense. The Eagles return their top two wide receivers and add tight end Ty Lockwood from Alabama. The Eagles finished fifth last season in the ACC in scoring defense, although the loss of Donovan Ezeiruaku, who heads to the NFL, will hurt; he finished with 16.5 sacks in 2024. 

No. 14 Wake Forest 

Jake Dickert assumes the head coach role as the former Washington State man will try to bring the Demon Deacons back to their first conference title game since 2021. Dickert brings in many of his players from Washington State and adds quarterback Robby Ashford from South Carolina, but whether Wake Forest can put the pieces together remains to be seen. 

No. 15 California

The departure of star quarterback Fernando Mendoza is a major gut punch that had the opportunity to turn the corner heading into 2025. Transfer Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a four-star transfer from Oregon, will lead this team forward this fall, although he leads a roster that isn't as strong as other ACC competitors. 

No. 16 NC State 

CJ Bailey heads into 2025 as the Wolfpack's starting quarterback after posting a 5-7 record in 2024. NC State added ten transfers but doesn't have the roster to make a push this fall. 

No. 17 Stanford 

The Cardinal earned two wins in the ACC in 2025 over Syracuse and Louisville. Former four-star recruit Elijah Brown is in line to start at quarterback, but the surrounding pieces on the Stanford roster are not a sustainable team to make a push towards the top half of the ACC.

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Aidan Baller
AIDAN BALLER

Aidan has been writing for Virginia Cavaliers On SI since January of 2023 and covers UVA football, basketball, men's soccer, and men's lacrosse. He is from New York and is currently in his fourth year at the University of Virginia, enrolled in the M.S. in Accounting program.