CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Defending ACC Champion Clemson has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference football title, following a vote of more than 180 media members credentialed for last week’s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Tigers are coming off a strong 2024 campaign in which they posted a 10–4 overall record, went 7–1 in conference play, and captured the ACC Championship title. Clemson also made its seventh College Football Playoff appearance and finished the season ranked No. 11 in the final AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 14 in the AP Poll.
In the media voting, Clemson was picked to repeat as ACC Champion on 167 ballots.
Miami received seven first-place votes, followed by Florida State with four, while SMU and Georgia Tech each garnered two. Virginia Tech received one first-place vote.
Clemson led all teams with 3,083 points, while Miami (2,679) and SMU (2,612) were second and third, respectively. Georgia Tech (2,397) was picked fourth, while Louisville (2,370) came in fifth.
Duke (1,973) was picked to finish sixth in the preseason predictions, ahead of Florida State (1,920) in seventh, North Carolina (1,611) in eighth, Pitt (1,571) in ninth, NC State (1,505) in 10th, Virginia Tech (1,412) in 11th and Syracuse (1,381) in 12th.
Rounding out the preseason poll were Boston College (953) in 13th, Virginia (871) in 14th, California (659) in 15th, Wake Forest (576) in 16th and Stanford (426) in 17th.
The 2025 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off in primetime at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, December 6, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Tickets and premium seating options are on sale now through both Ticketmaster and theACC.com.
2025 ACC Preseason Media Poll
| Rank | Team | 1st Place Votes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clemson | 167 | 3,083 |
| 2 | Miami | 7 | 2,679 |
| 3 | SMU | 2 | 2,612 |
| 4 | Georgia Tech | 2 | 2,397 |
| 5 | Louisville | – | 2,370 |
| 6 | Duke | – | 1,973 |
| 7 | Florida State | 4 | 1,920 |
| 8 | North Carolina | – | 1,611 |
| 9 | Pitt | – | 1,571 |
| 10 | NC State | – | 1,505 |
| 11 | Virginia Tech | 1 | 1,412 |
| 12 | Syracuse | – | 1,381 |
| 13 | Boston College | – | 953 |
| 14 | Virginia | – | 871 |
| 15 | California | – | 659 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | – | 576 |
| 17 | Stanford | – | 426 |
183 media voters participated.
