For a few seconds, it looked as if Miami, the prohibitive favorite to win the ACC, would drop its first game of the season. Archrival Florida State had the Hurricanes on the ropes, but after two overtimes, Mario Cristobal’s team walked away with a victory.
Meanwhile, Wake Forest continues to show why it should be discussed in College Football Playoff talks, improving to 6-1 with its only loss coming to Miami. Unlike the Demon Deacons, Duke’s hope for a repeat conference title took a massive hit Saturday with a loss to rival North Carolina.
Here is our latest ACC Power Rankings heading into Week 8 of the 2026 season.
1. Miami (6-0, 4-0 ACC)
The Hurricanes survived Florida State's upset bid in what should be a wake-up call for Mario Cristobal’s squad, especially after so
many ranked teams fell last weekend.
2. Wake Forest (6-1, 4-1)
The good news is that Jake Dickert is winning big in Winston-Salem. The bad news is that bigger programs now have their eyes on the 43-year-old coach.
3. SMU (5-1, 3-1)
The Mustangs keep winning, but not particularly impressively. Still, they are 5-1 with the only loss coming to Louisville.
4. North Carolina (4-2, 2-1)
A month ago, the Bill Belichick era looked headed toward a disaster. Now, the Tar Heels are playing good football.
5. Clemson (4-2, 2-1)
It feels like the Tigers have lost more than two games, but Dabo and company still find themselves right in the ACC title race, with a favorable schedule in the second half of the season.
6. Louisville (4-3, 3-2)
The close loss to Wake Forest keeps looking better and better, but there is no excuse for losing to NC State.
7. Virginia (4-3, 2-2)
This season hasn’t gone the way Tony Elliott expected.
8. Duke (4-2, 1-2)
Back-to-back losses put a damper on Duke’s repeat bid. The Blue Devils’ secondary remains a problem.
9. Pittsburgh (5-2, 2-2)
The Panthers have No. 1 Miami after two straight losses. That isn’t a good setup for a rebound for Pat Narduzzi’s squad.
10. Virginia Tech (5-2, 2-2)
Give credit to the Hokies for doing something Duke couldn’t: beat Georgia Tech.
11. California (3-4, 2-2)
The Golden Bears were the latest victim of the Wake Forest train.
12. Boston College (3-3, 1-2)
Bill O’Brien’s squad got a big win over Pittsburgh, but the Panthers are without their talented quarterback.
13. NC State (3-3, 1-2)
C.J. Bailey has been impressive, except for the end of the Vanderbilt game, but he does need some help.
14. Florida State (3-4, 1-3)
The Seminoles had chances to pull off the upset against Miami, but it wasn’t to be. That might have been the final straw for Mike Norvell.
15. Georgia Tech (2-4, 1-2)
After upsetting Duke, the Yellow Jackets returned to their norm and lost to Virginia Tech.
16. Stanford (3-4, 1-3)
The Cardinal took out two weeks of beatings by Wake Forest and Notre Dame on poor Elon this past Saturday.
17. Syracuse (2-4, 0-4)
A matchup against Boston College looks like the Orange's only winnable game for the rest of the season.
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This article originally appeared on Duke Wire: ACC Football Power Rankings after Week 7: Two clear teams on top
