Power Rankings
Micah Ford, Stanford
10. Virginia Tech Hokies
The James Franklin era begins in Blacksburg at a key moment for the program. Once a perennial power in the Big East and ACC, the Hokies have not reached the ten-win plateau in a decade, since Justin Fuente’s first season in charge. Franklin has immediately brought energy, and the hope is that he will eventually bring wins.
Coming with Franklin was quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, who started seven games down the stretch for Penn State during the lost 2025 campaign. Grunkemeyer showed real promise, hitting 69% of his passes and nearly leading the Nittany Lions to a shocking upset of eventual National Champion Indiana.
There’s a lot to be excited about surrounding Grunkemeyer at the skill positions. Marcellous Hawkins is back at running back after rushing for 749 yards a year ago, while Ayden Greene leads the receiver corps. Tight end will also be a strength, as Benji Gosnell has multiple years of experience as a starter, and Luke Reynolds also arrives from Penn State.
The defense will be the question mark. In a fascinating move, Franklin brought back Brent Pry as defensive coordinator – after he was fired as Virginia Tech’s head man just a few months prior. As strange of a situation as it is, you can understand Franklin bringing back one of his longtime assistants, a coach who was one of the best defensive minds in the game before his unsuccessful tenure as head coach.
There are some solid pieces returning to this Hokie defense, and several former Penn Staters arrive. Between Aycen Stevens at defensive end and Kemari Copeland and Elhadj Fall, Virginia Tech will look to be more physical at the point of attack this fall.
Forcing more turnovers will be a priority, particularly on the back-end. The Hokies were -8 in turnover margin last season, which had them ranked 115th in the country. Safeties Tyson Flowers and Quentin Reddish, who is healthy again, could help tilt them into the positive side of things in 2026.
Bottom Line: Between the arrival of Franklin and Grunkemeyer, early success on the recruiting trail, and a significant NIL investment, Virginia Tech has become somewhat of an offseason darling. With how wide open the ACC is, many are expecting the Hokies to compete right away under the new regime. Yet, I'm not quite sold on the Hokies for 2026, for several reasons. For one, this team went just 3-9 last season - there is a long way to go for them to become a contender once again. The schedule is also tricky, as the Hokies play arguably the top three teams in the league (Miami, SMU, Clemson) all on the road, plus Virginia, Georgia Tech, and Pittsburgh at home. And for all his success, Franklin has typically needed a couple years to really get things rolling at his previous stops. 2026 should be all about laying the foundation for brighter days ahead, with a bowl game being both a reasonable and attainable goal.
11. Duke Blue Devils
Sure, Miami may have been the National Runner-Up, but it was none other than the Duke Blue Devils who finished as ACC Champions in 2025. Manny Diaz has done a superb job over two seasons in Durham, winning nine games each year, and winning both the league title and a bowl game.
There was real momentum for Duke heading into 2026, before Darian Mensah's decision to hit the transfer portal. Not only did the decision rob the Blue Devils of their starter, it was so late in the process, the staff had to scramble to find a suitable replacement. San Jose State transfer Walker Eget was the eventual answer.
Eget brings both experience to the table, and he threw for over 3,000 yards last season for the Spartans. However, he was limited by injury in the spring, injecting some further concern into the position. The expectation is that he'll be ready to go by the opener against Tulane, but redshirt freshman Dan Mahan is a name to watch as fall camp begins.
With Mensah gone, as well as top target Cooper Barkate, Duke is going to look to tailback Nate Sheppard to shoulder the offensive load. Sheppard went for 1,132 yards as a freshman last season, and punctuated it with a dominant showing in the Sun Bowl win. Another full offseason with the program, plus running behind a strong offensive line could earn him Doak Walker Award consideration.
Finding new weapons out wide will be a top priority for the Blue Devils. Tight end Jeremiah Hasley is a returnee who is going to play an outsized role, but it's likely transfers who will get the most attention. Jared Richardson, an FCS All-American at Penn, and Javen Nicholas from Charlotte are considered the top two options. Nicholas actually began his career as a preferred walk-on at LSU before showing out on a bad Charlotte team a year ago.
It was pretty surprising to see how much Duke struggled on defense last season. Diaz comes from a defensive background and made a name for himself as one of the most aggressive defensive minds in the game. That clearly didn't rub off on this 2025 team, as they surrendered 424.2 yards per game and were among the worst teams in the nation on pass defense.
There's reason to believe this group will take a step forward. The defensive line may actually be their greatest concern after significant turnover, but the back-seven shows real promise. At linebacker, Luke Mergott finished last season strong and seems to have a penchant for making plays, while Nick Morris is healthy again for his senior season.
The secondary simply can't be as bad in 2026 as it was last fall. Dashawn Stone is a great starting point as one of the best tackling defensive backs in the ACC, and there are familiar faces around him. Corners Kimari Robinson and Landan Callahan now have the experience they need to take a step forward.
Bottom Line: So much of Duke's success last season was built on their passing attack, so it can't be overstated how much of a loss Mensah and Barkate are. Sheppard does at least provide the offense the starting point they need, but there will be real pressure on Eget from Day One. Unfortunately, there's not a bunch of time for him to get his feet wet, as the Blue Devils open with Tulane and then go on the road to Illinois. Given the circumstances, a step back may be expected from Duke after the highs of 2025, but Diaz should still have this team battling hard into the postseason once more.
12. Florida State Seminoles
