CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Defending ACC Champion Clemson has been chosen because the preseason favourite to win the 2025 Atlantic Coast Conference soccer title, following a vote of greater than 180 media members credentialed for final week’s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The Tigers are coming off a powerful 2024 marketing campaign by which they posted a ten–4 general file, went 7–1 in convention play, and captured the ACC Championship title. Clemson additionally made its seventh College Football Playoff look and completed the season ranked No. 11 within the last AFCA Coaches Poll and No. 14 within the AP Poll.
In the media voting, Clemson was picked to repeat as ACC Champion on 167 ballots.
Miami acquired seven first-place votes, adopted by Florida State with 4, whereas SMU and Georgia Tech every garnered two. Virginia Tech acquired one first-place vote.
Clemson led all groups with 3,083 factors, whereas Miami (2,679) and SMU (2,612) have been second and third, respectively. Georgia Tech (2,397) was picked fourth, whereas Louisville (2,370) got here in fifth.
Duke (1,973) was picked to complete sixth within the preseason predictions, forward of Florida State (1,920) in seventh, North Carolina (1,611) in eighth, Pitt (1,571) in ninth, NC State (1,505) in tenth, Virginia Tech (1,412) in eleventh and Syracuse (1,381) in twelfth.
Rounding out the preseason ballot have been Boston College (953) in thirteenth, Virginia (871) in 14th, California (659) in fifteenth, Wake Forest (576) in sixteenth and Stanford (426) in seventeenth.
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 choices are on sale now via each Ticketmaster and theACC.com.
2025 ACC Football Predicted Order of Finish (Media Vote)
Rank
Team
Points
1.
Clemson (167)
3083
2.
Miami (7)
2679
3.
SMU (2)
2612
4.
Georgia Tech (2)
2397
5.
Louisville
2370
6.
Duke
1973
7.
Florida State (4)
1920
8.
North Carolina
1611
9.
Pitt
1571
10.
NC State
1505
11.
Virginia Tech (1)
1412
12.
Syracuse
1381
13.
Boston College
953
14.
Virginia
871
15.
California
659
16.
Wake Forest
576
17.
Stanford
426
First-place votes in parentheses 183 media voters
ACC Football Notes
2025 ACC Football Championship Game in Primetime Once Again
The 2025 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday, December 6, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, on ABC. The league’s soccer championship recreation will showcase the highest two groups based mostly on regular-season convention successful proportion.
The 8 p.m. ET kickoff marks the sixteenth time within the final 17 years that the sport will likely be held in primetime. Since its inception in 2005, a complete of 14 totally different groups have competed within the championship recreation.
Bank of America Stadium, residence of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, has hosted 14 of the final 15 ACC Football Championship Games. The ACC, Carolina Panthers, and the Charlotte Sports Foundation have an settlement to maintain the championship recreation in Charlotte via the 2030 season.
The winner of the convention championship recreation has superior to the National Championship Game or competed within the College Football Playoff in 9 of the final 12 seasons, together with each of the 2 collaborating groups final 12 months, with the ACC being one among solely three multi-bid leagues.
Strongest Non-Conference Schedule Again in 2025
ACC groups are scheduled to play 26 video games towards peer Power 4 Conference opponents and Notre Dame in 2025, essentially the most of any convention by at the least eight video games.
ACC groups are set to play 14 non-conference video games towards groups ranked in each the ultimate 2024 College Football Rankings and the 2024 Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll.
ACC groups will play 35 non-conference video games towards opponents that appeared in a bowl recreation final 12 months, together with eight towards groups that made the 12-team College Football Playoff.
ACC groups are scheduled to play 16 non-conference video games towards groups in ESPN’s 2025 Way-Too-Early Top 25.
ACC Owns Labor Day Once Again
The ACC is the one league to compete throughout 5 days – Thursday via Monday – throughout Week 1 of the school soccer season.
Week 1 contains six video games towards P4 opponents – no different convention has extra.
The ACC will as soon as once more anchor Labor Day Weekend on Monday evening with North Carolina taking part in host to TCU, as Bill Belichick makes his North Carolina debut with the Tar Heels internet hosting TCU.
It marks the sixteenth consecutive Labor Day recreation for the ACC (excluding the 2020 COVID season), and the nineteenth time for the reason that custom started with Florida State vs. Miami in 2005.
ACC Football Fridays
ACC soccer is about to dominate Fridays this fall, with a league-record 12 video games scheduled for Fridays in 2025, essentially the most of any convention.
12 of the ACC’s 17 soccer packages will take part in at the least one primetime Friday evening recreation.
Georgia Tech’s season-opening contest at Colorado on August 29 is one among two ACC video games set for the primary Friday of play within the 2025 season.
ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks
The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks, with the return of full-time starters Cade Klubnik at Clemson, Haynes King at Georgia Tech, Kevin Jennings at SMU, Eli Holstein at Pitt, Kyron Drones at Virginia Tech, CJ Bailey at NC State and Tommy Castellanos at Florida State.
Five ACC quarterbacks have been ranked in ESPN’s Top 15 QBs in College Football in 2025 – Cade Klubnik of Clemson, Carson Beck of Miami, Haynes King of Georgia Tech, Kevin Jennings of SMU and Darian Mensah of Duke.
The ACC options 9 of the highest 30 quarterback transfers heading into the 2025 season and has seen a powerful inflow of expertise on the place, together with notable names like Carson Beck (Miami), Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (California), Darian Mensah (Duke), Miller Moss (Louisville), Steve Angeli and Rickie Collins (Syracuse), Dylan Lonergan (Boston College), Chandler Morris (Virginia), Gio Lopez (North Carolina), Devin Brown (California), Daniel Kaelin (Virginia), and Deshawn Purdie (Wake Forest).
Since 2018, the ACC is the one convention to have had at the least one QB drafted within the first spherical in six totally different drafts.
ACC is Loaded with Preeminent Players Heading into 2025
The ACC is stacked with preeminent gamers once more heading into the 2025 season.
Five ACC gamers are ranked on ESPN’s record of 25 non-QB playmakers to look at.
ACC has 10 of the highest 50 finest gamers in school soccer (PFF College 50).
ACC has 1 of the three high returning gamers throughout six totally different positions (Pro Football Focus).
ACC has 3 of the highest 10 groups within the 247Sports 2025 Transfer Football Team Rankings.
ACC has 22 of the highest 100 transfers within the 247Sports 2025 College Football Transfer Portal Top Prospects.
Top returners embrace: Desmond Reid, RB (Pitt); Francis Mauigoa, OT (Miami); Isaiah Nwokobia, S (SMU); Caleb Weaver, S (Duke); Avieon Terrell, CB (Clemson); Kyle Louis, LB (Pitt); Isaac Brown, RB (Louisville); Sammy Brown, LB (Clemson); T.J. Parker, DE (Clemson); Peter Woods, DT (Clemson); Luke Petitbon, OL (Florida State); Monroe Mills, OT (Virginia); Jamal Haynes, RB (Georgia Tech); Demond Claiborne, RB (Wake Forest); Antonio Williams, WR (Clemson).
Impact transfers ranked within the Top 100 embrace: Duce Robinson, WR (Florida State); Will Heldt, DE (Clemson); Eric Rivers, WR (Georgia Tech); Ethan O’Connor, CB (Miami); CJ Daniels, WR (Miami); Charles Brantley, CB (Miami); Thaddeus Dixon, CB (North Carolina); Fa’alili Fa’amoe, OL (Wake Forest); Daniel King, OT (North Carolina); Khmori House, LB (North Carolina); Zechariah Poyser, S (Miami); Micah Pettus, OT (Florida State); David Blay, DL (Miami).
ACC x NFL
No convention blends school soccer and NFL expertise fairly just like the ACC in 2025, with three former NFL head coaches now main packages: Bill O’Brien (Boston College), Bill Belichick (North Carolina), and Frank Reich (Stanford), essentially the most of any convention.
Several ACC packages additionally function General Managers with deep NFL ties, together with Ron Rivera (Cal), John Garrett (Duke), Michael Lombardi (North Carolina) and Andrew Luck (Stanford), together with a rising variety of former NFL stars contributing throughout teaching staffs and participant improvement roles.