Syracuse football: Orange picked to finish 14th in 2026 ACC Preseason Poll

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SOUTH BEND, INDIANA - NOVEMBER 22: Head coach Fran Brown of the Syracuse Orange looks on against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the second half at Notre Dame Stadium on November 22, 2025 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Syracuse Orange will be entering the upcoming season looking to prove the doubters wrong, at least according to those who made their picks in the ACC’s annual preseason poll.

The ACC on Tuesday announced the results of this year’s conference preseason poll, and the Orange were picked to finish 14th out of the 17 teams. The poll is based on the predictions of 188 credentialed media members.

Voters chose the Miami Hurricanes as the favorite to win the conference, with SMU, Louisville, Clemson, and Georgia Tech rounding out the top five in the preseason poll.

Of note, six other teams received first-place votes: Clemson (seven), SMU (six), Louisville (four), Florida State (three), Georgia Tech (two), and Stanford (one).

One step closer to kickoff

The 2026 ACC Preseason Poll has been announced.

https://t.co/OqFSBq0LKypic.twitter.com/6sDkBUQILP

— ACC Football (@ACCFootball) July 28, 2026

Last season, voters had the Orange projected to finish 12th in the ACC. Syracuse ended the 2025 campaign 3-9 overall and 1-7 against the conference. The year before that, Syracuse was also picked to finish 12th, but ended 2024 fourth in the conference with a 10-3 overall record and 5-3 versus the ACC.

Here are the full results of this year’s ACC preseason poll:

1. Miami: 3159 (159 first-place votes)
2. SMU: 2794 (6 first-place votes)
3. Louisville: 2569 (4 first-place votes)
4. Clemson: 2520 (7 first-place votes)
5. Georgia Tech: 2006 (2 first-place votes)
6. Virginia: 1981
7. NC State: 1964
8. Virginia Tech: 1962
9. Pittsburgh: 1740
10. Duke: 1452
11. Florida State: 1439 (3 first-place votes)
12. California: 1392
13. Wake Forest: 1103
14. Syracuse: 878
15. North Carolina: 831
16. Boston College: 491
17. Stanford: 483 (1 first-place vote)

Syracuse will open the 2026 season on Saturday, September 5 at home against New Hampshire.

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Now it’s your turn: what are your thoughts and reactions to this year’s ACC preseason poll?

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