Clemson football failed to secure a top-three spot on any ballot in CBS Sports’ ACC predictions released Thursday, while receiving two votes as the conference’s “most overrated” team heading into the 2026 season.
While the Tigers hold a national spot at No. 23 in the preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, CBS Sports analysts ranked Clemson as high as fourth (Chip Patterson, Brandon Marcello, Brad Crawford) and as low as sixth (John Talty) in the conference standings.
Evaluating Clemson’s recent trajectory, CBS analyst Tom Fornelli—one of two voters who selected Clemson as most overrated—argued that the program has dropped from college football’s top tier in the transfer portal and NIL era.
“If we consider the last three seasons — the ones with not only the transfer portal but also open NIL — to be the modern era of college football, then Clemson is a powerhouse of the past,” Fornelli said. “There’s no denying the greatness accomplished by the Tigers under Dabo Swinney, but things have changed. In the ‘modern era,’ Clemson is 26-14, including 15-9 in ACC play. It has lost its place among the elite. None of which is to say the Tigers can’t or won’t have a strong season (there’s plenty of wiggle room in the ACC after Miami), but an 8-4 mark is far more likely than the double-digit win seasons of yore. As is 7-5.”
Reigning ACC champion Duke, NC State, and Virginia also received votes in the “most overrated” category.
Miami Selected Unanimous Favorite
The Miami Hurricanes were the unanimous pick to win the ACC among CBS analysts, while SMU received five second-place votes and Louisville picked up two.
Analyst John Talty highlighted Miami’s roster budget and schedule advantage as key reasons for the consensus pick.
“There’s a lot to love about this Miami program,” Talty said. “The Hurricanes have by far the most expensive roster in the ACC, a very manageable schedule that shouldn’t include more than one regular-season loss and the best quarterback-receiver duo in the conference with Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney. Miami lost a lot from last year’s title game runner-up, especially along the offensive and defensive lines, but this team is still far too talented not to win the ACC this season.”
In playoff projections, Fornelli predicted Miami and SMU as the only ACC teams that will appear in the final College Football Playoff rankings, while Patterson projected seven ACC teams to be ranked during the season but only Miami in the final CFP field. Analysts Brad Crawford and Chris Hummer both forecast both Miami and SMU reaching the playoff.
Cal Named ‘Most Underrated’ Ahead of Matchup
Conversely, Clemson’s Week 4 opponent, Cal, picked up three votes as the ACC’s “most underrated” team.
Analyst Chip Patterson pointed to new head coach Tosh Lupoi’s roster additions and returning quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele as reasons for optimism.
“The program that Tosh Lupoi set up in Berkeley is not ready to be left behind,” Patterson said. “Efforts not only to retain key talent but also to supplement it through the transfer portal leave the Bears with a roster firmly capable of competing in the crowded middle of the ACC… If the portal additions hit, this is a team that could find itself contending for a top-five spot in the ACC at year’s end.”
Clemson travels to face Cal in Berkeley on Friday, Sept. 25, following its season opener at LSU on Sept. 5.
