After returning to the College Football Playoff last year, Clemson is projected by ESPN to take another step forward, opening at No. 1 in the network’s preseason ACC power rankings. Analysts see Dabo Swinney’s squad as the league’s top national title threat and the only ACC team currently slotted in the “should be in” playoff category.

3: There are three new coaches in the ACC in 2025: Bill Belichick (North Carolina), Frank Reich (interim at Stanford) and Jake Dickert (Wake Forest). Last season, the ACC's three new head coaches (Fran Brown at Syracuse, Manny Diaz at Duke, Bill O'Brien at Boston College) all had at least seven wins.

Clemson football leads the way for ACC representation in the first US LBM Coaches Poll release of the 2025 season. Here's a full look at the rankings: