​The path through the ACC in 2026 won’t unfold the same for every hopeful. With kickoff still weeks away, ESPN’s Football Power Index has released its preseason strength of schedule rankings, offering an early glimpse at which programs are expected to face the toughest routes this fall. While the SEC again sits at the top of the national rankings, several ACC teams are projected to face demanding schedules, led by the Florida State Seminoles.
Florida State checks in with the 22nd-toughest schedule nationally, the highest mark among ACC programs. Under coach Mike Norvell, the Seminoles open conference play against the SMU Mustangs, then head to Alabama, before later taking on Clemson, Miami, and Florida as part of a notably challenging slate. Earlier this year, the ACC announced that Florida State is one of five league teams set to play eight conference games in 2026 due to multiple Power Four nonconference matchups.
Here is where every ACC football program sits in ESPN’s preseason 2026 strength of schedule rankings:
SOS Ranking
ACC School
No. 22 Florida State
No. 24 Boston College
No. 27 Stanford
No. 29 North Carolina
No. 32 Georgia Tech
No. 35 Clemson
No. 41 Syracuse
No. 43 Virginia Tech
No. 45 Miami
No. 46 Duke
No. 50 Wake Forest
No. 51 SMU
No. 54 Pittsburgh
No. 58 Louisville
No. 61 California
No. 65 Virginia
No. 66 NC State
Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions. This piece originally appeared on FSU Wire: Where every ACC program lands in ESPN’s strength of schedule rankings.