​Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Keelan Marion (0) pats Malachi Toney (10) on the back after his touchdown during the CFP Fiesta Bowl at the State Farm Stadium, in Glendale, Ariz., on Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co The Syracuse Orange football team appears to be facing an uphill battle to finish as one of the top teams in the ACC in 2026.With one week left before the official start of the upcoming college football campaign, the Orange are currently one of the teams in the conference with the longest shot to be ACC champions. Syracuse is +10,000 to be this year’s conference champion, according to the latest odds from FanDuel.That’s fourth-lowest in the conference, per FanDuel, ahead of only North Carolina, Stanford, and Boston College.Miami (FL) is currently the big favorite in the eyes of FanDuel to win the ACC at -150, followed by a two-way tie between Louisville and SMU at +750.Clemson (+1600), Virginia (+2000), Pittsburgh (+2200), Virginia Tech (+2500), and NC State (+2500) round out the next tier of ACC teams looking to outperform preseason odds.Here’s a current look at the full FanDuel odds for 2026 ACC Champion:Miami (FL): -150Louisville: +750SMU: +750Clemson: +1600Virginia: +2000Pittsburgh: +2200Virginia Tech: +2500NC State: +2500Georgia Tech: +3500California: +4000Florida State: +4000Duke: +7000Wake Forest: +8000Syracuse: +10,000North Carolina: +12,500Stanford: +35,000Boston College: +40,000For the fans out there with even the brightest of Orange glasses, that is a steep slope to climb. That said, Syracuse could certainly play a factor in hindering those top contenders from ultimately making it to the ACC title game in Charlotte.While the Orange do avoid The U on the 2026 schedule, they will face five conference opponents with the next-best odds battling for the ACC crown. That includes Louisville, SMU, and Clemson at home, and Pittsburgh and Virginia on the road.On paper, Syracuse would definitely have to pick up wins against at least three of the teams above and sneak in via a backdoor scenario. If those can come at home against teams like Clemson and SMU, even better. ‘Cuse could very well play the role of spoiler in 2026.Miami will have the clear talent advantage in the conference, and on both sides of the ball, but can Mario Cristobal finally break the curse of the program never reaching the ACC mountaintop? If there is a time to do so, this is the year.If not (because… you know, it’s Miami), Louisville and SMU are certainly the next-best options on the board. Similar to Miami, Louisville must avoid its typical mid-year lapse on the field. Of note, neither of these teams will get either The U or Clemson on their schedule. SMU will face a tough conference test at home against Virginia.As for who is the most intriguing “dark horse” to win the ACC, I’d go with NC State.The Wolfpack will enter the 2026 season with the seventh-best odds to be the conference champion, but that’s quite a valuabl