ACC releases predicted order of finish. Where are UNC, NC State, Duke, Wake?

ACC voters did not view the state of North Carolina favorably in the league’s annual prediction of finish, with every team listed outside the conference’s top 5.

Duke leads the state, coming in No. 6 in the preseason predictions for head coach Manny Diaz’s second year, following Clemson, Miami, SMU, Georgia Tech and Louisville to lead the ACC. The Tigers were the top selection after picking up 167 first-place votes. The Hurricanes got seven.

North Carolina and N.C. State were listed among the middle of the ACC, while Wake Forest was selected in the bottom of the league.

The Blue Devils enter the season with a roster made up largely of returners — on the field and sideline. Duke brings in 37 new players, including five four-star recruits, and the coaching staff remains largely unchanged. It ranks No. 7 in the ACC for overall recruiting this season, according to 247Sports — one of its best classes.

Of the returning players, Terry Moore, Chandler Rivers and Brian Parker were all selected as players to watch for multiple national awards.

“This is the strongest team we’ve had at Duke in the last four years. This is the fastest team we’ve had at Duke in the last four years. … The issue is we have a football season coming up,” Diaz said at ACC Kickoff. “I think the question now will be, “Will our football team be able to sustain their standard of work?” … they’ve done an amazing job up to this point. Can you sustain that over a four-week training camp period? Then, I think the biggest challenge in college football is: Can you be the same team for 48 consecutive quarters?”

Last season, the Blue Devils finished 9-4 overall and 5-3 in ACC play and landed in fifth place. Its three conference losses came at Georgia Tech, at Miami and home against SMU. Two games were decided by 10 points or fewer.

The Hilton Charlotte Uptown was full of reporters last week, all trying to get eyes on Bill Belichick, including one person taking selfies in front of Belichick’s breakout room table, but that hype was not necessarily reflected by the projected order of finish.

Carolina, led by the first-year college coach, was picked to finish No. 8 in the ACC and no one selected the Heels to finish first.

The voting reflects expectations of a slight improvement over the team’s actual results in 2024. In Mack Brown’s final season, the Tar Heels tied with N.C. State at No. 10 after both squads finished 6-7 overall and 3-5 in the league. Both teams finished with four losses of 10 points or fewer.

UNC’s roster ranks No. 5 in the recruiting rankings, but it also features by far the most turnovers of any ACC team. It has more than 70 new players and it’s easier to list which coaches are returning to the same role as last year — offensive coordinator and tight ends coach Freddie Kitchens — than those who are not.

“There’s going to be a lot of new this year,” said defensive end Will Hardy. “I’m excited for the new change, the new spark, the new energy that this season is bringing to the team, to the players on the team that stayed, and also just to the whole fan base and the community of Chapel Hill. I think everyone is looking forward to it.”

Transfer linebacker Andrew Simpson was named to the 2025 Dick Butkus Award Watchlist.

N.C. State, meanwhile, finished No. 10 in the poll, gaining no additional movement. It was the worst finish for the team under head coach Dave Doeren since the ACC moved to a non-divisional format and the second-worst finish in his tenure. N.C. State has never finished with back-to-back losing seasons under the head coach.

The Wolfpack has two new coordinators — Kurt Roper was elevated to offensive coordinator while DJ Eliot was an external hire — and several new assistant coaches. It lost most of its starters on defense but the offense returned a number of starters, including CJ Bailey. Bailey is the first returning starting quarterback in three seasons and was named to the Maxwell Award Watchlist this week.

“We’ve got something to prove,” Doeren said last week. “For those of you that know me know that that’s something I like. I like being in a room with guys that feel like they’re being under the radar, feel like maybe there’s some things we’ve got to prove about our team, ourselves as coaches, as players.”

Returning tight end Justin Joly said prior to the poll’s release it was clear what the team thinks about any expectations or commentary.

“Honestly, we just block out the noise,” Joly said. “No offense to any of y’all, but we’re not really worried about what anyone else says; we’re worried about what in-house says. At the end of the day, we’re the ones who play football, so I love all of y’all and I appreciate y’all for coming out, but it really don’t matter.”

Also under the leadership of a new head coach, Wake Forest was tabbed to land at No. 16 in the final standings. Jake Dickert, who came from Washington State, replaced Dave Clawson. He brought in nearly 60 new recruits, though they were lower-ranked players than that of his in-conference rivals.

The Demon Deacons went 4-8 and 2-6 in the ACC to finish 15th in 2024.

2025 ACC football preseason order of finish

This story was originally published July 30, 2025 at 4:30 PM.

Jadyn Watson-Fisher

The News & Observer