I have to be honest, the first month of the college football season has been the dullest in recent memory. From Western Michigan being robbed of a win at Michigan to NIL, the portal, and congressional bills dominating the sports news feed DURING the season. It’s no wonder ratings are down for the sport.
College football viewership is down 11% through September compared to last season.
FBS game broadcasts are averaging 1.7 million viewers across all Nielsen-rated networks.
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) September 30, 2026
It’s college football; maybe I’m personally missing something. Well, looking a little deeper into the ACC, we set out to find the best stories in the early part of the season.
Wake Forest and Jake Dickert – Wake Forest has been the ACC’s biggest surprise. The Deacs are 4-1 (2-1) and won at Purdue too. This was a team picked pre-season 13th in the league. Dickert is following up a 9-4 2025 with another strong season. He’s turned Gio Lopez into a high-quality quarterback, and the Deacs look like they will be a factor in the ACC all season. How do I know you don’t follow football if you are a pollster you don’t have Wake Forest ranked.
Duke and Manny Diaz – Many of the things said about Wake Forest you can say about Duke. Duke was picked 10th in the pre-season, and here they are 4-0. The defending ACC Champs are back at it again. Manny Diaz is a 9 win machine at Duke and may be headed to another 9+ win season.
Virginia Tech and James Franklin – I know Virginia Tech lost Friday night to Pitt, but is there anyone out there that doesn’t think James Franklin is going to win big at Virginia Tech. The Hokies have shown glimpses of the Frank Beamer days. There’s an energy in Blacksburg we haven’t seen in a long time. At 4-1, the Hokies are off to a fine start.
5-0 Pittsburgh and Pat Narduzzi – It’s such a shame that Pitt’s QB1 Mason Heintschel is out for the season with injury. They are another team that picked too low at 9th in the ACC pre-season. With UNC and Boston College, Pitt could be 7-0 going to Miami. Pat Narduzzi has been coaching with an edge this year. When that happens, Pittsburgh is at its most dangerous.
Miami – It may not be fair, but when the ACC or the Big 12, for that matter, doesn’t have a national title contender, the league takes a lot of grief. Miami has absolutly looked the part of a team that can compete for the national championship. They are 5-0, and only Wake Forest pushed them in the 2nd half. Mario Cristobal has a well-oiled machine going in Miami.
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