9. Pitt Panthers
The Pitt Panthers played a game with "weird vibes" against Louisville yesterday, where they were up 17-0 in the first quarter. When they then proceeded to get outscored 34-10 for the rest of the football game. Pitt seemed to be a decent football team until after losing to a below-average West Virginia team, and blew a game they had in hand against the Cardinals.
For most ACC rankings, Pitt would likely be much lower, but the potential of this Panthers team is relatively high in my view. The pass rush and their offense are solid; they just need to put the pieces together to get this team where it needs to be.
The only problem is that Pat Narduzzi is the head coach, which doesn't bode too well for the necessary changes to be made.
8. SMU Mustangs
SMU has been the definition of a mixed bag this season. They, in all likelihood, should be undefeated, but the pass defense against TCU and Baylor was about as bad as it could get. This led to high-scoring shootouts that they lost.
The offense has been stellar for the Mustangs so far, but the defense has been a detriment to both of their losses in 2025 so far.
The quality of their wins hasn't been excellent so far either, but just like with Pitt, I can see where this team could and should be. And for that, they land themselves right in the middle of the pack in the ACC.