As the countdown to the 2026 college football season continues, preseason bowl projections are beginning to paint a picture of the ACC hierarchy. Athlon Sports released its latest postseason forecast, projecting one ACC team to make the College Football Playoff and several others into notable bowl matchups.
The projections also identify which programs face the steepest climb to bowl eligibility this fall. For Florida State, the outlook is sobering, as the Seminoles were not projected to reach the postseason.
According to Athlon, Miami is projected to represent the ACC in the CFP, with the Hurricanes slated to face the LSU Tigers in a first-round matchup. The Clemson Tigers are projected to make one of the conference’s top traditional bowl destinations, while programs such as SMU, Louisville and Virginia Tech are also expected to land in notable postseason games.
For Florida State, Athlon Sports’ projections underscore the amount of work the Seminoles have ahead of them entering the 2026 season. Despite an active offseason that included additions through the transfer portal and another solid recruiting class, Mike Norvell’s program was not projected to reach bowl eligibility. The omission places Florida State among a group of ACC programs expected to fall short of the six-win threshold needed for postseason consideration.
In addition to Florida State, Athlon did not project bowl appearances for Syracuse, Duke, North Carolina, Boston College or Stanford.
Athlon Sports’ projected bowl destinations for ACC programs are:
College Football Playoff First Round: Miami vs. LSU
Holiday Bowl: Clemson vs. Washington
Gator Bowl: SMU vs. Alabama
Pop-Tarts Bowl: Louisville vs. Houston
Duke’s Mayo Bowl: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
Sun Bowl: Virginia vs. Utah
Fenway Bowl: NC State vs. Army
Pinstripe Bowl: Pittsburgh vs. Minnesota
Military Bowl: Wake Forest vs. Temple
First Responder Bowl: California vs. Washington State
Gasparilla Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Memphis
Follow us @FSUWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida State news, notes, and opinions.
This article originally appeared on FSU Wire: Athlon Sports’ bowl projections for every ACC team
Reporting by Brandon Foster, FSU Wire / FSU Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brandon Foster, FSU Wire | USA TODAY Network
