Who wants to win the ACC?
That's a multiple-choice question with seven possible answers with just three weeks left in the regular season. A total of seven teams are still in contention to make the ACC championship game at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Dec. 6.
Five ACC teams are ranked in the AP Top 25 -- No. 14 Georgia Tech, No. 16 Miami, No. 19 Louisville, No. 20 Virginia and No. 23 Pitt. There is a good chance the same five teams will appear in the second set of College Football Playoff rankings Tuesday. SMU and Duke, however, still have hopes for an automatic berth.
Here is a closer look at the ACC race:
ACC football standings 2025
The ACC has seven teams with two conference losses or less heading into Week 12. Here is a closer look at those standings:
| SCHOOL | OVERALL | ACC | WEEK 12 |
| Georgia Tech | 8-1 | 5-1 | at Boston College |
| Virginia | 8-2 | 5-1 | at Duke |
| Pitt | 7-2 | 5-1 | vs. Notre Dame |
| SMU | 7-3 | 5-1 | Bye |
| Duke | 5-4 | 4-1 | vs. Virginia |
| Louisville | 7-2 | 4-2 | vs. Clemson |
| Miami | 7-2 | 3-2 | vs. NC State |
MORE: Week 12 picks against the spread for Top 25 games
ACC tiebreaker rules
Here are the ACC tiebreaker procedures to follow in order to determine who makes the conference championship game, according to the conference's official website:
1. Head-to-head competition between teams.
2. Winning percentage vs. Common opponents.
3. Win-percentage vs. Common opponents based upon finish (overall conference winning percentage, with ties broken).
4. Combined winning percentage of conference opponents.
5. The tied team with the higher ranking by the Team Rating Score metric provided by SportSource Analytics following the conclusion of regular season games.
6. The representative shall be chosen by a draw as administered by the Commissioner or Commissioner's designee.
MORE: College Football Playoff forecast after Week 11
ACC contenders path to the championship game
Georgia Tech (8-1, 5-1)
Remaining schedule: at Boston College, vs. No. 24 Pitt, vs. No. 5 Georgia
Georgia Tech will make the ACC championship game by beating the Eagles and Panthers the next two weeks. There is no scenario where Georgia Tech would be third in a three-way tie of 7-1 teams.
Virginia (8-2, 5-1)
Remaining schedule: at Duke, vs. Virginia Tech
A 7-1 Virginia team will be a virtual lock for Charlotte. There is a scenario where it could possibly lose a three-way tie with Georgia Tech and SMU depending on opponents' conference winning percentage, but most scenarios favor the Cavs. Remember, Virginia's 35-31 loss to NC State on Sept. 6 was a non-conference game.
Pitt (7-2, 5-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. Notre Dame, at Georgia Tech, vs. Miami
The Panthers play three ranked teams in three weeks – so it's the toughest path with the matchups against the Yellow Jackets and Hurricanes coming after the matchup against the Irish. Pitt is in if there is a three-way tie at 7-1 with SMU and Duke, but Pitt loses a three-way tie with SMU and Virginia, so the Panthers are rooting for Duke this weekend.
SMU (7-3, 5-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. Louisville, at Cal
The Mustangs need to win out, and the combination of a Virginia victory against Duke, a Pitt victory against Georgia Tech and a Miami victory against Pitt would be the cleanest path to a second straight trip to Charlotte. SMU would likely lose a three-way tie at 7-1 with Georgia Tech and Virginia, but it would be in with a three-way tie with Pitt and Virginia.
Duke (5-4, 4-1)
Remaining schedule: vs. Virginia, at North Carolina, vs. Wake Forest
How could a four-loss team still be in the mix? If Duke wins out, it will play for the conference championship. Beating Virginia would knock out the Cavs, and the Georgia Tech-Pitt loser will have two losses. Duke will be in Charlotte if it is in a three-way tie at 7-1with SMU and the Georgia Tech-Pitt winner.
Louisville (7-2, 4-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. Clemson, at SMU, vs. Kentucky
The 29-26 overtime loss to Cal hurt the Cardinals' chances to get to Charlotte – and they will need help even with victories against Clemson and SMU. The best path? Virginia beats Duke. Pitt beats Georgia Tech. Miami beats Pitt. At that point, Louisville would be in a good position because of its cumulative conference winning percentage.
Miami (7-2, 3-2)
Remaining schedule: vs. NC State, at Virginia Tech, vs. Pitt
The Hurricanes aren't dead yet, but they need a two-loss pileup in the conference standings. Miami needs to win out, and they need Pitt to beat Georgia Tech before their head-to-head matchup with the Panthers. A Duke victory against Virginia and Louisville victory against SMU would help, too. This isn't as tough as far-fetched as it sounds.
ACC common opponents tracker for 2025
Here is a look at the common opponents for all the ACC teams with two losses or less. We added the cumulative conference winning percentage – the fourth ACC tiebreaker – to show which teams are in the best position heading into Week 12.
| OPPONENT | UVA | GT | PITT | LOU. | SMU | DUKE | MIAMI |
| Boston College | - | Nov. 15 | W 48-7 | W 38-24 | W 45-13 | - | - |
| Cal | W 31-21 | - | - | L 29-26 | Nov. 29 | W 45-21 | - |
| Clemson | - | W 24-21 | - | Nov. 14 | W 35-24 | W 46-45 | - |
| Duke | Nov. 15 | W 27-18 | - | - | - | - | - |
| Florida State | W 46-38 | - | W 34-31 | - | - | - | W 28-22 |
| Georgia Tech | - | - | Nov. 22 | - | - | L 27-18 | - |
| Louisville | W 30-27 | - | L 34-27 | - | Nov. 22 | - | L 24-21 |
| Miami | - | - | Nov. 29 | W 24-21 | W 26-20 | - | - |
| North Carolina | W 17-16 | - | - | - | - | Nov. 22 | - |
| NC State | - | L 48-36 | W 53-34 | - | - | W 45-33 | Nov. 15 |
| Pitt | - | Nov. 22 | - | W 34-27 | - | - | Nov. 29 |
| SMU | - | - | - | Nov. 22 | - | - | L 26-20 |
| Stanford | W 48-20 | - | W 35-20 | - | W 34-10 | - | W 42-7 |
| Syracuse | - | W 41-16 | W 30-13 | - | W 31-18 | W 38-3 | W 38-10 |
| Virginia | - | - | - | L 30-27 | - | Nov. 15 | - |
| Virginia Tech | Nov. 29 | W 35-20 | - | W 28-16 | - | - | Nov. 22 |
| Wake Forest | L 16-9 | W 30-29 | - | - | L 13-12 | Nov. 29 | - |
| CUMULATIVE % | 21-25 | 20-27 | 20-29 | 26-21 | 19-31 | 24-24 | 22-26 |
Most likely ACC championship game scenario
There are numerous combinations, and they can be calculated here.
Georgia Tech is a heavy favorite against Boston College and gets Pitt at home, so the Yellow Jackets could clinch their spot before a non-conference regular-season finale against Georgia.
The winner of the Virginia-Duke game will be in the best position to make it to Charlotte with one conference loss. The Cavaliers are underdogs against the Blue Devils this week. Will Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris play? We don't trust Duke to win all three games – even if they knock the Cavaliers out of contention.
That is why that SMU-Louisville game will be so important next week. The Mustangs can still be a one-loss team in ACC play – and the Cardinals are in the best position if a bunch of teams are tied with two conference losses, but they have to beat Clemson first.
As the last few weeks have proven, there is nothing given in ACC play.