Unlike ESPN’s Heather Dinich, The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel isn’t optimistic about Clemson entering the 2026 season.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week, Dinich stated she will be “absolutely shocked” if the Tigers are not better this season after last year’s disappointing 7-6 campaign (4-4 ACC), and she even predicted Clemson to face Miami in the 2026 ACC Championship Game.

Mandel’s outlook for Clemson, though, is quite the opposite of Dinich’s. Mandel, editor-in-chief of The Athletic’s college football coverage, released his 2026 ACC predictions, and he predicts that Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney “endures another mediocre year.”

Mandel predicts Clemson will finish the 2026 regular season with a 6-6 overall record and a 4-4 mark in ACC play, tying for ninth place in the conference standings.

“Once a program reaches the heights Clemson did from 2015-2020, people just kind of assume they’re ‘still talented.’ Well, the Tigers had nine draft picks last season and went 7-6. They’ve gone 4-4 in conference play two of the past three seasons. Expect more of the same,” Mandel wrote.

Mandel projects Miami to comfortably run away with the ACC title at the top of the standings, with an 11-1 overall record and 9-0 mark in ACC play.

“Yeah, yeah, they’ve never won the ACC since joining in 2004,” Mandel wrote. “But the Canes and their highly priced roster are living in a completely different neighborhood than everyone else. Duke transfer QB Darian Mensah is a legit Heisman Trophy contender, and running back Mark Fletcher and receiver Malachi Toney could be All-Americans.”

Mandel predicts Louisville (projected 9-3 overall record, 7-2 ACC) to face Miami (and lose to the Hurricanes) in the ACC Championship Game. If not Louisville, Mandel says it will be SMU (same projected overall and conference record as Louisville) that makes the ACC title game.

“In their two seasons since moving up from the American, the Mustangs have gone 14-2 in ACC play,” Mandel wrote. “Star QB Kevin Jennings is back. They’re my co-No. 2 with Louisville, where explosive RB Isaac Brown leads a deep backfield. The Cards happen to host SMU in Week 3, so I’ll give them the edge to get to the ACC title game.”

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott’s Virginia team is projected to finish fourth in the ACC standings with a 6-3 conference record (9-3 overall).

Last season, Elliott led the Cavaliers to the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2019 after closing the regular season 10-2 overall and 7-1 in conference play. Duke beat Virginia, 27-20, in overtime for its first outright ACC football championship since 1962.

Mandel says Virginia “won’t be a one-off.”

“I initially assumed the Cavaliers would crash back to earth after so many close wins last year (three in overtime) en route to an 11-3 final record,” he wrote. “But UVA may be the oldest team in the country and returns the nation’s most experienced O-line. And Missouri transfer QB Beau Pribula may be an upgrade from Chandler Morris.”