Clemson didn’t make CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25 for the 2026 season. However, four teams that the Tigers will play next season did make that way-too-early top 25, and CBS Sports made “bold predictions” for each of those teams.

Miami is ranked No. 13, and CBS Sports predicts that the Hurricanes – who are coming off an appearance in the national championship game this past season — won’t make the ACC Championship Game (again) in 2026.

Clemson is set to host Miami at Memorial Stadium in Clemson on Oct. 3.

“Miami will be the runaway favorite to win the ACC title for the first time in 2026, but that has become a familiar trap in recent years,” CBS Sports’ Cody Nagel wrote. “Mario Cristobal tends to drop a stunning game or two during the regular season that ends up derailing the Hurricanes’ positioning for the ACC Championship Game, and in a league with little margin for error, another slip-up in 2026 would keep Miami watching from home.”

Clemson will open the 2026 season against LSU at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Sept. 5, and the Bayou Bengals are ranked right behind Miami in CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25, coming in at No. 14.

CBS Sports predicts that LSU will miss the College Football Playoff in Year 1 of the Lane Kiffin era.

“Expectations of a CFP run in 2026 began the second Lane Kiffin stepped off the plane in Baton Rouge,” Nagel wrote. “LSU spent big in the transfer portal with the No. 1 incoming class in hopes of replicating the formula for success Kiffin had at Ole Miss. But growing pains on both sides of the ball in a brutal league could keep the Tigers just outside the 12-team field.”

Virginia Tech is ranked No. 24 in CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25. The Hokies will travel to Clemson to play at Death Valley on Oct. 24.

CBS Sports predicts that in his first season as Virginia Tech’s head coach in 2026, James Franklin will lead the Hokies to 10 wins.

“James Franklin arrives in Blacksburg with a chance to awaken a sleeping giant,” Nagel wrote. “The pieces are already in place for Virginia Tech to start fast, and the ACC schedule offers real opportunity for early momentum. If the Hokies stack wins in September and October, 10 victories suddenly feel attainable.”

Clemson’s archrival, South Carolina, rounds out CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25 at No. 25.

CBS Sports predicts that the Gamecocks, who will play at Clemson on Nov. 28, will be among the first teams left out of the CFP.

“Shane Beamer called his shot in November when he said South Carolina would be in the College Football Playoff conversation in 2026 — and he might not be wrong,” Nagel wrote. “Quarterback LaNorris Sellers and edge rusher Dylan Stewart both return, giving the Gamecocks real cornerstones on each side of the ball. With a friendlier schedule than 2025, South Carolina pushes into the playoff picture before falling just short in December.”

Along with Miami and Virginia Tech, two other ACC teams – Louisville (No. 16) and SMU (No. 23) are ranked in CBS Sports’ way-too-early top 25.

Clemson is not scheduled to play the Cardinals or Mustangs during the 2026 regular season, but CBS Sports predicts that Louisville will go undefeated against the ACC in the regular season, and that SMU will win the ACC Championship.