Louisville Football Ranked No. 3 in ACC Preseason Power Rankings: Iowa Transfer Key to Cardinals' Defense

Louisville enters the 2026 college football season as the No. 3 team in the ACC preseason power rankings, with an Iowa transfer poised to play a critical role in the Cardinals' defensive success. The ranking comes as the ACC looks to rebound from a wild 2025 season that saw a five-way tie for second place and a controversial tiebreaker rule change.

The Cardinals, under head coach Jeff Brohm, are positioned for another strong campaign after winning nine games in each of the past three seasons. Brohm has a chance to become just the second Louisville coach to post four straight nine-win seasons, a feat previously accomplished only by Bobby Petrino between 2003 and 2006.

Iowa Transfer Koen Entringer Bolsters Louisville Defense

Louisville's defense is the immediate strength of the team, with five returning starters led by Clev Lubin. The unit gets a significant boost from veteran newcomers, including North Carolina transfer Tyler Thompson and Iowa transfer Koen Entringer. The addition of Entringer, a former Hawkeye, gives the Cardinals depth and experience on the defensive side of the ball.

While the defense anchors the team, the offense will feature a new quarterback in Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz. Brohm has described Kienholz as one of the most athletic quarterbacks he has ever coached. A healthy Isaac Brown highlights the offensive unit, which also brings in several new skill players to complement the returning production.

ACC Tiebreaker Rule Change Sparks Debate

The ACC implemented a new tiebreaker policy this offseason after last year's chaotic finish. Duke won a five-way tiebreaker for second place and then defeated regular-season champion Virginia in the conference title game. However, Duke's five losses kept the ACC champion out of the College Football Playoff, with Miami going as the lone conference representative and losing the national championship game to Indiana.

The new rule allows the ACC to award a spot in the league's title game to the team with the strongest body of work, as calculated by Sports Source Analytics, which is also used by the College Football Playoff committee. ACC commissioner Jim Phillips defended the change.

We'll continue to watch how this thing goes, but I feel incredibly strong that we have gotten to the right place with unanimity from our membership on what this new tiebreaking policy states, Phillips said.

Miami Leads ACC Preseason Rankings

Miami tops the ACC preseason power rankings after appearing in last year's national championship game. The Hurricanes return 57% of their overall production from a year ago, highlighted by leading rusher Mark Fletcher, who finished second in the ACC with 1,192 yards. Despite losing nine players to the NFL draft, including defensive linemen Rueben Bain and Akheem Mesidor, Miami added the No. 5 transfer portal class and an eighth-ranked high school recruiting class.

SMU comes in at No. 2 after a flawless transition into the ACC, which included a conference championship appearance in its debut season. Quarterback Kevin Jennings returns for what is expected to be his final college season, and the Mustangs bring back 11 starters while adding 17 players from the transfer portal.

Complete ACC Preseason Power Rankings

Here is the full preseason ACC power ranking:

1. Miami - Fresh off a national championship game appearance with strong returning production.
2. SMU - Kevin Jennings leads a team with 11 returning starters.
3. Louisville - Strong defense with Iowa transfer Koen Entringer and new QB Lincoln Kienholz.
4. Georgia Tech - Added Michigan transfer Justice Haynes, the No. 1 running back in the portal.
5. Virginia - Tony Elliott's squad reached the ACC title game last year.
6. Clemson - Coming off one of the worst seasons in the Dabo Swinney era.
7. NC State - Faces 10 Power Four opponents, including a Week Zero game against Virginia.
8. Virginia Tech - James Franklin era begins with a new defensive coordinator.
9. Duke - Replaced quarterback Darian Mensah with San Jose State transfer Walker Eget.
10. Pitt - Returns seven defensive starters after a strong rushing defense.
11. Wake Forest - Won nine games for the first time since 2021.
12. Syracuse - Steve Angeli returns from a season-ending Achilles injury.
13. Florida State - Mike Norvell is likely coaching for his job after two disappointing seasons.
14. California - Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele takes over at quarterback.
15. North Carolina - Bill Belichick hired Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator.
16. Boston College - Looking to rebound from a two-win season.
17. Stanford - Tavita Pritchard takes over as head coach.

ACC Teams to Watch in 2026

Three ACC teams made the US LBM preseason coaches poll: Miami (No. 7), SMU (No. 20) and Clemson (No. 23). All three should be in contention to make the league's title game in December. The Mustangs and Tigers faced each other for the ACC championship in 2024, with Clemson winning 34-31. The Hurricanes, who joined the ACC in 2004, have never won an ACC title in football, with their lone championship game appearance coming in 2017.

The ACC season kicks off with Virginia and NC State playing the first conference game on Saturday, Aug. 29. North Carolina will travel to Ireland to play TCU the same day, while Florida State and Stanford will play New Mexico State and Hawaii, respectively, to complete the league's Week 0 slate.