There seems to be a prevailing thought around college football that the new-look Power Four conferences are more like the “Power Four A” and Power Four B”.
There’s the SEC and Big Ten, which are the kings of the proverbial castle. Then there’s the Big 12 and the ACC, which seemingly have a lot of ground to make up from a football point of view.
Don’t tell that to Louisville Cardinals head coach Jeff Brohm, though.
Speaking at ACC Media Days, Brohm was clear that he believes that ACC programs can throw punches with anybody in the country.
“I think the proof is in the pudding. The ACC plays more Power 4 opponents than anyone in the country,” Brohm said, according to Brian Jones of On3. “I don’t think we’re scared to play anybody. I think our record against those conferences last year was above .500. I think our record in bowl games against those opponents was above .500.”
The last time the ACC won a national championship was when the Clemson Tigers beat the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2018.
The Miami Hurricanes were right there in 2025 but ended up losing to the Indiana Hoosiers in the CFP title game.
The fact that Indiana won it all just goes to show how much depth the Big Ten has right now. In ACC speak, that would be like Boston College winning the natty.
Big Ten and SEC still outrank ACC in terms of championship contenders
As it stands, a case can be made that only Miami is a title contender heading into 2026. Clemson is struggling to adjust to the NIL and transfer-portal era, Florida State may end up firing its head coach, SMU is interesting but probably not a serious contender and Virginia Tech is going to need time to build under new head coach James Franklin.
Meanwhile, the Big Ten features title contenders in Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana, while programs like Michigan, Iowa, Penn State, USC and Washington will all be interesting to watch.
The SEC is stacked as always, though it is a conference in flux. Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M are all considered contenders heading into 2026. Programs like Missouri, Vanderbilt, Tennessee and South Carolina could all make some noise as well.
And yet, Brohm continues to believe in the ACC. If he were making predictions, he’d absolutely be picking a few upsets in favor of his conference.
“There are great coaches in our league,” Brohm said. “There’s really great talent, there’s talented quarterbacks, there’s really good players. I think playing each other is important… I like our conference, and there is great parity, and there’s really good football teams.”
