ACC QB Rankings Week 8: Lopez Rises to No. 2 Following Rout of California

The rivalry between Florida State and Miami fielded the most intriguing quarterback battle in the ACC in Week 7.

Darian Mensah and the Hurricanes eked out the 43-35 win in double overtime, but Ashton Daniels gave them everything they could handle down the stretch. The Seminoles became the first team to stay within a score of Miami all season.

Lincoln Kienholz and Malachi Nelson squared off in a battle between former 2023 blue-chip prospects. Both teams ended the game with over 300 yards in the air, but Kienholz and Nelson combined for five turnovers in Louisville's 34-26 win over Syracuse.

The most anticlimactic quarterback duel occurred at California late Saturday night. Gio Lopez finished with a terrific performance for Wake Forest, but turning to Jackson Brousseau to start was a mistake for the Golden Bears in the 41-7 loss.

Several programs around the ACC have questions about what direction to go at quarterback due to injuries.

Syracuse may be down to its fourth-string quarterback against North Carolina; both Amari Odom and Malachi Nelson are out while Steve Angeli is questionable. Pittsburgh head coach Pat Narduzzi is still mulling over who to start between Holden Geriner and Corey Dailey ahead of the Panthers' matchup at No. 1 Miami.

California is expected to shift back to Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele against SMU, per Matt Zenitz of 247Sports. Sagapolutele returned to the fold last week against Wake Forest but sat behind backup Jackson Brousseau for the first three quarters.

If Sagapolutele is at full strength, his matchup with Kevin Jennings should be the most intriguing in the ACC this weekend. Other potentially interesting quarterback duels include NC State at Stanford Friday night, Boston College at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech at Clemson on Saturday.

Below, we rank the eight best quarterbacks in the ACC entering Week 8 of the 2026 college football season.

8. Ashton Daniels

Daniels threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns against Miami, keeping Florida State in the game until the very end. In the second overtime, he completed a Hail Mary to Micahi Danzy that was wiped away by a holding penalty. His second attempt was ripped away by Bishop Fitzgerald after it went through the hands of Duce Robinson.

The Seminoles get a bye week to recover from their emotional loss. They return to Doak Campbell Stadium to face Clemson in Week 9.

7. Alberto Mendoza

Mendoza’s one bad mistake in Georgia Tech’s 34-24 loss at Virginia Tech was a miscommunication with a receiver that resulted in an interception. He finished the afternoon 29-of-38 for 335 yards and two touchdowns, the first of which was a deep shot to a wide-open Dalen Penson to cut the deficit to one score.

The Yellow Jackets return to Bobby Dodd Stadium to face Boston College in Week 8 (3:30 p.m. EDT, ACC Network). ACC quarterbacks haven’t been prolific against the Eagles, but two of them were playing in wet conditions while the other was a third-stringer.

6. CJ Bailey

NC State enjoyed a bye in Week 7. Bailey threw for 1,507 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions in the Wolf Pack’s first six games, guiding them to a win over Louisville in their second ACC matchup.

A trip to Stanford late on Friday night is the first order of business out of the bye week for NC State (10:30 p.m. EDT, ESPN). The Cardinal has yet to hold an FBS opponent under 27 points through seven games.

5. Ethan Grunkemeyer

Grunkemeyer connected with Que’Sean Brown for 182 of his 250 yards through the air against Georgia Tech, a total that included a 60-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the game. He took off for an impressive 20-yard touchdown run on the Hokies’ second scoring drive of the game.

A trip to Clemson is the penultimate test of October for Virginia Tech (7 p.m. EDT, ESPN). Darian Mensah’s 227 yards is the most the Tigers have allowed an ACC quarterback to throw for this season.

4. Kevin Jennings

Jennings’ 33-yard run set SMU up for a field goal late in the first quarter against Virginia. A deep completion to Yannick Smith was the catalyst for the Mustangs’ first touchdown drive, and a high-difficulty throw to Jalen Hale early in the fourth quarter resulted in a 37-yard touchdown run to ice the 23-13 win.

SMU stays home to meet California in Week 8 (Noon EDT, CW). Ethan Grunkemeyer and Gio Lopez dissected the Golden Bear defense on the road each of the last two weekends.

3. Lincoln Kienholz

An underthrown interception by Kienholz contributed to an early hole at Syracuse, but he willed Louisville out with an 82-yard touchdown run. Lawayne McCoy, Trey’Shun Hurry and Tre Richardson were all recipients of deep passes in the 310-yard performance, and Isaac Brown ran a screen from Kienholz 46 yards for his lone touchdown pass.

The Cardinals’ bye is in Week 8. A porous Stanford defense is the next ACC test for Kienholz after the bye.

2. Gio Lopez

Lopez didn’t take the field in the fourth quarter of Wake Forest’s late night rout of California. He unleashed deep passes throughout his 267-yard, three-touchdown effort, turning to Dominick Barry and Kam Shanks in the absence of Carlos Hernandez.

Wake Forest gets Week 8 off after its trip to the west coast. A Halloween matchup with Virginia is the first test for Lopez out of the open date.

1. Darian Mensah

Mensah threw a terrible interception in the third quarter of Miami’s survival against Florida State in Week 7. He threw a season-high 11 incompletions en route to a night where he finished with 326 yards and a trio of touchdowns in the air, but his pass to Daylyn Upshaw in the second overtime set Miami up to take the lead permanently.

Miami stays at Hard Rock Stadium to host a reeling Pittsburgh team (Noon EDT, ESPN). All four quarterbacks the Panthers previously faced in ACC play threw two interceptions to them.