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Winning your conference is a big deal in the era of expanded college football playoffs.
The top four conference champions will advance directly to the second round of the 12-team postseason. With only four power conferences remaining following the demise of the Pac-12, the conference title is essentially a guaranteed bye week.
With the 2024 season quickly approaching, let’s take a look at the ACC. Will any other team besides Florida State or Clemson make a run at the title?
—by BetMGM
A clear top three?
Will Clemson or Florida State win the ACC again in 2024? Since Virginia Tech won the conference in 2010, Pittsburgh (2021) is the only team outside of Clemson and FSU to win an ACC title. Over the past 13 seasons, Clemson has won eight titles, while the Seminoles won their fourth a season ago.
FSU’s title last season came as the ACC moved away from its divisional format. However, the Seminoles did not play the Tigers in the title game. Clemson went 4-4 in the conference and Louisville finished second to FSU.
The Seminoles are the favorites to repeat after adding DJ Uiagalelei to replace Jordan Travis at quarterback. The former Clemson and Oregon State quarterback is in his final season of college football and will have plenty to work with at FSU, though players such as Keon Coleman, Johnny Wilson and Trey Benson need to be replaced.
Florida State’s defense should be very strong again after allowing fewer than 20 points per game and recording 46 sacks in 2023. The unit added defensive end Marvin Jones Jr. from Georgia and LB Shawn Murphy and DB Earl Little are two of five overall transfers from Alabama.
Meanwhile, Clemson has remained silent in the transfer portal as usual. Dabo Swinney has been reluctant to add transfers and is counting on an improved offensive game in coordinator Garrett Riley’s second season.
The Tigers scored fewer points and averaged fewer yards per play in 2023 than they did in 2022 as the offensive scheme change wasn’t a smooth transition. Cade Klubnik struggled and threw for fewer than 3,000 yards. He’s looking for a bounce-back year and will need some help from his receivers. No Tigers receiver has topped the 1,000-yard mark since Amari Rodgers in 2020 and the largest total in that span is Antonio Williams’ 604 yards in 2022. He played in just five games in 2023.
Miami hopes to spoil the two-team party with a slew of incoming signings after a disappointing 2023. The Hurricanes added former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward and former Oregon State running back Damien Martinez through the transfer portal. The hope is that the Hurricanes will have a top-tier offense along with wide receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George.
The defense added former Washington defensive back Mishael Powell and former Tennessee linebacker Tyler Baron. Powell will be tasked with replacing Kam Kinchens in Miami’s secondary. Baron bolsters a defensive line that features the return of Rueben Bain (7.5 sacks). A season ago, he tied the team lead in sacks with linebacker Francisco Mauigoa. Mauigoa is back to lead the linebackers after he also had 10.5 tackles for loss.
Teams that also harbor title hopes
NC State brought in former Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall during the offseason. McCall was phenomenal in Jamey Caldwell’s offense with the Chanticleers, but took a step back in 2023 before suffering a concussion and missing several games. Having Kevin Concepcion to throw to is a huge advantage. Concepcion was the team’s second-leading rusher and its leading receiver as a freshman in 2023.
The Wolfpack need to replace Payton Wilson and Jaylon Scott on defense, but linebackers Sean Brown and Caden Fordham are back.
Virginia Tech returns its entire 2023 starting offense after taking a big step forward. The Hokies averaged just 19.3 points per game and 4.7 yards per play in 2022. Last season, Virginia Tech improved to 29.5 points per game and 6 yards per play. Quarterback Kyron Drones threw just three interceptions and rushed for over 800 yards while throwing for over 2,000.
The Hokies also have a manageable schedule. They’ll avoid SMU and NC State and host Clemson at home in November. Their toughest game figures to be a trip to Miami in late September.
SMU is a contender to win the ACC in its first season if it can rebuild its offensive line. Quarterback Preston Stone, running back Jaylan Knighton, receiver Jake Bailey and tight end RJ Maryland are all back, but the line needs to replace both tackles and three starters overall.
After reaching the ACC title game a season ago, Louisville has former Oregon and Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough at quarterback to replace Jack Plummer. That could be an upgrade, but Shough has never played in more than seven games in a single season. Can he stay healthy for his seventh season of college football?
How will Cal and Stanford acclimate to their new cross-country reality?
As the Big Ten and Big 12 added teams from the remnants of the Pac-12, Cal and Stanford were forced into a marriage of convenience with the ACC. The Bears will travel to Florida State, Pittsburgh and Wake Forest in 2024, while Stanford will head to Syracuse, Clemson and NC State. Trips to Seattle and Boulder will feel like 15-minute bus rides by comparison.
As the odds above suggest, Cal is in a much better position for a solid season than the Cardinal. The Bears travel to Auburn as part of their nonconference schedule but should compete for a bowl berth for the second straight season. The Bears bring back RB Jaydn Ott (1,315 rushing yards in 2023) and added former North Texas QB Chandler Rogers in the transfer portal. Rogers threw for over 3,300 yards in 2023.
The defense is loaded with seniors, including Xavier Carlton and David Reese, who combined for 11 of the Bears’ 24 sacks last season.
Stanford is still in the early stages of a rebuild in Troy Taylor’s second season. And it doesn’t help that the Cardinal face a very tough schedule. Stanford continues its annual rivalry with Notre Dame and also has Virginia Tech, SMU and Louisville in its sights.
Wide receiver Elic Ayomanor is back after his big game against Colorado in 2023. He had 62 receptions for 1,013 yards last season. The entire offensive line is back, and Stanford is looking to run the ball much better than it has recently. It seems hard to believe, but Stanford hasn’t averaged more than four yards per carry since 2017.