2024 ACC Football Season Preview and Sleeper Pick

Scott Morris | July 17, 2024

After a run of six straight entrants in the College Football Playoff, the ACC has not had a team in the postseason for the last three years. Florida State looked like they would break the streak last year with a perfect 13-0 season, but a costly injury to QB Jordan Travis cost the Seminoles their shot.

Florida State head coach Mike Norvell will reload and his Seminoles are the favorite to win the ACC for a second consecutive season. Clemson, which made six straight CFPs from 2015 to 2020 – that included two national championships (2016, 2018) – should be the Seminoles biggest challenger.

It won’t be easy for the Tigers, who failed to win at least 10 games for the first time in over a decade. Head coach Dabo Swinney returns a ton of talent, including QB Cade Klubnik, that could fuel a rejuvenation in Clemson. The same could be said for programs like Miami, Louisville, and N.C. State.

The ACC will have the distinction of playing the very first college football game of the 2024 season. Florida State will take on Georgia Tech, fresh off their first winning season since 2018, in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic on Aug. 24 in Dublin, Ireland. What transpires throughout that regular season and beyond is the focus of this article.

2024 ACC Favorite

On the heels of their 13-1 season (the Seminoles lost in the Orange Bowl to Georgia), Florida State enters 2024 with just four starters on each side of the ball. With Travis gone, FSU went to the transfer portal and picked up former Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei, who spent last season at Oregon State.

Norvell will have three returning offensive linemen and that should help Florida State get back to focusing on running the football. Last year’s Seminoles averaged just 150.6 rushing yards per game, the fewest of any Norvell-coached team since his first year as the head coach at Memphis.

The defense should be very good once again. DE Patrick Payton and his seven sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss are back. The defensive line is deep and Norvell returns two players in the secondary. Florida State was a top-20 team in pass defense (179.7 ypg, 11th) and scoring defense (19.3 ppg, 18th). Put it all together and Norvell and FSU are +280 favorites to win a second consecutive ACC championship at BetAnySports sportsbook.

Clemson, Miami Top Contenders

The margin at the top of the ACC betting board is slim as Clemson checks in at +300 followed by Miami at +400. The Tigers lost consecutive games to Miami and N.C. State at midseason last year. Clemson was sitting at 4-4 before ripping off five straight wins, including a 38-35 victory over Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.

Mario Cristobal Hurricanes head coach That momentum plus an offense that returns seven starters are why Clemson is right on the heels of Florida State. Klubnik threw for 2,844 yards and 19 touchdowns last year and he’ll have running back Phil Mafah (965 yds., 13 TDs) back as well as his top three receivers.

The Clemson defense was outstanding last year, finishing eighth in the country in total defense (287.8 ypg). Preseason All-American LB Barrett Carter is back to lead a defense that will be young but talented.

This is the year Miami is expected to make its move. After 5-7 and 7-6 seasons, head coach Mario Cristobal should have his best team. One of the big reasons is transfer quarterback Cam Ward. Last year at Washington State, Ward passed for 3,735 yards and 25 touchdowns. He is expected to rejuvenate an offense that returns its top two receivers (Xavier Restrepo, Jacolby George) and averaged just 22.8 points per game last season.

Cristobal and Miami will need to figure out how to win close games. The Hurricanes were 1-4 last season in games decided by seven points or less. Miami held a second-half lead in all five of those games.

ACC Realignment

The ACC will have some fresh faces in 2024. With the collapse of the Pac-12, the conference welcomes Stanford and California to the mix. Both schools’ academic profiles fit nicely with the mission of ACC institutions. It’s the same for SMU, which joins the ACC from the American Athletic Conference. The Mustangs went 11-3 last season and won the AAC championship.

The new additions bring the ACC to 17 teams. Like many of the other conferences around the country, the ACC has scrapped the old Atlantic and Coastal Divisions. Teams will play eight conference games with the top two teams at the end of the regular season playing for the ACC championship.

Keep an Eye on This ACC Sleeper

Louisville kind of surprised everyone in Jeff Brohm’s first season as head coach at his alma mater. The Cardinals went 10-4 and lost to Florida State in the conference championship game. They won’t sneak up on anyone this year. Louisville is given +650 odds to win the ACC in 2024.

That same goes for N.C. State, which went 9-4 last season. The Wolfpack took care of their quarterback situation by getting former Coastal Carolina star Grayson McCall in the transfer portal. Head coach Dave Doeren should have another solid team in 2024. That’s why the Wolfpack are listed at +700 at Sportsbetting.ag

If there is one team to keep an eye on, it’s Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets program has struggled since Paul Johnson retired in the late 2010s. Brent Key, who replaced Geoff Collins midway through the 2022 season, led Georgia Tech to a 7-6 season and a bowl win last year.

Key will return 14 starters, seven on offense and seven on defense. QB Haynes King (2,755 yds., 26 TDs) is back as are his top two receivers and RB Jamal Haynes (1,059 yds., 7 TDs). Six members of the front seven are back and a couple transfers should help the secondary.

After playing Florida State in the season opener, the Yellow Jackets have a manageable schedule and get Miami and N.C. State at home. Georgia Tech is a true longshot at +8000, but Key is headed in the right direction and with some luck, the Yellow Jackets could be playing for a conference title in December.