Report: ACC preview: Power rankings, favorite players, must
The ACC opens the 2024 season with a new look, as three new teams join a conference that already feels up for grabs. New this year are Cal, Stanford and SMU, eager to prove they belong. And yes, Florida State and Clemson are back despite their ongoing legal cases with the ACC.
How will the conference move affect those three new teams? Are Florida State and Clemson the clear front-runners, or will Miami, Virginia Tech, NC State, Louisville or another team find itself in the mix to win an ACC championship?
ESPN reporters Andrea Adelson and David Hale look at the league’s top newcomers, CFP outlook, biggest games, coaches on the hot seat, power rankings and more.
The good news for the ACC is it won’t be left out of the playoff for a fourth straight year in 2024 thanks to the guaranteed bid that comes with the CFP’s expansion to 12 teams. The bad news is the league ought to be shooting for multiple bids but the odds of that happening might not be great. Make no mistake, the league is deep at the top, with as many as seven teams with realistic hopes of a playoff berth. But unless two or three really pull away from the pack, that many contenders is usually a recipe for some internal chaos.
There is no clear-cut favorite in the ACC, so although its champion is guaranteed a berth, it’s anyone’s guess who that’ll be. If history is any guide, however, Clemson or Florida State would be the obvious choice. The Tigers and Seminoles have won the league every year but one since 2011. Both have potentially elite defenses and some intriguing skill talent on offense, but both have big question marks at QB, with Cade Klubnik looking for growth after a shaky sophomore season at Clemson and DJ Uiagalelei hoping to replace all the production lost by Jordan Travis’ departure at FSU.
Aside from the two co-favorites, the biggest name in the mix is Miami. The Hurricanes pushed all their chips to the middle of the table this offseason, landing a host of talent via the transfer portal, including QB Cam Ward and running back Damien Martinez. There’s a strong case to be made that the Canes are the most talented team in the league — it’s just that talent hasn’t always translated to wins in Coral Gables.
Don’t forget about NC State, however. The Wolfpack also cleaned up in the portal, adding QB Grayson McCall, tailback Jordan Waters, receiver Noah Rogers and tight end Justin Joly, giving Dave Doeren perhaps his most potent offense since he arrived in 2014. An accommodating schedule also sets up nicely for the Pack. The problem, of course, is this is a program that has won 10 games just once in its history.
