Every summer since 2007 I have created an intricate set of college football predictions for each upcoming season.  This year is no exception, as I will be using my blog over the next few hours to publish my 18th annual college football preview guide which will contain 19 entries in all. The records below reflect each team’s predicted regular season overall record followed by their conference record.  These records include conference title games for the top two teams but exclude bowl games which will be previewed later on in a separate column on this blog.  The teams marked in bold font are the ones predicted to gain bowl eligibility.  Without further ado, here are my predictions for the ACC in 2024, which has now expanded to the awkward number of 17 teams with an even more awkward geographic footprint.

1	Clemson (12-1, 8-0)- conference champion/CFP # 3 seed

Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2023 prediction: 12-1)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Florida State (October 5)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Georgia (August 31)

Bottom Line: When it comes to projecting who is going to win this league in 2024 and subsequently represent the ACC in the first 12-team College Football Playoff, it is hard to pick against the team that has won 7 of the 9 conference crowns, especially when they return 9 offensive starters including a highly rated quarterback, a stud running back, four of their top five pass catchers. I don’t see the Tigers hanging around with Georgia in their opener in Atlanta, but after that, I think it will be smooth sailing for the Tigers en route to a Sugar Bowl bid in the quarterfinals of the CFP.

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2	Miami-FL (10-3, 7-1)– conference runner-up

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2023 prediction: 7-5)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Florida State (October 26)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Georgia Tech (November 9)- don’t think the Canes will be in position to botch the QB kneel down against the Jackets again this year!

Bottom Line: Myself, Phil Steele, and several other preseason prognosticators are bullish on the Canes this season due to the acquisition of starter quarterback Cam Ward and the return of 17 starters from 2023. I get that it is easy to say, “It is Miami… they will find a way to mess it up”, but that is what people said, myself included, about both Texas and Michigan before last season and look what those two programs did in 2023. Ultimately, I think the Canes are due for their first 10 win season since 2017 in 2024, but I think they will still fall just short of an ACC title and College Football Playoff bid.

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3	Florida State (9-3, 6-2)

Last Year’s Record: 13-1 (My 2023 prediction: 8-4)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Florida (November 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Miami-FL (October 26)

Bottom Line: The Noles are bound to take a step back in 2024 after the departure of their top two quarterbacks, top three pass catchers, leading rusher, top two defenders, and seven other starters from season.

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3	NC State (9-3, 6-2)

Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2023 prediction: 7-5)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at North Carolina (November 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at California (October 19)

Bottom Line: Dave Doeren has quietly built this program into a consistent juggernaut in the ACC, as the Wolfpack have won at least eight games in every season this decade. The issue he has is that he hasn’t been able to get this squad over the hump and into an ACC title game or New Years Six bowl. NC State has the schedule to make that leap in 2024, but I think their losses on defense, including their top two tacklers and four other starters, will leave them just short of the Holy Grail one more time.

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5	Louisville (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 10-4 (My 2023 prediction: 7-5)

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Kentucky (November 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Virginia (October 12)

Bottom Line: Jeff Brohm did an incredible job in his first season with this program by leading them to a surprise berth into the ACC title game. The Cardinals lose a lot of production from last season though, especially offensively, so expect Louisville to take a slight step back in 2024.

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6	SMU (9-3, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 11-3 (My 2023 prediction: 11-2)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. TCU (September 21)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Duke (October 26)- the Mustangs are winless all-time versus the Blue Devils!

Bottom Line: Last year, I correctly picked SMU to be the surprise winners of the AAC, and the Mustangs return a ton of production from that AAC championship squad. The big question this programs faces though is how smoothly can they transition from a Group of Five league into a Power 4 conference. The travel will be grueling, as there isn’t a single conference foe within 500 miles of Dallas, but Rhett Lashlee’s group should still find a fair amount of success in year one in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

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6	Virginia Tech (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2023 prediction: 5-7)

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Virginia (November 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Old Dominion (September 14)- the Hokies are 0-2 in Norfolk and both losses were recent.

Bottom Line: This experienced Hokie squad that returns 21 starters from last season will take another step forward in Brent Pry’s third year in Blacksburg.

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6	North Carolina (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (My 2023 prediction: 10-3)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Pittsburgh (October 5)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Virginia (October 26)

Bottom Line: The Heels felt the pressure of expectations last year, as Mack Brown’s crew faltered down the stretch following a 6-0 start that led to a top 10 ranking. Fortunately for UNC, the expectations will be off entering 2024 which should allow this team to play with much greater freedom. If Quarterback Max Johnson finally plays up to his potential after some inconsistent play at a couple of SEC schools and the defense improves just a little, then the Heels could definitely surprise some people in 2024.

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9	California (7-5, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2023 prediction: 8-4)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. NC State (October 19)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Oregon State (October 26)

Bottom Line: The Bears will be traveling all over the country this year, as they enter the ACC and play road games in Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Texas. I think the travel will take a toll on this squad to a certain extent, but ultimately, this team is talented enough, experienced enough and well-coached enough to make some noise in year 1 in their new league.

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10	Boston College (6-6, 3-5)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2023 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Virginia (October 5)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at SMU (November 16)

Bottom Line: The Eagles have finished with either 6 or 7 wins in 9 of the past 11 seasons, so there appears to be a well-established ceiling and floor for this program. I think another .500 finish is on the horizon in Chestnut Hill, as there appears to be six games on the schedule that BC should win and another six they are likely to lose.

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11	Virginia (6-6, 3-5)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2023 prediction: 3-9)- another perfect prognostication!

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. North Carolina (October 26)- the Cavs have the Heels’ number!

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wake Forest (September 7)

Bottom Line: The Cavs were much improved in year 2 under Tony Elliott, but their record ultimately didn’t reflect it due to a rough start to the year, a brutal schedule, and several close losses. I think Virginia finally makes a jump in the win column this season, as the Cavs have a much more favorable early season schedule in 2024 and also bring back 16 starters including both of their starting QBS from last year and their top three defenders.

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12	Stanford (4-8, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2023 prediction: 2-10)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Syracuse (September 20)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. SMU (October 19)

Bottom Line: This program was a perennial national power throughout most of the 2010’s, but then they have absolutely fallen off a cliff during the past fives seasons. The big reason why is the line of scrimmage where Stanford went from one of the most physical teams in the country to a squad that has struggled to run the ball or get pressure on opposing quarterbacks. This season, the Cardinal return a lot of experience but bringing back a lot of bad players, isn’t necessarily a good thing. Expect the Cardinals to struggle in their debut ACC season, especially with a schedule featuring 10 games against Power 4 opponents including trips to Notre Dame, Clemson, and NC State.

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13	Syracuse (5-7, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2023 prediction: 5-7)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Virginia Tech (November 2)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Pittsburgh (October 24)

Bottom Line: Like Boston College, Syracuse is a team that you can always count on to finish right around .500, as they have ended up with between 5 and 7 wins in each of the past four non-covid seasons. I correctly predicted in my 2023 ACC preview guide that last season would be Dino Baber’s last with the Orange, and while the Fran Brown hiring was somewhat uninspiring, he has assembled a decent squad in year 1 on the job, highlighted by former Ohio State starter Kyle McCord. Still, I believe that the Cuse will fall just short of a bowl bid in 2024, due to a lack of cohesion that comes with a new coaching staff and a slew of new players that have never played together.

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14	Wake Forest (5-7, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2023 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Defensive Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Virginia (September 7)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Pittsburgh (October 24)

Bottom Line: A program can only thrive for so long when getting out-recruited by 80% of their conference foes on an annual basis. My beloved Deacs learned that the hard way in 2024, as their run of seven straight bowl appearances ended with a disastrous 4-8 campaign that saw the squad lose 8 of its final 9 games. In fact, if it wasn’t for a miraculous come -from-behind homecoming miracle win against Pitt last year, the Deacs would have ended 2023 on a nine game losing streak. This year offers little hope for a turnaround as new quarterback Hank Bachmeier enters the program following back-to-back disappointing seasons at both Boise State and Louisiana Tech. The Deacs also lose five of its top seven tacklers on the defensive end. Dave Clawson is too good of a coach for the Deacs not to pull off an upset or two in 2024, but overall, I feel this program has lost a lot of the momentum that it had gained under the steady leadership of former quarterbacks John Wolford, Jamie Newman, and Sam Hartman.

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14	Georgia Tech (4-8, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2023 prediction: 4-8)

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Miami-FL (November 9)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Syracuse (September 7)

Bottom Line: Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets greatly exceeded my low expectations for them in 2023, and they may very well do the same this season with the return of talented QB Haynes King. However, I just can’t envision this team attaining bowl eligibility again this year with a brutal schedule that features games against almost all of the league’s top teams (Florida State, Miami-FL, Louisville, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, and NC State) as well as non-conference contests versus both Notre Dame and Georgia.

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16	Duke (4-8, 1-7)

Last Year’s Record: 8-5 (My 2023 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. SMU (October 26)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Wake Forest (November 30)

Bottom Line: Manny Diaz is basically rebuilding this program from scratch after the departure of Head Coach Mike Elko, star quarterback Riley Leonard, and 13 other starters from last year’s team. As a result, Duke fans may be counting down the days until basketball season even earlier than usual in 2024.

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16	Pittsburgh (3-9, 1-7)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2023 prediction: 7-5)

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Syracuse (October 24)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Cincinnati (September 7)

Bottom Line: The Panthers absolutely faceplanted in 2023, as they ended their run of four straight winning seasons that included an ACC Championship in 2021, by posting an abysmal 3-9 mark. A lot of people, including the great Phil Steele, are calling for Pitt to have a strong bounce back season in 2024, but I am not so sure. This team only returns four defensive starters on a unit that was the strength of the team last year. They also lose their top two quarterbacks and their # 1 pass catcher from 2023. As a result, I think the Panthers struggles will continue for at least one more season.

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