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 days to publish my 19th 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 2025, which remains top heavy enough to send two teams to the playoffs for the second straight season.

1	Clemson (12-1, 8-0)- conference champion/CFP # 5 seed

Last Year’s Record: 10-4 (My 2024 prediction: 12-1)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at South Carolina (November 29)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. LSU (August 30)

Bottom Line: Per usual, the Tigers will be right in the middle of the national title mix thanks a blend of elite talent and a favorable ACC schedule. In fact, I would be surprised if Clemson is an underdog in any game prior to the CFP quarterfinals, and they should be double-digit favorites in at least eight of those contests.

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2	Miami-FL (11-2, 8-0)- conference runner-up/CFP # 9 seed

Last Year’s Record: 10-3 (My 2024 prediction: 10-3)- a perfect preseason prognoication!

Positional Strength: Offensive Line

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

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

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Notre Dame (August 30)

Bottom Line: The “U” was a bad half of football away from the ACC Championship Game last year, and this year with an experienced roster led by former national title winning quarterback Carson Beck, the Canes should take the next step and qualify for both the ACC title game and the College Football Playoff.

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3	North Carolina (9-3, 6-2)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2024 prediction: 8-4)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

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

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at NC State (November 29)

Bottom Line: I am picking the Heels higher than most people are and that is almost exclusively because of who they play this season. Belichick must have seen this squad’s 2025 schedule when he agreed to take this job because it is cupcake city for the Heels. UNC does have a tricky non-conference opener versus TCU and a brtual conference opener and closer against Clemson and NC State respectively. Other than those three contests though, the Heels play the bottom six teams in the ACC, one of the worst teams in the Big 12, an AAC bottom feeder, and an FCS foe. This team could literally be complete garbage and still finish with a winning record in 2025!

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3	SMU (8-4, 6-2)

Last Year’s Record: 11-3 (My 2024 prediction: 9-3)- I didn’t quite pick the Mustangs to make it to the playoff last season but I had they pretty darn close.

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Louisville (November 22)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Baylor (September 6)

Bottom Line: The Mustangs will take an inevtiable step back in 2025 thanks to a tougher schedule in which they aren’t going to be able to sneak up on their opposition like they were in 2024. SMU also won several close games last year that could easily go the other way this season. Dont’ get me wrong, this squad will still be really good in 2025, but I don’t see another trip to the CFP on the horizon for Rhett Lashlee’s group.

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5	Pittsburgh (9-3, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2024 prediction: 3-9)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Notre Dame (November 15)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Syrause (October 18)

Bottom Line: The Panthers are my # 8 surprise team in the nation in 2025, as I think they build upon last year’s progress to take another big step foward. Eli Holstein was one of the most talented freshmen quarterbacks in the country last season, and the Panthers bring back 15 others starters from last year’s squad as well.

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6	NC State (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2024 prediction: 9-3)

Positional Strength: Wide Receiver

Positional Weakness: Linebacker

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Florida State (November 21)- the Wolfpack own the Noles, especially in Raleigh

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Pittsburgh (October 25)

Bottom Line: This is always one of those programs that tends to overachieve when expectations are low and underachieves when they are high. I expect that trend to continue in 2025, as the Wolfpack bring back an experienced team this season that isn’t getting anywhere near the hype they had entering last year.

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6	Virginia (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 5-7 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Virginia Tech (November 29)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Duke (November 15)

Bottom Line: This is the third straight year that I have called for the Hoos to finally have a breakthrough campaign under Tony Elliott, as I really have liked the rosters he has put together. The 2023 squad was dreadful but last year’s squad almost made it back to a bowl game. Interestingly enough, this program has not played in a postseason game since the 2019 Orange Bowl against Florida, but I am fairly confident that drought will come to an end in 2025. The Hoos have 15 experienced starters including Quarterback Chandler Morris who comes in from successful stints at both TCU and North Texas, and the Cavs also have a favorable schedule that includes games most all of the conference bottom-dwellers (vs. Stanford, at Cal, vs. Wake).

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8	Georgia Tech (8-4, 5-3)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2024 prediction: 4-8)

Positional Strength: Quarterback

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Duke (October 18)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. Pittsburgh (November 22)

Bottom Line: The Jackets have steadily improved in each of the past three seasons under coach Brent Key, and I think they take another step foward this season thanks to an experienced roster that returns four of their top five tacklers from 2024, as well as, their touch as nails quarterback Hayes King and six other offenisve starters.

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9	Louisville (8-4, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2024 prediction: 8-4)- another spot-on prediction

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Virginia Tech (November 1)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Pittsburgh (September 27)

Bottom Line: The Cards don’t quite make my list of disappointment teams in 2025, but I do have them pegged lower than most experts do for this upocoming season. First of all, there is defintiely a false narrative going around about last year’s team which contends that absent their heartbreaking loss to Stanford, this team would have made it to the CFP. In fact, there is no way this squad would have make it to the college football playoff with three losses in the ACC. Keep in that one of those losses was at home to an SMU squad that ended up having two more regular season wins than the Cards had and later became the last at-large team selected for the CFP. Louisville does bring back a lot of experience (16 returning/experienced starters) from last year’s squad, but I have questions about Miler Moss at quarterback, who ended up getting benched by Lincon Riley at USC midseason last year. There also major concerns about this team’s offensive line and all levels of the defense. Louisville will still be good in 2025 but not good enough to make it back to Charlotte for the ACC title game, especially considering their unfavorable conference schedule in which they draw all of the league’s top teams (at Miami-FL, vs. Clemson, at SMU).

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9	Duke (6-6, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 9-4 (My 2024 prediction: 4-8)- I vastly understimated this squad last year

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. NC State (September 20)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Tulane (September 13)

Bottom Line: The Blue Devils are a squad that perenially outperforms my preseason projections for them, and they may very well do it again, as I have the Blue Devils lower in my projections than most experts. With that being said, this team loses its starting quarterback, top three tacklers, top two receivers, and leading rusher from last season, and aside from Tulane QB Darian Mensah, they didn’t get much in the transfer portal to offset these losses. I think Manny Diaz’s crew ultimately takes a step back in 2025 but still finds a way to go bowling.

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9	Florida State (6-6, 4-4)

Last Year’s Record: 2-10 (My 2024 prediction: 9-3)

Positional Strength: Linebacker

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Pittsburgh (October 11)

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

Bottom Line: So what do you do with a team who won 13 games in 2023 but just 2 in 2024? The obvious choice is to split the different and call for the Noles to go 6-6, which is what I am going to do. Thomas Castellanosand Gus Malzahn should be able to help this offense immensely, but there are still too many unknowns and question marks on both sides of the ball for me to call for the Noles to return to the upper echelon of the ACC in 2025.

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12	Syracuse (5-7, 3-5)

Last Year’s Record: 10-3 (My 2024 prediction: 5-7)- Myself and most other experts significantly underrated Fran Brown’s squad last season

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Wide Receiver

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Duke (September 27)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: vs. North Carolina (October 31)

Bottom Line: No team in the Power 4 may be destined for a greater setback season in 2025 than the Orange. This team was absolutely gutted by graduation and the transfer portal (only 4 total returning starters) and also faces a brutal schedule that includes non-conference games against Tennessee and Noter Dame and conference matchups against all of the top teams in the league (Clemson, SMU, Miami-FL, Georgia Tech, etc.). As a result, the Orange’s bid for a fourth straight bowl game in 2025 is likely to come up short.

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13	Virginia Tech (5-7, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2024 prediction: 8-4)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Vanderbilt (September 6)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Virginia (November 29)- a rare loss to the Hoos in the Commonwealth Cup will likely mark the end of the Pry era at Virginia Tech

Bottom Line: I believe the Brent Pry tenure comes to an unceremonious conclusion in 2025, as I don’t think this squad will win enough games for him to make it to year 5 in Blacksburg. This team loses its starting running back and top four pass catchers, all while returning Kyron Drones who seems to be regressing at quarterback. The schedule also doesn’t do the Hokies any favors, as this squad plays two SEC teams in non-conference play and then faces several of the upper echelon teams in ACC play (Miami-FL, Louisville, Georgia Tech).

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13	Stanford (2-10, 2-6)

Last Year’s Record: 3-9 (My 2024 prediction: 4-8)

Positional Strength: Running Back

Positional Weakness: Quarterback

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. Boston College (September 13)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at San Jose State (September 27)

Bottom Line: Some experts are calling this squad to be the worst in all of the Power 4, but I don’t think the Cardinal are quite that bad. Frank Reich is a good coach that will find a way to win at least couple of games this season, but this will ultimately be a long rebuild in Palo Alto

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15	Boston College (3-9, 1-7)

Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (My 2024 prediction: 6-6)

Positional Strength: Defensive Back

Positional Weakness: Defensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: vs. California (September 27)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Stanford (September 13)

Bottom Line: The Eagles are another team that I usually seem to underrate in my preseason prognostications, and it is very possible BC exceeds my lowly forecast for them again this season. However, the loss of Conovan Ezeiruaku is going to be huge on defense as he accounted for over 60% of the teams’ sacks last season. They also face a QB controversy between Dylan Longeran and Grayason James in which neither starting option seems desirable. Ultimately, I calling this to be a major down season in Chestnut Hill

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16	Wake Forest (4-8, 0-8)

Last Year’s Record: 4-8 (My 2024 prediction: 5-7)

Positional Strength: Runnning Back

Positional Weakness: Offensive Line

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Oregon State (October 11)- I will be in attendance in Corvallis for this one!

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at Virginia (November 8)

Bottom Line: The rebulid is on for my Deacs, as the departure of Dave Clawson inevitably led to a full-scale roster overhaul (only 2 returning starters on offense). The Deacs should be better defensively under Jake Dicker’s leadership, and they should be able to run the ball well with their All-ACC running back Demond Clairborne and dual threat quarterback Robby Ashford. However, there are major concerns about this team’s ability to throw the football competently, and the conference slate is surprisingly tricky in that Wake doesn’t draw any of the fellow ACC bottom-dwellers (BC, Cal, or Stanford). All in all, Wake emerges as the only team in the country besides Maryalnd that I am predicting to go undefeated in non-conference play and winless during their conference slate this season.

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16	California (2-10, 0-8)

Last Year’s Record: 6-7 (My 2024 prediction: 7-5)

Positional Strength: Defensive Line

Positional Weakness: Running Back

Biggest Predicted Win of the Year: at Oregon State (August 30)

Worst Predicted Loss of the Year: at San Diego State (September 20)

Bottom Line: I am caling for Justin Wilcox to join Brent Pry, as one of the first two coaches to be let go at the end of the 2025 season. This squad was absolutely annhilated by the transfer portal offensively (1 returning offensive starter) and even though Justin Wilcox is a good defensive coach, this squad also loses six of its top seven tacklers from a year ago. Expect Wilcox’s long and winding tenure in Berkeley to finally come to end after this season, if not before.

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