It’s time for our last 2024 conference preview, and this time our tour takes us to our second Frankenstein’s monster in the country. The Atlantic Coast Conference now features teams from…Dallas and the west coast. Certainly odd but it might help the competitive balance. Let’s meet the participants!

Standings Prediction

1. Florida State
2. NC State
3. Miami
4. Louisville
5. Virginia Tech
6. Clemson
7. SMU
8. Cal
9. Georgia Tech
10. Boston College
11. Stanford
12. Syracuse
13. Virginia
14. Wake Forest
15. Pittsburgh
16. Duke

Three Teams to Watch

NC State

For the several years Dave Doeren has done one the better coaching jobs in the country at NC State. His Wolfpack have been amongst the ACC’s more consistent teams, winning eight games three years in a row. But they’ve been unable to breakthrough against the bigger better teams. But maybe 2024 is the year they do, after all they’ll finally have the right man under center, gunslinger Grayson McCall. The talented righties transfer from Coastal Carolina opens up a world of possibilities in Raleigh and should make the pack more balanced.

Virginia Tech

For too long Virginia Tech has been on a down swing. But this year the Hokies are returning to their identity, playing a physical defensive minded game, but how will they score you ask? Well that rests with the right arm and legs of QB Kyron Drones. Drones has a world of talent and if he can get this offense moving again, they should work well in concert with a veteran heavy defense. The schedule is soft so the Hokies feel primed to surprise.

Boston College

This one is a little off the grid but I’m very interested to see how Bill O’Brien fares in year one in Chestnut Hill. He is by the far the most successful Belichick acolyte in recent years, after success at Penn State and with the Texans. Now he is taking another crack at the college game, taking over a Boston College program in need of repair. He was able to key a fast turn around in Happy Valley despite tough circumstances, but this will be no small task. Fortunately he’s got a talented and experienced quarterback in KJ Costello to lead the offense. The Eagles will be frisky this year, and maybe just good enough to make a bowl as well.

The Hot Seat

Pat Narduzzi, Pitt: Pat Narduzzi’s tenure as head coach at Pitt has been filled up with ups and downs. And when I say that I mostly mean downs. The honeymoon period from Kenny’s Picketts magical season is over and done with and the Panthers are really on a down swing. Last season’s team struggled mightily, and this one doesn’t feel primed to take a step in the right direction. If the blue and yellow don’t pull a rabbit out of the hat this year, Narduzzi is probably out of a job.

Mario Cristobal, Miami: It’s interesting to include Cristobal here given the Hurricanes outlook in 2024 being so positive. They have a talented team capable of big things, but there just one problem with that…Cristobal himself. The former Canes player took over his “dream job” after a solid tenure at Oregon and hasn’t gotten “the U” going quite yet, mostly because of his own stupidity. Last season’s team had momentum until a mind-numbing loss to Georgia Tech at home. The Canes need to make the playoff to save Mario’s job, otherwise, I heard they’re looking for extras in a Miami Vice re-boot.

One Question for Each Team

Florida State – FS-DJ-U? If the Seminoles are going to avenge last year’s disappointment, their story will begin and end with DJ Uiagalelei under center. The former Clemson and Oregon State QB has had his ups and downs in college football, but this Noles squad presents a chance for him to take a team deep into the playoff. They lost a lot of pieces from last season but still boast a team capable of winning the conference thanks to coach Mike Norvell’s work in the portal.

NC State – McHouseCalls? As I said earlier the NC State Wolfpack are a team to watch for me this year, mostly due to their adding transfer QB Grayson McCall. He and talented wideout Kevin Concepcion should make plenty of house calls this season and add the dimension that has been missing from this offense for years. Things should be very exciting at Carter Finley Stadium this year.

Miami – Lights, CAMera, Action? The Miami Hurricanes went out into the portal and got THE guy under center this summer, former Washington State QB Cam Ward. Ward is elite level talent who can do it, and this offense should be a great fit for him. If Ward delivers the goods, the sky is the limit for the U!

Louisville – Can the Cardinals do it again? Louisville was a surprise ten-win team last year and enjoyed some nice moments on their way to the ACC Title Game. The highlight of that was blowing out Notre Dame at home, the first marquee win of Jeff Brohm’s time in Kentucky. But, now they need to follow up against a tougher schedule and with a new QB, former Texas Tech starter Tyler Shough. Feels like a slight step back is coming.

Virginia Tech – Does it finally come together for Brent Pry? As I said earlier the Hokies haven’t exactly been themselves the last few years, but is 2024 the year that changes? Head coach Brent Pry has done a nice job re-establishing their defensive identity, and hopefully for his sake this is the season where the offense catches up with QB Kyron Drones leading the way.

Clemson – Does the backslide continue? For years the Clemson Tigers were one of THE preeminent teams in the sport, but that isn’t the case anymore. Despite that, expectations remain high in Death Valley, but I’m not sure the Tigers are prepared to meet them. They still have problems at QB and a roster that has yet to gain talent from the transfer portal, since Dabo Swinney doesn’t “believe in it.” Whatever your qualms are with the portal…is it worth throwing the program over?

SMU – How tough is life back in the big time? There are some programs that have real ambition across the country right now and SMU is one of them. The once proud Pony Express has finally rejoined a major conference and now the challenge becomes actually competing in this conference. Their boosters have bought their way into the ACC and now it’s up to head coach Rhett Lashlee and QB Preston Stone to lead SMU to success this year.

Cal – How much will travel impact this team? A new feature of this bizarre college football world is the big four conferences having members spread far and wide. The ACC has by far the most absurd collection of teams, several of its newest members don’t reside on the Atlantic coast at all. Very few come from further away than the Cal Golden Bears, whose schedule may well wreak havoc on their ability to compete most weeks as they will make trips across country to Auburn, Florida State and Wake Forest.

Georgia Tech – Can they run it back? Last year the Ramblin Wreck from Georgia Tech was a surprise 7-6 team under Brent Key. Now Key and his returning starter at QB, Haynes King, are looking to repeat that success of better it. That feels unlikely given the makeup of the roster, but this team should be frisky against top teams with their ability to hit big plays.

Boston College – Can Castellanos get caught up? With Bill O’Brien taking over as head coach in Chestnut Hill, the next challenge is laid out before quarterback Thomas Castellanos. The big righty is an exciting talent, but he now has to fit into an offense that trends towards a more pro-style approach and away from some of his more athletic traits. If Castellanos can put it all together, he’ll benefit from O’Brien’s teaching and the Eagles will reap the rewards in the win column.

Stanford – Can the old Stanford return? Stanford football has been a mess for some time now. A program that was once a model of consistency hasn’t been able to get back on track but now in a new home, they have a fresh start. Head coach Troy Taylor had them showing signs of life last year in the final season of PAC-12 football, and now need to keep some of that momentum going into this season. While they aren’t likely to take a big jump in 2024, it feels like they much like Georgia Tech could be a real nuisance to play against.

Syracuse – Is McCord the guy? Syracuse football hasn’t always been the strong suit of the university, and it doesn’t feel like it’s going to be anytime soon. If they have any shot at improving it lies with getting more out of Ohio State transfer QB Kyle McCord. McCord mostly struggled in Columbus, but this is a fresh start for him, and he needs to take advantage of it for the Orange sake.

Virginia – Can Tony Elliott get them back on their feet? Much like Syracuse, UVA hasn’t been known for their football program over the years. They’ve had their fair share of solid players but they don’t compare to the stars they have boasted on the hardwood. Head coach Tony Elliott will have his work cut out for him to get the Cavs going again.

Wake Forest – How long will the rebuild take? Just a few short years ago Wake Forest football was running at its highest level in years. Dave Clawson’s slow mesh offense was groundbreaking, and the Demon Deacons had real juice. But since that time its started to go downhill for them and it’s going to be a road back, the question is, just how long is that road?

Pittsburgh – At least you have Paul Skenes and Livvy Dunne? Other than that, I got nothing Steel City, sorry.

Duke – When is basketball season? No, I mean that, when does hoops season start?

Playoff Predictions

The ACC has seen better days, but I still think they wind up with two teams in the new playoff field. While there is a lot of turnover in Tallahassee, I like the Noles to win the conference, and I will take NC State to rep the conference at the back end over Miami because I have a lot more trust in Dave Doeren than Mario Cristoball.

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