2024 ACC Football Conference Preview

2024 ACC Football Conference Preview

With the College Football season set to get underway, Vendetta Sports Media is bringing you College Football conference previews! So far we have the MAC, Sun Belt, SEC, and Big Ten for your viewing pleasure. In this one, as you saw in the title, we will be taking a look at the ACC. This conference can go in a number of directions, but it will NOT end up as most of the national media is predicting. Who will end up on top? We dive into that here in the 2024 ACC preview!

1. North Carolina State

That’s right. We’re starting the 2024 ACC preview off hot. I have NC State as the top team in the ACC in 2024. I believe the Wolfpack is set all over the place. The defense, specifically the secondary, will take a huge step forward this year. The Corners return three players who logged 500+ snaps a season ago. I also have faith in transfer Quarterback Grayson McCall. He was a stud at Coastal Carolina, and I believe he will transition very well to a higher level of play. David Doeren has these guys ready to make a name for themselves this season.

2. Miami

That’s also right. No Clemson OR Florida State is in the top two of the conference in this 2024 ACC preview. Listen, I know that putting your faith in Mario Cristobal is certainly a decision, and one I did not make lightly. However, I have more faith in the guys on the field than the coach off it. Cam Ward oozes talent, Damien Martinez comes in to lead the backfield, and the Hurricanes have an abundance of pass rushers. It is in the back of my mind that this team started 4-0 last season before going 3-6 down the stretch. As terrifying as it is, Miami is loaded. Will Cristobal find a way to screw it up?

3. Florida State

This Seminoles team, to some, was robbed of a College Football Playoff berth a year ago after going 13-0 in the regular season and winning the ACC. 10 players from that team have since departed, which means we are set for a ton of new faces this year. Not all hope is lost, as Florida State will still boast one of the better offensive lines in the ACC. The real worry I have is who will be catching the ball from DJ U? (yes, I am not spelling out that whole name. Sue me.) The top three pass catchers are gone as well as the lead back.

4. Virginia Tech

While the Hokies may not have superstars on their roster, they land fourth on my 2024 ACC preview because this is a team. What I mean by that is all the guys seem to be bought into what Head Coach Brent Pry is selling. Pry is a dang good coach who has built a culture that is easy to root for. Their chances of being competitive in 2024 are bolstered by this team returning 91% of their offensive production and 77% of their defense. Cornerback Dorian Strong is the best player you haven’t heard of, but you will once the season is over.

5. Clemson

Sorry, but I just don’t have faith in Dabo Sweeney. It’s hard to believe that a team is going to be elite when their Head Coach is stuck in the dinosaur age. Yes, the defense is going to be really good. They are returning key starters at all three levels. However, I’m not eating the cheese on Cade Klubnik. The former five-star recruit has not looked the part so far in his collegiate career, and I don’t see much room for improvement in 2024. Maybe if Dabo actually hit the transfer portal and got him some weapons, I’d have more faith. But we all know that isn’t happening.

6. SMU

The defending American Athletic Conference champions will join the ACC this season, and they are going to bring the firepower on offense. The Mustangs finished 16th in total offense and eighth in scoring a year ago, and are returning most of the playmakers. But I believe the story will be the defense. They hit the transfer portal hard, landing a number of pass rushers to go along with seven returning players. I believe the step up in competition will take some adjusting, but SMU could be a dark horse to make a run at the ACC Championship.

7. North Carolina

It’s criminal what Mack Brown did to Drake Maye last season, but that’s another story for another time.

Maye is off to the NFL, and they are bringing in former Texas A&M QB Max Johnson to fill his shoes. He may not be asked to do too much, as I expect this team to lean heavily on the run game, headlined by Omarion Hampton. What scares me about this Tar Heels team, though, is the offensive line. They are returning one starter from a year ago, and the four other projected starters played a combined 256 snaps. Not necessarily a recipe for success.

8. Louisville

Jeff Brohm crushed it in his first season for the Cardinals, going 10-4 and earning the school’s first 10-win season since 2014. He also went out and was one of the most active coaches in the transfer portal, bringing in 31(!) players. However, that doesn’t always translate to success. 11 of the 22 projected starters are transfers, which does slightly concern me. One of those transfers was quarterback Tyler Slough, who will start for Louisville this season. Injuries have derailed his collegiate career, so we don’t totally know what we are getting. For those reasons, Lousiville takes a step back in my 2024 ACC preview.

9. Syracuse

I might be slightly high on Syracuse in my 2024 ACC preview, but it’s mostly because of their schedule and how hard they hit the transfer portal in recent years. (Yes, I know what I just said about the portal, leave me alone) Their schedule is softer this year, Kyle McCord is coming in and is a major step up in quarterback play (from what they had, he wasn’t outstanding for Ohio State last season) and new Head Coach Fran Brown should improve this defense immediately.

10. Georgia Tech

Wide receiver Eric Singleton might be a dude. As a true freshman last season, he finished with 716 receiving yards, good enough for second among TF. Outside of Singleton, the Yellow Jackets return productive running back Jamal Haynes and quarterback Haynes King. This running attack could be lethal with a stud like Singleton on the outside. The issue might be time of possession, as Georgia Tech struggled mightily stopping the run last season and made no major improvements to the interior of the defensive line.

11. Duke

The fighting Cervantes’ places 11th in my 2024 ACC preview. With Mike Elko gone and Manny Diaz in, the defense should be just as tenacious as before. Diaz brings a smash-mouth style of defense that could wreck shop if not contained. However, with a lot of roster turnover and question marks surrounding the offense, specifically the line, it’s hard to see a path toward success in year one for Diaz.

12. Cal

The only player keeping this Cal team relevant in 2024 is star running back Jayden Ott. Ott is a trendy pick to be one of the best backs in the country. The Junior finished in the top ten in rushing yards, yards after contact, forced missed tackles, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns for his position. Ott has done all this with a below-average offensive line, which got worse this offseason.

13. Wake Forest

Full transparency here, the remaining five teams in my 2024 ACC preview leave A LOT to be desired all over, so things might get a little quick.

Jasheen Davis is arguably the lone bright spot on this team, as he led the Demon Deacons in sacks last season with 7.5. If this team wants to make any real noise in the ACC, they are going to have to get much more out of the offense than last season.

14. Pitt

Kenny Pickett sucks. Always has, and always will.

Anyway, Pat Narduzzi won’t finish the season as the Head Coach, that’s my bold-ish prediction. 3-9 a year ago and not a lot of reason for optimism in 2024. There’s some intrigue surrounding Nate Yarnell, but I did not see anything that gave me confidence in him heading into this season. It doesn’t help that the offensive line is one of the worst in the country, and did not get any better in the portal.

15. Boston College

Did anyone know that Boston College hired Bill O’Brien to be their new Head Coach? That should say enough about their ranking in this 2024 ACC preview. I’m out on any team that has anything to do with O’Brien. I will say that Thomas Castellanos is electric at quarterback for his running ability, and this offense *should* place among the top 30 again in rushing offense.

16. Stanford

Cupcake

17. Virginia

Cupcake with sprinkles

Linktree!

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