A conference left for dead in recent years on competitiveness, the ACC is suddenly extremely intriguing, with good, young teams vying for a national championship.
Clemson has solidified itself as a team that should be considered a top-tier team each season. The recruiting is among the best in the nation, and even without Deshaun Watson, the Tigers still project to be one of the favorites in the ACC, along with mainstay Florida State. In past years, those have been pretty much the only teams worth watching in the ACC in terms of solid play. There were plenty of close games in the ACC, but the competition was lacking in the secondary teams.
That shouldn’t be the case this year. Louisville will be really good again this year with Heisman trophy winning quarterback Lamar Jackson back in the lineup. Bobby Petrino is one of the better coaches in American, and he’s also shown the ability to recruit well on a yearly basis. Beyond those teams, Miami and Virginia Tech also should be much better this season. The Hurricanes have Mark Richt, who despite being thrown out of Georgia, is still a top-level coach in his second year in Miami. The Hokies are on the rise and were better than expected last season.
So who’s going to win the ACC title?
Trust the ‘Noles
Despite the increased competition it’s still all about Clemson and Florida State. The Seminoles are young, but there’s experience all over the place. The defense should be lights out and Deondre Francois could be another one of those young quarterbacks who vault into the Heisman race. Florida State should be hungrier this year after seeing Clemson be the class of the conference in the last two years. The talent is there for the Seminoles. It’s just a matter of showing up each week and dominating, much like they did during Jameis Winston’s freshman campaign.
This team has the ability to be a national championship level team, so expect them to come out of a more competitive ACC.
Anyone else?
In the land of the ACC, if it’s not Louisville, Clemson or Florida State, it’s worth taking a look at the Coastal. That’s where we’ll likely find Miami and Virginia Tech competing at a decently high level, which could include two or fewer losses.
But if I’m going to go with better value with one of those teams, I’m siding with the Hurricanes. Richt knows how to win, and with this roster, he shouldn’t have as much trouble as his predecessors. He turned around the defense in one year and it should be one of the best in the conference. The schedule isn’t as bad either for Miami, with a road game against Florida State, but pretty much nothing else that looks bad on paper. The Hurricanes get Virginia Tech at home in November, while the Hokies must travel on the road in three of their final four games of the regular season.
Dark horse
I’m a sucker for Georgia Tech, and this year is no different. The offensive line was horrible last year, but as the season progressed and the offensive line earned some maturity, the Yellow Jackets got a lot better. Georgia Tech won five of its final six games last year, including wins against Georgia and Virginia Tech.
Look for the Yellow Jackets to take a little bit of the momentum into this season with pretty much their entire offense back, except for the quarterback position. The Yellow Jackets avoid Louisville and Florida State on the schedule so that bodes well to rack up a few more wins. The Yellow Jackets will be tested in the early going with a game against Tennessee, so we’ll see how well this offense can do right away.
Oddsmakers have Georgia Tech at +2500 to win the conference. That’s great value for a team that is known to give Florida State fits, and with an offense that can move the ball consistently.
ACC title odds
Florida State +110
Clemson +400
Louisville +450
Miami +650
Virginia Tech +1000
NC State +2000
Georgia Tech +2500
Pittsburgh +2500
North Carolina +3300
Duke +4000
Boston College +10000
Syracuse +10000
Virginia +10000
Wake Forest +10000
