It feels like there are a thousand changes as we enter the 2024 college football season. Every conference looks completely different thanks to either the addition or subtraction of teams. There is an expanded College Football Playoff, there is an openness to treating players like employees rather than student-athletes, oh, and the broadcasts will look different with new deals and new broadcast partners. But one thing remains the same: each team is competing for one thing – a national championship. Here’s our 2024 ACC football preview.
Who is joining?
The ACC added Stanford and Cal from the Pac-12 as they were two of the last four schools looking for another conference after the fallout of the Conference of Champions. In the football world, this shouldn’t concern too many existing ACC member schools. Stanford hasn’t won more than three games in their last three seasons. Cal is looking to improve after a strong 2023, but they still have been average at best out West. The conference also added SMU from the Amerian Athletic Conference.
Last Year
It was a bizarre year in the ACC with plenty of new programs rising to the top while some of the more traditional powers fell towards the bottom. The big story was a former powerhouse that had a resurgent year in Florida State. The Seminoles went undefeated during the regular season and took down Louisville to win the conference, but they were held out of the College Football Playoff after QB Jordan Travis went down towards the end of the season.
Louisville and North Carolina State were maybe the biggest surprises of the bunch. They took major leaps forward, competing for the conference and showing that they could potentially be players in a revamped College Football Playoff.
What to Watch
I have no doubt that all eyes on will be on Clemson this year and whether they can get back to national prominence. They finished 9-4 last season with all four of their losses coming from inside the ACC. Dabo Swinney has talked a lot about NIL and not buying into the notion which has completely backfired on him in a three-year span and taken Clemson off the top rung. He will have a lot of pressure to right those wrongs and get it together this season as the fan base grows impatient from the standards he set.
Heisman Candidate
Cam Ward is the guy I’ll be watching from the ACC. I think Miami will be a lot stronger this season as Mario Cristobal has had a few years to recruit and get things on track in Coral Gables and Cam Ward will be the biggest beneficiary from that. Ward was outstanding at Washington State and was one of the hottest commodities in the transfer portal before choosing to take his talents to South Beach.
Prediction
I am riding with Florida State to edge out Miami in the ACC. Mike Norvell has built a phenomenal base in Tallahassee and there is a total buy-in for what they are doing. Norvell and the Seminoles are hungry following their CFP snub last season.