Like its peers across major college football, the ACC underwent quite a few changes since the end of the 2023 season, with Stanford, Cal and SMU now making it a 17-team league.
After a turbulent offseason in which Clemson and Florida State filed lawsuits against the conference, the fight among ACC schools will soon shift to somewhere much more exciting than a courtroom.
Here are power rankings of the ACC’s football teams heading into the first full week of the 2024 season:
REQUIRED READING: Here’s how much Clemson football is paying its non-conference home opponents in 2024
1. Clemson
This week: vs. Georgia (Atlanta)
Clemson hasn’t been playoff a contender past Week 4 in two of its last three seasons. An expanded field and savvy staff hires like Garrett Riley and Matt Luke could change that.
2. Florida State
This week: vs. Boston College
An FSU team that was worthy (on paper) of the College Football Playoff last year reloaded for 2024 … and opened its season with a demoralizing upset to Georgia Tech.
3. Miami
This week: at Florida
Miami has the talent to win the league. Whether it’s enough to negate Mario Cristobal’s gameday mismanagement and recent history of underachieving is another question.
4. Louisville
This week: vs. Austin Peay
Louisville’s biggest concern may be health. Wideout Caullin Lacy is expected to miss half the season, and quarterback Tyler Shough has as many years in college as games played in a season (seven).
5. NC State
This week: vs. Western Carolina
Even without defensive stalwarts like Payton Wilson, the Wolfpack should be in good hands offensively with quarterback Grayson McCall.
6. Georgia Tech
This week: vs. Georgia State
Brent Key did an excellent job in his first full season last year, and seems ready to replicate it in 2024.
7. Virginia Tech
This week: at Vanderbilt
With defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/acc-power-rankings-clemson-fsu-080851465.html
Author : Greenville News
Publish date : 2024-08-26 08:08:51
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