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:
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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 and cornerback Dorian Strong back from a 7-6 team, the Hokies’ improvement should continue.
8. North Carolina
This week: vs. Minnesota
UNC lost no fewer than five games in either of the last two seasons with quarterback Drake Maye. That run could linger as a missed opportunity.
9. SMU
This week: vs. Houston Christian
SMU won 11 games in 2023, but jumping from the AAC to the ACC won’t be as easy as ABC.
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10. Duke
This week: vs. Elon
Manny Diaz is a top defensive mind who should maintain Mike Elko’s excellent work on that side of the ball.
11. Pitt
This week: vs. Kent State
Whether Pitt rebounds from a woeful 2023 season depends on how it adapts to new offensive coordinator Kade Bell’s up-tempo scheme.
12. Boston College
This week: at Florida State
Bill O’Brien has a proven record as a head coach and inherits a potential gem in quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
13. Syracuse
This week: vs. Ohio
Fran Brown has ambitious goals for Syracuse and could achieve them at a place where it has been difficult recently to win.
14. Cal
This week: vs. UC Davis
Cal has a stud in running back Jaydn Ott, but its defense — coach Justin Wilcox’s expertise — has slipped the past two seasons.
15. Wake Forest
This week: vs. North Carolina A&T
Wake Forest won just four games last season, its fewest in a full season since 2015.
16. Virginia
This week: vs. Richmond
Tony Elliott’s two seasons with the Cavaliers have proven difficult, producing a 6-16 record.
17. Stanford
This week: vs. TCU
A Stanford program that had been a national power is 17-37 over the past five seasons.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: ACC power rankings: Clemson, Florida State lead the way in 2024
