Let’s wrap up the Betting News Campus Tour with the Atlantic Coast Conference, which also includes a couple teams from California and one from Texas thanks to recent expansion. The ACC is the last of the Power Four conferences for us to preview, but read below for all of our picks and predictions related to this league.
You can place all of your CFB Futures action at one of our recommended online sportsbooks. And be sure to check out our other conference previews as well.
Let’s start by digging into the past champions and how the conference shapes up this season.
Dabo Swinney thinks this year’s Clemson team could compete for the National Championship
Past 10 ACC Champions
- 2024: Clemson Tigers
- 2023: Florida State Seminoles
- 2022: Clemson Tigers
- 2021: Pittsburgh Panthers
- 2020: Clemson Tigers
- 2019: Clemson Tigers
- 2018: Clemson Tigers
- 2017: Clemson Tigers
- 2016: Clemson Tigers
- 2015: Clemson Tigers
Someone clearly has a stranglehold on this conference. Florida State won it three years straight ending in 2014, and the last winner not named FSU or Clemson besides the 2021 Panthers was way back in 2010, when Virginia Tech beat the Seminoles in the conference championship.
This season, according to the oddsmakers, it’s still the Tiger’s conference to lose.
Carson Beck returns to college football with the Miami Hurricanes
2025 ACC Football Betting Odds
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Odds to Win the CFP (ACC Schools)
- Clemson Tigers +850
- Miami Hurricanes +2800
- Louisville Cardinals +8000
- SMU Mustangs +10000
Next up on the list are the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at +15000, and then Florida State at 300-1. Dabo Swinney’s squad is No. 5 on the list of favorites to win this year’s National Championship.
Odds to Make College Football Playoff (ACC Schools)
- Clemson -200
- Miami +175
- Louisville +300
- SMU +325
- Georgia Tech +650
- Florida State +1200
Not much love for the rest of the ACC, but SMU and Louisville could be in the conversation this year. However, much like the Big 12, the ACC is likely going to be a one bid conference. This means, if you like a school to make the 12 team playoff, you should probably just bet them to win the conference for more value. More than likely, that’s what it will take.
Kevin Jennings and the SMU Mustangs went to the ACC Championship in their first year
Odds to Win ACC Championship
- Clemson +100
- Miami +375
- Louisville +850
- SMU +900
- Georgia Tech +900
- Florida State +2500
- Duke +2800
- North Carolina +3300
- Virginia Tech +3300
After that, NC State and Pitt are both +4000. Syracuse is +5000, Boston College is +6600, and both California and Virginia are 80-1. Lastly, Wake Forest and Stanford bring up the rear, currently priced at 300-1 to win the conference.
Tulane transfer Darian Mensah will lead Duke against his former team in Week 3
2025 ACC Football Team Breakdown
The ACC doesn’t even have 10 teams worth talking about in my eyes. So I’ll really just touch on the top six to include the heavy hitters.
No. 6 Duke Blue Devils
Duke brings in Tulane transfer Darian Mensah to lead their offense, and he should certainly be an immediate upgrade. While they return RB Jaquez Moore and most of their offensive line, they’ll have a few new skill players to get used to the playbook.
Defensively, they return some very, very good players, including CB Chandler Rivers who could be one of the best defensive backs in the country. This side of the ball will make up for a lack of offense (if there is some), and it will certainly raise this team’s basement overall.
They have to go to Tulane to face Mensah’s former team, and host Illinois in some non-conference contests. Lucky for them, the rest of the ACC shouldn’t be that good, but the Blue Devils will probably be towards the middle of the pack.
Duke fans should be more excited for basketball season anyways.
Haynes King threw for 2,100 and ran for 580 yards last season totaling 25 touchdowns
No. 5 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Haynes King returns as one of the best rushing QBs in the nation. Jamal Haynes is still the head RB as well, and the Yellow Jackets’ offense only replaces their right tackle and one wide out. They are a very dangerous team on the ground, and chew up plenty of clock wearing down an opponent’s defense.
On that side of the ball for Georgia Tech, they return 7/11 starters, but fill in three seniors and a junior in those spots. Point being, there is plenty of veteran experience on this defense. However, there are still more question marks than on offense.
Georgia Tech has to go to Boulder and face Colorado, as well as ending the year hosting the Georgia Bulldogs. They get to host Clemson as well, and get to avoid three of the other teams I have listed ahead of them in the conference (Louisville, SMU, Miami), giving them an easier ACC schedule.
Isaac Brown ran for 1,173 yards and 11 TDs as a freshman last season
No. 4 Louisville Cardinals
Louisville brings in Miller Moss from USC to lead the offense this season, and I think he’s up to fill the shoes left by Tyler Shough. The Cardinals replace both outside offensive linemen and one receiver, bringing in Dacari Collins from NC State after catching 24 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns last year.
Sophomore RB Isaac Brown is set for another great season after a stellar 1,000 yard performance as a freshman. Louisville faces three very beatable opponents in non-conference play, but will have to go to Miami and SMU, while hosting Clemson on a short week later in the year.
If they can pull off some upsets over the top three teams in this conference, they could sneak their way into the ACC Championship.
No. 3 SMU Mustangs
The Mustangs made it to the ACC Championship in their first year in the league and are looking to get right back to it. Kevin Jennings is ready to lead a veteran receiving corps and a redshirt freshman running back. The Mustangs brought in WR Yamir Knight, who led James Madison in receptions last season with 53, resulting in 605 yards and four touchdowns.
They also return 8/11 starters on the defensive side of the ball, with seven seniors leading the unit. While I am counting on them to beat Baylor in Week 2, they’ll also go across town to take on TCU in Week 4, facing a couple of Big 12 foes. But I’ve got faith in the Mustangs in both contests.
Now they do face three of the top four teams in conference play, as they’ll get to host Miami and play Louisville off a bye week. But they’ll travel to face Clemson as well.
I do lean with SMU Over 8.5 Wins (-125), but assuming they drop their three toughest games, they’ll need to be perfect otherwise. I’m already on Baylor’s win total under, so I’m counting on a Week 2 victory, but at TCU in a rivalry game could be dicey.
Miami Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal is still in charge at the U
No. 2 Miami (FL) Hurricanes
Carson Beck is set to be Miami’s savior this season, but Mario Cristobal still leads this team. And holy cow, they’ve got a tough schedule.
The Hurricanes brought in CJ Daniels and Tony Johnson to catch passes from Beck. Daniels was a 1,000 yard receiver for Liberty in 2023 with 10 TDs, and he caught 42 passes for 480 yards at LSU last season. Johnson caught 48 passes for 449 yards last season for Cincinnati, going for two straight 400 yard seasons with 10 TDs over that span.
The defense has five new transfer starters, including an entirely new secondary, but Canes fans should have high hopes.
Miami gets to avoid Clemson… but they’ll be tested all over the place. The Hurricanes open up hosting Notre Dame in Week 1 and they host Florida in Week 4. During conference play, they go to Florida State and SMU, while hosting Louisville when the Cardinals come to town.
While their win total might be tempting at 9.5 for plus money, I don’t feel like betting on a Cristobal led team to get double digits.
Cade Klubnik is a Heisman favorite this season
No. 1 Clemson Tigers
Lastly, the Clemson Tigers. Quarterback Cade Klubnik is No. 2 on the Heisman odds boards to begin the season, and rightfully so. The senior threw for 3,639 yards last year, with an incredible 36-6 TD-INT ratio, doing a great job of taking care of the football. He also added 463 yards on the ground on 119 carries, turning seven of them into touchdowns.
The Tigers return every starter on offense, except for their running back, who will be true freshman Gideon Davidson, but he is ready for the challenge. Defensively, they also return 10/11 starters, bringing in EDGE Will Heldt who has 57 total tackles for Purdue last season, including ranking No. 2 on the team in sacks with five.
Now, they headline Week 1 when hosting the LSU Tigers, and end the year going to South Carolina, who should be very good this year. The Tigers avoid Miami and host SMU, but will have to go to Georgia Tech early in the year and face Louisville on short rest late in the season.
However, Clemson should still top this division because of the experience and depth on both sides of the ball. They snuck into the College Football Playoff last season, and this year they are ready to go compete for it.
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