The college football season is just around the corner. The ACC got two teams into the College Football Playoff last season and hopes to build on that in 2025. This is my preview of the conference, as well as Notre Dame, and the best ACC futures to consider at DraftKings Sportsbook.
ACC Football Betting Preview
Last season, the ACC was a roller-coaster ride. Miami looked like the team to beat with Heisman Trophy candidate and future No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, at the helm. However, its shocking late-season loss to Syracuse set up an ACC Championship Game between Clemson and SMU. Clemson needed to win to get the automatic bid into the College Football Playoff, and it did just that. SMU ended up getting an at-large bid as well, giving the ACC two teams in the CFP. Clemson and SMU both ended up getting exposed in the first round of the CFP, giving up 38 points apiece to Texas and Penn State, respectively.
The ACC is doing everything in its power to keep up with the top programs in the Big Ten and the SEC, who seem to be running college football at the moment. For years, Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech and other ACC schools were among the most dominant programs in college football. Then, Dabo Swinney came to Clemson and turned it into a national powerhouse. The SEC and Big Ten have won each of the past six national titles, but prior to that, the ACC won three out of six national titles between Clemson and Florida State. The ACC needs to get back to a place where its top programs, Clemson, Miami and Florida State, are competing at the highest level. It made waves this offseason when Bill Belichick agreed to coach UNC, which will be fascinating to watch this season.
Florida State had one of its worst seasons in program history in 2024. It should see some real improvement this season, but it is still behind the pack in the ACC, let alone nationally. Miami is going to have a chance at the conference and a playoff spot once again, but it could face some of the same problems as last season. Inopportune turnovers from Cam Ward were an issue that could be perpetuated by Georgia transfer Carson Beck. Mario Cristobal’s in-game coaching decisions also continue to hold this program back. Meanwhile, Clemson is the favorite to repeat as conference champions. It is the only team from the conference really being discussed as national title contenders, thanks to a strong defense and an experienced quarterback with a high ceiling, Cade Klubnik.
Notre Dame Preview
Notre Dame is still without a conference in 2025, despite being one of the biggest brands in college football. For a while, the lack of a conference seemed to be an inhibitor in Notre Dame’s making the four-team College Football Playoff. Now that 12 teams get in, it seems almost too easy for Notre Dame to get in with 10-11 wins every season. Even last season, Notre Dame was ineligible for a top-four seed because it was reserved for conference champions. This season, the seeding will not be based on who won their conference, so the path for Notre Dame to a national title has become even clearer.
Marcus Freeman has done a fantastic job at Notre Dame. The program is in the best shape it’s been in years, and it’s backed that up with a trip to the national title game last season. As long as Freeman can keep recruiting at a high level, both out of high school and in the portal, Notre Dame should be a national contender almost every season. It did lose defensive coordinator Al Golden to the NFL, but there is so much talent on the Notre Dame defense that it should be one of the nation’s best units once again.
There is an ongoing quarterback battle this summer between CJ Carr and Kenny Minchey. They are both looking to replace the veteran Riley Leonard, who transferred in and led Notre Dame to the title game last season. Neither will have Leonard’s experience, but both could have a higher ceiling within this program from an arm talent perspective. Jeremiyah Love returns to Notre Dame as one of the nation’s best running backs, and he has a stellar offensive line to run behind. Between the run game and the defense, Notre Dame should get back to the College Football Playoff. If one of those quarterbacks separates from the pack and hits right away, this team could be a national title contender once again.
Notre Dame is -180 to make the CFP at DraftKings Sportsbook. I like the idea of parlaying Notre Dame with my national title pick, Penn State, to both make the CFP. The odds on that bet come out to +102.
Best ACC Futures
Louisville to Win the ACC (+850)
The ACC is headlined by Clemson, with Miami just behind it on the odds board. Tied for the third-best odds in the conference are last year’s runner-up, SMU, and the Louisville Cardinals. This will be Louisville’s third season under Jeff Brohm, and the program is moving in the right direction. After being a middle-of-the-pack team before Brohm arrived, it made the ACC Championship Game in his first season, then had a solid 8-4 season in 2024 that it capped off with a good bowl win over Washington. There is a lot of positive momentum around the program, and it is set up to get to the ACC Championship Game this season.
SMU is getting respect from the market because of its great team from last year and its returning quarterback, Kevin Jennings. However, SMU benefited from an easy schedule last season, and once it was finally tested in the ACC Championship Game, it lost. SMU lost a lot on defense, as well as on the offensive line and at the skill positions, from last season. This season, SMU faces Clemson, Miami and Louisville in the regular season, which could force it out of contention. Meanwhile, Miami is a major question mark with Carson Beck at quarterback and Cristobal on the sidelines. Louisville gets a bye week before its game against Miami, and it gets Clemson at home. If it wins one of those games, it should get into the ACC Championship Game.
NFL draft pick Tyler Shough is no longer at Louisville, but it might have upgraded with Miller Moss from USC. Moss is very talented but was never able to thrive in Lincoln Riley’s system. Jeff Brohm is one of the best quarterback coaches in the country, and his system sets up perfectly for Moss’ skill set. Louisville has an incredible running back duo, and this offense should be one of the best in the conference. At +850, Louisville is the best bet to win the ACC this season.
Syracuse u5.5 Wins (-200)
It was a dream season for Syracuse in 2024. Kyle McCord lit college football on fire, leading the country in passing. Syracuse had a great group of skill position players to complement McCord, but now they are all gone. LSU transfer Rickie Collins is likely to be the starting quarterback, and with his minimal experience and the depleted skill position groups and offensive line, he could be in for a tough season. The Orange have a brutal schedule, with out-of-conference games against Tennessee and Notre Dame. It would take a miracle for Fran Brown to get this team back to a bowl game with its schedule and the amount that it lost from last year’s team.
Stanford u3.5 Wins (-190)
It is a dark time at the Stanford football program. Once one of the most consistent programs in the country under David Shaw, it has won four games or fewer in six straight seasons, and it has only won three games in each of the past four seasons. It’s looking like a fifth straight year with under 3.5 wins for Stanford. It is trying to turn the program around by bringing in Stanford legend Andrew Luck to run the program. However, after not being able to land on a coach, Luck brought in his old coach, Frank Reich, to be the interim head coach. It is incredibly rare to enter the season with an interim coach, which has made it brutal for Stanford to try to recruit.
It lost its superstar wide receiver, Elic Ayomanor, to the NFL during the offseason, making its roster even worse than it was last season. It lost even more talent to the NFL and to the transfer portal due to the uncertainty around the program. Its schedule is difficult, both with the teams it faces and the extreme travel it needs to endure as a West Coast team in the ACC. Hawaii, San Jose State and Cal are its three best chances to win on this schedule, and even those aren’t guaranteed. This team might not even make it to three wins this season.
