Welcome back college football fans as we approach the beginning of the season. In this episode we will explore the new-17 team ACC and some of the issues they face. First, congratulations to the SMU Mustangs who are stepping up from the Group of 5 American Athletic Conference (AAC) to the Core 4 ACC. In the GCR preseason strength of schedule (PS SOS), the logic, such as it is, of ranking the teams is not about what conference a team is in, nor about how that team did last season. Instead, it’s based on what league (Core 4, Group of 5, FCS, or non-Division I) that team’s opponents were in last season. SMU won 11 games last year playing a Group of 5 schedule. That does not necessarily mean that is the same as winning 11 in the ACC (only FSU won at least that many last season). The logic, then, is that those 11 wins have to be adjusted as any Group of 5 team from last season would be. The same thing was true for the AAC To Big 12 teams last season. So, even though the ACC teams that play SMU as a conference game this year, those 11 wins are discounted in their overall PS SOS.
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The ACC also welcomed half of the remaining Pac 12 after the Big Ten and Big 12 took 8 teams. California and Stanford (both in reality definitely on the Pacific Ocean) joined the Atlantic Coast Conference. The 3 new teams may help the ACC in the long term, but the Eureka State teams were a combined 9-16 to go along with SMU’s promotion. I also don’t see the cross-country travel being a positive for those teams in the inaugural season, but I’ve been wrong before – and don’t get me started on other sports and the travel impact. Add to that the ongoing Florida St (and Clemson) disputes over payouts and it feels to me the ACC is on the fast track to following the fate of the Pac 12 in the next couple of years. It’s been a storied conference over the decades, but the very-long-term TV deal will more than likely be their downfall. Grabbing teams to strengthen the conference made sense in an effort to survive, but, from a football perspective only, the deal looks much more like an unplanned Hail Mary than a strategic initiative. Again, I could be wrong. Sometime this season, I’ll give my thoughts on where all the teams would go if the ACC disintegrates.
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But now is the time to look at the 2024 ACC and not jump too far ahead. As always, the conference plays 5 games against Notre Dame (an ACC member for other sports). In the table below, (F) indicates an FCS opponent, (G) indicates a Group of 5 foe, (*) indicates the SMU conference games, (A) indicates the sort of conference Notre Dame games, (P) indicates games against one of the Pac (1)2 remaining schools, (4) indicates a game against non-conference Core 4 (Big 12, Big Ten, SEC) teams, and (N) indicates a neutral site game. whew. Without further ado, I give you the 2024 ACC.
| Team | 2023 Record (Rank) | 2024 PS SOS (Rank) | Home Games | Away/Neutral Games | Opp 2023 Rec |
| Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (1) | 7-6 (42) | 10.19 (4) | (46-30/.605) VMI (F), Notre Dame (A), Georgia St (G), Duke, Miami FL, NC St | (57-24/.704) Georgia (4), Florida St (N), North Carolina, Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Louisville | 103-54 (.656) |
| Boston College Eagles (2) | 7-6 (62) | 8.97 (20) | (46-43/.517) Duquesne (F), Michigan St (4), W Kentucky (G), Louisville, Syracuse, North Carolina, Pittsburgh | (45-21/.681) Missouri (4), Florida St, Virginia, Virginia Tech, SMU (*) | 91-64 (.587) |
| Stanford Cardinal (3) | 3-9 (51) | 8.91 (21) | (40-36/.526) Cal Poly (F), TCU (4), Virginia Tech, SMU (*), Wake Forest, Louisville | (47-31/.603) Notre Dame (A), San Jose St (G), Syracuse, Clemson, NC St, California | 87-67 (.565) |
| Florida St Seminoles (4) | 13-1 (4) | 8.89 (22) | (49-39/.557) Charleston (F), Florida (4), Memphis (G), Boston College, Clemson, North Carolina, California | (39-23/.629) Notre Dame (A), Georgia Tech (N), Duke, Miami FL, SMU (*) | 88-62 (.587) |
| Virginia Cavaliers (5) | 3-9 (59) | 8.89 (23) | (53-37/.663) Richmond (F), Maryland (4), Boston College, Louisville, North Carolina, SMU (*) | (41-35/.539) Notre Dame (A), Coastal Carolina (G), Wake Forest, Clemson, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech | 94-62 (.603) |
| Duke Blue Devils (6) | 8-5 (25) | 8.43 (31) | (48-29/.623) Elon (F), UCONN (G), North Carolina, Florida St, SMU (*), Virginia Tech | (39-37/.513) Northwestern (4), Middle Tennessee (G), Georgia Tech, Miami FL, NC St, Wake Forest | 87-66 (.569) |
| Miami FL Hurricanes (7) | 7-6 (35) | 8.27 (34) | (48-29/.623) Florida A&M (F), Ball St (G), Virginia Tech, Florida St, Duke, Wake Forest | (41-36/.532) Florida (4), South Florida (G), California, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Syracuse | 90-65 (.581) |
| Louisville Cardinals (8) | 10-4 (21) | 8.09 (40) | (46-28/.622) App St (F), Jacksonsville St (G), Georgia Tech, SMU (*), Miami FL, Pittsburgh | (39-37/.513) Notre Dame (A), Kentucky (4), Virginia, Boston College, Clemson, Stanford | 85-65 (.567) |
| Pittsburgh Panthers (9) | 3-9 (66) | 7.92 (46) | (42-47/.472) Youngstown St (F), West Virginia (4), Kent St (G), California, Syracuse, Virginia, Clemson | (39-27/.591) Cincinnati (4), North Carolina, SMU (*), Louisville, Boston College | 81-74 (.522) |
| California Golden Bears (10) | 6-7 (50) | 7.85 (49) | (44-43/.506) UC Davis (F), Oregon St (P), San Diego St (G), Miami FL, NC St, Syracuse, Stanford | (37-28/.569) Auburn (4), Florida St, Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, SMU (*) | 81-71 (.533) |
| North Carolina Tar Heels (11) | 8-5 (54) | 7.78 (54) | (46-41/.529) NC Central (F), Charlotte (G), James Madison (G), Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, NC St | (37-28/.569) Minnesota (4), Duke, Virginia, Florida St, Boston College | 83-69 (.546) |
| Clemson Tigers (12) | 9-4 (22) | 7.73 (56) | (39-49/.443) Citadel (F), South Carolina (4), App St (G), NC St, Stanford, Virginia, Louisville | (40-25/.615) Georgia (4N), Florida St, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh | 79-74 (.516) |
| NC St Wolfpack (13) | 9-4 (29) | 7.24 (75) | (38-48/.442) W Carolina (F), LA Tech (G), N Illinois (G), Wake Forest, Sytracuse, Stanford, Duke | (39-26/.600) Tennessee (4N), Clemson, California, Georgia Tech, North Carolina | 77-74 (.510) |
| Wake Forest Demon Deacons (14) | 4-8 (64) | 7.23 (76) | (44-44/.500) North Carolina A&T (F), Mississippi (4), Louisiana (G), Virginia, Clemson, California, Duke | (30-34/.469) UCONN (G), NC St, Stanford, North Carolina, Miami FL | 74-78 (.487) |
| Syracuse Orange (15) | 6-7 (79) | 7.19 (77) | (44-43/.506) Holy Cross (F), Ohio (G), UCONN (G), Georgia Tech, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Miami FL | (34-31/.523) UNLV (G), NC St, Pittsburgh, Boston College, California | 77-74 (.510) |
| Virginia Tech Hokies (16) | 7-6 (61) | 7.06 (82) | (39-38/.506) Rutgers (4), Marshall (G), Boston College, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Virginia | (32-44/.421) Vanderbilt (4), Old Dominion (G), Miami FL, Stanford, Syracuse, Duke | 71-82 (.464) |
| SMU Mustangs (17) | 11-3 (33) | 6.60 (106) | (44-42/.512) Houston Christian (F), BYU (4), TCU (4), Florida St, Pittsburgh, Boston College, Caliornia | (26-37/.413) Nevada (G), Louisville, Stanford, Duke, Virginia | 70-79 (.470) |
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That’s it for today. Only two more episodes before we switch gears to the first games of the season. Thank you for reading and for sharing with others, G
