ACC odds 2023: Favorite, picks, predictions for ACC college football conference

For a considerable stretch, the Clemson Tigers held dominion over the ACC. Dabo Swinney’s squad won the conference for six consecutive seasons, the longest streak for the ACC since the late Bobby Bowden last roamed the sidelines. Clemson will enter the upcoming season as the odds-on favorites to win the conference championship again.

But the separation between the Tigers and their ACC rivals has contracted significantly. The Florida State Seminoles barely trail Clemson in the odds and have a compelling case to take the conference. Mike Norvell, now in his fourth year at the helm in Tallahassee, comes off a season in which he guided the ‘Noles to their first double-digit win total in over half a decade. He’ll have many of his top players back in 2023, including quarterback Jordan Travis.

By comparison, Clemson will feature a new full-time starter under center and won’t have two of their top-3 pass catchers from a year ago. The Tigers certainly have recruited well enough to account for those changes — new starting signal-caller Cade Klubnik earned a five-star composite rating coming out of high school — but the adjustments still need to happen. That responsibility will fall on the shoulders of new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley who spent 2022 calling plays for the CFP National Championship runners-up, the TCU Horned Frogs.

A large gap exists between Clemson/Florida State and the rest of the ACC. The North Carolina Tar Heels return one of college football’s top quarterbacks in Drake May, but they also lost OC Phil Longo this offseason. The Louisville Cardinals have an entirely different coaching staff even if new head coach Jeff Brohm has plenty of familiarity with the program. Meanwhile, the Mario Cristobal experience has yet to deliver the desired results for the Miami Hurricanes and the odds reflect it.