Can you believe we're only a few days away from the 2024 college football season? Conference realignment will be in force, especially in the ACC where 17 teams will compete for conference supremacy.
Clemson, Miami, and Florida State should be the front-runners, but we found some betting value on some other squads. Check out the 4 ACC win totals we're playing today. Best of luck!
Syracuse Orange UNDER 7.5 Wins
After a promising 4-0 start to the season which include a 35-20 win at Purdue, the Orange had the wheels fall off as they lost 5 in a row. They did beat Pittsburgh and Wake Forest with a loss to Georgia Tech sandwiched between before getting blanked in the bowl game against USF 45-0.
This season there is some optimism in Syracuse after head coach Fran Brown added OSU transfer Kyle McCord, who had been the starter for the majority of OSU’s season. He will have 2nd team all ACC back LeQuint Allen in the backfield who went over 1000 yards on the ground last year. His wideouts are strong and he has a great tight end in Oronde Gadsen.
Defensively, new coordinator Elijah Robinson is converting them to a 4-2-5 which means he will rely heavily on his front 4. The linebackers will be in good shape as well as the safeties, questions will loom on the outside when it comes to their cornerbacks.
Duke Blue Devils OVER 5.5 Wins
The Blue Devils had an ebb and flow type of season in 2023-2024. A 4-0 start out of the gate was quickly flipped when they lost 5 of their next 7. They managed to win their regular season finale and stole a 17-10 victory over Troy in their bowl game.
New head coach Manny Diaz takes over for the Blue Devils this season. He already brought in former Texas signal caller, Maalik Murphy to take over for Riley Leonard who left for Notre Dame via the portal. They also lost Jordan Waters to NCST and will need Jaquez Moore to pick up the slack. No matter what the skill players offer, it will all come down to how their makeshift offensive line holds up this season.
There will be a bunch of new faces across the line. The same will ring true on the defensive side of the ball. Duke lost 4 defensive linemen from last year’s squad. The secondary will be in decent shape but again, the boys upfront will have their work cut out for them.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets OVER 5.5 Wins
Georgia Tech traded wins for losses last season on a near week-by-week basis. They finally won two in a row when they defeated Virginia after having beaten UNC the week prior. However, they went back to their old ways immediately following. They finished the regular season .500 and took a 30-17 loss in their bowl game to UCF to end on a losing note.
The offense was the bread and butter for the 2023-2024 Yellow Jackets and expectations are high for them again this season. They return 4 starters on the offensive line and QB Haynes King is also returning. He will have Singelton and Rutherford back on the outside and 1000-yard rusher Jamal Haynes is also back.
The defense was poor last year but moving to a 4-2-5 with new coordinator Tyler Santucci should help things a bit. Much of the defense returns but all will need to improve under their new DC. If Santucci can get this group heading in the right direction, this Tech team could be the surprise of the conference this season.
California Bears UNDER 6.5 Wins
Cal will be making their debut in the ACC this season after leaving the Pac-12. They won’t miss it much as they finished last season with their 14th straight losing conference record. Their star back from last season, Jaydn Ott is back and hopefully with a new appreciation for protecting the ball.
Turnovers were an issue for him and the offense last season. Fernando Mendoza made the most of his opportunity last season when he was thrust into the starting QB role but Cal also brough in transfer Chandler Rogers from North Texas who may take snaps as well. They will have a nice threat in ND transfer Tobias Merriweather.
The defense needs to be better as they allowed 32.9ppg last season and virtually could not contain any passing attack. Now in the ACC, the passing attacks may not be as tough but it is still a spot they need to address. Marcus Harris and Ja’ir Smith will be in the secondary along with Craig Woodson for Peter Simon who is tasked with turning things around for the Bears defensively.
