When everything gets added up after the college football regular season, it’s hard not to feel like the ACC had a successful year as a whole.
The conference managed to send two teams to the expanded College Football Playoff, including first-year member SMU after an undefeated run through ACC play. That was, until the Clemson Tigers made a last-second field goal to snatch the conference crown (and automatic playoff berth) from the Mustangs at the buzzer. Oh, and Miami quarterback Cam Ward went to New York as a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Five different ACC teams ended up with a 9-3 record or better, including the Duke Blue Devils thanks to four different fourth-quarter comebacks, and 13 of the 17 teams in the conference qualified for a bowl game with six wins. Here are our picks and predictions for every one of those programs that reached the college football postseason.
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The Golden Bears came within four or five field goals of winning 10 games, but the Rebels only lost three times in 2024 and two of those came against Boise State. UNLV quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams has 1,845 passing yards, 736 rushing yards, and 26 total touchdowns in his 10 games at the helm, and the Rebels keep rolling here.
UNLV 34, California 27
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The Panthers have lost their last five games after a 7-0 start, but they’re heavily favored against the 7-5 Rockets. Redshirt freshman quarterback Eli Holstein will have plenty of recovery time before this battle, and if he plays, Pittsburgh’s losing streak should come to an end.
Pittsburgh 31, Toledo 17
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The Yellow Jackets came within a 2-point conversion of beating Miami, the Florida State Seminoles, and Georgia Bulldogs in a single season, and quarterback Haynes King’s injury luck potentially held them back from contending for the conference. Yes, the Commodores also beat the Alabama Crimson Tide, but Georgia Tech plays such a reliable and steady brand of football.
Georgia Tech 31, Vanderbilt 28
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The Orange and the Blue Devils mirrored each other quite a bit in 2024, another program that won nine games under a first-year head coach. Kyle McCord finished 10th in the Heisman Trophy voting after throwing for 4,326 yards and 29 touchdowns, and the season-ending upset of Miami will carry momentum through the postseason.
Syracuse 38, Washington State 30
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The North Carolina Tar Heels will face a weird limbo knowing six-time Super Bowl champion Bill Belichick is coming to town but not coaching this game. The Huskies won eight games and took Duke and Syracuse to the fourth quarter, and Connecticut is talented enough to take advantage of a UNC program in flux.
Connecticut 27, UNC 21
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The Nebraska Cornhuskers nearly coughed up their place in the postseason, losing five of their last six games to finish 6-6, but Dylan Raiola and his teammates reached the postseason. However, the Eagles have been on a roll since Grayson James took over in the pocket, and I expect that to continue.
Boston College 28, Nebraska 27
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The Hurricanes narrowly missed out on the College Football Playoff with two late losses, and this game almost entirely swings on whether Ward wants to play. If he does, Iowa State is just outmatched.
Miami 45, Iowa State 28
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The Wolfpack scored 22 fourth-quarter points against UNC in Week 14 to avoid a third straight loss and reach the postseason, and they should be comfortably favored over an East Carolina team with three conference losses in the American Athletic Conference.
NC State 31, East Carolina 23
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This game would have been fascinating just a season ago, but the Cardinals are comfortably the better team this time around. Louisville hasn’t lost a game by more than seven points, and if not for a stunning upset at Stanford, it would have only lost to top-13 teams.
Louisville 35, Washington 21
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The Blue Devils have won some improbable games under new head coach Manny Diaz, but with starting quarterback Maalik Murphy hitting the transfer portal, Ole Miss might be a bridge too far. The Rebels ended the year within the top seven in scoring offense and defense.
Ole Miss 35, Duke 17
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The Hokies, like California, came within four or five plays of conference contention, but there’s no credit rewarded for almost beating Miami and Clemson. It does mean Virginia Tech is better than its record, however, and the Golden Gophers won’t slow the Hokies down if they have a month to get healthy.
Virginia Tech 27, Minnesota 17
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The Texas Longhorns looked vulnerable in their SEC Championship battle with Georgia, but they still moved the ball up and down the field against a vaunted defense. No game will test Cade Klubnik’s development more as the Clemson starter hasn’t faced an elite unit since that opener against the Bulldogs.
Texas 27, Clemson 21
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The Mustangs might have drawn the hardest road matchup against the Penn State Nittany Lions, but keep an eye on this one. The Nittany Lions gave the undefeated Oregon Ducks a scare in the confernece championship game, but they don’t have a signature win yet, and SMU has been able to stack yards and points against great defenses.
SMU 21, Penn State 20
