Now up to 17 programs playing for the conference crown, the 2024 ACC Power Rankings are more heated than ever. Florida State ran the table last fall, going undefeated before being shafted from the College Football Playoff. But the 2024 season has already seen a shift in power.
Who now tops the table in the ACC?
2024 ACC Power Rankings
17) Stanford Cardinal
Preseason Rank: 17 (no change)
Head coach Troy Taylor only won three games in Year 1, but there’s some reason for optimism heading into Year 2. Elic Ayomanor is one of the best WRs in the game, and Ashton Daniels should show growth as the year progresses.
Stanford had one of the worst scoring defenses in the entire FBS (37.7 points per game) last season, and they allowed 34 to TCU in Week 1. Hopefully, their get-right game against Cal Poly in Week 2 will be a turning point for the unit as they saw some solid offensive production this past weekend.
16) Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Preseason Rank: 15 (-1)
Dave Clawson’s Demon Deacons have been a middle-of-the-road ACC competitor for most of his tenure, but they ranked last with a 1-7 conference record in 2023. It looked like the disappointment would continue in 2024 after they entered halftime up only 17-10 to North Carolina A&T, but it was all Wake Forest in the second half, pulling out to a 45-13 victory.
Then, it looked as if the ‘Deacs would handle Virginia in Week 2, but the offense choked its last three possessions: punt, turnover on downs, fumble. Wake Forest racked up 544 yards but stalled on key drives when they had a chance to pull away. WR Donavon Greene had an opportunity to recover Taylor Morin’s late fumble but went for the pickup instead of falling on it, losing control of the ball.
15) Virginia Cavaliers
Preseason Rank: 16 (+1)
Tony Elliott has won exactly three games in each of his two seasons as Virginia’s leading man. If the Cavaliers win three or fewer contests in 2024, expect a new face in place entering 2025. QB Anthony Colandrea flashed at times as a true freshman, and the program used the transfer portal to bolster the WR corps.
The Cavaliers kicked the year off with a 34-13 win over a talented Richmond team and narrowly defeated Wake Forest 31-30 in Week 2. No one got going on the ground, and Colandrea threw two picks, but the Cavs scored 10 unanswered fourth-quarter points to seal the victory.
14) Pittsburgh Panthers
Preseason Rank: 14 (no change)
Pittsburgh won the ACC title in 2021 and then went 9-4 in 2022. However, the Panthers face-planted to a 3-9 record in 2023, and the pressure is on HC Pat Narduzzi to get the team back on track.
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QB Eli Holstein and RB Desmond Reid showed promise in Week 1 against Kent State and came right back against Cincinnati. Yet, it took a 22-0 run in the second half to pull off the victory, but the Panthers showed the resilience they didn’t have last year.
13) Duke Blue Devils
Preseason Rank: 13 (no change)
Although Mike Elko was Duke’s head coach for only two seasons, the team had its most successful back-to-back campaigns since 2014-2015. Manny Diaz has kept the momentum going to open the 2024 season, as the Blue Devils are 2-0.
It took double overtime to defeat Northwestern on the road, as the offense can’t seem to produce on the ground. After averaging 2.2 yards per carry vs. Elon, the unit tapped out at 3.1 against the Wildcats. Nevertheless, as long as WR Jordan Moore is healthy and on the field, Duke has a chance, especially with how the defense is performing under Diaz.
12) California Golden Bears
Preseason Rank: 12 (no change)
Traveling across the country for most away games is certainly a factor, but Cal could make some noise in its first year in the ACC. RB Jaydn Ott is a monster on the ground, and both QBs (North Texas transfer Chandler Rogers and Fernando Mendoza) are capable of leading the team to wins.
However, the Bears’ 31-13 Week 1 win over UC Davis easily could’ve gone the other way. The Aggies led in total yards (301 to 283), first downs (20 to 14), and time of possession (30:19 to 29:41), but three turnovers and going 0-for-4 on fourth downs cut their upset attempt at the knees.
Cal crossed their country for their Week 2 date with Auburn and came out victorious. The offense wasn’t spectacular, and the team committed 11 penalties. Yet, the defense suffocated the Tigers’ offense and forced five turnovers, four of which were gifted from the arm of QB Payton Thorne.
11) SMU Mustangs
Preseason Rank: 7 (-4)
Rhett Lashlee’s two-QB system worked last year because Preston Stone was playing like a Heisman contender. However, Stone has looked like a deer in headlights in his return from a season-ending injury, especially with the offensive line acting like a sieve up front.
Jennings moved the chains a few times and set Collin Rogers up for five field goals against BYU, but he hasn’t looked like the answer under center either.
10) Florida State Seminoles
Preseason Rank: 1 (-9)
Any hopes of Florida State going undefeated in the regular season once again were dashed in Week 0. The massive transfer infusion wasn’t enough to make up for a defensive front seven that was manhandled down in and down out.
It wasn’t a fluke either, as the Seminoles allowed 270+ rushing yards to Boston College on Monday night. Sitting at 0-2, the season may already be lost, especially with how Mike Norvell’s squad is performing in the trenches. It doesn’t help that DJ Uiagalelei can’t capitalize on the talent around him, let alone elevate it.
9) Syracuse Orange
Preseason Rank: 11 (+2)
Ohio State decided to move on from Kyle McCord; that doesn’t mean he is a bad quarterback. He isn’t the athlete Garrett Shrader was, but Shrader wasn’t the passer McCord is. Paired with WR Oronde Gadsden II and OC Jeff Nixon, who helped Matt Rhule turn Baylor from 1-11 to 11-3 in three years, McCord is primed to prove the doubters wrong this season.
He threw 354 yards and four TDs in his Orange debut, making up for a ground game that couldn’t impose its will on Ohio in Week 1. McCord then threw another 381 yards and four TDs on a stout Georgia Tech defense that started the downfall of Florida State. At 2-0, the Orange hold their destiny in their own hands.
8) North Carolina Tar Heels
Preseason Rank: 8 (no change)
Despite Drake Maye’s obvious talent, the Tar Heels underperformed in his tenure, going 17-10 record with two bowl losses. Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson is the favorite to earn the QB1 role, and there’s elite talent around him in RB Omarion Hampton and TE Bryson Nesbit.
After taking a year off from coaching, former Georgia Tech head coach Geoff Collins returns to call UNC’s defense, which is spearheaded by EDGE Kaimon Rucker, LB Power Echols, and CB Alijah Huzzie. There are playmakers on both sides of the ball — it’s up to HC Mack Brown to unlock their potential.
7) Boston College Eagles
Preseason Rank: 10 (+3)
Boston College seemed to be trending up after its first bowl win since 2016, but a bit of a reset is in order with HC Jeff Hafley leaving for the Green Bay Packers’ DC job and Bill O’Brien taking his first collegiate HC position since his time at Penn State.
With QB Thomas Castellanos and RBs Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward in the backfield, scoring points shouldn’t be difficult, but not allowing them could be.
A standalone Labor Day win over FSU highlighted the Eagles’ revamped roster and new leadership, and they kept the good times going with pure domination over Duquesne in Week 2.
6) Virginia Tech Hokies
Preseason Rank: 6 (no change)
Virginia Tech turned up the heat down the stretch last season, winning five of their last seven games to finish with a 7-6 record. But the Hokies lost their momentum over the offseason, falling to Vanderbilt 34-27 in overtime in Week 1. The rushing attack, led by QB Kyron Drones and RB Bhayshul Tuten, could not find its footing.
However, they bounced back against Marshall in Week 2, breeding the Hokies’ first win of the season. The defense deserves its flowers for its performance, and the unit broke up 11 passes and allowed just 4.1 yards per pass.
5) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Preseason Rank: 9 (+4)
The Yellow Jackets entered their Week 0 contest with Florida State as 10.5-point underdogs. But they left Dublin, Ireland, with an impressive 24-21 victory over their 10th-ranked conference rival.
The Yellow Jackets came right back and thwarted Georgia State 35-12, having their way with their in-state opponent. However, their ascent up the 2024 College Football Power Rankings stops there, as they couldn’t stave off Syracuse. The offense played well, but the Orange held a 36:54 to 23:06 time-of-possession advantage.
4) NC State Wolfpack
Preseason Rank: 3 (-1)
The quarterback room hasn’t exactly been the modicum of consistency for the Wolfpack, but Dave Doeren hopes he rectified the issue by bringing in Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall.
It took until the fourth quarter for the offense to begin humming against Western Carolina, and it mostly had to do with the efforts of RB Jordan Waters and WR KC Concepcion.
We chalked McCall’s play up to rust in Week 1, but Tennessee stole his lunch money in Week 2 and highlighted the wide gap between the two programs.
3) Clemson Tigers
Preseason Rank: 4 (+1)
The Tigers added zero players from the transfer portal this offseason after posting their worst record since 2011 (9-4), and their 34-3 loss at Georgia’s hands points to a Dabo Swinney problem.
T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, Barrett Carter, and Avieon Terrell lead a talented defense, but QB Cade Klubnik and the offense may not have enough to reach double-digit wins in 2024.
Klubnik and Co. did wash some of the taste of the Week 1 loss out of their mouths with a dominant showing against App State that began with 21 points in the game’s first eight minutes.
2) Louisville Cardinals
Preseason Rank: 5 (+3)
There isn’t much to take away from Louisville’s drubbing of a depleted Austin Peay squad in Week 1, but it did set the tone for their 49-14 embarrassment of Jacksonville State.
The Cardinals won 10 games and made the ACC Championship Game in Jeff Brohm’s first season at the helm, and similar success appears to be on the horizon in Year 2. Jack Plummer is replaced by another longtime collegiate passer in Tyler Shough, and the offense hasn’t skipped a beat.
1) Miami Hurricanes
Preseason Rank: 2 (+1)
After going 12-13 in his first two years, Mario Cristobal needs results, and he tapped into the transfer portal to get them. Washington State’s Cameron Ward and Oregon State’s Damien Martinez form a lethal backfield duo, and Mark Fletcher Jr. and Ajay Allen proved to be more than competent depth pieces last season.
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The Hurricanes made quick work in-state foes Florida and Florida A&M in Weeks 1 and 2, and their next four games shouldn’t provide too much resistance: vs. Ball State, at USF, vs. Virginia Tech, and at Cal.
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