Baseball is often referred to as a “game of failure” because even the best make outs 7 times every 10 at-bats.
Making preseason predictions is a lot like that.
They’re really just educated guesses on what you think a team or player will do. So you’re naturally going to strike out more than you hit it out of the park.
But they’re fun to talk about before the games begin. And even more fun to debate once all the games have been played.
Hopefully I can end up batting at least .300 this season.
Let the bold predictions begin.
25. Georgia Tech will upset Florida State in the season-opener in Dublin
The Seminoles will still be the better team in the long run. But the Yellow Jackets are catching them at the right time. Just like Duke did with Clemson in their season-opener a year ago.
24. The realignment rumors won’t stop just because the season starts
You’d think the internet know-it-alls and their anonymous “sources” are going to stop just because there are games to play?
23. But nobody’s going anywhere
As long as the ACC’s grant of rights holds, no one can go anywhere. And there are too many lawyers involved for anything to be decided between now and the end of the season. And probably next season, too.
22. Stanford will lead the ACC in at least 1 statistical category
The Cardinal won’t win many conference games if any at all in 2024. But they’ll still contribute something positive in their ACC debut by kicking butt on their econ exams and lifting up the league’s cumulative GPA.
21. At least 1 ACC team will beat Notre Dame
Louisville finally broke through and ended the Irish’s long regular-season winning streak against ACC competition. The task will be tougher this year because the rematch is in South Bend. It’s Florida State, however, that stands the best chance at knocking off Notre Dame. Georgia Tech, Stanford and Virgina are the other ACC teams on the Irish’s schedule.
20. Manny Diaz will win as many or more games at Duke this season than Mike Elko does at Texas A&M
Elko may have left in the dead of night for College Station, but he left behind a nice core of talent and a winning culture that has made the transition much smoother for his successor, Diaz. The same can’t be said for the situation Elko inherited from Jimbo Fisher with the Aggies.
19. Rhett Lashlee will be a hot name on the coaching carousel this winter
He’s just 41 and has a conference championship already on his resume. The SMU coach has the kind of profile that will make him an attractive candidate for virtually every high-profile job that comes open this year. Especially if his Mustangs can put together a successful ACC debut.
18. Jalen Brown will have a breakout season for Florida State
The Seminoles lost 91 catches and 13 touchdowns with the departures of Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson and they need someone to step up and fill the void. And Brown is just the kind of elite talent to fill the bill. He’s a redshirt freshman who transferred from LSU and has the kind of game-breaking ability to turn every catch into a potential touchdown.
17. Jacolby Criswell will be UNC’s starter at some point in the season
Mack Brown wouldn’t have brought Criswell back after a season at Arkansas if he thought his top 2 candidates, Conner Harrell and Max Johnson, were up for the job. Criswell might start the season at No. 3 on the depth chart because of his late arrival. But it won’t take long for him to become the Tar Heels’ QB1.
16. Maalik Murphy will be Duke’s starting quarterback
Sorry, Grayson Loftis. You don’t bring in a 4-star transfer from a school like Texas to stand on the sideline holding a clipboard.
15. At least 1 quarterback who loses out on the starting job will transfer
Loftis. Harrell. Michael Kern. Anthony Colandrea. Take your pick. At least 1, maybe more, will be gone as soon as the transfer portal opens.
14. SMU will have the best record among the ACC’s new additions
The Mustangs won’t win 11 games like they did last year in winning the American Athletic Conference. Their schedule is too tough. But they return enough talent to win 7 or 8 and go to a bowl.
13. Syracuse will earn bowl eligibility in Fran Brown’s debut season
The former Georgia assistant has loaded up on talent from big-time programs and is blessed with a schedule that doesn’t include Florida State or Clemson.
12. North Carolina’s defense will get the Tar Heels to a bowl game
Yep, you read that right. New coordinator Geoff Collins won’t have to do much to improve a defense that has been one of the worst in the ACC over the past few years. But if UNC is going to get to 6 wins and bowl eligibility – which it will – his unit is going to have to be good enough to take up the slack for an offense bound to experience a serious dropoff in the absence of Drake Maye and Tez Walker.
11. Thirteen ACC teams will qualify for the postseason
Cal, Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Miami, UNC, NC State, Pitt, SMU, Syracuse and Virginia Tech will all earn bowl eligibility. Boston College, Stanford, Virginia and Wake Forest will all be home for the holidays.
10. Miami will fall short of its preseason expectations. Again
Hardly a “bold” prediction. But until the Hurricanes in general and Mario Cristobal in particular prove otherwise, it’s in their DNA to disappoint.
9. Louisville will break its losing streak against rival Kentucky
The Cardinals have lost 5 straight and 6 of the past 7 to the Wildcats. The streak should have ended last year at home, but it didn’t thanks to Louisville’s 4th-quarter meltdown. The law of averages will finally catch up with Jeff Brohm’s team this year in Lexington.
8. NC State will finally get over the 10-win hump
The Wolfpack has only reached double-digit victories once in their football history. In 2002 with Philip Rivers at quarterback. Dave Doeren and his team have gotten to 9 wins 4 times in the past 7 seasons, including last year. But they have yet to get over the hump. With the addition of more offensive weaponry, the 5th time will finally be the charm.
7. One of the Wolfpack’s wins will be against Tennessee
The pressure is on for Doeren and his football team to continue the momentum started by State’s men’s and women’s basketball and baseball teams this spring. And there’s no better way to do it than pulling off an early season upset of an SEC team.
6. Pat Narduzzi will survive the season
Pitt won’t be a world-beater this season. But after going 3-8 a year ago, 6 wins and a bowl bid should be good enough to buy more time for a coach who won an ACC championship just 3 seasons ago and won 9 games in 2022 at a school with a patient athletic director.
5. Tony Elliott won’t …
Elliott’s soothing personality and leadership skills helped the Cavaliers get through a tragedy of unspeakable proportions when a classmate gunned down 3 team members in November 2022. At some point, though, it comes down to winning games. And UVa is just 6-16 in his 2 seasons. To have any chance at saving his job, Elliott has to get it done early. The back end of this year’s schedule is brutal.
4. Cam Ward will be a Heisman finalist
The Washington State transfer threw for nearly 4,000 yards and 25 touchdowns last season and he’s joining a team with the best receiving corps in the ACC. He’ll get considerably more attention at Miami than at Wazzu. Especially he helps the Hurricanes finally live up to their hype.
3. Clemson won’t be playing for the conference title on Dec. 7
The Tigers won’t finish 6th this year, like they did in 2023. But there are too many good teams in the league. And a lot of them did a better job of improving themselves during the offseason than Dabo Swinney did.
2. Virginia Tech will be playing for the championship on Dec. 7
The rebuilding phase is over in Blacksburg. Brent Pry’s team has the highest percentage of returning production in the FBS. The Hokies have an abundance of talent from a team that picked up momentum late last season and a schedule that sets them up for success.
1. The ACC will get 2 teams into the Playoff
The Hokies and Seminoles will come into the ACC title game with 10-plus wins and top-10 national rankings. No matter who wins, the committee won’t have any excuse to keep either out of the new 12-team field this year.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
