The 2024 college football season will officially get underway in just a few days with Florida State and Georgia Tech kicking things off in Dublin, Ireland.
Several teams in the ACC will be tasked with facing very strong schedules in 2024 — including both the Noles and Yellow Jackets. Georgia, Notre Dame, Tennessee, Florida, Auburn and Kentucky are just a few of the out-of-conference opponents that ACC teams will face this fall.
Here’s a ranking of the most difficult schedules for ACC teams in 2024:
17. Syracuse
The Orange have very soft schedule for Year 1 of the Fran Brown era. They face Ohio, Holy Cross, UNLV and UConn in nonconference play. Syracuse’s ACC slate doesn’t include Clemson or Florida State. Its toughest games — against Virginia Tech and Miami — will be played at home. There’s a big opportunity for Syracuse to build some momentum in Brown’s first season.
16. North Carolina
The Tar Heels do open the year against Minnesota, but they otherwise face a weak nonconference schedule. There’s not even a trap game against App State on this schedule. Instead, Carolina will face Charlotte, NC Central and James Madison to round out its out out-of-conference slate. In ACC play, UNC avoids Clemson, Miami, Virginia Tech and Louisville.
15. Virginia Tech
This schedule does features games against SEC and Big Ten opposition, but it’s still pretty light. Vanderbilt and Rutgers headline VT’s nonconference slate, with Marshall and Old Dominion rounding things out. It’s worth noting that the ODU game is on the road — a place Virginia Tech has lost twice before. The Hokies avoid Florida State, NC State and Louisville this year, too. Virginia Tech should have a clear talent advantage in at least 3 ACC road games as well — Stanford, Syracuse and Duke.
14. SMU
SMU will face a couple of Big 12 schools in TCU and BYU this season, although neither of those programs is expected to contend for a Playoff berth in 2024. Nevada and Houston Christian are SMU’s other nonconference opponents. Because SMU is playing in Week 0 this season, it will effectively have 3 idle weeks throughout the year. They are spread pretty evenly throughout the calendar, with 1 coming in September, 1 in October and 1 in November. SMU hosts Florida State and avoids Clemson, Miami, NC State and Virginia Tech entirely. It’s a relatively soft landing for a program that’s transitioning from the Group-of-5 to a power conference.
13. Pitt
Like SMU, Pitt will also face a pair of Big 12 schools this year. The Panthers get West Virginia at home and Cincinnati on the road in September. Other nonconerence games are against Kent State and Youngstown State. Pitt’s toughest ACC games are against Clemson and Louisville, but it gets the Tigers at home.
12. Duke
The Blue Devils only face 1 power-conference team in nonconference play (Northwestern). The rest of its out-of-conference schedule includes Elon, UConn and Middle Tennessee. In ACC action, the Blue Devils face Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech and NC State. There’s also the annual matchup with archrival North Carolina, but that game will be played in Durham this season.
11. Wake Forest
This is by no means an easy schedule for the Demon Deacons. They face Ole Miss in nonconference play and will also battle Clemson, Miami and NC State in ACC action. However, the other 8 games on the slate are at least winnable for the Demon Deacons if they can get back on track offensively this season.
10. Cal
Cal’s nonconference schedule is headlined by Auburn. It also faces UC Davis, San Diego State and Oregon State in 2024. ACC opponents for the Golden Bears include Florida State, Miami and NC State. It’s not an easy schedule for a team in Cal that will also be dealing with some significant cross-country travel for the first time. Including its road game against Auburn, Cal will head to central or eastern time zones 5 times this season.
9. Boston College
BC does face a couple of Power-2 teams this year in Michigan State and Missouri. The Mizzou matchup is bad timing for the Eagles, as the Eli Drinkwitz’s team has legitimate CFP aspirations in 2024. The rest of Boston College’s nonconference schedule is manageable — Duquesne and Western Kentucky. In ACC action, the Eagles face Florida State, Virginia Tech and Louisville — but no other heavy-hitters in league play.
8. Miami
The Hurricanes open the year on the road against Florida in a game that’s sure to be highly-competitive. However, they likely will only have 2 other games against top 25-caliber teams (Virginia Tech and Florida State). The November run-in is also very friendly for Miami. Its schedule closes with Duke, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest and Syracuse. If Miami is in position to compete for an ACC title game berth midway through the year, it shouldn’t trip up late.
7. NC State
NC State will face Tennessee in Week 2 in Charlotte, which headlines its nonconference schedule. The Wolfpack also face Clemson on the road in September. One unfortunate reality of this schedule is that NC State will go 8 consecutive weeks without a bye to begin the year. That’s highly unusual, especially considering every team will have at least 2 idle weeks this season.
6. Virginia
The Cavaliers will see Notre Dame and Maryland in nonconference action. Their ACC slate also includes Clemson, Louisville and Virginia Tech. A road game against Pitt could prove to be tricky, too. Tony Elliott and his staff are desperate to create some momentum in Year 3, but that might be difficult with this schedule.
5. Louisville
Jeff Brohm’s team will face Notre Dame and Kentucky in out-of-conference action — both on the road. Other nonconference games include Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. The Cardinals’ ACC slate is headlined by Clemson and Miami. One potential trap game: at Boston College the week before it faces Clemson on the road.
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4. Stanford
Like Cal, Stanford will be crossing time zones several times in 2024. However, the Cardinal will only have to play in the central or eastern time zones 4 times in 2024: Syracuse, Clemson, Notre Dame and NC State. Of those games, only the Wolfpack matchup takes place after mid-October. But this is a tough schedule that includes several potential top-25 opponents: Notre Dame, Clemson, Virginia Tech, SMU, NC State and Louisville. Week 1 against TCU won’t be easy, either.
3. Florida State
Florida State has arguably the toughest nonconference schedule in the ACC this year — and easily the toughest that doesn’t include Georgia. FSU will face Florida, Notre Dame and Memphis — one of the top Group-of-5 programs — in nonconference action. In ACC play, the Noles will have to face Clemson and Miami. A trip to SMU the week before hosting Clemson likely won’t be easy, either. FSU also opens the year in Ireland against a Georgia Tech that has built some legitimate momentum over the last year.
2. Clemson
Clemson starts the year off with arguably the toughest game on the schedule for any program: Georgia. The rest of Clemson’s nonconference slate isn’t easy, either. The Tigers also have games against App State and South Carolina to look forward to. In ACC play, the Tigers get Florida State, Virginia Tech and Louisville throughout the year. It’s a very tough schedule overall, but particularly in nonconference.
1. Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets easily have the toughest schedule in the ACC this season. ESPN’s FPI ranks Georgia Tech with the No. 9 SOS in the country — making it the only ACC team to appear in the top-25 for that metric entering the year. It starts with a Week 0 matchup against Florida State. It ends with a trip to Athens to face rival Georgia. Inbetween, the Yellow Jackets face Louisville, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and NC State. It’s an absolute gauntlet for Georgia Tech.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
