Last season, college football betting wasn't as straightforward in the Atlantic Coast Conference as it was in previous seasons. The Clemson Tigers have been an NCAA powerhouse for the last decade, but they were absent from the ACC Championship Game despite being the third-ranked team in the AP poll heading into 2021. Instead, fans and bettors were treated to a meeting between the Pittsburgh Panthers and Wake Forest Demon Deacons.
This year, Dabo Swinney and the Tigers are favored to take back control of the conference, with Mario Cristobal and the Miami Hurricanes being the team that the oddsmakers think will give them the most problems. We'll dive into all of that – and more – in our conference preview, which features our best bets to win the ACC.
?? College Football predictions for every Week 1 game
Clemson Tigers
Best odds: -120 at Caesars Sportsbook
Returning Starters: 9 Offense, 6 Defense
Regular Season Win Total: 10.5
Part of the reason people were so high on Clemson last year was because of quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who you might remember playing the role of spoiler in season 2 of Netflix's QB1 – he actually stole the starting job from one of the stars of the show, Re-al Mitchell. The 6-foot-4 signal-caller then struggled as a full-time replacement for Trevor Lawrence, the first pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and the rest was history. The Tigers ended up going just 10-3 and making a disappointing appearance in the Cheez-It Bowl, but this is a new season. Expectations are once again high in South Carolina, and there's no reason they shouldn't be. The team even has a back-up plan in the event Uiagalelei struggles again, as freshman backup Cade Klubnik has the potential to be an elite college quarterback.
Miami Hurricanes
Best odds: +700 at BetMGM
Returning Starters: 7 Offense, 7 Defense
Regular Season Win Total: 8.5
There's palpable buzz in Coral Gables right now, as Miami brought in Mario Cristobal to head up the program. Cristobal, who is known as one of the best recruiters in all of college football, went 35-13 as the head coach of the University of Oregon. Now, he's back with a team he's very familiar with, as he played his college ball at Miami and then spent time with the Hurricanes as both a graduate assistant and a position coach. Miami has one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Tyler Van Dyke, so don't expect a big drop-off from an offense that averaged 34.1 points per game last year. But look for Miami's defense, which was ninth in the conference in scoring defense a year ago, to take a step forward. That would go a long way in helping the team compete in the ACC.
Tyler Van Dyke to freshman Brashard Smith. Who is ready to see these 2 connect more in 2022? pic.twitter.com/KpcRKo6uaX
– Cane Clips (@cane_clips) February 6, 2022
Pittsburgh Panthers
Best odds: +1200 at BetMGM
Returning Starters: 8 Offense, 7 Defense
Regular Season Win Total: 7.5
Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback selected in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, so it's hard to say that the Panthers will be a Top 5 scoring offense in college football again. They also lost offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, who really opened up the passing game in his time with Pittsburgh. They did, however, add Kedon Slovis in the transfer portal. Slovis threw for 3,502 yards with 30 touchdowns and only nine interceptions in his first season as a starter at USC, but he struggled to match that production in the two years after. The Panthers are banking on him returning to form, as that would really help their chances of having another impressive season. Head coach Pat Narduzzi is one of the best defensive minds in the nation, so he should have his defense playing at a high level this year. But if Pittsburgh is to have any chance of repeating as ACC champion, Slovis is going to have to have an awesome year.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Best odds: +900 at Caesars
Returning Starters: 7 Offense, 10 Defense
Season Win Total: 8.5
The Wolfpack had an impressive statistical profile last year, as they were Top 30 in scoring offense and Top 15 in scoring defense nationally. The team now returns 17 starters from that squad, which means that this could be a very good football team in 2022. Devin Leary emerged as one of the conference's best quarterbacks a year ago, throwing for 3,433 yards with 35 touchdowns and five interceptions. If NC State can figure out a way to adequately replace Ikem Ekwonu on the offensive line, Leary should put up some massive numbers yet again. But that's a big “if” considering the Carolina Panthers picked Ekwonu with the sixth pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. Defensively, there's a chance this will be the best unit in the conference, which makes the Wolfpack a legitimate threat to Clemson in the Atlantic division.
North Carolina Tar Heels
Best odds: +2000 at BetMGM