Dan Mullen unveils his 2024 ACC preseason rankings, champion
The ACC is wide open heading into the 2024 college football season. Miami, Florida State, Clemson, Louisville and several others have ACC Championship aspirations.
ESPN analyst Dan Mullen recently released his ACC rankings and predicted champion, just a few days before the season begins with Florida State facing Georgia Tech in Dublin.
Mullen ranked 16 of the 17 teams, accidentally leaving out Cal, and also picked who will play for and win the ACC title game. Here’s a look at Mullen’s preseason ACC rankings:
1. Clemson
The Tigers have taken a step back in recent years and finished 4-4 in the ACC last season. With that said, Mullen is high on the Tigers this year. Clemson opens the season with Georgia, which is obviously a tough game, but Mullen believes Dabo Swinney’s squad will be just fine once ACC play begins.
2. Florida State
The Seminoles lost plenty of talent off of last year’s team, but Mullen still expects them to be near the top of the ACC again. Just how good Florida State is will likely depend on how well DJ Uiagalelei plays at quarterback and if receivers step up around him.
3. NC State
Mullen is high on Dave Doeren’s squad heading into the 2024 season. NC State added Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCaell out of the transfer portal, and if he can stay healthy, the Wolfpack have a chance to end the season in Charlotte.
4. Miami
The Hurricanes have their most talented roster yet under head coach Mario Cristobal, who has recruited well out of the high school ranks and transfer portal the past couple of years. Still, Mullen has the Hurricanes fourth in the ACC. If Cam Ward is as good as expected, Miami may very well finish higher than Mullen’s projection.
5. Louisville
Jeff Brohm took the Cardinals to the ACC Championship game in Year 1 as the head coach. Louisville lost a lot of talent from last year, but Brohm loaded up in the transfer portal to replenish the roster. If everything comes together, the Cardinals could return to the ACC Championship game.
6. SMU
Mullen expects big things from SMU in its first season in the ACC. The Mustangs have some talent, particularly at the skill positions. If the lines of scrimmage can hold up, SMU could finish near the top of the ACC.
7. North Carolina
Mack Brown is heading into his sixth season back at North Carolina. The Tar Heels have won at least eight games in three of the past four years, but that will be a tall task without star quarterback Drake Maye, who is off to the NFL. UNC does still have some playmakers, including running back Omarion Hampton, who rushed for more than 1,400 yards last year.
8. Virginia Tech
Mullen’s final team in the top half of the ACC is Virginia Tech. There are some who see the Hokies as a potential ACC title game participant, but Mullen isn’t as high on VT, despite a ton of talent returning, including star quarterback Kyron Drones.
9. Pittsburgh
Pat Narduzzi had his worst season ever at Pitt in 2023 as the Panthers struggled to a 3-9 record, after they had previously had four consecutive winning seasons. Mullen believes Pitt will be back near the middle of the ACC this fall.
10. Syracuse
There is a lot of excitement around the Syracuse program this fall with new head coach Fran Brown. The Orange added former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord from the transfer portal this offseason and if he can play well, Syracuse could surprise some people.
11. Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets return Haynes King at quarterback after he threw for nearly 2,800 yards and 26 touchdowns last year. Georgia Tech has a big opportunity to get an impressive win early against a new-look Florida State team in Week 0.
12. Virginia
Tony Elliott has struggled thus far with the Cavaliers, but there is hope that Virginia can turn things around this season. Finishing 12th in the ACC would be a nice step in the right direction for Virginia.
13. Duke
Manny Diaz is back in the ACC after previously holding the head coaching job at Miami, then spending two years as the defensive coordinator at Penn State. Duke has a new-look roster that will make it tough for the Blue Devils to have the same type of success that they did under Mike Elko.
14. Wake Forest
Dave Clawson’s club has been hurt by the transfer portal, including losing starting quarterback Sam Hartman to Notre Dame ahead of the 2023 season. Clawson has worked wonders with the Demon Deacons, but he has his work cut out for him this year.
15. Boston College
Another program that underwent a severe makeover this offseason is Boston College. The Eagles lost head coach Jeff Hafley to the NFL as he is now the Packers defensive coordinator. Former Patriots head coach Bill O’Brien is now back in the Boston area leading the Eagles program. The good news for O’Brian and BC is that quarterback Thomas Castellanos stuck around.
16. Stanford
Mullen doesn’t expect Stanford to make much noise in its first season in the ACC. The Cardinal do return star receiver Elic Ayomanor, but outside of him, the roster isn’t great.
Dan Mullen predicts Florida State to win the ACC
Mullen has Clemson ahead of Florida State in his preseason rankings, but he has the Seminoles beating the Tigers in the ACC Championship game.
The two teams are set to play during the regular season in Tallahassee. You can bet that emotions will be high for that game and would be for the ACC title game, too, as the programs are already rivals and now former Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei is leading the way for the Seminoles.