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College Football Win Totals Odds & Picks: ACC (2024)

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The ACC is a conference full of intrigue, and not just because it added West Coast schools, Stanford and Cal.

The ACC probably only has a few teams capable of elite status, but the middle of the conference is deep and filled with returning production. While much will be made about the strength of the Big Ten and SEC, the ACC certainly has a shot to get multiple teams into the first 12-team College Football Playoff.

Here’s a deeper dive into each member of the ACC, as well as some betting deliverables for the upcoming season.

College Football Win Totals Odds & Picks: ACC

(Odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook)

Clemson Tigers 

Win Total: 9 (+100) 

Dabo Swinney has made it a point to neglect the help of the transfer portal. When it comes to building his roster, Clemson has chosen the recruit and develop from within method, and the results haven’t been great. The Tigers failed to win 10 games for the first time since 2010, which was Dabo’s second season on the job. And with the recent Playoff expansion, the pressure is officially ramped up.

The good news is Clemson will bring back plenty of continuity offensively, returning nine starters plus quarterback Cade Klubnik. The offensive line returns four starters and a combined 106 starts. The receiving room will get four of their top five back, plus a pair of highly-touted freshmen. While the loss of Will Shipley hurts, I’d argue Phil Mafah is a better player.

Clemson’s offensive upside likely comes down to Klubnik, who turned the ball over far too many times in critical moments last season. I’m willing to chalk that up to inexperience, however, and I think another year under offensive coordinator Garrett Riley’s system can only do him good.

Defensively is where Clemson loses some talent, six starters to be exact. Despite losing five NFL draft picks, Swinney’s recruiting should allow this unit to reload rather quickly. The defensive line should still be nasty despite losing four starters and have enough returning on the back end to remain strong.

The schedule definitely isn’t great, starting with the opener against Georgia. However, even if Clemson falls to the Bulldogs, the 12-team Playoff means their season is far from over like it would have been in years prior. Road matchups against Florida State and Virginia Tech will be difficult, but I suspect the Seminoles will be down a tick, and am not sure how Virginia Tech will perform against the conference’s elite.

Clemson lost three games by single digits last year, including two in overtime. A big part of Clemson’s down year was untimely mistakes from Klubnik, as well as inconsistent special teams. With the pressure at an all-time high, I do think we’ll see Swinney’s more patient approach pay off in 2024.

In addition to taking Clemson’s over, I also recommend taking the Tigers to make the College Football Playoff. The Tigers have a good path to the ACC title game, which they’d likely be favored in. Additionally, should they beat Georgia (which isn’t out of the realm of possibilities), then these odds will plummet.

Picks: Over 9 Wins, Clemson to Make the College Football Playoff (+135)

Florida State Seminoles 

Win Total: 9.5 (-110) 

The Seminoles finally had their breakthrough season under Mike Norvell and, if not for an injury to Jordan Travis, would’ve been in the College Football Playoff. FSU’s national title window is only opening, but 2024 could be a difficult season that will test Norvell’s work on the recruiting trail.

Gone is Travis, leading running back Trey Benson, and Florida State’s top three pass catchers. The defense will be without four draft picks and the team lost 10 draft choices in all.

Norvell hit the transfer portal hard to make up for these departures. Former Clemson QB DJ Uiagalelei returns to the ACC after playing a season at Oregon State. Alabama transfer Roydell Williams and Indiana transfer Jaylin Lucas join top returning back Lawrance Toafili in the backfield. Norvell brought in two receiver transfers from Alabama and LSU as well.

One thing the Seminoles have going for them is their depth in the trenches on both sides. The offensive line returns 190 career starts, and the defensive line is loaded with talent to make up the losses of Jared Verse and Braden Fiske.

Florida State’s schedule is also rather tricky. The season starts with a bizarre game against Georgia Tech in Dublin in Week 0 before hosting Boston College on Labor Day. Florida State then has an early bye before hosting Memphis and Cal at home, and then things get trickier.

FSU will travel to SMU in a really tough spot in what will be the Mustangs’ first ACC game. Even more concerning is that the Seminoles have Clemson on deck and could get caught looking ahead. Florida State’s bye week also doesn’t do it much good, as it precedes a road date with Duke, one of the expected conference bottom feeders. The Noles are then on back-to-back travel as they head to Miami for a pivotal game before a closing stretch of North Carolina, at Notre Dame, Charleston Southern, and Florida.

While I’m a believer in Norvell long-term, I’m not as high on the Seminoles entering this year. They are relying on a ton of transfers to make up for the losses from last year’s special team. Also, I’m just not the biggest DJU fan, as he tends to crumble against elite competition.

I won’t outright fade FSU, as there are too many tossups on the schedule. Just don’t be surprised if the Seminoles disappoint.

Pick: Pass (Lean Under 9.5 Wins)

Miami Hurricanes

Win Total: 9 (-125) 

Introducing the ultimate wild card in the ACC, the Miami Hurricanes. Mario Cristobal enters Year Three with 17 starters returning. Yet, the quarterback position will generate the most intrigue entering the campaign.

Cristobal replaced Tyler Van Dyke with Washington State transfer Cam Ward, who could be a sleeper for the Heisman Trophy. Ward threw for more than 3,700 yards last year at Washington State and will have a ton of talent to work with at The U. Cristobal reeled in Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez to man the backfield along with returning back Mark Fletcher. Leading receivers Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George also return, and the unit will add Houston transfer Samuel Brown as well as two top-15 incoming freshmen. Cristobal takes pride in building outstanding offensive lines, and the Canes will have 121 career starts in the trenches.

Defensively, Miami also relied heavily on the transfer portal. The defensive line will rely on four transfers boasting more than 100 combined starts to create plenty of havoc. Additionally, the secondary welcomes three newcomers who will look to boost what might be the most suspect unit on the team.

The question is whether or not Cristobal can put all of these pieces together. I’d be lying if I wasn’t skeptical, as the inexplicable loss to Georgia Tech where Cristobal refused to kneel the ball is still in my head. The Canes also lost two other games by single digits.

The schedule sets up rather nicely for Miami, although the season opener at Florida could tell us everything we need to know about this team. The Hurricanes should be considerable favorites in eight games, with matchups against the Gators, Virginia Tech, Louisville, and Florida State likely determining their fate.

The range of outcomes for Miami varies greatly. The ceiling is sky-high, but another 7-5 campaign is certainly a possibility given all of the new parts and my uncertainty with the coaching staff. I’ll be watching how the Canes perform in The Swamp very closely.

Picks: Pass, Miami (+220) to Make the College Football Playoff, if you buy the hype

SMU Mustangs 

Win Total: 8.5 (+120) 

This is one of the first win totals I hit on in the summer, as I’m a big believer in the Mustangs even in their inaugural ACC season.

The Mustangs return 15 starters from a team that went 11-3 a season ago, including dynamic quarterback Preston Stone.  SMU’s offense also returns its seven leading receivers, three leading rushers, and top seven tacklers. Oh, and 120 career starts return along the offensive line.

While SMU does boast one of the best linebacking groups in the conference, there are questions along the defensive line and secondary. Coach Rhett Lashlee brought in eight power conference transfers to replace three significant losses in the trenches. Meanwhile, SMU’s secondary could take a step back after losing their top two corners.

SMU’s schedule is rather manageable for its first year in the conference. They avoid Clemson and Miami, with their toughest ACC games coming in back-to-back weeks when they host Florida State and travel to Louisville. Presuming the Mustangs take care of business against in-state rival TCU, a 4-0 start is certainly on the horizon.

Even if SMU were to lose both the Florida State and Louisville games, I like their chances to run the table against the rest of their conference slate, which includes road trips to Stanford, Duke, and Virginia (three of the conference bottom feeders), as well as home dates against Pittsburgh, Boston College (a Fenway Bowl revenge game), and Cal.

There are certainly some questions on the defensive side of the ball, but SMU has the returning talent to successfully transition to the ACC. I admittedly played their win total at Over 8 -125 earlier in the summer, and there are still some juiced 8s left in the market. But I don’t have a problem betting on this over even at 8.5.

Pick: Over 8.5 Wins 

Virginia Tech Hokies 

Win Total: 8.5 (+110) 

Virginia Tech is another team I fell in love with over the summer. For starters, they’ll be one of the most experienced teams entering the 2024 season. Twenty-one starters return, including all 11 starters on offense. The Hokies also finished the 2023 campaign strong, finishing 6-3 down the stretch after a 1-3 start that included a pair of single-digit losses. It’s safe to say coach Brent Pry has this program on the upswing entering his third season.

The biggest question for Virginia Tech will be how big of a leap quarterback Kyron Drones takes in his first full season as the starter. Drones began the year on the bench before taking over in the third week of the season and never looking back. In 11 starts, he threw for 2,085 yards and rushed for 818 yards and five scores while going 151 straight attempts without an interception. Four of Virginia Tech’s five best pass catchers return, as does leading rusher Bhayshul Tuten. With all five starters back on the offensive line, this will definitely be one of the most experienced units in the conference.

Similar strides should be made on the defensive end, as the only loss is second-leading tackler Alan Tisdale. The Hokies also have plenty of depth at all three levels and could be particularly strong in the secondary.

Virginia Tech’s schedule is also conducive to a strong season. Look for the Hokies to make a statement on the road against Vanderbilt to begin the year. They’ll also get a chance to get revenge against Marshall and Rutgers at home this season and should have no issues on the road against Old Dominion.

The ACC slate is manageable too. Traveling to Miami on a short week for a Friday night ACC opener won’t be easy, but the Hokies get Clemson at home this year and avoid Florida State, Louisville, SMU, and N.C. State. Their other conference road trips are to Stanford, Syracuse and Duke, while Boston College, Georgia Tech, and Virginia all come to Blacksburg.

Watch out for the Hokies to be one of the big national surprises this season. Like SMU, I took VA Tech’s Over 8 wins at -130 earlier in the summer, but there are still juiced 8s out there if you’d prefer the safety.

Pick: Over 8.5 Wins 

Louisville Cardinals 

Win Total: 8.5 (+135)

After a really strong 2023 season in which Louisville won 10 games and went to the conference title game, 2024 could represent a small step back. While eight starters return on offense, Louisville will be replacing its starting quarterback, top two leading rushers, and four of their top six pass catchers.

Coach Jeff Brohm will look to get the most out of Texas Tech transfer Tyler Shough, whose body of work isn’t overly impressive thus far. Durability is also a major concern, as Shough hasn’t played more than seven games in his collegiate career. The loss of Jack Plummer could hurt significantly.

To address the losses at the skill positions, Brohm called upon the transfer portal to bring in Miami running back Donald Chaney, as well as South Alabama receiver Caulin Lacy, who had 1,316 receiving yards a year ago. If Shough were to ever stay fully healthy, it would be behind a Louisville offensive line that has 172 combined starts.

Defensively, seven starters return with some uncertainty in the front seven. Louisville’s secondary should be awfully strong with some experienced transfers coming in.

Louisville’s schedule isn’t ideal. They should have no trouble starting 3-0, but a late September road trip to Notre Dame will prove to be a big test. The Cardinals then host SMU in a potential letdown spot. Road trips to Virginia and Boston College could also prove to be tricky considering matchups with Miami and Clemson are on deck. You can’t forget the season finale rivalry renewal with a solid Kentucky team.

I’m a Jeff Brohm believer, so I won’t fade him here. However, the Cardinals are in a tough situation with so many new parts offensively and a schedule that doesn’t offer a ton of room for error.

Pick: Pass, Lean Under 8.5 Wins

North Carolina State Wolfpack 

Win Total: 8.5 (-130) 

NC State is another squad in the middle tier of the ACC that I’m intrigued by. The Wolfpack are coming off a solid 9-4 campaign but brought in one of the biggest prizes in the transfer portal: Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall. He’s more than an upgrade over the underwhelming Brennan Armstrong and MJ Morris tandem from last year, he’s a legit NFL prospect with dual-threat abilities.

McCall wasn’t the only transfer nabbed by coach Dave Doeren to improve the offense. NC State also landed Duke’s leading rusher Jordan Walters to shore up what was otherwise a questionable backfield. With McCall under center, 2nd-team All-ACC receiver Kevin Concepcion could take the next step toward being one of the nation’s best receivers. The Wolfpack should also be solid in the trenches with 95 career starts on the unit.

Unfortunately for NC State fans, McCall’s arrival won’t mesh with last year’s elite defense. Only five starters return from last year’s unit, and the losses of Bednarik Award-winning linebacker Peyton Wilson and 3rd-team All-ACC backer Jaylon Scott will serve as tough blows. That being said, the Wolfpack have talent along the defensive line and brought in a slew of transfers to bolster what should be a strong secondary.

The schedule works rather nicely in NC State’s favor. Don’t be surprised if the Wolfpack pull off an early-season upset over Tennessee in Week 2. And while NC State does travel to Clemson in late September, they avoid Florida State, Miami, SMU, Virginia Tech, and Louisville on the ACC slate. Outside of Clemson, the toughest spots on the ACC slate may be at Cal and back-to-back road games to conclude the season against Georgia Tech and North Carolina.

McCall should provide a massive boost to the upside of the NC State offense, and if Doeren can field another solid defense, this team could make a surprise appearance in the ACC title game.

Picks: Lean Over 8.5 Wins, NC State to Make the ACC title game (+300)

North Carolina Tar Heels 

Win Total: 7.5 (-115) 

North Carolina just hasn’t been able to find that next gear in Mack Brown’s second stint with the team. The Tar Heels went 8-5 in 2023 after going 9-5 in 2022. The 2024 season feels like more of the same.

Gone is first-round quarterback Drake Maye, who Brown replaced by nabbing Max Johnson out of the transfer portal. While Johnson is experienced, his body of work in stints at LSU and Texas A&M leaves plenty to be desired. North Carolina will benefit from having its leading rusher Omarion Hampton and top receiver JJ Jones back in the fold. That being said, the Tar Heels lost a ton of experience along the offensive line, with their center making up 49 of the unit’s 59 career starts.

Defensively, UNC loses four starters but has plenty of top-end talent along all three units. The biggest question is whether or not new defensive coordinator Geoff Collins can unlock a defensive line group that has 11 highly-touted recruits, per Phil Steele’s rankings. The linebacker group also has depth concerns behind its two starters.

While UNC isn’t a team I’m sky-high on, it’s tough to fade them considering their schedule. The Tar Heels only draw Florida State and NC State as their toughest ACC opponents. Aside from a season-opening road trip to Minnesota, the non-conference slate is soft as well. While I don’t love Johnson under center, enough is coming back to find eight wins on this schedule, which is right in UNC’s recent wheelhouse.

Pick: Lean Over 7.5 Wins

California Golden Bears 

Win Total: 6 (+120) 

While many laughed at the ACC for adding both Cal and Stanford, don’t expect the Bears to be a punching bag in their new conference. Cal brings back 15 starters from last year’s 6-7 team, including one of the nation’s best tailbacks in Jadyn Ott. While there are questions at quarterback with returning starter Fernando Mendoza, the offense will run through Ott and does have two of the three leading receivers returning along with a deep offensive line featuring 112 combined starts.

Defensively, eight starters return to Justin Wilcox’s unit with experienced contributors back at all three levels. Cal will have to improve in pass defense, however, after yielding 281 passing yards per game to opponents last season. Their departure from the pass-happy PAC-12 could lead to better results against the pass by default.

What’s important to look at with Cal’s schedule is not only who they’re playing, but where and when. In this case, the ACC schedule makers were kind to the newcomer. Including a non-conference trip to Auburn, the Golden Bears will travel to the Eastern Time Zone just four times the rest of the season, with one of those trips (to Wake Forest) coming off of a bye week. They do draw Miami, Florida State, NC State, and SMU in conference play, which might cap their upside this season. Seven games are certainly winnable given the talent returning.

The Golden Bears have a good chance to go bowling for the second straight year, but the uncertainty under center and with the conference switch has me staying away, as this total feels spot on.

Pick: Pass, Lean Over 6 Wins

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 

Win Total: 5 (-105) 

Talk about tough luck. Georgia Tech brings back eight starters, including its starting quarterback Haynes King, its leading rusher Jamal Haynes, three of its top four pass catchers, and 128 career starts on the offensive line. However, Georgia Tech’s win total is projecting them to not even make a bowl game?

Why’s that, you ask? The Yellow Jackets have arguably the toughest schedule in the country. It starts with an aforementioned trip to Dublin against Florida State, a game in which I could see the Yellow Jackets hanging around. They then have to face Georgia State a week later (jet lag, anyone?) before traveling to the Carrier Dome for their ACC opener against Syracuse.

And that’s just the first three weeks. Road trips to Louisville, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech are also on the docket. The Yellow Jackets host Miami (on a short week) and NC State (the following week and NC State is off a bye), and technically host Notre Dame in a neutral site game in Atlanta as well.

Oh, and did I mention the season finale at Georgia?

In addition, Georgia Tech loses six starters along the defense and could be vulnerable in the secondary.

With an average schedule, Georgia Tech would be a team I’m pounding the table for. The offense is loaded with experience and coach Brent Key tends to get the most out of his talent each year. The Yellow Jackets are 4-0 against ranked ACC opponents under Key, and shouldn’t be taken lightly as underdogs this year. I just can’t bet on them to get six wins out of this schedule given the uncertainty on defense.

Pick: Pass

Pittsburgh Panthers

Win Total: 5.5 (+120) 

The Panthers enter the 2024 campaign with a ton of questions. Despite returning nine starters to the offense, starting QB Nate Yarnell is a relatively unknown commodity after throwing just 62 passes last year. Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi also brought in a new offensive coordinator once again, this time hiring Western Carolina offensive coordinator Cade Bell. This pairing will likely determine Pitt’s outlook. Better health along the offensive line, as well as the return of their leading rusher and receiver, will help.

Defensively, Pitt is in store for a transitional year, and that’s putting it lightly. The Panthers lose six key contributors along the defensive line, as well as their defensive line coach and three starters at cornerback. This could turn out to be Narduzzi’s worst defense in his tenure with the program.

The question is whether or not last year was the bottom for Pitt. We could find that out early in non-conference matchups with Cincinnati and West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl. The Panthers have a middle-of-the-road ACC schedule, as they’ll get Clemson, Louisville, and SMU on the slate.

This win total feels spot on for a Pitt squad that’s a borderline bowl team at best.

Pick: Pass

Syracuse Orange

Win Total: 7 (-115) 

Syracuse is another one of the wild cards in the ACC. Dino Babers is out, and first-year head coach Fran Brown hit the transfer portal hard to improve the roster’s talent. Quarterback Kyle McCord arrives as the starter after a bumpy year with high expectations at Ohio State, and he’ll have a pair of Georgia transfers and a Colorado State transfer to throw to, along with returning leading rusher LeQuint Allen.

Defensively, Syracuse brings back eight starters and its top four tacklers from a season ago. Once again, Brown hit the portal to bolster both the defensive line and secondary.

All of that being said, eight wins is a lot to ask for with so many new parts along with a first-year head coach. McCord is hardly proven to be a legitimate QB1 after a rough debut at OSU and the offensive line returns just 77 career starts.

The schedule is rather favorable, however, and there’s a chance Syracuse starts 5-0 if they can beat Georgia Tech and Stanford at home. A road trip to UNLV after that won’t be easy, and the ACC slate features meetings with NC State, Virginia Tech, and Miami, not to mention road trips to Pitt, Boston College, and Cal.

With nine realistically winnable games, I understand why this win total is placed where it’s at. Yet, with so many new pieces, the Under is the prudent play, and there are 7.5s in the market if you’d prefer some cushion.

Pick: Under 7 Wins

Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Win Total: 5 (-110) 

Wake Forest runs one of the most unique offensive systems in the country — a slow mesh RPO offense that requires a cerebral quarterback who can make quick reads. Still, I’m not sure former Boise State and Louisiana Tech transfer QB Hank Bachmeier is the proper player to run it as Wake looks to bounce back from a 4-8 campaign.

The Demon Deacons bring back eight offensive starters, most notably their leading rusher and second-best receiver. However, just three starters return on the offensive line, which won’t make life easier for the veteran Bachmeier.

Defensively seven starters return to a unit that should be improved, particularly in the trenches.

Wake Forest’s schedule is no slouch and they’ll have to fight for bowl eligibility. In addition to traveling to NC State, North Carolina, and Miami, as well as hosting Clemson in ACC play, the Demon Deacons will also host Ole Miss out of conference in a game that will definitely test their growth defensively.

Wake Forest has a competent coach and some continuity coming back, but a tough schedule combined with uncertainty under center has me staying away.

Pick: Pass

Boston College Eagles 

Win Total: 4.5 (-150) 

I was a bit surprised to see Boston College’s total so low initially. The team that went 7-6 and won the Fenway Bowl brings back nine starters on offense and eight on defense. You could also argue they upgraded at head coach, replacing Jeff Hafley with Bill O’Brien, who made his name in the coaching ranks by rebuilding Penn State following the Jerry Sandusky scandal.

Thomas Castellanos is an exciting dual-threat quarterback who should only improve under O’Brien’s tutelage, although durability was a concern. Castellanos threw for 2,248 and 15 touchdowns while leading the team with over 1,100 rushing yards. My assumption is O’Brien will look to run his QB less, and he’ll have his top two running backs returning to shoulder the load. Leading wide receiver Lewis Bond is also back.

Defensively BC’s top two tacklers who combined for 174 tackles depart, but the next 10 leading tacklers are all back.

So, why is the total so low? Shouldn’t the arrow be pointing up on this team? Well, just take a gander at the schedule. The season starts on Labor Day in Tallahassee before the home opener against Duquesne. Then, the Eagles play a pair of tough non-conference games at Missouri and against Michigan State at home. Frankly, if BC can go 2-2 in the first four games it would be a success.

Unfortunately, things don’t get much easier after matchups against Western Kentucky and at Virginia. After their bye, BC travels to Virginia Tech and then hosts Louisville. They then host Syracuse off a bye before finishing the year at SMU, vs. UNC and vs. Pittsburgh.

Boston College can clear this win total if they can simply hold serve at home. But the daunting schedule won’t be easy for a team implementing new systems on both sides.

Pick: Pass, Lean Over 4.5 Wins

Virginia Cavaliers 

Win Total: 4.5 (-110) 

The Tony Elliott tenure has not gotten off to the best start, with Virginia winning just three games in each of his first two seasons. There’s a chance Virginia finally takes a step to bowl eligibility in 2024, with 16 starters returning.

But Virginia has significant questions at quarterback, as Tony Muskett and Anthony Colandrea are still in the midst of a summer camp battle. Whoever wins the job will have to run an offense that lost its best offensive weapon, electric receiver Malik Washington. Second-leading receiver Malachi Fields is back, but nobody else on Virginia’s roster caught more than 19 passes last season. The Hoos will also need more from Clemson transfer RB Kobe Pace, who ran for just over 400 yards last season.

Defensively, Virginia should take a step forward with eight starters returning.

Unfortunately for Virginia, they’ll have to navigate a tough schedule if they’re to make it to a bowl. They’ll likely only be favored in two games (Richmond and at Coastal Carolina), and they also host Maryland in the non-conference slate.

The conference slate is pretty challenging, as Virginia draws Louisville, Clemson, North Carolina, SMU, and Virginia Tech. The Cavaliers also will travel to Notre Dame late in the season.

Virginia will need to make some serious strides to eclipse this total.

Pick: Pass, Lean Under 4.5 ins

Duke Blue Devils

Win Total: 5 (+115)

After winning 17 games under Mike Elko, the Blue Devils might be back to the bottom of the ACC. New head coach Manny Diaz is a tremendous defensive coordinator, but he wasn’t great in his previous head coaching stint at Miami.

To make matters tougher on Diaz, Duke lost a ton from last year’s squad. The Blue Devils return five starters on both sides of the ball and will work in Texas transfer Maalik Murphy at QB, who wasn’t great in his appearances for the Longhorns. Gone is also leading rusher Jordan Walters, but Duke does bring back leading receiver Jordan Moore.

The biggest concern is an offensive line that returns just one starter and 37 career starts. With an inexperienced QB and an offensive scheme from Jonathan Brewer that’s expected to play fast, Duke’s offense could be an utter disaster.

Things don’t get much better defensively. Duke’s five best defensive linemen are gone, although the unit’s top two tacklers are back at linebacker. The secondary also only brings back two starters, which means Diaz will have his work cut out for him.

Duke may have to go 4-0 against a non-conference slate featuring Elon, at Northwestern, Connecticut, and at Middle Tennessee to have a chance to clear this win total. The ACC slate is pretty challenging, with North Carolina, Florida State, SMU, Miami, NC State, and Virginia Tech all on the slate. Duke’s easiest ACC games both come on the road against Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

Duke could be in store for a hard fall from grace.

Pick: Under 5 Wins

Stanford Cardinal 

Win Total: 3.5 (-140)

Remember when I mentioned the importance of travel in Cal’s write-up? Well, Stanford got the short end of the stick. The Cardinal will travel East four times this season, including back-to-back trips to Syracuse and Clemson. Stanford also concludes the season with back-to-back road games at Cal and San Jose State. The scheduling gods were even crueler when you point out that five of Stanford’s opponents are coming off of a bye when they play them.

The good news is Troy Taylor’s squad brings back 18 starters in his second season, including 10 on offense.

Stanford will be a scrappy opponent in their first year in the ACC. However, there’s a chance the Cardinal make progress on the field but not in the win column.

Pick: Pass

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