ACC predictions: Where will your favorite North Carolina college football team finish?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CHARLOTTE SPORTS LIVE/WGHP) – Preseason polls predicting where everyone will finish in the new-look ACC were released on Wednesday. 
  
Florida State went 13-1 overall last season, including a perfect 8-0 record in conference play, on their way to winning the 2023 ACC title against Louisville. The Seminoles were predicted as the 2024 ACC champion on 81 of the 170 ballots in the league’s first year with 17 football members.

Despite FSU’s undefeated regular season last year and winning a Power 5 conference, the Seminoles were left out of the College Football Playoff, which has since expanded to 12 teams.

The winners of seven of the previous eight conference championships, Clemson garnered 55 first-place votes. Miami racked up 17 first-place votes, while NC State (8), Virginia Tech (5) and Cal (2) also received multiple first-place votes. Boston College and Georgia Tech each received one first-place vote. 

Some view the Wolfpack as a dark horse to win the conference following a strong finish to the 2023 season.

247Sports currently ranks NC State’s 2024 recruiting class as the 27th-best in the nation.

Two of the top three ranked players in NC State’s class are from right here in the Triad — Grimsley High School wide receiver Terrell Anderson and Cummings High School running back Jonathan Paylor.

ESPN Senior Writer Mark Schlabach ranked NC State at No. 13 in his Way-Too-Early Top 25 poll for the 2024 season in May.

Florida State still finished on top despite having a new starting quarterback, former Clemson signal-caller DJ Uiagalelei. The Noles led all teams with 2,708 points, while Clemson was second with 2,657 points. Two other schools with highly touted transfer QBs, Miami placed third with 2,344 points, and NC State captured fourth with 2,318 points. 
  
Newcomer SMU (1,798) was seventh in the preseason predictions, ahead of North Carolina (1,712) in eighth and Georgia Tech (1,539) in ninth.   

The Tar Heels have to prove they can win without the elite quarterback play they got from now-NFL quarterbacks Drake Maye and Sam Howell the last five seasons.

Duke finished 10th in the projections as they look to turn the page following the departures of head coach Mike Elko and star quarterback Riley Leonard who transferred to Notre Dame.

Wake Forest is looking to return to the heights they reached in 2021 when they made it to the ACC Championship Game and finished the year ranked No. 15 in the nation. However, they are predicted to finish third-to-last in 14th place following a disappointing 4-8 season in 2023.

One of the other new conference members, Stanford (477) was picked to finish last in the standings. 

This is the second year with the conference eliminating divisions after the Coastal and Atlantic winners facing off from 2004 to 2022, with 2020 being the exception. 
  
The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium. Here are the preseason poll results: 

Rank, Team, Points 

1. Florida State (81), 2708 
2. Clemson (55), 2657 
3. Miami (17), 2344 
4. NC State (8), 2318 
5. Louisville, 1984 
6. Virginia Tech (5), 1968 
7. SMU, 1798 
8. North Carolina, 1712 
9. Georgia Tech (1), 1539 
10. Cal (2), 1095 
11. Duke, 1056 
12. Syracuse, 1035 
13. Pitt, 1016 
14. Boston College (1), 890 
15. Wake Forest, 784 
16. Virginia, 629 
17. Stanford, 477 

First-place votes in parentheses