It’s SMU vs Clemson for a CFP automatic bid and bye.
We finally made it through the 2024 college football regular season in the ACC. The Miami Hurricanes were unable to win their season finale for a chance to play the SMU Mustangs in the 2024 ACC Championship Game in Charlotte, NC next Saturday night. Instead, the Clemson Tigers, fresh off a home loss to South Carolina, have a chance for an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff.
Without further ado, let’s get to the rankings.
1. SMU – 11-1 overall, 8-0 conference
What a debut season in the ACC for the Mustangs. Rhett Lashlee didn’t allow his team to have a letdown week. SMU made big plays and closed out games on a regular basis. They deserve the number one spot. As a Miami fan, I will be rooting heavily for the Mustangs this Saturday night. Coach Lashlee will have his guys ready to go in Charlotte.
2. Clemson – 9-3, 7-1
They just won’t die! Clemson backs into the ACC Championship Game thanks to Miami’s choke job in Western New York. The Tigers need to beat SMU for the conference title due to their loss vs South Carolina. I doubt a 9-4 Clemson team gets in over their in-state rival, Alabama, or possibly Miami. That said, I could absolutely see Dabo leading his squad to an upset Saturday night.
3. Syracuse – 9-3, 5-3
The Orange took it to the Canes by throwing all over Miami’s suspect secondary. Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord was on fire from the second quarter on. They should be ranked in tonight’s CFP Top 25 and play in a good bowl game. We’ll see how well their 2024 season translates in recruiting and the transfer portal.
4. Georgia Tech – 7-5, 5-3
The Yellow Jackets should’ve won at Georgia last Friday night. GT had a 17-0 lead at halftime, and were leading by 7 points with just over two minutes left in the game. The night turned on a Haynes King fumble that lead to the Bulldogs tying the game. Georgia Tech then decided to keep passing the ball in overtime instead of leaning on their awesome running game. Oh well. Georgia Tech gets to say they’re the best 7-5 team in the country. That’s something.
5. Miami – 10-2, 6-2
Yeah, I have the Canes all the way down at number five. I think it’s fair after the loss at Syracuse. Ugh. What a choke job. I love Xavier Restrepo, but his fumble was the biggest play of the game in my opinion. It was shocking to see the sure-handed receiver lose his second fumble in as many games. Can the Canes sneak into the College Football Playoff? I doubt it, but they’re not completely out of it yet.
6. Duke – 9-3, 5-3
The Blue Devils are another ACC team that should be ranked tonight. They won by a miracle at Wake Forest last Saturday, but a win is a win. Manny Diaz goes 9-3 in his first season. He has an offense that makes big plays in the passing game and a disruptive defense that should probably get better next year. Good for Manny.
7. Louisville – 8-4, 5-3
The Cardinals finished their season with an emphatic win over their rival Kentucky Wildcats. Jeff Brohm’s squad has some momentum heading into next season. That momentum will either go forward or backward depending on who is playing quarterback for Louisville in 2025.
8. Boston College – 7-5, 4-4
The Eagles took care of Pittsburgh last Saturday to get to seven wins in Bill O’Brien’s first year in Chestnut Hill, MA. BC will play in a bowl game and be a complete pain in the butt for whatever team they face. It will be interesting to see what O’Brien and his staff is capable of roster-building-wise in the offseason.
9. Virginia Tech – 6-6, 4-4
The Hokies got to six wins and beat their rival to finish the season. Yay! Sorry for the sarcasm, but it was an extremely underwhelming year for Virginia Tech football. And that’s coming from a devastated and pissed off Miami fan. I have no idea what to expect from VT in 2025.
10. Pittsburgh – 7-5, 3-5
The Panthers lost their last five games of the season after their 7-0 start. Quintuple yikes. Losing QB Eli Holstein for a couple weeks definitely hurt them. Still, I don’t think Pitt was ever a serious threat to win the ACC. Miami plays at Pitt in 2025. Looking forward to that.
11. NC State – 6-6, 3-5
NC State was another team that reached bowl eligibility last Saturday. A fight broke out after the game between the teams after some of the Wolfpack players tried to plant their flag at UNC’s 50-yard line. There was so much flag planting last week. It definitely got old after a while.
12. UNC – 6-6, 3-5
The Tar Heels couldn’t pull off a win in Mack Brown’s final game as head coach. Brown had some good seasons during his second run in Chapel Hill. I have no idea who UNC’s next football coach will be. I have no idea how much the school will pay or how desirable the job is. 2025 is a big question mark.
13. Cal – 6-6, 2-6
The Golden Bears were competitive in their first season in the ACC. They just couldn’t amke plays when it mattered most. Cal did beat rival Stanford a couple weeks ago, that always helps. Plus, Justin Wilcox’s squad gets another few weeks of practice and a bowl game to play in.
14. Virginia – 5-7, 3-5
The Cavaliers are missing out on a bowl game, but they were much more of a threat to win on a week-by-week basis than the previous couple of seasons. Tony Elliott can show potential transfers and recruits he has the Virginia football program moving in the right direction.
15. Wake Forest – 4-8, 2-6
What a brutal loss to Duke last Saturday. To give up a long touchdown pass on the last play of the game while employing a supposed “Hail Mary” defense is almost as bad as blowing a 21-point lead on the road to Syracuse with a chance to play in the ACC Championship Game. Damnit!
16. Stanford – 3-9, 2-6
The Cardinal can hang their hat on their upset win over Louisville a few weeks ago. Stanford better do that, because they just lost to San Jose State last weekend. Oof. It was a rough first season in the ACC for Stanford. Will 2025 be any better? I have no clue.
17. Florida State – 2-10, 1-7
FSU got whooped by UF last Saturday night. After beating the Canes and Gators last season, the Seminoles are now a distant third in the pecking order of college football teams from the state of Florida. What a shame. They did just hire former UCF coach Gus Malzahn as their offensive coordinator and former Nebraska defensive coordinator Tony White to the same position. I’m sure that will solve everything.