Sam Avellone
The ACC had a down year last year, yet still managed to get 2 teams into the College Football Playoff. The depth in this conference is not nearly as strong as the other power conferences in college football, but the top end of the ACC certainly has the talent to make noise on a national level – especially if Clemson returns to its pre-COVID form, which feels like a strong possibility this year. But before we get too deep into hypotheticals, let’s take a look at the ACC college football odds and our NCAAF best bets to lock in.
2025 ACC Championship Odds
Odds courtesy of bet365 and available at the time of publishing. Make sure you shop around for the best price, especially in the futures market.
- Clemson Tigers +110
- Miami Hurricanes +400
- Louisville Cardinals +750
- SMU Mustangs +1000
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +1400
- Duke Blue Devils +2500
- Florida State Seminoles +2800
- North Carolina Tar Heels +2800
- NC State Wolfpack +4000
- Pittsburgh Panthers +4000
- Virginia Tech Hokies +4000
- Syracuse Orange +6500
- Boston College Eagles +7500
- Virginia Cavaliers +7500
- California Golden Bears +12500
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons +40000
- Stanford Cardinal +50000
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2025 ACC Contenders – Who is in the mix?
Clemson Tigers +110
The ACC certainly feels like Clemson’s to lose. Dabo Swinney is back for his 18th season at Clemson, and he maintained offensive continuity by retaining coordinator Garrett Riley. There is a new face on the other side of the ball, though, as Tom Allen joins the staff as defensive coordinator in a lateral move from Penn State.
The Tigers brought in a top-25 freshman class, and, in classic Dabo fashion, they are outside of the top 50 in transfer portal class ranking, per 247 Sports. However, I can assure you the Clemson staff did, in fact, bring in some transfers this offseason. Admittedly, they didn’t have a strong need for many transfers considering the Tigers lead the nation in returning production. They are 1st nationally on the offensive side and 6th nationally on the defensive side in that aspect.
Clemson was top 20 in scoring and total offense last year, so the surplus of returning production and another year under Riley should do wonders for this unit. Heisman-hope Cade Klubnik will lead the offense yet again after showing dramatic improvement last season compared to his first year as a starter. He will benefit from playing behind an offensive line that returns 4 of its 5 starters from a group that was just outside the top 50 in stuff rate and just outside the top 25 in line yards. Not only will Klubnik have one of the better lines in the country, but he will have one of the best wide receiver cores at his disposal, as well. TJ Moore, Bryant Wesco Jr., and Antonio Williams are all back in the mix. The trio combined for more than 2,200 yards and 22 total touchdowns last year and should be one of the best wide receiver trios in the country this season.
Running back is the biggest question mark for the offense now that Phil Mafah has moved on, but there is a lot of buzz about 4-star freshman Gideon Davidson, who accumulated more than 2,300 rushing yards in both his junior and senior years of high school. He accounted for 86 total touchdowns in that span. Jay Haynes will provide some depth after averaging 6.9 yards per attempt in 2024, but I would think Davidson is going to get all he can handle as a true freshman.
Defensively, Clemson hasn’t been the monster that it was just shy of a decade ago. The Tigers were outside the top 45 in scoring and total defense last year. However, 76% of the production is back, and the acquisition of Allen should improve this unit’s floor tremendously. Sammy Brown, TJ Parker, Peter Woods, and Wade Woodaz will anchor the front 7 after the quartet combined for 248 tackles, 51 TFL, and 22 sacks in 2024. Barrett Carter is off to the NFL, but Purdue transfer Will Heldt should fill in nicely for him after posting 56 tackles and 5 sacks in the Big Ten as a true sophomore. Safety R.J. Mickens has also moved on, though the rest of the 2-deep in the secondary returns – including 3 of the top 4 in interceptions.
Clemson’s schedule isn’t necessarily easy, but it could be a lot worse. Ranking just inside the top 40 in strength of schedule, the Tigers start the season at home in a massive non-conference showdown against LSU. Their conference schedule kicks off with a road trip to Georgia Tech in Week 3, which is arguably their most difficult conference game of the year, considering they avoid Miami during the regular season. Clemson will have consecutive road bouts at North Carolina and Boston College that could trip them up if they sleepwalk through those games, but they are going to be massive favorites in both.
The only other road ACC game is late in the year at Louisville, which is going to be a revenge spot for the Tigers after the Cardinals won in Clemson by double digits last year. The Tigers draw Syracuse, SMU, Duke, and Florida State at home. A couple of those games will be tricky, but it’s tough to imagine Clemson losing more than one of those contests. All things considered, Clemson should be in the driver’s seat in the ACC. I just wish I snagged +200 earlier in the offseason. It’s hard to get excited about a future bet at +110.
See our expert’s Heisman Trophy predictions for this season, including a +6000 longshot
Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) against the Texas Longhorns during the CFP National playoff first round at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.
Miami Hurricanes +400
Mario Cristobal is back for his 4th season in Coral Gables after the Hurricanes narrowly missed the College Football Playoff with disappointing losses to Georgia Tech and Syracuse in the final 3 weeks of the regular season. Cristobal retained Shannon Dawson as offensive coordinator, but there is a new face on the defensive side — as Corey Hetherman left his post at Minnesota to take the coordinator job for Miami. Cristobal also brought in a top-15 freshman class and a top-3 portal class, but there is a lot to replace from last season’s 10-3 squad – one that lost those 3 games by a combined 10 points.
The only returning starters on Miami’s offense are a trio of linemen in Matthew McCoy, Anez Cooper, and Francis Mauigoa. Cristobal always seems to have great offensive line play, so I wouldn’t be too worried about that group sans injury – especially with the addition of center James Brockerymeyer. They will be blocking for Georgia transfer Carson Beck, whose season ended with an elbow injury in the SEC Championship. Rumors are Beck looks great throwing in camp, but who is he throwing to? All 6 of Miami’s top pass-catchers are gone. Cristobal brought in CJ Daniels (LSU), Tony Johnson (CIN), and Keelan Marion (BYU) to supplement the youth at the position, and 4-star freshman Joshua Moore should have plenty of opportunities, but this group will likely take a step back this year.
The running back room will look a little different, but not as dramatically as the receiver group. Damien Martinez, who ran for 1,002 yards and 10 touchdowns last year, is off to the NFL. However, Mark Fletcher Jr. and Jordan Lyle return after accumulating a combined 1,007 yards and 13 touchdowns, and North Dakota State transfer CharMar Brown was highly productive at the FCS level with 1,181 yards and 15 touchdowns.
There is much more returning production on Miami’s defense, a unit that was top 30 in total defense in 2024. Rueben Bain Jr., Akheem Mesidor, Wesley Bissanithe, and OJ Frederique Jr. all return, but there is quite a bit of top-end production to replace – namely Francisco Mauigoa, Simeon Barrow Jr., and Tyler Baron. The Hurricanes will need to improve in the secondary alongside Frederique, though there are as many as 6 transfers vying for playing time in this group.
Miami’s schedule is pretty interesting. It’s front-loaded with massive non-conference home games against Notre Dame and Florida that won’t matter for the ACC race, but they certainly will matter for the mental health of the program. If the Hurricanes lose both of those games, the media is going to be critical of Cristobal and his staff.
After the Florida game, Miami will have a bye week before its trip to Florida State. Then, it will have another bye immediately following that game. Having extra time to prepare for Florida State and Louisville is a luxury for the Hurricanes, given they are arguably 2 of their 3 biggest ACC games this year outside of a road trip to SMU. However, because they have 2 byes within 3 weeks in late-September and early-October, the Hurricanes will finish the season with games in 7 straight weeks — which makes the back-to-back road trips to Virginia Tech and Pitt at the tail-end of the season a bit more difficult.
Louisville Cardinals +750
Jeff Brohm is back for his 3rd season at his alma mater, and he retained the top of his staff on both sides of the ball. However, I cannot help but feel this price is a knee-jerk reaction by oddsmakers to last season’s success and is way too rich considering the current state of the roster. The Cardinals’ freshman recruiting class ranks at the very bottom of the ACC, absent any 4 or 5-star players according to 247 Sports. Furthermore, Louisville’s transfer portal class is outside the top 30. This should be worrisome for Louisville fans, considering the Cardinals are outside the top 55 in overall returning production.
The Louisville offense returns just 1 starting lineman and will have to manage the departures of QB Tyler Shough and WR Ja’Corey Brooks. Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy offer some stability out wide in Brooks’ absence, but the depth behind them is a question mark. USC transfer Miller Moss takes over at quarterback. While he flashed his upside at times last year, he also put the ball into harm’s way too often. He will benefit from having one of the best running back tandems in the country in Issac Brown and Duke Watson, who combined for nearly 1,800 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, but will the offensive line be able to create running lanes consistently enough to move the ball down the field?
Four of Louisville’s 6 top tacklers are back, including the top 2 in TJ Quinn and Stanquan Clark, and the interior defensive line returns Jordan Guerard and Rene Konga — both of whom played at least 290 snaps last year. However, there is a new group of edge rushers, and the secondary is completely retooled, as well. Who knows what the upside is in the defensive backfield, as the group of transfers that make up this new-look secondary are from Baylor, Southern University, FIU, Louisiana, and Jacksonville State.
While the Cardinals avoid having to play on the road in back-to-back weeks at any point of the season, their schedule is not easy – specifically their ACC schedule. Louisville has to play at Miami and SMU, and they host Clemson on a short week. Those are the 3 other teams at the top of the ACC oddsboard alongside Louisville. The Cardinals have to go on the road to Pitt and Virginia Tech, too, who are viewed as ACC sleepers this year. Their home games against Virginia, Boston College, and Cal should be more than manageable, but I struggle to see Louisville being competitive in the ACC race given how top-heavy its conference schedule is.
Find out our college football National Championship best bets for the 2025 season
SMU Mustangs +1000
Rhett Lashlee is back at SMU for his 4th season after a trip to the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff and retains both of his coordinators, who have been with him through his entire tenure in Dallas. The Mustangs’ freshman class ranks outside the top 30, and their transfer portal class ranks outside the top 40, but there is still plenty to be excited about from a roster perspective.
SMU is top 35 in returning offensive production from a unit that was top 10 in scoring and top 30 in total offense. Kevin Jennings returns as the full-time starting quarterback and will play behind a line with 3 returning starters and 2 SEC transfers that are projected to start. Three of Jennings’ 5 top pass-catchers are gone, but Jordan Hudson returns after posting 422 yards and 5 touchdowns, and SMU should have one of the best tight end duos in the country with RJ Maryland back from injury and Matthew Hibner back after filling in as a starter while Maryland was out. The biggest loss of this unit is running back Breshad Smith, who now plays for the Kansas City Chiefs. Derrick McFall steps into a bigger role and will compete for carries with UCLA transfer T.J. Harden in Smith’s absence.
There is a decent amount of returning production on SMU’s defense, as 3 of its top 6 tacklers are back. However, as little as 4 returning starters are back, and the top 3 in TFL and sacks are gone. As many as 9 transfers will compete for playing time in the front 7. The Mustang secondary seems to be a strength with the amount of returning talent there.
The Mustangs’ road back to the ACC Championship and College Football Playoff will be difficult. They play at Clemson and they host Miami and Louisville. Those are the 3 top teams on the ACC oddsboard. It’s worth noting, they play on the road immediately following their trip to Clemson, albeit against Wake Forest. The tail end of SMU’s conference schedule is fascinating, as they host Miami, then travel out east to Boston College, return home to play Louisville, and then travel out west to Cal to end the year. I haven’t even mentioned non-conference games against Baylor and TCU, the latter of which comes on the heels of a true road game at Missouri State, which is in its first season at the FBS level.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets +1400
Brent Key is in his 3rd season in Atlanta, and there are reasons to be excited for this program heading into the 2025 season. Buster Faulkner is back as offensive coordinator, and Key brought in Blake Gideon from Texas to be his defensive coordinator. Key also brought in a top-25 freshman class and a top-35 transfer portal class to supplement a roster that is top 20 in overall returning production.
Tech’s offense will be spearheaded by quarterback Haynes King and running back Jamal Haynes once again, a duo that should make up one of the better rushing attacks in the conference. The offensive line returns 2 starters, while 2 depth pieces with experience in the program move into starting roles and a couple of transfers battle with a freshman for the starting RT spot. Out wide, the Yellow Jackets lost their stud receiver in Eric Singleton, who transferred to Auburn. However, Malik Rutherford (702 yards, 3 TDs) is back and Eric Rivers transferred in from FIU after putting up 1,172 yards and 12 touchdowns in Conference USA.
Defensively, 62% of Georgia Tech’s production returns, including 4 of its top 6 tacklers and its leader in sacks. However, this unit was outside the top 70 in scoring last season, so Gideon will have to fix that. As many as 10 transfers are competing for a spot on the 2-deep, but the Jackets are expected to be solid across their back 7. It’s the defensive line that is the biggest question mark on this unit, as almost all of its starters moved on.
Tech’s schedule is much more forgiving than that of Louisville and SMU. In fact, the Yellow Jackets avoid both of those teams, as well as Miami. Furthermore, they play Clemson at home in Week 3, which is by far their biggest test in conference. Georgia Tech’s ACC road games include Wake Forest, Duke, NC State and Boston College, none of which will be played in back-to-back weeks. At home, the Jackets draw Virginia Tech after a bye, Syracuse and Pitt in addition to the early-season date with the Tigers. Non-conference games at Colorado and against in-state rival Georgia are intriguing, but ultimately don’t matter for the purpose of this article.
2025 ACC Championship winner best bet: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+1400)
I want to preface this pick by reiterating what I said earlier: this is Clemson’s conference to lose. However, Clemson’s price is less than appealing for a 6-month investment for me personally, so I’m going to take a shot on the Yellow Jackets. Even if they lose at home to Clemson in Week 3, there is certainly still a path to the ACC Championship for a potential rematch with the Tigers in which the Jackets would certainly be much, much shorter than +1400.
Outside of their game against Clemson, I have trouble finding more than 1, maybe 2 losses on Georgia Tech’s conference schedule — assuming its offense is as good as it was last year. Virginia Tech will be a formidable test, but the Jackets have a bye prior to that game. Road trips to Duke and NC State could be challenging, but they are also very winnable for a team as experienced as Tech. The ACC finale against Pitt is also interesting, as Pitt is considered a sleeper in the conference, but that game is at home.
Avoiding Miami, SMU, and Louisville is huge for Georgia Tech’s upside on paper. I would consider avoiding a date with Florida State a small win too, as the Seminoles are a complete wild card this year. If King and Haynes can stay healthy, the Yellow Jackets figure to be dynamic once again offensively and should be squarely in the race for at least an ACC Championship appearance. Who knows, if the Jackets can beat Colorado and Georgia, who they went to 8 overtimes with last year, they may even be in the CFP conversation. I’ll take a shot on Tech’s upside given its returning talent on offense and schedule favorability.
Now check out our SEC Championship predictions and betting analysis, featuring picks at +480 and +3200 odds
