![Can Phil Mafah help put Clemson back on top of the ACC in 2024?](http://media.assettype.com/bettorsinsider%2F2024-07%2F17cb124c-984b-4e0e-8c74-5cb57ff8297a%2F2024%20ACC%20Betting%20Preview%2C%20Part%201%204%20Season%20Win%20Totals%20to%20Bet%20Today.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
Get ready for the 2024 college football season by diving into our betting previews. To start, let's do a deep dive into the ACC and look at 4 season win totals to bet!
For this piece, we're only focusing on the 4 best teams in the conference. We'll cover the remaining teams in Part II at a later date. Let's get into it!
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Miami started their 2023-2024 campaign by winning 4 straight games. However, back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and North Carolina stalled their excitement. After finishing 7-5, they faced Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl where they were defeated 31-24.
The big news for Miami heading into this season is the transfer of Cam Ward from Washington State, who will serve as their starting QB this season. He will have the luxury of working behind one of the best offensive lines in the conference and will have Xavier Restrepo leading a deep receiving corp.
Along with the transfer of Ward, Miami picked up another Pac-12 standout in running back Damien Martinez. He led Oregon State last season with 9 touchdowns and 1,185 yards on the ground.
The defense is going to need to plug the two holes at safety after both James Williams and Kamren Kinchens headed to the NFL. The linebackers will have experience and the front could be the strongest part of the defense if Akheem Mesidor can get back to his old self.
The Noles had an amazing run last season that ended earlier than expected. Jordan Travis suffered a season ending injury which led to the Noles dropping in the polls and being held out of the CFB Playoff, despite finishing the regular season undefeated. They were sent to the Orange Bowl where they seemingly justified the folks that held them out by getting annihilated by the Georgia Bulldogs 63-3.
This season, head coach Mike Norvell will have his hands full replacing nearly all of his offensive skills positions. Jordan Travis, Trey Benson, Keon Coleman, and Johnny Wilson are all gone. However, Norvell went out and brought in former Clemson and former Oregon State QB, DJ Uiagalelei.
The good news for him, is that the offensive line returns nearly all starters. Malik Benson was brought in at WR from Bama and Jalen Brown left LSU to play alongside him. The defense may be steps ahead of the offense and that could prove helpful as the new skill players get used to their roles.
The 2023-2024 season got off to a rough start for Dabo and the Tigers. They looked lost in the open as they lost to Duke 28-7. After a 4-4 start, the expectations for Clemson dipped drastically. However, they rallied and won their last 4 games of the regular season. They then faced Kentucky in the Gator Bowl and won that in a tight 38-35 battle.
This year, the Tigers face Georgia in the opener which could be a tough task to conquer. Cade Klubnik will be back behind center and despite pre-seaosn Heisman hype, he never lived up to those predictions.
Year two could be different or we could get more of the same. His weapons on the outside are high recruits but have a lot to live up to. He will have Phil Mafah returning in the backfield and should provide some stability.
On defense, Wes Goodwin will have another highly touted group on defense. He proved that he could take over for Brent Venables who went to Oklahoma to be their head coach. Goodwin led his defense to another season of being ranked in the top 10. Time will tell if the offense can finally catch up to the defense’s success lately.
The Cardinals overachieved last season by winning 10 games. They began things with 6 wins in a row, which concluded with a huge win over Notre Dame. Pittsburgh handed them a loss the following week but Louisville managed to pick up 4 more before losing to Kentucky to end their regular season.
They faced FSU in the ACC title game and were held to just 6 points in the 16-6 loss. The Holiday Bowl invite was extended to them and they couldn’t contain Miller Moss who started in place of Caleb Williams as they lost 42-28. Moss threw for 6 touchdowns for USC.
It will be year 2 for head coach Jeff Brohm and his style should be imprinted all over this squad. He added Tyler Shough from Texas Tech to be his man under center and will be able to extend the passing game deeper downfield. He will have Lacy, Brooks, and Bell all at his disposal to fill out a strong group of wideouts. Miami transfer, Donald Chaney, will serve as a physical presence in the backfield.
The defense will be thin, but the corners will be filled with ball hawks in Corey Thornton, Tayon Holloway, and Tahveon Nicholson all transferring in this season. TJ Quinn returns as the team’s leading tackler at linebacker and will have many opportunities to add to his tackle total as the defensive front will be the weakest part of this defense.