For the first time in a decade, neither Clemson nor Florida State come into the season as the reigning ACC champion. Kenny Pickett led Pittsburgh to a surprising ACC title last year, as the Panthers hammered Wake Forest in the ACC Championship Game. However, Clemson is still the odds-on favorite to win the conference in 2022 after a disappointing 2021 campaign. The Tigers continue to recruit at a higher level than everyone else in the ACC, so they are considered the team to beat until proven otherwise.
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Odds to win the ACC in 2022
Clemson -125
Miami (FL) +450
North Carolina State +800
Pittsburgh +1000
North Carolina +1400
Virginia +2000
Wake Forest +2000
Florida State +2000
Louisville +2000
Boston College +2800
Virginia Tech +5000
Georgia Tech +12500
Syracuse +25000
Duke +50000
Clemson should be much better on offense after a down 2021 season. The Tigers averaged at least 43 PPG in three straight years from 2018 to 2020 with Trevor Lawrence at the helm, but D.J. Uiagalelei was not as successful in his first season under center. Uiagalelei threw more interceptions than touchdowns last year, and Clemson was only able to average 26.3 PPG as a result. The defense was still rock solid under Brent Venables, but now the long-time defensive coordinator has moved on to take the head coaching job at Oklahoma. Nine starters return on offense, and the Tigers should be able to win the ACC as long as Uiagalelei is an above average quarterback.
Shame on anyone buying into the Miami hype. The only team that is continually more overrated than the Hurricanes is Texas, and the belief that Miami will suddenly start competing for conference titles is questionable. The Hurricanes had 19 returning starters in 2021 but only managed to go 7-5, and that led to Manny Diaz going the way of Mark Richt and Al Golden. Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke has similarly received a lot of buzz after a promising freshman year, but the same thing happened with Jacory Harris, D’Eriq King, Jarren Williams, and Brad Kaaya.
Dave Doeren has done an excellent job at North Carolina State. The Wolfpack have been a mediocre program in the ACC for a long time, but they are real ACC contenders in 2022. They have finished 8-4 or better in four of the last five years, and Doeren has proven that he can develop talent. Devin Leary is one of the top quarterbacks in the conference, and he has a very good offensive line in front of him despite the loss of First Team All-American Ikem Ekwonu. NC State returns 10 starters on defense too and stands a great chance of winning 10 or more games.
The defending ACC champions aren’t getting a lot of respect after the loss of Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison. Pickett was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the NFL Draft, and Addison left for USC this offseason. That will likely hurt an offense that also lost offensive coordinator Mark Whipple, but Kedon Slovis transferred in from USC and Pitt returns all five starters along the offensive line. Pat Narduzzi is an excellent defensive mind, and the Panthers will be competitive again in 2022.
North Carolina is seen as a sneaky ACC title contender by some analysts. Sam Howell is now in the NFL, but Mack Brown has recruited well during his time in Chapel Hill. This defense should finally show signs of improvement in 2022, but they do have to play Miami on the road after a bye week for the Hurricanes.
There are four teams with odds of 20-1 to win the ACC. Of these teams, the best value lies in Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons went 11-3 and made it to the ACC Championship Game last year after starting the season with eight straight victories. Dave Clawson frustrates opposing defenses with his mesh schemes, and Sam Hartman is very experienced in running this system. If the Demon Deacons could improve on defense after this unit ranked 92nd in Defensive SP+ last season, they could certainly challenge for the ACC title once more. Wake Forest gets to host Clemson and North Carolina, and the Demon Deacons don’t have to play either Miami or Pittsburgh in ACC play.
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