Best Futures Bets In the ACC

BEST FUTURES BETS IN THE ACC — With college football less than a month away, now’s the time to get some futures bets on the table. We’ll take a conference-by-conference look at some of the best bets on the board, whether that’s win totals, conference champions or making an appearance in the league title game.

As always, odds are provided by Godzilla Wins sponsor DraftKings. Here’s a look at the best futures bets in the ACC.

Florida State to Win the Conference, +450

If the move to Corvallis fixed what was wrong with DJ Uiagalelei, his return to the ACC will go quite smoothly. Uiagalelei wasn’t terrible in Clemson, but he wasn’t great either. Last year, he traded purple for black and had a strong season at Oregon State, and now he returns to the ACC in garnet and gold.

Florida State brings back a lot of pieces from a team that should have played in the College Football Playoff last year. The Seminoles wouldn’t have competed with Michigan without Jordan Travis, but they deserved to be there and all of college football knew it. This year’s team is likely to be on a mission from the opening moment, and it will need to be.

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Thanks to a couple of scheduling quirks, the Seminoles will have their entire ACC schedule wrapped up by November 2, when North Carolina comes to Tallahassee. There are three potential problems on this schedule: September 28 in Dallas for SMU’s first ACC game, Clemson at home a week later and a trip to Miami on October 26. Otherwise, it’s likely to be smooth sailing for Mike Norvell’s crew. The Seminoles are favorites for a reason, and their target of 9.5 wins is very reasonable.

Virginia Tech to Make the ACC Title Game, +450

For the first time in years, there’s optimism in Blacksburg. Virginia Tech made five of the first seven ACC championship games, but the Hokies have qualified for the title game just once in the past 13 years. But after winning five of their final seven games last year and returning 20 starters, the Hokies believe they can make a run.

The schedule certainly agrees with them. The Hokies drew a really soft slate for 2024, as they don’t see Florida State, Louisville, SMU or N.C. State this season. Out of their first five games in the ACC, the only real challenge should be Miami. If the Hokies can get out of South Florida, they might be undefeated when Clemson rolls into Lane Stadium on Nov. 9.

Things turn a little difficult in November, when they’ll have a tricky trip to Duke in between Clemson’s visit and the Commonwealth Cup matchup with Virginia. But at least Duke’s the only road game in that stretch, which means 7-1 is very possible for this group. The Hokies’ non-conference schedule also cooperates, as Rutgers and Marshall come to Lane Stadium and a trip to Vanderbilt is not terribly frightening. At +105 for 8.5 wins, there’s a lot to like about both Virginia Tech futures plays.

Duke Under 5.5 Wins (-150)

Manny Diaz has to be wondering who he ticked off at the ACC’s front office. Out of the projected top seven teams in the ACC, five of them found their way onto Duke’s schedule this season. They did avoid Clemson and Louisville, but they’ll face Florida State, SMU and Virginia Tech, plus road games at Miami and NC State in consecutive weeks.

Even the games against the non-powers are tricky. Duke has two very loseable non-conference games in Northwestern and Middle Tennessee on the road, and they open ACC play with rival North Carolina. It’s safe to say nobody in Durham missed North Carolina coach Mack Brown; the Tar Heels’ head man has won 13 in a row against the Blue Devils. The season finale might be for a bowl game, and it’s at Wake Forest, a series where the home team has won the past four meetings. If Duke qualifies for a bowl in Diaz’s first year in Durham, it will have earned it.

Stanford Under 3.5 Wins (+135)

Troy Taylor is slowly building something on the Farm, but this looks like a rough year for the new ACC squad. The Cardinal open life in the ACC with consecutive road games at Syracuse (which usually plays well in September) and Clemson, then follow with Virginia Tech, Notre Dame and SMU.

The one plus is that Notre Dame doesn’t count as a conference game in football. But realistically, this thing will probably be over before it starts. NC State and Louisville are also on the schedule, which raises a very real possibility that Stanford could be 0-7 in the ACC when it faces California for its one league trip that’s under 2,500 miles.

The non-conference schedule won’t help either. TCU should be much more motivated than it was a year ago, and the Cardinal agreed to go to a dangerous San Jose State. At least they shouldn’t lose to an FCS squad this year, as Cal Poly is a lot weaker than Sacramento State. But when that’s where you’re looking for positives, it’s likely to be a long year.

Wake Forest Over 4.5 Wins (-160)

As long as Wake Forest doesn’t shoot itself in the foot again, this is reasonable. The Deacons ranked dead last in the ACC last year with a minus-6 turnover margin, which usually sorts itself out over time. Wake simply fell apart down the stretch, especially in close games. The Deacons lost to Clemson, Duke and Syracuse by a combined 12 points and easily could have been a 7-5 team.

The schedule lightens up somewhat this year, as Florida State and Notre Dame go away and Clemson comes to Winston-Salem. Wake didn’t do itself any favors by replacing Vanderbilt with Ole Miss, but the other three non-conference games are manageable. A 3-1 non-conference mark would mean Wake just has to find two ACC wins, and the Deacons can probably beat two out of Virginia, Duke, Stanford and California. Making a bowl is this team’s ceiling in 2024, but even that isn’t required to cash this bet.