2023 ACC Title Odds & Predictions – Can Florida State Dethrone Clemson?

• Clemson is a +140 favorite to win the ACC Championship this season
• The Tigers have won seven of the past eight conference titles
• Keep reading for our ACC preview and best bets to win the conference crown

We’re just over two weeks away from the start of the college football season, and one of the biggest questions heading into the campaign is if anyone in the ACC can put an end to Clemson’s dominance.

The Tigers are currently expected to reign supreme once again, but online sportsbooks are projecting Florida State to put up a major fight.

2023 ACC Title Odds

The two schools boast the shortest and second shortest ACC Conference Championship odds, but there are a few dark horse programs that are also worthy of consideration. Louisville tops that list, but before we dive into their conference title prospects, let’s break down the top of the board.

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Clemson a Deserving Favorite

Few teams have owned their conference like defending champ Clemson over the last eight years. The Tigers have won the ACC in seven of the past eight seasons, and are poised for another title run in 2023.

They’re fresh off a down season, but even an off year for a Dabo Swinney program is still pretty impressive. Clemson was 11-3 in 2022, blowing out North Carolina in the ACC Championship Game, before falling to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl.

The Tigers are loaded on defense yet again, and project to be a top-15 unit in the country on that side of the ball. Offense was their Achilles Heel a season ago, but with five-star recruit Cade Klubnik fully entrenched in the starting QB role, and new offensive coordinator Garrett Riley calling plays, we should expect a significant leap forward from that group.

Garrett Riley's offensive scheme is going to change the way the Clemson offense gets paid in explosive plays

Full video: https://t.co/nhQA8PoXS5 | Tons of great coverage from @MattConnollyOn3 pic.twitter.com/B9nWmV02ek

— J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) August 9, 2023

Riley deployed an air-raid offense at TCU in 2022 that ranked fifth nationally in explosive plays. He helped lead the Horned Frogs to a National Championship Game appearance, turning Max Duggan into a Heisman Trophy candidate along the way.

They’ve won seven straight matchups against the Seminoles dating back to 2015, and have the luxury of hosting Florida State in Week 4, which will be one of the most anticipated games of the entire season.

The Seminoles meanwhile, have been garnering plenty of sleeper buzz in the National Championship odds since prices were released.

They feature a top-five Heisman odds contender in QB Jordan Travis, who’s fresh off a 31-touchdown campaign. Travis is considered a top-five QB in the 2024 NFL Draft class, and is expected to lead one of the conference’s top offenses.

Florida State also boasts a top-10 grade in returning production and a top-20 recruiting class. Their defense projects to be solid against the pass, but stopping the run is always a concern. They were 80th in rushing success rate against in 2022, and aren’t expected to make a significant improvement in that category.

Florida State vs Clemson H2H Results Since 2014

That’s one of the reasons ESPN FPI projects the Seminoles for nearly two fewer wins than Clemson, while another is a much more difficult schedule.

Florida State is a program on the rise, but they’re still a notch below the Tigers at this point, and the gap is wider than how they’re currently priced.

Louisville is the Longshot to Consider

As for longshots, you can make a case for North Carolina, Miami or Pittsburgh, the last team since Clemson to win the ACC. But what about Louisville? The Cardinals are the biggest benefactor of the ACC’s decision to move to division-less football, as they’ve been granted a very soft schedule.

Louisville will avoid the Tigers, Seminoles and Tar Heels. The Cardinals will be favored in the vast majority of their games, and will play five ACC opponents that didn’t qualify for a Bowl Game in 2022.

UofL’s offense should be rather exciting to watch in 2023, thanks in part to Jeff Brohm’s wild offense and to his quarterback, Jack Plummer, for understanding the playbook. #Louisville pic.twitter.com/p9NaRaYxPT

— Dusty Baker (@DustyBakerTV) August 5, 2023

Former Purdue coach Jeff Brohm is now in charge of the program, and he’s been very active in the transfer portal. He brought in former Boilermaker Jack Plummer to start at QB, and an all-conference receiver in Jamari Thrash from Georgia State. The Cardinals also solidified their o-line through the transfer portal, and brought in six secondary pieces, many of whom were starters with other ACC programs.

Brohm quickly turned around Purdue in his first season there, and expectations are high in Louisville, especially since Brohm was just in the Big Ten Championship Game last season. He’s made big changes to the Cardinals roster and has a favorable schedule in front of him.

Louisville definitely has my interest in the ACC Title futures market, and are also a strong bet to exceed 8 victories in the college football win totals.

Picks: Clemson (+140), Louisville Over 8 Wins (-110)