Ireland will host the first college football game of the 2024 season, which happens to be an all-ACC matchup between Georgia Tech and reigning conference champion Florida State in Dublin.

With Cal, SMU and Stanford joining the league, 17 squads will be competing for an opportunity to play for the ACC championship on Dec. 7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

The Seminoles or Clemson have raised the title trophy in 12 of the last 13 seasons, but could N.C. State, Miami or Virginia Tech buck the trend this season?

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The official preseason ACC media poll will be released following ACC Kickoff, but here are my predictions for order of finish in the conference.

ACC preseason predictions

A preseason look at the projected league standings.

Clemson

The Tigers lost three of their four games last season by one possession, finishing with a 9-4 record to snap a streak of 12 straight seasons with double-digit wins. Clemson has to travel to Florida State (Oct. 5), but the defense will be elite and the offense will be much improved.

Florida State

Following a perfect run through the ACC last season, head coach Mike Norvell had to replace 10 NFL draft picks. Former Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is among the talented additions from the transfer portal and the Seminoles should win double-digit games for the third year in a row.

NC State

With a manageable schedule and a talented haul via the transfer portal, this could be the year for the Wolfpack. The expectations are high in Raleigh. If Coastal Carolina transfer Grayson McCall can stay healthy, N.C. State just might be able to live up to those expectations.

Miami

The hyped-up Hurricanes won another offseason by adding Washington State quarterback Cam Ward and Oregon State running back Damein Martinez. Will Mario Cristobal be able to get this talented roster over the hump or will Miami continue to be a preseason darling that falls flat on its face?

Virginia Tech

The Hokies avoid Florida State and host Clemson (Nov. 9), opening the door for an opportunity as a dark horse in the league. Head coach Brent Pry returns a bulk of talented players on both sides of the ball, including quarterback Kyron Drones.

Louisville

The Cardinals won 10 games and played for the ACC title in their debut season under Jeff Brohm. Despite losing some of its top contributors, Louisville enters the season with one of the top transfer portal classes.

SMU

The best bet among the newcomers, the Mustangs have are coming off a championship season in the AAC behind head coach Rhett Lashlee and quarterback Preston Stone. SMU has a tough start out of the gate with Florida State (Sept. 28) before a trip to Louisville (Oct. 5), but this program has plenty of offensive and defensive talent.

North Carolina

The post-Drake Maye era should feature a lot of running back Omarion Hampton, one of the top playmakers in the nation. Even with quarterback questions, the Tar Heels have a proven defensive coordinator and a relatively easy schedule.

Georgia Tech

Led by quarterback Haynes King, the Yellow Jackets offense will be among the ACC’s best. But Georgia Tech’s defense has a long way to go and the schedule, which includes 11 teams that played in a bowl game last season, is brutal.

Cal

Running back Jaydn Ott has established himself as one of the top rushers in the nation, but the Bears face Florida State (Sept. 21), Miami (Oct. 5) and N.C. State (Oct. 19) in three of their first four ACC games.

Syracuse

Former Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord and first-year head coach Fran Brown, an elite recruiter and assistant at Georgia, will try to get the Orange on track. Tight end Oronge Gadsden II and running back LeQuint Allen are among the best players in the ACC.

Pitt

Western Carolina’s Kade Bell will be tasked with turning around a struggling offense, but the Panthers lost seven of their nine games last season by double digits.

Wake Forest

After a string of successful years, the Demon Deacons were last in the ACC last season. Wake returns double-digit starters and should be able to bounce back with a bowl appearance.

Duke

First-year coach Manny Diaz should have enough pieces to keep the Blue Devils’ defense on track, but the offensive line will be among the question marks for Duke. The schedule includes a brutal seven-game stretch against some of the top teams in the league.

Boston College

Bill O’Brien has an impressive resume filled with college and NFL experience, so it’ll be interesting to see how he helps quarterback Thomas Castellanos improve this season. Defensively, there are a lot of holes to fill.

Virginia

The Cavaliers will have their best roster yet under Tony Elliot, but one of the toughest schedules in the nation will make it tough to see that improvement yield victories.

Stanford

Entering its second season under Troy Taylor, the Cardinal is coming off a year in which it had one of the worst offenses and defenses in the nation. After years of consistent success, Stanford is in rebuilding mode.

Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: ACC football predictions for 2024 season: Clemson or Florida State?