The beginning of July changed everything in college football as we know it. That's when most of the conference realignment officially went into place. The SEC welcomed Texas and Oklahoma, while the ACC opened their doors to SMU. Technically, it won't be until early August that the ACC's two other new members are officially part of the conference, as that will be when they are released from the Pac-12.
The ACC now becomes a bi-coastal conference consisting of an uneven 17 teams, which seems as odd as everything else going on in college football at the moment. Regionality is now overlooked for bigger and better competition — that and the almighty dollar.
How exactly will these new westerners play out in the new ACC? The ACC has been a massively top-heavy conference for the better part of a decade or longer, with conference championships typically going between one or two schools, namely Clemson and Florida State. Will this change the dynamic and upset the established order? Let's predict how each of the three new members will fare in the 2024 season.
Predicting SMU Football in 2024
Coming off an AAC Conference Championship, SMU football had one of its most successful seasons since the Pony Express days. Head coach Rhett Lashlee, through solid recruiting and transfer portal work, has made the Mustangs into a formidable team entering their first season in the ACC. But navigating through a Power 4 schedule could be much more challenging.
When the Mustangs begin ACC play, they'll start with the biggest and best in Florida State, though they will at least be hosting the Seminoles at home. Then it's at Louisville, last year's runner-up in the ACC, followed by fellow newcomer Stanford in Palo Alto, and then at Duke for a tough three-game stretch.
Luckily, the Mustangs have three out of their last four games at home (Pitt, Boston College, and Cal), minus a trip to Virginia the weekend before Thanksgiving. However, what can't be overlooked is the two home games against BYU and TCU during the first month of the season, before their ACC schedule begins.
SMU at least avoids Clemson, but starting with the Seminoles will be quite the welcome to the ACC. However, facing Louisville could be just as difficult. Right now, the Mustangs have the sixth-best odds to win the conference title (+1700). With eight starters on offense and six on defense, that at least gives them a bit of an advantage.
Record: 7-5
ACC finish: 7th
Predicting California Football in 2024
Even for what has been a fairly weak Pac-12 conference over the last several years — minus last year, of course — the Golden Bears haven't fared well whatsoever. Last year, California football became bowl eligible for the first time in four years and has made just four bowl appearances in the last ten years.
Now, a whole new set of challenges awaits Cal and head coach Justin Wilcox as they enter the ACC in 2024, not to mention a fair bit of traveling. The Bears will be collecting the most frequent flyer miles this season, racking up 20,660 miles, according to Bill Speros at Bookies.com. And don't think that won't play a factor as the season progresses.
Cal has road trips to Florida State, Pitt, Wake Forest, and SMU. But that's just their ACC portion. They also have an early September matchup on the plains to face Auburn.
Cal faces three of the ACC's best in not only Florida State but Miami and NC State. They'll also host what looks to be an improved Syracuse team in November. Out of the three new members, Cal probably has the toughest introduction to their new conference.
Record: 6-6
ACC finish: 11th
Predicting Stanford Football in 2024
Stanford hasn't had a winning season since 2018. They've won no more than four games in a single season since then. And now, head coach Troy Taylor in his second season has to move to another conference in the ACC.
Even with a lot of returning starters on both sides of the ball (seven on offense, nine on defense), this wasn't exactly a superiorly talented team. Sure, there are some nice pieces in guys like wide receiver Elic Ayomanor, but defensively is where the Cardinal suffered. They were ranked 129th in the country last year and were one of the worst passing defenses in the country, averaging allowing 461.7 yards.
Without a doubt, the team most likely to not make much of an impact in their first year will be Stanford, who is still trying to figure out ways to rebuild the program from the David Shaw days.
Take into account too that they will likewise have to do a bit of traveling (14,017 miles) since they reside on the other coastline. Their east coast trips have them going all the way up to Syracuse, Clemson, Notre Dame, and NC State. Sure, they may avoid Florida State, but that's a brutal road schedule. Additionally, facing what looks to be an improved Virginia Tech team and Louisville at home will not be easy.
Record: 4-8
ACC finish: 17th
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