ACC Football Odds: Championship contenders ranked after 2025 Preseason Coaches Poll

The start to the college football season continues to get closer and closer with kickoffs less than three weeks away and the official opening to the season being less than four out. The latest sign that it’s coming dropped on Monday with the release of the AFCA Coaches Poll at USA Today.

With the release of that ranking yesterday morning, odds shifted around the sport. That includes in the ACC, which had three teams make it into the Top-25 with a pair of them being voted into the Top-10.

With that, here’s how the odds have been updated for the winner of the 2025 ACC Championship according to those at BetMGM:

Clemson Tigers (-110)

Clemson remains a heavy favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference coming into 2025 as the heaviest favorite of any of the leading programs in these odds around the Power Four according to BetMGM. That’s also been represented in voting with the Tigers voted to finish first in the ACC Media Poll last week, leading with 167 of 183 first-place votes, and voted at No. 6 in the Coaches Poll.

Dabo Swinney has an all-around team, with the most returning production in the country and eleven selections to the Preseason All-ACC Team, for this fall that looks and projects more like the ones which were among the most dominant in the sport back late in the 2010s. It just remains to be seen if Clemson will live up to these latest billings as a conference contender in the ACC and national title contender in the College Football Playoff.

Miami Hurricanes (+400)

As the other team in the Top-10 at No. 10 in the Coaches Poll, Miami is in second in regards to winning the ACC per BetMGM. They also finished in second in the ACC Media Poll with the second-most first-place votes with seven.

The Hurricanes cost themselves late last season with two losses in November keeping them out of both the ACC Championship and the CFP. Now, The ‘U will look to be right back in that spot with a new-looking team, namely with a top-five portal class led by the addition of QB Carson Beck (Georgia) as the No. 1 overall transfer per On3, in year four for Mario Cristobal in Coral Gables.

Louisville Cardinals (+750)

Being in third here at BetMGM, the odds are better on Louisville than some of the other preseason stats are, with the Cardinals finishing fifth in the ACC Media Poll, without receiving a first-place vote, and, despite receiving votes, not making the Top-25 in the Coaches Poll yesterday. Still, having won ten and nine games respectively the past two seasons, they has been very much in contention in the ACC.

Louisville again invested heavily in the portal with thirty-plus additions to pair with their returning names, specifically with returning weapons and selections to Preseason All-ACC Team in RB Isaac Brown and WR Chris Bell. However, to justify being this high, it’ll likely be based on the season had by QB Miller Moss (USC), a top-dozen portal quarterback, playing for Jeff Brohm.

SMU Mustangs (+850)

In their first season in the Atlantic Coast Conference, SMU went undefeated in conference play in the league before making the ACC Championship and the CFP. The Mustangs are now expected to continue that success, having won eleven games each of the past two seasons respectively in the American and ACC, as they were voted third in the ACC Media Poll, with a pair of first-place votes, and were the other team in this conference to make it into the Coaches Poll at No. 16.

This season will be more difficult for Southern Methodist, both with their schedule and the announcement of themselves that they made a year ago. Still, with the return of QB Kevin Jennings and with a Top-20 portal class, Rhett Lashlee should have another team in conference contention, being in fourth here according to BetMGM.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (+1200)

Georgia Tech has been respectable through two seasons under Brent Key, being 7-6 overall and 5-3 in the ACC in each of the past two seasons for two of their better records of the past decade. That respect is being noted for the Yellow Jackets with them voted in fourth in the ACC Media Poll, with a pair of first-place votes, receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, and having the fifth-best odds to win the ACC Championship per BetMGM.

Georgia Tech has among the better returning production both in the conference and in the country, specifically with the return of those in their backfield with QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes who each received votes for honors as Preseason All-ACC. That leaves GT not to be underestimated this fall.

Florida State Seminoles (+2500)

Florida State couldn’t have been much more disappointing a season ago, following up a 13-1 record where they won the ACC Championship to a 2-10 finish. Their expectations have since been reset coming into this year with them having the sixth-best odds in the conference after being voted to finish seven in the ACC Media Poll, receiving the third-most first-place votes after Clemson and Miami, and receiving some votes in the Coaches Poll.

Again, the Seminoles couldn’t have been much worse last season. FSU is projected to be improved, though, after an offseason where several things had to be redone on the staff and roster in Tallahassee.

North Carolina Tar Heels (+3000)

Few stories, in the conference or in the country, are are big as Bill Belichick being in college football as the new head coach at North Carolina. Still, as for actual expectations, UNC is projected in the middle of the ACC, finishing seventh here in the odds by BetMGM and being voted in eighth in the ACC Media Poll.

Beyond that, the Tar Heels are almost a complete unknown with a top-ten transfer class having forty-plus additions and subtractions in the portal this offseason amidst their coaching change. That makes them pretty unpredictable ahead of this season with a lot of variance in what they could be, especially in Belichick’s debut at the collegiate level.

Duke Blue Devils (+3500)

Duke was one of the quiet surprises of last season having been 9-4 overall despite the coaching change from Mike Elko (Texas A&M) to Manny Diaz. The Blue Devils have earned some better projections coming into Diaz’s second season in Durham now, being voted sixth in the ACC Media Poll, receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, and being in the top-ten of the conference’s odds here at BetMGM.

Duke has decent returning production, more so on defense, and brings in the No. 25 portal class with nine additions, specifically that of a top-ten transfer quarterback in QB Darian Mensah (Tulane). That could all come together to have them back in the conference race per these odds.

Pittsburgh Panthers (+4000)

Pittsburgh went from high highs to low lows a season ago in starting undefeated at 7-0 before finishing winless at 0-6. With that variance a year ago, the Panthers are now projected right at the middle of the league in ninth in the ACC Media Poll and here at BetMGM.

Pitts does have a lot of returning production on both sides of the ball, namely on offense with QB Eli Holstein and RB Desmond Reid as well as defense with LB Kyle Louis who all received recognitions as Preseason All-ACC. It’s now a matter of if they can be any more consistent at Pittsburgh to determine where they’ll finish this fall in the ACC.

Syracuse Orange (+5000)

Syracuse also exceeded expectations in year one for the program under Fran Brown, going 10-3 overall. The Orange, though, while receiveing votes for the Coaches Poll, are projected to have a more difficult season this year.

That starts with ‘Cuse losing a lot of what made them successful a season ago with their offense with their quarterback, leading rusher, four of their top-five receivers, and several linemen gone. Then, when paired with a tough slate, the Orange could be set to finish in the back half of the league, at least based on the voting in the ACC Media Poll as well as on these odds here by BetMGM.

Virginia Tech (+5000)
NC State Wolfpack (+5000)
California Golden Bears (+10000)
Virginia Cavaliers (+10000)
Boston College Golden Eagles (+15000)
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+35000)
Stanford Cardinal (+35000)