Vegas announces ACC championship odds for 2022 college football season
- Author:
- Publish date:
For six straight years, it was Clemson and everyone else in the ACC. But that streak ended in 2022, when Pitt and Wake Forest battled for the conference title and the Panthers hoisted the trophy in Charlotte.
Could we see more of the same this season? Clemson returns a lot of talent from injury, but has major questions on offense, while Wake and NC State return elite skill players who can change the face of the ACC come championship season.
Here's what the odds makers in Vegas think of the ACC football race this fall, according to BetOnline.ag.
ACC football championship odds for the 2022 season
14. Duke
Odds to win ACC: 500/1
Duke's 2021 record: 3-9 (0-8 ACC)
What to expect: More of the same from the Blue Devils after sitting in the ACC basement last year, David Cutcliffe's final outing on the sideline. Enter Mike Elko, a first-time head coach tasked with making something out of almost nothing.
He needs a quarterback, a running back, and some quick fixes for a defense that placed last in the ACC. There's about a 9 percent chance to get to six wins here, which is all that can be said for this team in its current iteration.
13. Syracuse
USA Today Images
Odds to win ACC: 150/1
Syracuse's 2021 record: 5-7 (2-6 ACC)
What to expect: Dino Babers comes into what could be a defining season for his tenure at Syracuse. The head coach only had one winning season out of six, and comes in under pressure to correct a record that includes just 15 wins in 50 ACC appearances.
Syracuse fielded the league's fourth-worst total offense a year ago and mustered under 150 air yards per game, the ACC's worst mark. The best this Orange team has according is a 30 percent chance to finish bowl eligible, according to prediction models.
12. Georgia Tech
Odds to win ACC: 125/1
Georgia Tech's 2021 record: 3-9 (2-6 ACC)
What to expect: Tech lost two offensive pieces in quarterback Jordan Yates, who transferred out, and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who left for Alabama.
Head coach Geoff Collins needs to give a jolt to an offense that placed third-worst in the ACC at 24 points per game. Jeff Sims returns at quarterback after passing for 12 TDs and seven picks, but there isn't a ton to work with around him moving the ball.
Tech was also the second-worst defense in the conference last season, and the unit brings back just two projected starters this fall.
11. Virginia Tech
USA Today Images
Odds to win ACC: 80/1
Virginia Tech's 2021 record: 6-7 (4-4 ACC)
What to expect: Watch how the quarterback competition shakes out this offseason between a pair of transfers in Grant Wells and Jason Brown. But whoever wins that job could sure use some help after Tech lost both leading receivers from 2021.
Having seven returning starters defensively should ease this transition for a team that won just two ACC games at home last fall and got plastered by Maryland in the Pinstripe Bowl.
10. Louisville
Odds to win ACC: 66/1
Louisville's 2021 record: 6-7 (4-4 ACC)
What to expect: Getting quarterback Malik Cunningham back on the field is a major positive for the Cardinals. He was a 62% passer a year ago, throwing for 2,734 yards and 18 touchdowns to only six interceptions, while also rushing for over 1,000 yards and 20 additional touchdowns, both top 10 numbers nationally.
9. Boston College
Odds to win ACC: 40/1
Boston College's 2021 record: 6-6 (2-6 ACC)
What to expect: BC gets some important inputs back on offense this season who can work the middle of the field, especially with quarterback Phil Jurkovec returning from injury. But this offensive line is a work in progress and the Eagles have to replace three starters in the secondary unit. This was a 6-6 team a year ago, but not even Jurkovec coming back was enough for Vegas to bump this team up in the rankings.
8. Virginia
Odds to win ACC: 33/1
Virginia's 2021 record: 6-6 (4-4 ACC)
What to expect: First-year coach Tony Elliott inherits an offense that ranked No. 3 in college football last season and gets quarterback Brennan Armstrong back behind center and two of the 10 best wide receivers in the nation. But this offensive line needs to start from scratch and the Cavs need a new vision on defense after surrendering almost five TDs per game in ACC play
T-8. Florida State
Odds to win ACC: 33/1
Florida State's 2021 record: 5-7 (4-4 ACC)
What to expect: In two years, Mike Norvell is just 8-13 with the Seminoles, nowhere even in the orbit of what this program expects. This time around, FSU brings on a nice mixture of veteran experience and newcomers and a schedule with chances to prove itself. Clemson and Florida come to Doak and there are road trips to Miami and NC State.
Jordan Travis is a potential difference-maker at quarterback, throwing 15 TDs and six picks last fall, but didn't have a turnover in five outings. FSU went 4-1 in that stretch. And the Seminoles could make a statement in their season opener: in New Orleans against LSU, a traditional SEC power starting over with a first-year coach that looks beatable.
6. Wake Forest
Odds to win ACC: 20/1
Wake Forest's 2021 record: 11-3 (7-1 ACC)
What to expect: Dave Clawson returns the core of a scoring offense that placed fifth nationally a year ago. Sam Hartman, a 4,200-yard passer with 39 touchdowns in 2021, returns at quarterback with a support cast of nine expected starters coming back to repeat that production.
But the Deacs ranked 91st in total defense and the unit was costly in a 1-3 stretch against UNC, Clemson, NC State, and Pitt. Some fixes on that side of the ball, and Wake can cause an earthquake in the College Football Playoff race.
5. North Carolina
Odds to win ACC: 11/1
North Carolina's 2021 record: 6-7 (3-5 ACC)
What to expect: UNC is moving up the preseason rankings despite winning just three league games last fall, losing quarterback Sam Howell, the bulk of its rushing attack, and four of its offensive line starters.
But there are two promising options at QB (Drake Maye and Jacolby Criswell) and a room full of excellent receiving targets. Not to mention a defensive unit that has recruited very well and returns Gene Chizik at coordinator to tighten up the loose ends after ranking 94th overall in college football last year.
4. NC State
Odds to win ACC: 10/1
NC State's 2021 record: 9-3 (6-2 ACC)
What to expect: Four points kept the Wolfpack from an undefeated mark in ACC play, a run that included a win over No. 9 Clemson and with losses at Miami and at Wake. Ten starters on defense that ranked No. 3 in the ACC last fall come back for a reunion in 2022, as does quarterback Devin Leary, a 3,400-yard passer in 2021 with 35 touchdowns against three picks. But the Pack could use some replacement at running back to help balance things out and take some pressure off Leary.
3. Pittsburgh
Odds to win ACC: 9/1
Pitt's 2021 record: 11-3 (7-1 ACC)
What to expect: Vegas must be thinking that Jordan Addison is coming back to Pitt this season. The wide receiver is the key to this team repeating any of its 2021 exploits after leading college football with 17 receiving TDs and winning the Biletnikoff Award. But if he transfers out, then new quarterback Kedon Slovis (a transfer from USC) will need to develop his other targets real fast.
2. Miami
Odds to win ACC: 5/1
Miami's 2021 record: 7-5 (5-3 ACC)
What to expect: Mario Cristobal returns to his alma mater with a great coaching staff and a solid fixture at quarterback in Tyler Van Dyke, but with some work to do everywhere else. Especially at receiver, which just lost most of its top production to the NFL.
But there's a lot of youth and promise here, especially in the secondary, which brings a lot of speed and athleticism to the fore. FPI gives The U, which was just eight combined points from a perfect ACC record last fall, a 28 percent chance to win its division this season.
1. Clemson
Odds to win ACC: 2/3
Clemson's 2021 record: 10-3 (6-2 ACC)
What to expect: DJ Uiagalelei returns at quarterback with 5-star pedigree but coming off a very sluggish outing in 2021, throwing nine TDs and 10 picks. Will Shipley returns to the backfield, and there's plenty of speed Clemson can throw out onto the perimeter. Defensively, the secondary needs some work but the front seven is expected to dominate again with Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee on the line.