2023 ACC Championship Odds: Gap Closing on Clemson as Favorite
Florida St., UNC Have Best Chance to Topple ACC Favorite Clemson
The Clemson Tigers have been the class of the Atlantic Coast Conference for close to a decade. But might they be losing their grip on ACC supremacy? The conference should be highly competitive this season, with Florida State (No. 8), Clemson (No. 9), and North Carolina (No. 21) all cracking the preseason Associated Press Top 25.
With the college season set to kick off Saturday, let’s take a closer look at the 2023 ACC Championship odds.
The Favorite
Clemson Tigers (+140)
Clemson has won seven of the last eight ACC titles, with the exception of 2021 (Pittsburgh). It’s the favorite again according to college football betting lines, though the gap has narrowed considerably. There’s significant pressure on sophomore Cade Klubnik to become the next great Clemson quarterback. To make life a bit easier for him, Dabo Swinney hired former TCU offensive coordinator Garrett Riley to call the plays. Riley won the Broyles Award last year as the nation’s top assistant.
Top Contenders
Florida State Seminoles (+160)
Without question, this is one of Florida State‘s best teams since it shot up the NCAA football standings and won the national championship in 2013. That’s largely because of quarterback Jordan Travis. Coming off a year in which he threw for 3,214 yards and 24 touchdowns, the senior is on the shortlist of Heisman Trophy contenders. In fact, he and Klubnik have the fourth-shortest odds at +1400. The addition of South Carolina transfer Jaheim Bell should help through the air.
North Carolina Tar Heels (+1000)
The Tar Heels have what nobody else in the ACC has: Drake Maye. Maye was a revelation as a freshman, winning ACC Player of the Year after passing for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns. He also ran for seven scores. They go as he goes. If Maye, a +1600 Heisman contender, has another big season, the Tar Heels will be in the mix for their first ACC title since 1980.
Louisville Cardinals (+1000)
Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham is gone, but Jeff Brohm takes over a team that won eight games and will be in the mix for the Top 25. California transfer Jack Plummer played three years for Brohm at Purdue, so that familiarity should help ease the transition for both parties. He’s a logical replacement for Cunningham.
Next In Line
NC State Wolfpack (+2000)
Head coach Dave Doeren reconfigured the offense, bringing in former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong and a well-regarded play-caller in Robert Anae, who was previously at Syracuse and Virginia. While the Wolfpack are something of a longshot, with +2000 2023 ACC Championship odds, their track record shouldn’t go overlooked. They’ve won at least eight games in five of the last six seasons.
Miami Hurricanes (+2000)
For the Hurricanes to climb back up the NCAA football rankings and compete for the ACC title, quarterback Tyler Van Dyke must rebound from a disappointing 2022. The Hurricanes flopped in Mario Cristobal’s first season, winning only five games, their fewest in 15 years. There’s a lot of potential for them to do more, but again, it starts with Van Dyke, who threw only 10 touchdown passes in nine games.
Pittsburgh Panthers (+2500)
Over the last eight years, Pittsburgh has been the only team outside of Clemson with an ACC title. Unfortunately, Kenny Pickett is no longer around to guide the Panthers to another. But Pat Narduzzi’s team does have Phil Jurkovec, a Boston College transfer who takes over for Kedon Slovis. It’s just one of the many moving parts for a team that also must replace running back Israel Abanikanda and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey. Clearly, Narduzzi has his work cut out for him.
The Longshots
Duke Blue Devils (+4000)
The Blue Devils smashed expectations in Mike Elko’s first season, going 9-4 and winning the Military Bowl, their first bowl victory since 2018. With Riley Leonard back under center, the Blue Devils appear primed to build from that. Leonard threw for 2,967 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions in his first year as a starter. The defense should also be formidable. The Blue Devils allowed only 22.1 points per game, 17.7 fewer than the previous season. That’s a major improvement.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (+5000)
No Sam Hartman (transferred to Notre Dame) could spell trouble for the Demon Deacons. Sophomore Mitch Griffis has major shoes to fill at quarterback. The Demon Deacons also must fix a defense that allowed an average of 33.8 points in ACC play. Those are a lot of question marks, even for a team with such long odds. That said, Dave Clawson has done an admirable job turning around this program. They’re 19-8 with back-to-back bowl victories over the last two seasons.
Syracuse Orange (+8000)
It’s a make-or-break year for head coach Dino Babers. The Orange won seven games last season, their most since 2018, but also fizzled after a 6-0 start. Quarterback Garrett Shrader and tight end Oronde Gadsden II return, but much of the rest of the offense is in transition. All-American running back Sean Tucker is off to the NFL, and Babers brought in new coordinators on both sides of the ball. That’s a lot of moving parts for a team that hopes to contend again.
Rest Of The Field
Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Virginia all share the longest 2023 ACC Championship odds at +10000. It would take a major surprise for any of these programs to climb the field and make a stunning run at a conference title. They were a combined 14-31 last season. Move on.
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