Florida State picked to win ACC again; See where NC State, UNC, Duke placed in media poll

By Brian Murphy, WRAL

Florida State and Clemson, the ACC’s top two football programs, were picked to finish atop the league standings again in 2024 in a poll of 170 conference media members.

The schools have won 12 of the last 13 ACC football titles, including Florida State’s 2023 championship. Florida State attracted 81 first-place votes, and Clemson received 55. Six other schools in the 17-team league received at least one first-place vote.

Miami finished third in the poll with 17 first-place votes. NC State was picked fourth and received eight first-place votes.

UNC was ninth and Duke 11th.

Newcomers SMU (seventh), Cal (10th) and Stanford (17th) will play their first season in the ACC this fall.

The top two teams will meet in the ACC Championship Game in Charlotte on Dec. 7. The league does not have divisions.

The College Football Playoff expands to 12 teams this season. The five highest-ranked conference champions are guaranteed a spot in the field. Undefeated Florida State was left out of the four-team playoff last season after an injury to starting quarterback Jordan Travis. The rest of the field will consist of seven at-large teams.

Clemson, a founding member of the ACC, has won a league-high 21 football championships. Florida State, which joined the league in 1992, has won 16. Both schools are suing the ACC over the league’s exit policies and grant of rights agreement.

ACC preseason media poll

1. Florida State (81 first-place votes), 2708 points
2. Clemson (55), 2657
3. Miami (17), 2344
4. NC State (8), 2318
5. Louisville, 1984
6. Virginia Tech (5), 1968
7. SMU, 1798
8. North Carolina, 1712
9. Georgia Tech (1), 1539
10. Cal (2), 1095
11. Duke, 1056
12. Syracuse, 1035
13. Pitt, 1016
14. Boston College (1), 890
15. Wake Forest, 784
16. Virginia, 629
17. Stanford, 477

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