ACC Football Betting Odds, Picks: Reigning Champ Clemson Heavily Favored

Newsweek

2 days ago

Oddsmakers see coach Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes as the biggest threat to Clemson in the ACC in 2025.
Oddsmakers see coach Mario Cristobal's Miami Hurricanes as the biggest threat to Clemson in the ACC in 2025.
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Fans of ACC football will not be surprised to see how oddsmakers view this conference in 2025.
A year after Florida State, Clemson and Miami all entered 2024 with legit conference title hopes (at least according to oddsmakers), the odds right now indicate that it will be Clemson and then everyone else this fall.
2025 ACC Championship Game Winner Odds
DK FD bet365 Clemson +105 +110 +110 Miami +380 +400 +400 Louisville +850 +800 +800 SMU +850 +900 +800 Georgia Tech +1200 +1300 +1200 Duke +2500 +2600 +2500 Florida State +2800 +3100 +2800 Virginia Tech +3500 +4800 +4000 NC State +4500 +4100 +4000 Pittsburgh +4500 +4200 +4000 North Carolina +4000 +4500 +2800
The Tigers, who have won the ACC title in nine of the last 11 seasons, are just shorter than even-money at most sportsbooks. Most books list second-favorite Miami at 4-to-1, though DK is slightly more bullish on the Canes.
Louisville and reigning ACC runner-up SMU have the next-best chances to upend Clemson. Neither, however, are seen as serious threats. The Mustangs' and Cardinals' 8-to-1 or longer odds translate to around an 11 percent chance of winning the conference.
Clemson, Boise Biggest League Favorites In CFB
It's worth noting that across all of college football, the only conference race that oddsmakers see as less intriguing than the ACC is the Mountain West, where Boise State is minus-money (-140 at DK, -145 at FanDuel).
We're not breaking ground by pointing out that the SEC, Big Ten and Big 12 are much more balanced than the ACC. Still, the odds on the favorites in those conferences drive home just how shallow the ACC appears to be this year.
While Clemson is +110 or shorter to win this league, SEC favorite Texas is +250 or longer across the board and reigning national champ Ohio State is a bit shorter than 2-to-1 to win the Big Ten.
In the Big 12, the five "favorites" all have odds between 5-to-1 and 7-to-1.
For more perspective on the perceived depth of the ACC in 2025, keep in mind that last year, five teams -- Florida State, Clemson, Miami, NC State and Lousville -- had 8-to-1 or shorter odds to win the league in late July.
2025 ACC Betting Preview: 4 Burning Questions
Will Loaded Clemson Tigers Dominate ACC?
Whether you're picking the ACC winner based on who has the most experience, the most proven star power or the fewest holes, it's difficult to land on an anyone other than Clemson.
The Tigers have a handful of stars on both sides of the ball, including one of the Heisman favorites at QB. Signal-caller Cade Klubnik, WR Antonio Williams and OT Blake Miller could all be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
This year's Clemson D arguably boasts even more NFL talent: D-linemen Peter Woods and T.J. Parker are likely top-10 NFL Draft picks next spring, while linebackers Wade Woodaz and Sammy Brown were named to USA TODAY Sports Network's preseason All-ACC football team.
In the secondary, CB Avieon Terrell is yet another potential future first-rounder after earning All-ACC second-team honors as a sophomore last fall.
Though it will spoil the answers to the other "questions" in this piece, I'll go ahead and say that no, I don't see anyone other than Clemson -- which is among five teams in the country that are currently projected to be favored in every regular season game this year -- winning the ACC in 2025.
Right now, Clemson is the rare example of a preseason conference favorite that is worth a wager at +110 or shorter.
Can Miami Reach (Or Win) ACC Championship Game?
Hurricanes coach Mario Cristobal has had no problems on the recruiting front in Coral Gables. Per 247 Sports, he landed the No. 16 recruiting class in '22, followed by top-10 classes in both '23 (No. 7) and '24 (No. 4), as well as the No. 14 class in '25.
Miami's average class rank over the last four years is just outside the top 10 in the nation at 10.25, and it's even better than Clemson's average rank of 14.5 over the same period. But Cristobal's first three teams at The U have gone 5-7 (3-5 ACC) in 2022, 7-6 (3-5 ACC) in 2023 and 10-3 (6-2 ACC) in 2024.
With one of the top transfer QBs in the nation, Carson Beck, among a handful of future pros on this roster, Miami has the talent -- on paper, at least -- to push Clemson.
The Canes were the highest-scoring team in the country a year ago, but they will be lacking in proven experience in 2025, especially at the skill positions. In addition to losing No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward under center, top running back Damien Martinez, second-team All-ACC tight end Elijah Arroyo and first-team All-ACC wide receiver Xavier Restrepo all have to be replaced.
Beck will throwing to an entirely overhauled wide receiver group. None of Miami's top six pass-catchers from a year ago are back. This team does, however, have two quality running backs returning. Mark Fletcher Jr. averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2024, while Jordan Lyle averaged 7.4 ypc, and the O-line led by projected first-round tackle Francis Mauigoa should be solid.
Defensively, the Canes have room to improve after allowing 25.3 points per game last year. Miami lost LB Francisco Mauigoa and DE Tyler Baron to the 2025 NFL Draft, and 2024 first-team All-ACC DT Simeon Barrow Jr. and second-team all-conference safety Mishael Powell are battling for NFL roster spots right now.
Schedule-wise, one wrinkle that is good for Clemson and Miami -- but bad for anyone hoping for a surprise ACC Championship Game matchup -- is that the Canes and Tigers will not face each other in the regular season.
Could Louisville, SMU Or Anyone Else Make Noise?
Remember, last year, it was SMU -- not Miami -- that ended up battling Clemson in a thrilling ACC title game. The Mustangs' outstanding debut season in this league was enough to give the ACC two teams in the 12-team College Football Playoff field.
SMU should once again be high-scoring in its second season in this conference, as dynamic QB Kevin Jennings could push Klubnik for the honor of the conference's top QB. The Mustangs have a tough schedule and a lot of outgoing talent to replace, but they're as tempting as anyone besides Clemson (though that's not to say that I expect them to beat the Tigers in Death Valley on October 18).
Like SMU and Miami, Louisville is projected to be explosive on offense. The Cardinals defense is a question mark, though.
Louisville added a high-upside passer from the portal: former USC Trojan Miller Moss. Coach Jeff Brohm figures to have a solid offense in Year 3 of his tenure. The Cardinals averaged 30.7 points per game with Jack Plummer under center in 2023 and 36.5 ppg with another veteran transfer QB, Tyler Shough, in 2024.
Still, there are too many questions on this roster for me to back Louisville right now, even though they handed Clemson its only conference loss of 2024.
Oddsmakers see Georgia Tech and Duke as the next-biggest threats to Clemson and Miami.
Either the Yellow Jackets or Blue Devils -- who went a combined 16-10 (10-6 ACC) a year ago -- could conceivably win enough games to reach the ACC Championship Game, especially if it doesn't all come together for Miami.
That being said, neither Duke nor Georgia Tech quite strike me as a legit conference title contender this year.
Will Mike Norvell's Seminoles Bounce Back?
Obviously, it's hard to imagine 2023 conference champ FSU contending for an ACC title in 2025 after a catastrophic, 2-10 (1-7 ACC) 2024 campaign.
But in a conference that looks wide-open after Clemson, the Noles could be a factor if former BC QB Thomas Castellanos and offensive coordinator Guz Malzahn can spark the offense.
FSU went from one of the best offensive teams in the nation with Jordan Travis at QB in 2023 (34.6 points per game) to one of the worst in the country under QB D.J. Uiagalelei last year (15.4).
This year's squad does feature several high-upside portal additions in WRs Duce Robinson and Squirrel White from USC and Tennessee, respectively, plus ex-Oklahoma RB Gavin Sawchuk.
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