'College GameDay' Crew Predicts Sleeper Teams In The ACC This Season

As the first edition of "College GameDay" kicks off Week 0 of the 2024 college football season on Saturday, the show's cast predicted who could be considered sleeper teams within the ACC this fall.

Pat McAfee started by predicting a big year out of the Virginia Tech Hokies, who return 20 starters, including five offensive linemen, to the program this fall. McAfee also mentioned that the tough environment the Hokies' faithful create at Lane Stadium could also factor in.

"Look out for Virginia Tech," McAfee said. "Virginia Tech returns 20 starters. Five offensive linemen all return... They're able to move the rock, and if you get into Blacksburg in a big game, that's a tough place to play."

Desmond Howard followed by predicting the Miami Hurricanes could be a surprise team within the conference through the increased maturity of transfer quarterback Cam Ward and how he will be able to elevate the Hurricanes' offensive attack.

"I like Miami," Howard said. "I think that they have a good shot this year because of Cam Ward. I went to go watch them practice last week and I spoke to some players. They said the biggest difference between now and a year ago is that Cam Ward. He influences everybody. Not just the offense but the defense, too. With his energy and his juice."

The Hurricanes are amid a potential turnaround with Mario Cristobal entering his third year with the program, which has seen the program flash some potential against premier opponents lately.

Kirk Herbstreit added his sleeper team as the SMU Mustangs, which is a surprise pick as the Mustangs are one of the newest members of the ACC after joining from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) this offseason.

"The sleeper in the ACC, to me, a lot of people here don't even know they're in the ACC: SMU," Herbstreit said. "Rhett Lashlee. Rhett Lashlee and this offense, Preston Stone, the quarterback. If you didn't know they're in the ACC, you better pay attention because they will outscore people in this competition."

Nick Saban rounded out the crew's predictions by choosing the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets as his sleeper team by highlighting the offensive production the program had last year and predicted they could cause some headaches if their defensive play improves.

"My sleeper, though, is Georgia Tech," Saban remarked. "I really do believe that they were in the top three offensively last year in the ACC. They were not very good on defense. They got a new defensive coordinator. They got some players out on the portal. If they can play defensively a little bit better, they give people tremendous headaches with their offense, their running quarterback, and the overall skill they have."

The college football world will have to wait to see how accurate these predictions will be as the season progresses. However, Saban's Georgia Tech pick will be immediately tested when the program takes on the ACC-favorite Florida State Seminoles from Dublin, Ireland, at noon ET on ESPN.

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