3 ACC football teams that will exceed expectations in 2024

Like every other major conference in the nation, new teams are joining ACC football this offseason.

That's right, the traditional ACC as we know it is no more with the additions of Cal, Stanford, and SMU. Unlike the Big 12, though, the main contenders in the ACC (Florida State, Clemson) haven't decided to jump ship and find a new conference -- yet.

A couple of days ago, we talked about the ACC football teams who would disappoint in 2024 and now it's time to take a more positive look at the conference with three teams who will surprise.

Which teams will exceed expectations in 2024?

3. Pitt Panthers

Am I a huge believer in Pat Narduzzi at Pitt? Not necessarily, and that's saying a lot coming from a Michigan State fan who looked at him as a god when he was in East Lansing. But I do believe he's a solid coach who won't let bad seasons pile up.

The 2023 campaign would be classified as a "bad season" for Narduzzi.

Pitt went just 4-8 and the drop-off was surprising, but it felt like the program was lightyears away from where it was when Kenny Pickett was under center. But I think the Panthers will be better at the quarterback position this season than they've been since Pickett left with Nate Yarnell and Eli Holstein manning the offense.

That's a huge upgrade and the team has a new offensive coordinator to make sure the disaster that was 2023 doesn't repeat itself.

Oh, and the schedule is manageable. Pitt could very well open the season 4-0 before a bye and maybe even 6-1 with a road loss to North Carolina on Oct. 5. If that's the case, they would have already exceeded expectations but there's at least 1-2 more wins on the schedule with SMU, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville, and Boston College closing things out. This team should be in a bowl game and that's something no expert was projecting.