Previewing the 3 programs joining ACC football in 2024

ACC football will open its doors for SMU, Stanford, and California to be members of the conference ahead of the 2024 season. Stanford and Cal were former members of the Pac-12 conference and SMU was a member of the AAC (American Athletic Conference).

How will these three programs fare in one of college football's premier conferences?

1. Stanford Cardinal

The Cardinal were members of the Pac-12 since 2012 and will now play its games traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast.

Stanford head coach Troy Taylor will enter his second season at the helm after having led the Cardinal to a 3-9 finish in 2023. He previously coached at Sacramento State where he led the Hornets to three Big Sky titles (2019, 2021, 2022).

The Cardinal struggled on both sides of the ball in 2023.

Defensively, Stanford allowed 37.6 points per game and nearly 300 yards through the air. On offense, the Cardinal produced only 3.4 yards per rush and 6.5 yards per pass, which won't suffice in today's game. Fortunately, rising star pass-catcher Elic Ayomanor is back for the Cardinal after having a breakout 2023 season. He popped into the scene against Colorado, where he had tallied 294 reception yards and three touchdowns. The Cardinal hope the 6-foot-2, 210-pound wideout can continue his rise as a potential NFL prospect in 2024.

Stanford quarterback Ashton Daniels will return for the Cardinal after tossing for 11 touchdowns to eight interceptions last season.

Taylor has a lot of work to do to turn the program around as spring practices begin.