The ACC will be looking to make a comeback in 2025 after a less-than-stellar 2024 season.
Even in the midst of that season, the conference still locked up two bids to the College Football Playoff in the form of Clemson and SMU, but there's no doubt that there will be many skeptic eyes on the ACC heading into 2025.
As we look at the conference, here are the five teams with the toughest schedules and our projections for them in 2025.
1. Syracuse Orange
Syracuse has arguably the hardest road schedule in the country, with trips to Clemson, Miami, Georgia Tech, and SMU. They also play Tennessee in Atlanta and travel to Notre Dame. Their home slate includes Duke, North Carolina, and Pitt, making for an overall nightmare of a season.
Projected Record: 4-8. Syracuse is going to take a massive step back in 2025, and much of it will be due to that schedule.
2. Florida State Seminoles
FSU starts the season against Alabama and ends it at Florida—two SEC powerhouses. In between, they travel to Clemson, Stanford, and NC State, while hosting Miami and Pitt, who will be much-improved by the way. This is a schedule loaded with potential playoff-level teams, and honestly, it's tough to know just how good Florida State will be in 2025 after a season where they went 2-10.
Projected Record: 7-5. There's a world where Florida State goes 8-4 or 9-3, but that would include knocking off an elite-level team.
3. Clemson Tigers
Clemson has two non-conference SEC showdowns—hosting LSU in Week 1 and closing the season at South Carolina. Their ACC slate includes Florida State, SMU, Georgia Tech, and Louisville, making for one of the conference’s toughest lineups.
Projected Record: 11-1. Clemson should be a contender this season and it feels like anything less than 10-2 would be a massive disappointment for Dabo Swinney's squad.
4. Pittsburgh Panthers
Pitt faces eight bowl teams from a year ago, including Notre Dame, Florida State, Louisville, and NC State. They also have a road rivalry matchup at West Virginia and an unfamiliar long trip to Stanford. While the Panthers dodge playing Clemson and SMU, they get hit just about everywhere else.
Projected Record: 7-5. The Panthers will have to win some key games late to stay bowl-eligible.
5. Miami Hurricanes
Miami opens against Notre Dame and later faces Florida, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, and Syracuse. While their early schedule is home-heavy, a four-game stretch in late October and November could determine their season.
Projected Record: 9-3. Miami has the talent to compete, but until otherwise proven, Mario Cristobal will lose one — or two — he shouldn't along the way.