Alex Turri
May 23, 2024 12:30 pm ET
TheACC is one of the most intriguingconferences in college football right now.
It’s a strong Power 5 conference, but it has received a lot of doubt in recent years about how strong the SEC and Big Ten have been. As the two top-tier conferences added new teams to strengthen themselves,so did the ACC. The SMU Mustangs, Stanford Cardinal, and Cal Golden Bears are all officiallymembers of the conference, completely changing its outlook. With the addition of these new teams, we wanted to see how they stack up historically among the rest of the conference.
In recent history, the success of a team like Clemson has skyrocketed under head coach Dabo Swinney. The Tigers’ win percentage has soared, but top programs like Florida State and Miami have had just as much success over the years.
So, who has thebest win percentage in the ACC heading into 2024? That’s what we’re looking at today.
17
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,210
Record:492-685-33
Win percentage: .420
National rank:No. 122
Wake Forest is at the bottom of the barrel for the ACC, which didn’t surprise me much.They’ve had some of their best years under current head coach Dave Clawson, butnot good enoughto keep them from the bottom.
16
SMU Mustangs
Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,157
Record:537-566-54
Win percentage: .487
National rank:No. 99
Oneof the three new teams in the ACC,SMUhas aninterestinghistory.There is no doubt this win percentage would be much higher if the Mustangs weren’t dealt the ‘death penalty’ in 1987, which set the program back for decades.
15
Duke Blue Devils
Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,124
Record:537-556-31
Win percentage: .492
National rank:No. 97
Duke has never been a football school. It is an elite basketball school, arguably the elite one, but not in football.There’s nothing wrong with it; it’s just reality.
For more Duke coverage, check outDuke Wire.
14
NC State Wolfpack
Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,295
Record:640-600-55
Win percentage: .515
National rank:No. 82
Another program that has been better in recent years and one of Clemson’s top rivals, the Wolfpack, is hovering over .500 and likely eclipsed it in the last decade or so. Dave Doeren is one of the better coaches in college football, so I expect this win % to climb while he’s there.
13
Virginia Cavaliers
Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,373
Record:685-640-48
Win percentage: .516
National rank:No. 81
Another one of the ACC’s basketball schools, the Cavaliers, has had some excellent seasons in college football. Of late, they have arguably been the ACC’s worst team. Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott still hasa lotto do with the program.
12
Louisville Cardinals
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,064
Record:550-497-17
Win percentage: .525
National rank:No. 73
The first big shock for me here. I expected the Cardinals to be higher here as they’ve been a solid team throughout myentirelife. Not bad, but not what I expected.
11
California Golden Bears
Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Games played: 1,316
Record:694-571-51
Win percentage: .547
National rank:No. 62
Another new team in the ACC, Cal, has astrongwin percentage. They enter the conference with a solid program and one of the best stadiums in college football.
10
North Carolina Tar Heels
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,352
While I’ddefinitelystill label this school a basketball school, the Tar Heels have a great football program with a lot of history. They are the top-tier football program of the basketball schools in the ACC.
9
Syracuse Orange
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,369
Record:743-577-49
Win percentage: .561
National rank:No. 52
Syracuse used to be a POWERHOUSE in college football, but no longer. The program hasn’t been the same in decades, and they are 100% a basketball school now. This one hurts a little being a New Yorker, but it’s still astrongpercentage.
8
Boston College Eagles
Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,258
Record:698-523-37
Win percentage: .570
National rank:No. 44
Another solid program in the ACC, BC, has had some excellent and terrible years. They are on a tough run right now, but that’s sports. You won’t always be at your best (look at Alabama before Saban).
7
Stanford Cardinal
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,215
Stanford was great when I was younger, but haven’t been nearly as good since Andrew Luck departed. Joining the ACC may help them return to form, but it’s too early to say.
6
Pittsburgh Panthers
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,363
Record:761-560-42
Win percentage: .574
National rank:No. 39
If you’re noticing a trend here, it’s that theACC hasa lot offormer powerhouse programs.Pitt was once atop the college football world, but that, like Syracuse, was decades ago.The Panthers are still one of the better ACC teams, butnot nearwhat they used to be.
5
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,339
Record:756-540-43
Win percentage: .581
National rank:No. 34
What did I just say about Pitt? Well, yeah, Georgia Tech as well. This is just an ACC thing, I suppose! Still a great program, justnotwhatit was.
4
Virginia Tech Hokies
Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,323
Record:773-504-46
Win percentage: .602
National rank:No. 24
Tech may have had some down years of late, but they should bounce back soon enough. They recruit well enough and are a historically strong program.
3
Clemson Tigers
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:1,315
Record:798-472-45
Win percentage: .624
National rank:No. 20
Clemson has been a historic program, but they’ve reached new heights during the Dabo Swinney era. Swinney is 170-43 as the Tigers head coach, so that should tell you enough about how much Clemson’s win % has climbed. Clemson is one of the best.
2
Miami Hurricanes
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Game played:1,063
Record:655-389-19
Win percentage: .625
National rank:No. 18
Miami should be far better than they are right now. They are one of college football’s most well-known teams from their run from the late 80s to the early 2000s, boasting what many consider to be the best college football team of all time. They’ve slipped recently but can return to form at any moment.
1
Florida State Seminoles
Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports
Games played:879
Record:581-281-17
Win percentage: .671
National rank:No. 12
The Seminoles were a lock to be the No. 1 team in the ACC for win percentage. They’ve simply been a powerhouse for too long. Even when they’re down, they’re typically above .500.
