2024 ACC Football Championship Game Preview and Pick

> Dane Miller breaks down the contest with what's at stake and what both teams must do to win

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  By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports

   December 3, 2024

ACC college football regular season concludes with the conference championship game between Clemson and SMU on Saturday.

It’s a matchup between a longtime ACC member with multiple championships and a newly minted member entering the title game with an undefeated conference record.

I preview the contest here, breaking down what’s at stake and what both teams must do to win.

Last week, I went 9-2 straight up, hitting 82% of my predictions. That gives me an 85-35 conference record, good for a 71% success rate on the season.

My pick for this game, both against the spread and straight up appears below.

No. 18 Clemson vs No. 8 SMU

Saturday, December 7
5:00 pm PT, ABC

Line: SMU -2.5

What’s at Stake: An invitation to the Playoff is on the line when SMU faces Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina.

There’s no guarantee that SMU would receive an at-large bid if it loses.

Miami remains hovering in the background and the Committee has shown an affinity for the bigger brands.

Securing the auto-bid by winning the ACC Championship Game would take that decision out of their biased hands.

Why Clemson Wins: The offense doesn’t turn the ball over and the defense holds Kevin Jennings below his average of 4.1 yards per rush.

Why SMU Wins: Jennings operates the offense with his normal efficiency, the defense forces at least one turnover, and no mistakes are made on special teams.

—My Picks—
Against Spread: SMU
Straight Up: SMU