ACC football power rankings after spring portal closes: Did Blue Devils get better?

It should be a wild year in the ACC with the addition of three new teams. However, the conference appears to be on shaky ground despite the expansion with SMU, Cal, and Stanford. Many teams appear disgruntled with the league and its media rights deal and that drama is likely to continue throughout the season.

On the field, it will be a competitive year for the conference but is any team good enough to be a national title contender? Surely, the expanded playoff will help the conference avoid the scenario it faced in 2023 when its undefeated champion, Florida State, was left out of a four-team playoff.

This year, the ACC champion will be in the playoff but will it make any noise. For the conference to perhaps stabilize itself, fans around the league may have to root for the conference in the playoff, even if that representative is a hated rival.

On the other hand, many fans might be rooting for the collapse of the league so that their school can find a better situation. It all makes for a fascinating dynamic and one that Duke football fans and fans across the ACC will be watching closely.

So as we enter the summer months, let's take a look at how the conference stacks up. Here are our post-spring ACC power rankings.

Expectations are low for one of the new ACC members, Stanford. After all, the Cardinal went just 3-9 a season ago.

What's more, 2024 will be a transition year in Palo Alto. New head coach Troy Taylor comes over from Sacramento State in the FCS ranks and he's likely to find that life in the ACC will be a rude awakening.

Known as an offensive innovator, Taylor's biggest job will be to fix the defense. Last year, Stanford allowed 37.7 points a game and 6.6 yards per play.