College Football Betting Odds: ACC Favorite, Sleeper, Longshot Picks for 2026-27

A new college football season means a new season of possibilities. However, while optimism is great for fans, it should not drive betting decisions — like how to bet on ACC Championship odds.

Sure, there is a chance Bill Belichick gets North Carolina turned around, and the Tar Heels make a run at the ACC title. At +12500, that would make for an incredible payout. But is that a realistic expectation, or is such a bet you are essentially giving sportsbooks your money?

(Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)

I’ll answer that question and more in a moment. But first, let’s check out the latest odds of winning the ACC (via FanDuel).

The 2026-27 college football season is opening up this weekend, and this list of the best sports betting offers here gathered by Ballislife Bets will help you along the way.

ACC Championship Odds

Here are the odds from FanDuel to win the ACC Conference Championship Game 2026:

• Miami -150
• Louisville +750
• SMU +750
• Clemson +1400
• Pittsburgh +2200
• Virginia +2200
• NC State +2500
• Virginia Tech +2700
• Georgia Tech +3300
• California +4000
• Florida State +4500
• Duke +7000
• Wake Forest +7000
• Syracuse +10000
• North Carolina +12500
• Stanford +30000
• Boston College +40000

At those odds, the betting favorite, Miami (-150), has a 60% chance of winning the ACC. Sound tempting, like the Hurricanes have a good shot at winning?  Well, the preseason favorite has won just once in the last five seasons. If that doesn’t discourage you, it would take a $150 bet to win $100.

Preseason favorites do have a solid history in the ACC over the last couple of decades. But many of those wins were courtesy of Clemson, when the Tigers were perennial national title contenders.

They have not been that team for a few years, and a new ACC team hasn’t really stood up to take its place. Hence the door being wide open for the Duke Blue Devils (+3500) to win the ACC in football for the first time since 1962. The year before it was SMU winning the ACC despite only having a 7.69% chance of winning according to preseason odds.

But prior to SMU in 2024, only two other teams in the Conference Title Game Era (since 2008) won the ACC despite long preseason odds (Pitt in 2021, +6600; Clemson in 2011, +1400).

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My ACC Championship Odds Pick(s): Favorite A — Miami -150

It is hard not to go with Miami here. We are talking about a team that went 10-2 in the regular season last year and nearly beat Indiana in the national championship game. This was not just any old team; it was an exceptional group.

Now, there are only 10 starters from that team returning, three on offense and seven on defense. But the Hurricanes nabbed quarterback Darian Mensah from the defending ACC Champs, Duke, along with a trio of receivers that know how to put the “big” in “big play, ” Cooper Barkate (Duke), Cam Vaughn (West Virginia), and Vandrevius Jacobs (South Carolina). Having most of an excellent defense coming back will help them win games early on. With some additions via the transfer portal, the defense is expected to be one of the nation’s best once again.

However, there is one catch to Miami’s ascension to greatness: the offensive line. It’s one thing to have a superstar quarterback, great running backs, and playmakers at wide receiver (let’s not forget about Malachi Toney), but without blocking, none of them matter. They didn’t hit the transfer portal hard for replacements, deciding instead to count on how well they’ve recruited and developed guys. If they were right to do so, with the help of a relatively easy schedule, Miami will almost certainly be in the title game and favored to win.

Betting at -150 odds is not something I prefer. But there is no denying how good this Miami team should be this year. The rest of the ACC will have its hands full trying to take it down.

My ACC Championship Odds Pick: Favorite B — SMU +750

I wanted to call SMU my favorite bet to win the ACC since I hate betting on minus-money odds like Miami's. But the Hurricanes project to be really good while SMU has a giant question mark that can’t be ignored.

The Mustangs had an offense that was ACC title game worthy last season.  Much of that unit is back, i.e., quarterback Kevin Jennings, receivers Jalen Cooper and Yamir Knight, and three starters off the offensive line. With more talent added to the wide receiver room via the portal, there is a very good chance the Mustangs could have one of the more dynamic offenses in the country. That is, of course, as long as the offensive line can block.

But the bigger issue is the defense, which was especially poor against the pass last season (265.1 yards allowed per game; No. 15 in the conference). The Mustangs hit the portal hard for help on defense. If those additions can pay off, SMU will have a defense they can contend with.

However, it is also worth mentioning that the team lost its offensive and defensive coordinators from last season. One became a head coach, and the other is now on the Dallas Cowboys staff. But rather than bring in someone new, head coach Rhett Lashlee made everyone a co-coordinator.

There is no telling how the coaching changes will impact the team or if they did enough to help the secondary improve. If the impact of all the changes and additions go in their favor, SMU will be in the ACC title game against Miami (probably) at the end of the regular season.

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My ACC Championship Odds Pick(s): Sleepers(s)

• Virginia Tech +2700
• Virginia +2200

Virginia Tech (+2700) is a popular choice for many. I’m not as convinced it can make a massive turnaround from a team that went 2-6 in conference play last season to one that can make and win the ACC championship.

But what I think is selling many on the Hokies as a legit longshot is James Franklin and the transfer portal/recruiting class he brought with him. Franklin has a solid track record after mostly successful stints as a head coach at Vanderbilt and Penn State. However, I think it may be asking too much for him (or anyone) to get so many new moving parts on the same page enough to turn this team into a contender.

However, at +2700, it may be worth skipping your morning latte for a day or two. I’m more of a fan of Virginia (+2200) and Georgia Tech (+3300).

The Cavaliers were 11-3 last season; only Miami had a better overall record. However, there is a catch when it comes to Virginia. The Cavs rebuilt the team last year after hitting the transfer portal extremely hard in the offseason. Most of those players are now gone, which meant they had to do it again. Once again, head coach Tony Elliot made many great moves. This is especially true on the offensive side with guys like quarterback Beau Pribula (Missouri), running back Jekail Middlebrook (Middle Tennessee), and receivers Rico Flores Jr. (UCLA) and Da'Shawn Martin (Kent State).

If you believe lightning can strike twice for Elliot, take a flyer on Virginia to win the ACC at +2200.

My ACC Championship Odds Pick: Longshot — North Carolina +12500

There isn’t much that can be said in defense of even suggesting North Carolina as a longshot to win the ACC. The team was dreadful in Bill Belichick’s first season. His offense was last in the ACC in total yards (279.2) and second to last in passing (174 yards per game) and scoring (19.2 points per game). But that is what makes UNC the definition of a longshot.

Belichick brought in a pretty good offensive coordinator to help him remedy that situation, Bobby Petrino. He’ll have quite a few new pieces to work with after a successful offseason in the transfer portal. As for the defense, it was actually pretty decent last season. Now, it will need to be better if the Tar Heels are going to become contenders. But it is not as behind the eight ball as the offense is.

There are plenty of reasons to be hopeful about this team. But you don’t bet on hope, even when putting money down on longshots. There is one reason to consider taking a shot on these guys: Bill Belichick. Yes, his first season as a college football head coach was a disaster. But you don’t have the success he had in the NFL without being an excellent coach.

If you believe in Belichick, consider putting $10 down on the Tar Heels. If it wins, you’ll get $1,250….