NCAAW: Notre Dame, NC State and Duke headline bigger, deeper ACC

Last season, NC State was predicted to finish eighth in the ACC. The Wolfpack, of course, obliterated those expectations. After rising as high as No. 1 in the national rankings, the Pack finished the season at No. 2 in the conference standings, advancing all the way to the Final Four before falling to the eventual national champions, South Carolina.

So, expect the unexpected in the ACC, which, with the addition of three new teams in Stanford, Cal and SMU, will feature games from coast to coast—and plenty of opportunities for upsets. But Notre Dame, last seasons’s ACC Tournament champions, begin the season as the favorites, earning 70 of 79 first-place votes from the league’s 18 head coaches and a Blue Ribbon Panel. NC State received eight first-places votes, with Stanford getting the remaining one. Here’s the full standings prediction for the conference’s 18 teams:

Tier 3: Miami, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Virginia Tech

Virginia stands out as a squad that could overachieve. Last season, the Cavaliers flashed more than their fair share of spunk behind now-sophomore guard Kymora Johnson, a Preseason All-ACC Team honoree. Syracuse, in contrast, may struggle to maintain their place in the conference hierarchy due to the departure of super-scorer Dyaisha Fair. At Georgia Tech, head coach Nell Fortner remains one of the sport’s sharpest minds. Expect her to wring more wins than projected out of the Yellow Jackets.

Both Miami and Virginia Tech are entering new eras, with Tricia Cullop taking over for the long-tenured Katie Meir in Coral Gables and Megan Duffy succeeding the successful Kenny Brooks in Blacksburg. Cullop should benefit from the return of graduate guards and twin sisters Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who are back with the Hurricanes after their one-season retirements from college basketball. Duffy will look to rely on senior forward Rose Micheaux and senior wing Matilda Ekh, both of whom were key contributors to last season’s ACC regular-season title winner.

Tier 4: Clemson, California, Boston College, SMU, Wake Forest, Pitt

This new era of college sports, defined by the transfer portal and NIL deals, appears to be creating a bigger gulf between a conference’s top tier programs, which effectively take advantage of player movement and compensation opportunities, and those in the bottom tier, which lack the appeal required to compete in the sport’s high-stakes player marketplace. These six programs fall into the latter category, having yet to figure out how to distinguish themselves. Until they do, they’ll be resigned to the conference’s cellar.

But if one of them is to breakthrough, look for it to be Clemson under new head coach Shawn Poppie.