Odds to win the ACC: It's Clemson and everyone else again

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I joked yesterday that it'll be the year 3077 and Ohio State will still open as the favorite to win the Big Ten title. Well, in the year 4338 Clemson will win its 1,067th straight ACC Championship.

Unlike the nation's other contenders, Clemson rarely has to worry about getting tripped up in the fall. In fact, the Tigers were favored by 16.5-plus points in every regular-season game this past season.

That makes it increasingly difficult to pick another conference champion, which reflects how wide the talent gap is in the ACC.

Will Clemson stumble in 2020? The odds say that's unlikely, but you never know.

Odds to win the ACC

Buy - Miami (+700)

Hey, I'm actually giving Miami a tiny edge here! The Hurricanes were one of the most unfortunate teams in the nation last season through October, sitting 4-4 with an expected win total of 5.7. Instead of getting lucky down the stretch, they finished 6-7, including a bowl loss to Louisiana Tech.

There are some other things to like about the program in 2020. Miami plays the easiest schedule in the ACC, and the team's slate is in the middle of the pack nationally. The Hurricanes also might be stable under center for the first time in years with the services of D'Eriq King, a dual-threat quarterback who lit it up at Houston before transferring.

Buy - North Carolina (+1000)

What's that? Another buy? This is actually a trap. I'm just buying every team that isn't Clemson.

North Carolina could be on the cusp of a breakout. The Tar Heels went to a bowl game - and won - in their first year under head coach Mack Brown. They also don't play a top-40 schedule nationally in 2020, and Carolina was actually considered unlucky last season.

Also, only five teams in the country return more offensive production from last year than North Carolina, and Heisman dark horse passer Sam Howell (+2800) will lead the squad.

But above all else, the Tar Heels presented the biggest regular-season challenge for Clemson in 2019, and they could get their shot at the Tigers in the conference title game.

Sell - Virginia (+2000)

Virginia was fun in spurts last season, but I'm projecting the Cavaliers as the fourth-best team in the Coastal alone. They face the sixth-toughest schedule in the conference after losing huge pieces from an offense that averaged 33.1 points per game in 2019.

Sell - Louisville (+2800)

I don't mind Louisville getting close to 24 points against Clemson during the regular season. But taking the Cardinals to win the ACC - especially at this price - would be outlandish.

They notched a -0.8 second-order win total in 2019, and despite returning a boatload of production, Louisville needs to take a massive leap to unseat Clemson.

Alex Kolodziej is a betting writer for theScore. He's a graduate of Eastern Illinois who has been involved in the sports betting industry for 12 years. He can quote every line from "Rounders" and appreciates franchises that regularly wear alternate jerseys. Find him on Twitter @AJKolodziej.