5 ACC football coaches on the hot seat for the 2024 season

Aside from Cristobal, Tony Elliott is facing a huge season at Virginia. The lasting image Cavaliers' fans have on the 2023 season was a 55-17 blowout loss at home to Virginia Tech Thanksgiving Weekend, one week after quarterback Anthony Colandrea said that Virginia was going to beat the Hokies and keep them from going to a bowl. We all know how that ended.

Last season Virginia was 3-9 and it will be tough to improve on that this season. If that happens, the heat for Elliott will be hotter, and with Virginia Tech making big strides under Brent Pry in Year 3 on the field and recruiting, the Cavaliers could fall further behind their in-state rivals in a tough ACC.

Dabo Swinney is on this list for a different reason, his job is not in jeopardy, but he doesn't see the need to add through the transfer portal. In this day and age, the portal is big for every school and just thinks that he doesn't need to dip into there to add to his roster.

Clemson has not made the College Football Playoff in four seasons, but you have to think that they should end that drought this season with the expanded 12-team field. They are coming off a 4-4 ACC 2023 season, something that Tigers' fans are not used to. The season opener against Georgia is as difficult of an opener for anyone, but with the expanded playoff, it allows for a hiccup or two to still get into the CFP. It feels like if Clemson misses the expanded field, more heat is going to be on Swinney.

As the season goes along, more coaches might be candidates for this list, but beginning the season, these five coaches face a big 2024 season for different reasons.