This week our first 2014-15 Top 25 Power Rankings debuted at ESPN.com, and if the votes cast by yours truly and my esteemed colleagues are any indication, the ACC is in for one incredible conference race. No fewer than four of the league's teams are in the top 10: Duke (No. 4), North Carolina (6), Louisville (7) and Virginia (9). Throw in Syracuse (we have the Orange at No. 23) and you have the makings of truly elite top tier.
Here are my best guesses on the chances of each of these teams winning at least a share of the regular-season league title. (Fun fact! The last four regular-season champions have won the ACC outright.)
Take this for what it's worth in October, but right now Duke appears to be first among near-equals.
Duke Blue Devils
ACC title chances: 1/2
Duke is the favorite, but Mike Krzyzewski's team is a particular kind of favorite. Basically, the Blue Devils project to have perhaps the widest range of likely outcomes of any team here.
This is just another way of saying a lot depends on Coach K's freshmen, and not just