They actually have a very easy schedule. That doesn't mean their record will be great, they'll have to definitely improve to show anything additional in the W/L column, but they will have a chance to win more games if they're just slightly better.
Last year they played Miami (10 wins), Clemson (ACC Champ), SMU (ACC Runner-Up), Notre Dame (National Runner Up), Memphis (11 wins), UiF (8 wins), Duke (9 wins), GT (7 wins)...all bowl teams with 7+ wins, and then BC, UNC, Cal, and a cupcake (Charleston Southern). Not the hardest schedule ever, obviously, but there are a good number of good football teams there.
This year, they obviously retain Miami, UiF, and Clemson, all 3 teams they'll be pretty decent dogs to. And they add Alabama, who they are almost 2 TD underdogs to. But they don't play ND. They don't play Memphis. They don't play SMU. They don't play Duke.
I think they have 4 games that are close to assumed losses. It's college football, so you never know, but I think it'll be pretty surprising to see them beat any of Miami, UiF, Clemson, or Alabama. But the other 8.....they might be favored in all 8 if they're improved as a team. East Texas A&M and Kent State at home, and then their other 6 FBS games are Wake, VT (at Doak), UVA, Stanford, Pitt (at Doak), and NC State. That's about as easy as a run-out in the ACC as you can have.
I think their absolute, absolute ceiling is 8-4. There is no way they win more than 8 games. But there is a chance they get 8, albeit very small. There is zero chance they get to 9.
And I think their floor is probably 4-8. They're going to beat whatever East Texas A&M is, and Kent State. And I think they'll win at least a couple of that group of Stanford, UVA, Wake, etc.
9-3 0.00%
8-4 5%
7-5 25%
6-6 33%
5-7 25%
4-8 10%
3-9 2%
2-10 0.001%