ACC Preview: Can Anybody Dethrone Clemson or FSU?
The ACC: home of the reigning National Champions, Heisman Trophy winner and arguably the top 2018 NFL draft prospect in FSU defensive back, Derwin James. After a historically great season, the ACC is poised to remain in the national spotlight with 2 teams likely ranked in the preseason top-10.

Atlantic Division: Toughest Division in College Football?
Yeah, the ACC is tough. Jimbo Fisher claimed that the ACC is the best conference in College football, but his Atlantic Division counterparts might just form the toughest division in all of college football. Louisville, Clemson, and Florida State are the top dogs, not puppies, in the conference and they all reign in the Atlantic division. Those three all took turns in the top-2 last season, and are aligned to contend for the Playoff once again.
The only other division that can rival that type of fire power is the B1G East with Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State. Other than that, the SEC West is even too weak at the top right now as Bama has a distinct gap between them and the rest of the division, let alone the conference. Last year’s contests between saw Clemson beat both FSU (3 points) and Louisville (6 points) to win the Coastal on their road to winning the National Title, the division’s 2nd in 4 seasons.
ACC Dark Horse:
NC State has a chance to be the catalyst for the crazy unpredictability that is college football, and will get three chances to knock off a top national contender with FSU, Clemson, and Louisville on the schedule. The Wolfpack have a great opportunity to snag at least one from the top three Coastal teams. And don’t forget, this team was a chip-shot field goal away from beating Clemson on the road from taking down the eventual Champions.
I think their best chance to score an upset is in Tallahassee on September 23rd. FSU could slip up after a brutal September slate to open the year. Their first 4 games are against Bama, University of Louisiana-Monore, Miami, and then NC State with the first 3 game scheduled for 7:00 p.m kickoffs or later for the Noles. If the NC State game is a 3:30 or even a noon kickoff, the Wolf Pack have chance to catch FSU on a lull coming off of what should be a great rivalry game against the Canes.

NC State returns 16 (!!) starters with 8 on each side. Quarterback Ryan Finley returns as the centerpiece of the office. They have to replace 1,000 yard rusher Matthew Dayes, but the offense should take a step forward with 8 starters coming back.
Eight starters return on the defensive side of the ball as well, but will struggle to replace 2nd round pick safety Josh Jones. Senior defensive end Bradley Chubb, who had a double digit sack season, returns as the leader of the defense.
This game could has an old-school SEC defensive dog fight feel to it with all the makings of a trap game for the Noles and potentially one of the biggest upsets of the 2017 college football season.
“Trust the Process”
We round out the bottom of the division with Wake Forest, Boston College, and Syracuse. Wake Forest, after finishing the year 1–5 to barely get to .500, beat a 10 win Temple team to finish the year. Boston College beat up on their old ACC foe, Maryland, to get their first bowl win since Matt Ryan was under center for the Golden Eagles. Syracuse was not bowl eligible as they finished the year 4–8 while giving Lamar Jackson some freakish highlights for his Heisman campaign. These three teams are not going to compete for the division title, but they will allow for better competition throughout the conference.
Coastal Division: Who Will Rise Above?
The ACC Coastal division has not had a back to back champion since Virginia Tech repeated in 2010 and 2011. Miami hopes to keep that trend alive by claiming that top dog spot from the Hokies but both Tech and the Hurricanes face the problem of replacing their starting quarterback.
The Hokies look poised to put out either the Nebraska Transfer, AJ Bush, or redshirt freshman, Joshua Jackson. Both offer mobility for Justin Fuente’s offense, but neither should be the focal point of that offense. The Hokies could have a Tyrod Taylor 2.0 in Jackson, but it will be seen if he can handle the bright lights and the pressure of being QB1. If Fuente wants to build for the future of this football team, he could potentially mold Jackson into being the guy in years to come. If he is in a myopic win-now mode, then he could potentially give Bush the nod due to his experience. Either way the offense will have a mobile option at the helm that cannot be leaned on too much to start their careers.

For the Hurricanes, they have to replace 3 year starter Brad Kaaya who always had the potential to be great, but with the changing in coaching staffs, his development never truly got him there. He opted early for the NFL and now the Hurricanes are looking to start a new era under Mark Richt. There are three candidates: Junior Malik Rosier, primary backup to Kaaya, Sophomore Evan Sherriefs, and true freshman N’Kosi Perry, who was a 4 star recruit that just graduated high school. No one separated themselves enough to take the job outright or even a commanding lead, so that is why Perry finds himself in position to take it from them. But you know what they say, if you have 2 or 3 quarterbacks, then you really don’t have any. If Miami can figure out who will be throwing the rock and commanding the offense,
Everyone Else
The rest of the ACC Coastal is really a toss up after those two teams. Georgia Tech and Pitt both have chances to be dark horses, but I do not think they have the fire power and talent to keep up with the Hokies and Canes. North Carolina is going to be rebuilding a bit after having to replace their first round quarterback in Mitch Trubisky. And I think it is safe to say that Duke and Virginia are not going to wow any crowds too much this year. It’s going to be a fight for a lot of these teams just to stay at or above .500 to become bowl eligible and I don’t think any of these bottom 5 teams have what it takes to claim the division.
Big Games:
Miami vs Virginia Tech
This game is looking to be the ACC Coastal division Championship. It is later in the season on November 4 in Miami, so both teams should have their quarterback situations settled and in a groove. This could end up being the head to head tiebreaker for the division.
Florida State vs Clemson
ACC Game of the Year and Annual College Football Playoff eliminator. Clemson has the home field advantage on Veteran’s Day weekend and should have their quarterback situation solved by then. Florida State looks to avenge their loss in Tallahassee last year (lost 2 straight overall). Both teams could come into this game undefeated if FSU outlasts their difficult September and Clemson survives early tests in Auburn and Lousiville. I cannot wait to see this game live.

Florida State vs Louisville
Man to have the reigning Heisman Trophy winner in Tally is going to have The Doak ROCKIN! If Derwin James can lead the defense and Francwho? Francois can lead the offense into a groove heading into this October showdown featuring the ACC’s top QBs, I think Lamar Jackson and the Cardinals could have their hands full with Jimbo’s squad.
Clemson vs Louisville
This September 16 showdown in Louisville will be another classic. The Cardinals are looking to knock off the Tigers and prove that they are not a one hit wonder. For Clemson’s sake, hopefully their offense will be ready to roll after replacing their starting QB, RB, and WR to the NFL. This is another Atlantic battle that will go a long way in determining who gets to play for the ACC title.
Road to Charlotte Goes through Florida
Florida State and Miami will have a rematch of their September 16th showdown, but this time for all the ACC marbles. Florida State has too many weapons and Francois will have better leadership and poise when taking the Noles on a run towards the playoff. Miami will oust Virginia Tech and carry high hopes of ruining FSU’s postseason wishes into Charlotte.
Clemson and Louisville will still be 10+ win teams and could easily supplant FSU in North Carolina, but ultimately the Noles have too much talent and experience coming back to not be competing for the ACC Title.

