ACC Preview – Can Anyone Stop Clemson?

Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

If not for Clemson, the ACC’s last few years of football existence could rightfully be labeled really bad. But saying “if not for the best team in the country the last couple of years” is like saying “if I were a few inches taller, I’d be in the NBA.” That’s the point. At that level of professional sports, inches matter. Just focus on making the maximum contribution to your IRA.

The Tigers will go into this season looking to repeat as national champions and win their third title in five years, and all offseason, the rather annoying question has been whether there’s any team in the conference that can beat them.

As you’ll see below, I think there is a team in the conference that can beat them, but remember that the 2016 version of Clemson made the CFB playoff and won the national title after losing a home game to Pittsburgh in mid-November. There’s precedent for this.

I expect a similar fate for the Tigers this season, which means another ACC title by a fairly comfortable margin, but not the same undefeated dominance of last season.

COASTAL DIVISION

(Projected overall record is first, followed by projected conference record)

7. Georgia Tech (2-10, 0-8)

The triple option days are gone (and Georgia Tech fans rejoice) but that rejoicing will be short lived, and fans of the Rambling Wreck should go ahead and embrace a long rebuild. I think Geoff Collins is the right man for the job, and expect him to recruit at a level that Tech hasn’t seen since the early 90’s, but the offense is going from a power, gimmicky yet incredibly efficient offense to a spread system that requires a quality quarterback and playmakers on the outside. Simply put, Tech just doesn’t have the personnel to run Collins’ system yet. And we haven’t talked about the schedule, which includes games against two preseason top five teams. (Clemson and Georgia) It’s going to be a long year. But hey, at least Collins is likely to keep you entertained in the process.

6. Duke (6-6, 4-4)

5. Pittsburgh (6-6, 4-4)

ROBERT WILLETT, Charlotte Observer | RWILLETT@NEWSOBSERVER.COM

4. North Carolina (6-6, 4-4)

Hiring Mack Brown to return to Chapel Hill was one of the more short-sighted hirings of the offseason, but I think all that really matters to the UNC brass is having a respectable program that administrators can sell to alumni. Now that realignment of conferences has dialed down until the next huge wave of TV contracts are up for renewal, you get the sense that some of the basketball centric programs across the country (UNC and Duke as prime examples) are starting to have realistic expectations about their football programs again. Brown’s hiring should restore some civility to the program, and perhaps get the Tar Heels to consistently bring in a top 30 class each spring.

The Heels are going to start a freshman at quarterback, but no matter who that guy is, he’ll have the luxury of throwing to a receiving corps that has experience. The offensive line is less than stellar, but new offensive coordinator Phil Longo comes over after two seasons with Ole Miss, where he absolutely lit it up and sent a few guys to the NFL along the way with a quick passing, up tempo system.

One plus (most of the time) when making legacy hires is that the guys coming back to their alma mater have usually learned both the importance of hiring great staff and then luring them over. (Two completely different skills) Brown has done that with both Longo and defensive coordinator Jay Bateman. I like the Heels to get to a bowl game.

3. Miami (7-5, 4-4)

I like Manny Diaz, but the preseason hype is a bit too much for me, and most of it should die down by 11 pm on Saturday night when the Canes get back on a plane to Miami with a 14 point defeat in hand from Florida. The quarterback shuffle will be interesting to watch, as we’ll see if TV darling Tate Martell finally gets meaningful game time, but I’m mostly interested in seeing if Miami’s rush defense can improve, as well as the continuity of the offensive line.

The opener is obviously tough, but I don’t like having to see Virginia Tech and Virginia in back-to-back weeks even if they are at home. And even bigger than that, there’s this huge landmine of a date at Pittsburgh the week before a visit to Tallahassee. All these 10-win Miami predictions I’m seeing are a little far fetched.

2. Virginia (8-4, 5-3)

Bronco Mendenhall never really got enough credit for the wonders he did at BYU (99-43 over 11 seasons) and I was starting to think he would never leave Provo. He and Virginia are like a match made in heaven. In college, really good coaches make seismic leaps in their second season, and taking the Cavaliers from 2-10 to 6-7 in his first two seasons was capped brilliantly by an 8-5 mark last year. Still, the Cavs are the only Coastal division team that hasn’t made the ACC Championship game, and as much as I would like to say that ends this year, there’s one other hurdle Virginia hasn’t gotten over in a long while either, and that’s beating their friendly neighbors down south. Speaking of which….

Matt Gentry/The Roanoke Times/AP

1. Virginia Tech (10-2, 6-2)

This might be a little crazy I know, but hear me out. The Hokies are either going to win ten games this season or four, there’s really no in between. Head coach Justin Fuente is without the legend Bud Foster as his defensive coordinator, but the defense wasn’t good last year anyway because of injuries and pure attrition. It wasn’t a matter of not being good by VT standards, it just wasn’t good. Period.

The good thing is that when you play a bunch of young guys one season, the following year, you usually get to play those guys again, except they’re not so young this time around. The biggest thing going for Fuente and the Hokies, however, is the schedule is a funfetti cupcake. There’s an October 5 trip to Miami which I think they stumble on, but if they can narrowly escape that, I see them going to South Bend 7-0. Will they beat the Irish? Ummm, no, but I think college football, much like college basketball, is about confidence, and there’s a huge difference in going to an environment like Notre Dame 7-0 or 6-1 instead of 4-3. The defense is more experienced, the offense finds more stable production, and the Hokies earn the right to get beat by Clemson in the ACC title game – and snubbed out of a NY6 bowl. Sounds like success (and a job keeper for Fuente).

ATLANTIC DIVISION

7. Louisville (1-11, 0-8)

Photo courtesy of the University of Louisville

When Bobby Petrino leaves, it’s like he makes sure to flood the basement and let the water soak into the walls during the hottest month of the year. Then he digs up the electric lines and meticulously wraps them out of place and across one another, doing his darnest to create the biggest fire hazard possible. The Atlanta Falcons know this well. The Arkansas Razorbacks know this well. Now, Louisville knows it well.

Scott Satterfield was the best head coaching hire this offseason. He turned Appalachian State into a group of five monster, one that I think would contend for the NY6 spot this season if he were still around. He’ll need some time to clean this mess up though. He doesn’t really have any quality options at quarterback, and his teams at App State relied heavily on the run. The problem with that this year is his team is going to be getting blown out a lot, which means more passing, which means more turnovers and long down to distance plays, which means…. you get the picture.

6. Boston College (6-6, 2-6)

5. Wake Forest (6-6, 4-4)

4. NC State (7-5, 4-4)

3. Syracuse (8-4, 5-3)

The Orange had a long awaited breakthrough on the gridiron last season, winning 10 games for the first time in 17 years. They now lose program legend Eric Dungey at the QB position, replacing him full time with Tommy DeVito.

DeVito was sporadic last year, and even if you attribute that to not being the full-time starter, there’s still a little cause for concern. I expect the Syracuse offense to still be as explosive as it was last season, but I also expect more turnovers from a more inexperienced, less consistent QB. There’s also the defense, which causes turnovers but has a tendency to give up big plays in the passing game. With only two returning linebackers, that experience in the front seven can be the difference between another 10-win season and a few big plays in the secondary, causing a game or two to get away from you. But I do have them beating Clemson, so everything I just said is moot.

2. Florida State (10-2, 7-1)

The Seminoles will be the most improved team in the country this season.

There. I said it.

But for real, the Noles fielded disgustingly bad offensive lines the past two seasons. And while their 2019 offensive line may feature a new starter at each position, that’s a good thing for a team that has been a trainwreck along the most important unit in football. Head coach Willie Taggart also brought in guru Kendall Briles to run the offensive. Briles doesn’t use a playbook (an interesting tidbit) but offenses improve every single year he comes to town. He should be a good instructor for the Cam Akers breakout train, and that will go along with a stifling defense that returns six starters.

The opener against Boise State is a bit scary, as the Broncos are always good, but Boise is traveling to the other side of the country and playing a team with 12 returning starters across the board with greater depth. Too many people are singing the demise of Florida State. Taggart and the boys bounce back in a big way this season and return to the Orange Bowl.

Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

1. Clemson (11-1, 7-1)

Clemson isn’t going undefeated. It’s not because they aren’t good enough. It’s just really hard to do that two years in a row. Of the Power 5 conferences, the only league with less depth than the ACC is the Big 12. The Tigers will probably roll in most of their conference games, and they’ll be huge favorites in all of them. But this is college football. These are teenagers and young adults, and when you lose as much as Clemson lost along the defensive line last season, expecting to plug and go while reeling off 15 wins a row again is just obtuse.

Trevor Lawrence is already the best QB prospect since Andrew Luck. Anyone that saw him play in high school was not the least bit surprised by how well he played last season. I predicted he would take over for Kelly Bryant before the end of the year. Lawrence will only build on that success, especially with future first rounders Travis Etienne and Justyn Ross alongside. All that said, this is a young team. They’re a young team with a vast array of blue chippers, but a young team nonetheless.

Sheer talent will get them back to the ACC title game, and I expect a return to the CFB Playoff, but I would be absolutely shocked if they go undefeated again. Look out for that trip to Syracuse the week after what will surely be an emotionally charged, physical encounter with Texas A&M.

ACC Championship Game: Clemson over Virginia Tech, 34-20

What are your ACC and college football predictions for this season? Be sure to weigh in on the comments below.