ACC Preseason Rankings

There was a time when the ACC was talked about as one of the better conferences. Now? Not so much. There is a pretty significant drop off from the very top of the ACC to the middle. The Big 12 is hard to predict because there are a lot of teams have a chance to win the conference. The ACC is hard to predict because the middle is a jumbled mess, but none of them really have a shot to win the conference.

1. Miami: This team is absolutely loaded. They should be favored in every game outside of Notre Dame. It’s hard not to be high on Miami.
   
2. Louisville: I’m uncomfortably high on Louisville. Offensively I’m concerned with the o-line and the QB. I also like to give Jeff Brohm the benefit of the doubt that he has it all figured out. Defensively I really like their d-line, and I think they are going to wreak havoc in the ACC. Louisville is a dark horse for the playoffs. 
   
3. SMU: Rhett Lashlee has done a phenomenal job at SMU. They’ve seamlessly adapted after making the jump up to the ACC. I like what he’s done in the portal. I like that Kevin Jennings is back. SMU will definitely be in contention for an ACC title.
   
4. NC State: You know exactly what you’re going to get with Dave Doeren and NC State. They will be an 8 win team. If everything goes right, 9 wins. That consistency + CJ Bailey coming back is why I’m confident. The defense does have to get a lot better.
   
5. Virginia Tech: Say what you want about James Franklin, but he is a good coach. He’s not a great coach. He’s not an elite coach. But he’s a very good coach. The future is extremely bright for Virginia Tech. They should be at the top of the ACC for the foreseeable future, but they won’t be competing for the ACC Title this year.
   
6. Virginia: We saw what happened last year when Tony Elliott finally utilized the portal. He’s trying to replicate what they did last year. Beau Pribula is an average thrower of the football at best. I’m concerned with the guys he will be throwing to. If they go up against a team that is elite at stopping the run, Virginia could be in trouble.
   
7. Cal: This is another team I am uncomfortably high on. JKS is back at QB. He is my number 1 QB in the ACC. Cal did a great job of going into the portal and bolstering every position on offense to help him as much as possible. I love the defense, but I am concerned with the depth on that side.
   
8. Pitt: I go back and forth on Pitt. Pat Narduzzi is a coach that I try to give the benefit of the doubt to. I have concerns on both sides of the ball. I don’t love the receivers, so I am concerned with the passing game. I also don’t love the pass rushers. Both could derail the season.
   
9. Clemson: This one hurts. I feel guilty for putting Clemson this low. I’ve been so high on them the last few years and for the most part they’ve disappointed me. I have questions all over this team, except the WRs.
   
10. Georgia Tech: Losing Haynes King and Buster Faulkner will hurt this team more than people realize. I’m still high on Brent Key for the future, but there may be some growing pains this season.
    
11. Duke: I don’t expect much from Duke. If they don’t have a good season, I put almost no blame on Manny Diaz. The loss of Darian Mensah, the time at which they lost him, and the loss of their 2 best WRs will hurt this team a lot. I like the future of Duke, but this is a rebuild year.
    
12. Syracuse: I love Fran Brown, but last year was a disaster. I think it really opened his eyes as to how to better build his team. I fully expect a bounce back year, and we could possibly see them finish higher than 12.
    
13. UNC: I want so badly to believe in UNC. There is just too much outside noise surrounding them for me to hop on board. On the bright side, the offense will be better with Petrino calling the plays.
    
14. FSU: With the way this schedule looks and the way this roster is built. I think FSU will be lucky to make a bowl this year. If they make a bowl game, does Mike Norvell come back for another season?
    
15. Wake Forest: Last year was a nice surprise. They need to be better offensively this season and I don’t know that they will be.
    
16. Stanford: This is going to be a long rebuild for Stanford. It’ll be a minute before we can take them seriously.
    
17. Boston College: My mama always said that if I don’t have anything nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.

The very top (Miami) of the ACC is great, and the very bottom (Stanford/BC) of the ACC is very bad. Most of what’s sandwiched in between has a chance to be good, but not good enough to win the conference. Do you think this is the year Miami finally wins the ACC?