No more divisions and much better teams make for a veritable horse race in ACC football this season. It’s become much more of a challenge to project which teams have made enough progress to break a mold, whether that being at the top or bottom of the conference. Choosing between Clemson and Florida State as the top team came down to, ‘Show Me The Money’ for the ‘Noles taking the top spot. Flip that coin and the Tigers are in the same spot. Do they deserve to be No. 1 just because, well, they’ve been top dog for several years? Perhaps not and we’ll find out which of the two are the leader early in the season.
ACC Nation Football Previews On ACC Nation Radio 24/7 – Listen Now!
We have a feeling there’s much more at stake this year and any team in the top five has a big bullseye on the back of their jerseys. It’s both a blessing and a curse. When we talk about the next two teams, Pitt and North Carolina the first thing out of most people’s mouths is, but they have Drake Maye. Yes, but one man doesn’t carry a team and unless the Tar Heels can get out of their defensive funk all that talent ends up an after thought. When we look at the entire ACC football picture the Panthers are pretty solid on offense but even more so on defense and you know the saying, defense wins games.
ACC Football
You don’t have to be from Missouri to address the years and years of the ‘Canes saying that they’re back with, ‘Show Me’. Whether you’re a fan or an observer at some point all that chatter gets tuned out. This is yet another opportunity to prove that Miami is a team to be dealt with and there is enough there there to say they are worthy of top 5.
Make note that just because Sam Hartman left for Notre Dame doesn’t mean Wake Forest has suddenly become a 98-lb weakling that bullies can kick sand on and steal their girlfriend. If you think that, you don’t know Dave Clawson very well. We’ll make note of the fact that almost the entire ACC media and those on the national stage don’t pay much (or enough) attention to the Demon Deacons but we can bet that any coaches that are well-seasoned in ACC football sure are and with good reason. Don’t be surprised if you find this team well into the AP Top 25 as the season progresses.
ACC Football Rankings
| ACC NATION | TEAM |
| #1 | CLEMSON |
| #2 | FLORIDA STATE |
| #3 | PITT |
| #4 | NORTH CAROLINA |
| #5 | MIAMI |
| #6 | WAKE FOREST |
| #7 | NC STATE |
| #8 | GEORGIA TECH |
| #9 | DUKE |
| #10 | LOUISVILLE |
| #11 | VIRGINIA TECH |
| #12 | SYRACUSE |
| #13 | VIRGINIA |
| #14 | BOSTON COLLEGE |
College Football Top 25 | Preseason Votes Exposed
Remember the comment above about the Canes? NC State has taken a new approach on offense, added a coach or two and an in-conference QB transfer so, right or wrong there’s some excitement brewing in Raleigh. Well Pack, ‘Show Me’. We’ve always found the team worthy of having faith in each season but for one reason or another hope slips through the fingers of fans as time marches on each year. Can Dave Doeren make something happen? If it turns into a mediocre team we’ll put him on a progressively warmer seat as we feel that AD Boo Corrigan wants (and needs) the ball to start moving when it comes to ACC football.
ACC Nation Previews – Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Duke, Syracuse, Virginia
Assigning spots to the remainder of the teams in the ACC became even more of a challenge because there is certainly momentum on the part of each one. The question, how much and is it enough? We’re about to find out as ACC football kicks off in a little over a week and you’ll be hearing more from us once we see some action.
