Following on from previous rankings of other Power Five conferences by the writing staff here at Last Word on Sports, we’ve now ranked the ACC. The writers polling for the ACC are Max Skinner, Tony Siracusa, Donald King, Justin Gordon, John Bava, Yeshayahu Ginsburg and myself.
The past couple of years have seen Florida State rise up as the dominant force in the ACC under Jimbo Fisher. The last conference game they lost was at North Carolina State on Saturday October 6th, 2012 and even that was by a single point. But the playoff committee wasn’t wildly impressed with the Seminoles ranking them third last year despite being the only undefeated FBS team in 2014. This speaks volumes to the strength of the ACC from top to bottom against the SEC and the PAC-12.
This year looks like it could be different as Clemson threaten to take the crown with a healthy DeShaun Watson while Georgia Tech are once again expected to challenge. Elsewhere there are lots of reasons for optimism for teams like Virginia Tech, North Carolina State and Louisville.
Let’s take a look at how we ranked them.
Last Word on Sports 2015 ACC Pre-Season Rankings
ACC Atlantic Division
- Clemson Tigers: Dabo Swinney enters his eighth season as head coach of the Tigers and hopes to not only lead the team to its fifth straight ten-win season, but to knock Florida State off the proverbial pedestal after the Noles won the past three ACC crowns. Quarterback Deshaun Watson showed immense poise as a freshman, throwing 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions in his five starts. With plenty of skill position players returning, expectations are sky high in Death Valley.
John Bava III
- Florida State Seminoles: Forget all the off the field issues from this past summer; this is still the best team in the ACC and one of the best in the country. Despite losing 12 starters, this team can still contend for a national title. Former Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson will take the reins behind center, while the only potential hiccup in the ‘Noles schedule will be on November 7 at Clemson. It’s not a stretch to see the Seminoles go unconquered again this regular season.
Justin Gordon
- Louisville Cardinals: After losing a lot of talent to the NFL, a lot of question marks surround Bobby Petrino’s squad entering 2015. The Cardinals defense must replace seven starters, and the offense needs to find consistency at quarterback.
Max Skinner
- North Carolina State Wolfpack: Despite eight wins in 2014, the Wolfpack will be disappointed to have only won three games in the ACC. Riding high after a bowl win over UCF, they navigate a very manageable schedule which could see them push towards a nine-win season.
Matt Atkinson
- Boston College Eagles: Steve Addazio’s squad enters 2015 on a high note after going a surprising 7-6 last season. The Eagles will continue to ride the coattails of running back Jon Hilliman and transition to newly touted quarterback Darius Wade
Max Skinner
- Syracuse Orange: The Orange get Terrel Hunt back, and if last season’s broken leg has healed completely, at least Syracuse will have a mobile returning starter to trigger the offense. The problem figures to be on the other side of the ball, where last year’s decent defense returns only three starters.
Donald King
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons: Wake Forest has been towards the bottom of the ACC for quite a while now, and unfortunately this year looks to be no different. With 16 starters returning, though, maybe this upperclassman-laden team can bring some success back for the Demon Deacons, something the football team has not seen in a long while.
Yesh Ginsburg
ACC Coastal Division
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: After an impressive 2014 season which saw them make the ACC title game and then win the Orange Bowl in impressive fashion over Mississippi State, the Yellow Jackets look set to challenge again with a strong offense returning.
Matt Atkinson
- Virginia Tech Hokies: Virginia Tech beat the eventual national champion last year. Unfortunately, a 6-6 season where they played spoiler early on is not what fans in Blacksburg expect. With a very strong defensive corps returning, the Hokies should look to try and upset the Buckeyes again–and have a successful rest of the season after that this time.
Yesh Ginsburg
- Miami Hurricanes: Word out of Fall camp is the ‘Canes are operating within an increased atmosphere of intensity. For head coach Al Golden’s sake, they better be. The U seemed to be getting back on the right track in 2013, but last season showed us that this program is still far away from where they were even a decade ago. Another 6-7 season seems likely as the fire under Coach Golden heats up down in South Beach.
Justin Gordon
- Duke Blue Devils: A truth or dare year for the Blue Devils. They have been to three straight bowl games, but now must replace four-year starting quarterback Anthony Boone with lightly used Thomas Sirk. Duke has a manageable non-conference schedule and crossover games against BC and Wake Forest so a 9-10 win season is there for the taking.
Tony Siracusa
- North Carolina Tar Heels: The Tar Heels have under-delivered on potential and promise the last three years. They have a veteran two-deep roster which would give you hope if it weren’t for the fact that the same defense gave up nearly 500 yards per game last season. They do avoid conference games against Florida State and Clemson this season, so there is a glimmer of, dare we say, promise.
Tony Siracusa
- Pittsburgh Panthers: Pat Narduzzi’s squad figures to have a say in the eventual ACC championship picture, even if it won’t be able to compete for the top spot itself. RB James Conner will be one of the nation’s best, and returning QB starter Chad Voytik make the Panthers dangerous.
Donald King
- Virginia Cavaliers: After a third straight losing season in 2014, the pressure is on sixth-year head coach Mike London in Charlottesville. The problem facing him and the Cavaliers is the fact they have a non-conference slate that includes Notre Dame, UCLA and Boise State. It’s possible they may need five ACC wins to get bowl eligible which could be a deciding factor in whether London is there beyond 2015.
John Bava III
Conference Champion
Clemson and Georgia Tech received three votes and Florida State received one.
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