ACC Power Rankings 2016: Preseason edition

Here’s a look at how the 14 ACC teams rank entering the 2016 season based on projections for the upcoming schedule.

Quick quiz, hotshots: name the only two conferences to make more than one appearance in the last five national championship games for college football. Of course, many will get the SEC – but there are very few outside of the fanatics who will pick the ACC as the second one.

In fact, the conference has sent a team to two of the last three national championship games, with Florida State bringing home the title in 2013 and Clemson coming within a few plays of duplicating that feat last season.

To hear many of the experts tell it, the conference will again be represented by at least one of those two squads come this year’s playoff games. Because of that, it’s no surprise that the Tigers and ‘Noles are clearly the best teams at this point in the conference.

But what about teams like Louisville, who return key starters on both sides of the ball? What about Miami and their new head coach, Mark Richt? Or North Carolina, who some forget actually one the Coastal Division last season?

Here’s a look at the power rankings for the ACC through the preseason.

It has to be tough to be a team that knows they are going to be in last place pretty much from the start of the season on. The smallest school in the FBS has very few games on the schedule they actually have a legit shot of winning – or being favored in.

New head coach Dino Babers has brought in an attitude that has some believing that ‘Cuse isn’t that far from being back among the better teams in college football. It may happen someday, but it won’t be in 2016.

It’s time to tell the truth…the option is the worst football out there and needs to be eliminated at all cost. All joking aside, Paul Johnson is on the hot seat this year with another season under .500, which is highly likely with their schedule.

I feel slightly bad about this, because I do want the feel good story of James Conner making his return from cancer treatments to go well. Pitt will go bowling and finish . 500, but it’s not good enough in the current ACC.

No longer just a basketball school, the Blue Devils have become a consistent bowl team that actually played for the conference title not that long ago. That ship has sailed, but you can expect them to stick around in December for a little postseason action.

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