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ACC Football 2017 preview

By Cody Williams

LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 17: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KY - SEPTEMBER 17: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Louisville Cardinals runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on September 17, 2016 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /
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The ACC produced the Heisman Trophy winner and National Champion in 2016, so what should we be looking for out of the conference in 2017?

Heading into the 2017 college football season, there are going to be plenty of eyes on the ACC. That tends to be the case considering what the conference accomplished one season ago. Obviously that conversation begins with the Clemson Tigers. After all, the ACC Atlantic Division Champions went on to topple Ohio State and then Alabama in the College Football Playoff to win the National Championship.

What’s more, the Atlantic Division also played host to the Heisman Trophy winner, Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was one of the most electric playmakers in all of college football and he put Louisville in the national spotlight every time he lined up to take a snap.

As high-profile as the conference was a year ago, though, it could be even more so in the 2017 season. Not only is Jackson back for an encore, but there are even more big players from a team level that could make the ACC a major part of the national conversation. Clemson will be back, but Louisville, Florida State and even Miami could all join them in that spotlight.

The point is, the ACC is deserving of plenty of attention this season. Yet, that doesn’t mean it’s anywhere close to predictable. Even still, that’s what we’ll try to do here with various awards, standings and the conference champ. Buckle up; it’s time to preview ACC Football for the 2017 season.

Offensive Player of the Year: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville

There’s an opportunity here to get cute with this. You could say that someone like Deondre Francois, Mark Walton or a number of other players could be the Offensive Player of the Year in the ACC. However, when you have the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner returning for school, you’re just kidding yourself if you think he’s not going to be the best offensive player in the conference the following year.

Lamar Jackson was must-see TV for essentially all of the 2016 season with Louisville. With 30 passing touchdowns and 21 rushing touchdowns, it felt like it was more of a rarity when he wasn’t finding his way into the end zone last season. What’s more, he amassed over 3,500 yards passing and, 1,571 yards rushing. Despite his team falling off a bit at the end of the year, he came on strong and didn’t look back in the slightest. But what’s even more impressive is that he could be even better as a junior.

Reports throughout the offseason have all been about what Jackson has done to improve physically. Listed at 211 pounds last season, he’s put on muscle while also somehow reportedly getting faster. If he can take that and pair it with his experience to become a more efficient passer, he’s going to be even more lethal of a weapon. With all of that in play, it’s a fool’s errand to not slot him as the favorite as the Offensive Player of 2017.