ACC football power rankings, Week 1: Florida State starts on top
Clemson Tigers 0-0
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Clemson will have to deal with the loss of Deshaun Watson heading into the 2017 season, but they are the defending national champions regardless, and will have a lot of hype to deal with this fall.
The Tigers are the fifth-ranked team in the nation, which may just be due to their status as defending champions, but there’s still a lot of talent to work with coming back from last year’s campaign.
If Florida State falls to Alabama on Saturday night, we could see the Tigers jump back to the top spot in the power rankings once next week rolls around. If not, it may be tough for them to hop over the Seminoles throughout the year.
Florida State Seminoles 0-0
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The Florida State Seminoles enter the 2017 season as the third-ranked team in the country, and they have a lot to work with as they look to get back to the College Football Playoff after two years away from the action.
They have an instant test for themselves in their first game of the year, as they’ll battle a top-ranked Alabama team under the bright lights for the big primetime game on Saturday night, and it could actually make or break their playoff chances right off the bat. If they lose on Saturday night, they’d likely have to win out to even have a chance at making a run at the postseason.