Sometimes the obvious choice is the right choice. That’s certainly the case for picking Clemson to win the ACC next season.
Dabo Swinney leads his Clemson Tigers into the 2018 with hopes of capturing a second National Championship in three years. To do that, his group will need to first conquer the ACC. Per the media that cover the league for a living, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
Clemson received 139 of 148 possible votes to win the league from media members at last week’s ACC Kickoff. Only three media members didn’t pick the Tigers to win the Atlantic Division. To call the Swinney’s team a prohibitive favorite in the ACC this season would be an understatement.
That doesn’t mean they’re a lock to waltz through the regular season undefeated. Remember, this team managed to lose to Syracuse last year. Swinney’s biggest challenge will be keeping this team focused until it’s time to really compete for a national title.
Clemson will lean on its talented defensive line to really set the tone. The combination of Dexter Fowler, Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell and Austin Bryant will keep opposing offensive coordinators up at night. Each member of that group could easily end up as a first round pick in next spring’s NFL Draft. This year, they will spend each Saturday making life difficult for offensive linemen.
If there’s one gray area for Clemson, it may be the uncertainty at the quarterback position. Kelly Bryant had the unenviable task of replacing Deshaun Watson under center last year and fared well, although he isn’t the next Watson. However, he was very capable in leading the Tigers to the Playoff for the third straight year.
In most cases, that would be more than enough to keep the job for the next year. However, Clemson landed the top overall recruit in quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, who has put real pressure on him in the spring. If Bryant starts this season slowly, expect the whispers about Lawrence’s upside to grow into screams from the Tigers’ passionate fanbase. Clemson is just too talented on both sides of the ball they could likely win the ACC with either signal-caller under center.
Next: 50 greatest college football players this century
Credit the ACC voters for keeping it simple and making the right choice in terms of their preseason champion. It’s an honor Clemson thoroughly deserves. Time will tell whether or not the Tigers can back up their preseason supremacy.