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ACC Football 2018 Preview: Can anyone stop Clemson?

By Rucker Haringey

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers accepts the ACC Football Championship trophy from ACC Commissioner John Swofford following the Tigers' victory over the Miami Hurricanes at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 02: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers accepts the ACC Football Championship trophy from ACC Commissioner John Swofford following the Tigers' victory over the Miami Hurricanes at Bank of America Stadium on December 2, 2017 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Mike Comer/Getty Images) /
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DURHAM, NC – SEPTEMBER 29: Trajan Bandy #2 of the Miami Hurricanes leaps to tackle Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Miami won 31-6. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)
DURHAM, NC – SEPTEMBER 29: Trajan Bandy #2 of the Miami Hurricanes leaps to tackle Johnathan Lloyd #5 of the Duke Blue Devils at Wallace Wade Stadium on September 29, 2017 in Durham, North Carolina. Miami won 31-6. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

Projected order of finish

ACC Atlantic

  1. Clemson
  2. Florida State
  3. NC State
  4. Boston College
  5. Wake Forest
  6. Louisville
  7. Syracuse

Clemson is the class of the entire league so they are the clear favorites in the Atlantic as well. Florida State will almost certainly need to win the head-to-head matchup in Tallahassee to have any chance of winning the division.

The interesting part of this group is in the middle. NC State, Boston College and Wake Forest could conceivably finish in any order. The Deacons get dropped to the bottom of this group after the suspension of quarterback Kendall Hinton. If they survive his absence, they could easily finish third.

Louisville and Syracuse are in the bottom tier by themselves. The winner of this game will avoid the basement while the loser may struggle to win more than one game in the ACC. A winning season by either school would be a major accomplishment.

ACC Coastal

  1. Virginia Tech
  2. Miami
  3. Pittsburgh
  4. Georgia Tech
  5. Duke
  6. UNC
  7. Virginia

Similar to the Atlantic, two teams have a legitimate shot at winning the Coastal. Virginia Tech and Miami have separated themselves as the top two teams. Unlike the Atlantic, the Hokies and Hurricanes might be able to earn the top spot with two losses.

The rest of the division is pretty evenly matched. Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech get the nod at three and four because they both have the ability to run the football effectively. They do so in entirely different ways, but it allows both offenses to dominate the time of possession. That takes a lot of pressure off their mediocre defenses.

North Carolina might have been predicted higher if not for the rash of suspensions that will damage Larry Fedora’s squad. The Tar Heels will try to stagger the suspensions to remain competitive, but that’s going to be a tough ask.