ACC Football News: Five Teams in USA Today Preseason Poll

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With the college football season two weeks away, major outlets are starting to release their preseason college football poll. The USA Today did just that last week, and the ACC did well. Five teams were named in the poll, while the league will be very busy on the first weekend with 12 games scheduled. The five teams that made the first cut in the USA Today poll are, Clemson at #4, North Carolina State at #13, Pittsburgh at #16, Miami at #17, and Wake Forest at #19. A good representation before the first games are played.

The Clemson Tigers are coming off their 11th consecutive double-digit win total in 2021 with a 10-3 record. Clemson has already been tabbed as the favorite to win the Atlantic Division as well as the league. However, there will be changes on the sidelines that will bring a new look and feel to the football team. Head coach Dabo Swinney will have co-defensive coordinators this season. Wes Goodwin, who is also the linebacker coach, and Mickey Conn will share the duties for a defense that a season ago allowed 14.8 points per game. The unit only allowed 22 touchdowns in 13 games. In the red zone, opponents averaged 65% (20-of-31) scores, and 32% on red zone touchdowns (10-of-31). The Tigers will open up their season vs Georgia Tech on Sept. 5th at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

The North Carolina State Wolfpack claimed their highest ranking ever in the preseason poll. It marks the fifth time that the Wolfpack have been ranked in the preseason. The last time they began the season as a ranked team was in 2003 at #16. A season ago, the offense averaged 33 points a game on their way to a 9-3 overall record. They finished the 2021 season winning four of the last five games. On defense, the Wolfpack had one shutout on the year and held opponents in five other games to under 20 points. North Carolina State gets started on September 3, at East Carolina.

The Pittsburgh Panthers will have big shoes to fill at the quarterback position. Kenny Pickett has moved on to the NFL, which means summer camp will be about finding his replacement. It will be one of, if not the most important decision that is made before the opening game. Last year, Pitt’s offense scored a whopping 76 touchdowns, 71% (49-69) on red zone touchdowns, and 580 total points for the season. The Panthers will also be defending ACC champions based on an 11-3 overall record. The team does return 15 starters from last year’s team. Pittsburgh opens on September 1st vs West Virginia in the return of the “backyard brawl”.

Miami started slow but gained ground as the season went along last year winning five of their final six games to finish at 7-5. Their late season run has them picked to win the Coastal Division this year. The Canes have one scrimmage under their belt. Head coach Mario Cristobal points out “the team still has work to do.” On offense, the team averaged 34 points a game, but on defense, they allowed 28 a game. High-scoring games may be something this team wants to avoid this season. Tyler Van Dyke is back to run the offense. In 10 games last year he was 202-324 with 25 TD and six ints. Miami will open the year with four of their first five games at home starting with Bethune-Cookman on September 3rd.

Wake Forest’s ranking of #19 is the highest preseason ranking ever. They ended last year at 11-3, with a conference record of 7-1 which was a school best in the ACC. It would help them win the Atlantic Division title as well as the TaxSlayer Bowl game. Their head coach, Dave Clawson, was named the league’s Coach of the Year for the team’s efforts. Over the last six seasons, the team has a record of 45-30 and has been to record six straight bowl games. Since 2019, Wake Forest is 15-2 at home and was a perfect 6-0 in 2021. On offense a season ago, they set over 350 school records, and are the only league team to average 30 points per game since 2017. Last year, WF averaged 41 points per game and scored a school-best 574 points. On Thursday, September 1st they host VMI.

This league is loaded from top to bottom and the five ranked teams give you some idea of what this season in the ACC could be like.