2013 ACC Football Preview & Predictions

As we get ready to kickoff another college football season, it's important to know where teams stand coming into the year.  I will be leading you through each of the Big 5 conferences - along with the best of the rest - to get you ready and to let you know where I think your team will end up.

Our second preview takes a look at a conference trying to change the way they are perceived - the ACC.

Atlantic Division

Clemson 10-2 (8-0 in conference)

Wins: South Carolina State, at NC State, Wake Forest, at Syracuse, Boston College, Florida State, at Maryland, at Virginia, Georgia Tech, the Citadel

Losses: Georgia, at South Carolina

Clemson boasts one of the most talented offenses in the country, returning almost everyone from last year's unit that was among the most prolific in the country.  Reigning ACC Player of the Year Tajh Boyd is back at quarterback, and star receiver Sammy Watkins is hoping to get back his outstanding form from his freshman year.  Offensive coordinator Chad Morris runs an up-tempo style of offense to get the most plays he can out of this group, so expect the Tigers to be near the top of the country in total offense again in 2013.

Tajh Boyd

The only question marks surrounding Clemson, whom many "experts" have as a dark horse national championship contender, is their defense and mental make up.  They were terrible defensively two years ago, but got better as the season progressed under new coordinator Brent Venebles.  That progression will be tested right off the bat as Georgia will visit Clemson Memorial Stadium to kick off the season.

However, the thing that has really plagued head coach Dabo Swinney's squad has been their mental toughness.  Clemson has had high aspirations the past few years, but always seemed to get beaten soundly when they finally played good competition (including a 70-33 thrashing at the hands of West Virginia in the 2012 Orange Bowl and losing 4 straight to in-state rival South Carolina - you didn't think I was going to leave that out, did you?).  But the Tigers appeared to turn the corner after pulling off a late comeback against LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl last year, and we'll see if they can maintain that momentum.

Clemson bookends their season with their two toughest opponents - Georgia and South Carolina - the former coming at home.  That game will feature two high-scoring offenses, but I trust Georgia's defense more than Clemson's.  Then to close the season, the Tigers have to play the Gamecocks in Columbia, where South Carolina has won 11 in a row.  The good news is they should breeze through their ACC schedule and be in prime position to return to the Orange Bowl in 2014.

Florida State 10-2 (7-1)

Wins: at Pittsburgh, Nevada, Bethune-Cookman, at Boston College, Maryland, NC State, Miami, at Wake Forest, Syracuse, Idaho
Losses: at Clemson, at Florida

Jameis Winston

The one team that might stand in Clemson's way to another Orange bowl is Florida State.  The Seminoles did lose quarterback E.J. Manuel to the NFL - one of 11 FSU players drafted - redshirt freshman Jameis Winston seems talented enough to fill the void and eventually become a special player.  Four starters from the nations 2nd-ranked defense return as the unit figures to remain one of the best in the ACC.

Jimbo Fisher's squad should also have an easy road throughout their conference schedule, with their one exception being the annual showdown with Clemson.  Both teams are talented, but the Tigers will be at home and will simply be able to outscore FSU's offense.  Their rivalry matchup against Miami should also be a good game, but I'll give the slight edge to the Seminoles at home in that one.

A non-conference trip to The Swamp to close the season gives Florida State two losses on the year, but Fisher will have his squad win double-digit games again.  While a return to the BCS isn't likely, a New Year's Day bowl will be a nice conclusion to FSU's season.

Wake Forest 8-4 (5-3)

Wins: Presbyterian, at Boston College, UL-Monroe, at Army, NC State, Maryland, at Syracuse, Duke
Losses: at Clemson, at Miami, Florida State, at Vanderbilt

Michael Campanaro

This is where the stereotype of the ACC and it's lack of depth begin to come true.  After Clemson and Florida State, the rest of the Atlantic Division is either a crapshoot or up for grabs, depending on how you want to look at it.  And the winner of that crapshoot will likely be the Wake Forest Demon Deacons.

Wake returns 16 starters - 8 on each side of the ball - including senior quarterback and 4-year starter Tanner Price and star wideout Michael Campanaro.  Their schedule sets up nicely, facing their main competition (NC State and Maryland) at home.  However, they did get stuck with the crossover game of facing Miami on the road, which will likely lead to three conference losses for the Deacs.

An 8-4 record will be a breath of fresh air for head coach Jim Grobe and Wake Forest fans, but things will only get worse after many of their key players graduate following this season.  But the Demon Deacons haven't had a winning season since 2008, so a late December bowl game should fit the Wake Forest faithful just fine.

NC State 7-5 (3-5)

Wins: Louisiana Tech, Richmond, Central Michigan, Syracuse, at Boston College, East Carolina, Maryland
Losses: Clemson, at Wake Forest, at Florida State, North Carolina, at Duke

NC State has a schedule that screams "Just get us to a bowl game!", and that is about all of the excitement Wolfpack fans will see.  New head coach Dave Doeren is trying to change the culture in Raleigh, but that will take some time.

Dave Doeren

Gathering talent will as well.  The Pack return 11 starters but lost quarterback Mike Glennon to the NFL, and we still don't know who they'll have under center in 2013.  That could become a problem very quickly.  The good news is they have 8 home games, all of which are winnable (with the exception of Clemson), which is good enough to put NC State in a good position to go bowling.

Just like seemingly every other Wolfpack season, 2013 will be full of ups-and-downs.  All of their losses will be close (except for when they get blown out in Tallahassee - revenge game for the Seminoles), but they will probably lose one game that they shouldn't.  I think that game will be their game against the Dukies - after all, that will be one of Duke's biggest games of the year, and really, who wants to play at Wallace Wade Stadium?

Bottom line is that the Wolfpack will play in an early bowl game, but I think Doeren has this program on the right track.  It's just going to take a few years.

Maryland 6-6 (3-5)

Wins: Florida International, Old Dominion, at Connecticut, Virginia, Boston College, Syracuse
Losses: West Virginia, at Florida State, at Wake Forest, Clemson, at Virginia Tech, at NC State

Stefon Diggs

Maryland enters into their final year in the ACC before bolting to the Big Ten trying to recover from a dismal 2012 season that featured a linebacker playing quarterback after the top FOUR strings all got hurt.  Head coach Randy Edsall is not the most popular man in College Park after two seasons, and his Terrapins need to show improvement to appease the fan base.

The good news for the Terps is that they have a schedule that essentially hands them the six wins needed to go to a bowl game - which should be a lot easier to come by since they'll actually have a quarterback under center. The bad news is that they don't have the talent necessary to be anything about average in the ACC.  Wide receiver Stefon Diggs is a game breaker and one of the best players in the ACC, but there isn't much talent around him.

Home games against arguably the three worst teams coupled with a soft non-conference schedule will get the Terps to an entry-level bowl game, but there is nothing to fear about these turtles.

Syracuse 4-8 (2-6)

Wins: Wagner, Tulane, Pittsburgh, Boston College
Losses: Penn State, at Northwestern, Clemson, at NC State, at Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, at Maryland, at Florida State

2013 will be Syracuse's first year in the ACC, and to give you an indication about their football team, the most talked-about thing on campus is how many people they can fit into the Carrier Dome when they host Duke in basketball on February 1 (the answer is somewhere in the 50,000+ range - the Orange usually play their basketball games on one side of the Dome but are moving the court to the middle of the football field to hold more people in a Final Four-sized atmosphere).

Scott Shafer

Former head coach Doug Marrone is now coaching the Bills and longtime starting quarterback Ryan Nassib is Eli Manning's backup.  Replacing them are coach Scott Shafer and a signal-caller that hasn't been named yet.  Syracuse's talent was underwhelming in the Big East, and they have gotten worse for their inaugural season in a new conference.

Most of the Orange's toss-up games are on the road, but facing rivals Pittsburgh and Boston College at home should give them enough wins to stay out of the Atlantic Division cellar.  So when does basketball start?

Boston College 3-9 (0-8)

Wins: Villanova, Army, at New Mexico State
Losses: Wake Forest, at USC, Florida State, at Clemson, at North Carolina, Virginia Tech, NC State, at Maryland, at Syracuse

Steve Addazio

Boston College is, well, terrible.

First year head coach Steve Addazio came over from Temple with the goal of rebuilding the program - remember when the Eagles won 11 games in 2007? That seems so much longer than six years ago, doesn't it? But that's what Matt Ryan did for BC, and it's been all downhill since.

One bright spot for the Eagles is their linebacking core, headlined by Steele Divitto and Kevin Pierre-Louis. Both are NFL prospects, and both will rack up big numbers in 2013 - barring injury - due to their talent and, let's face it, PLENTY of opportunities.

Boston College will be an underdog in pretty much every conference game they play, and rightfully so. Chances are you didn't know anybody's name on that team until one paragraph ago. You can't win with a roster like that.

Coastal Division

Miami 10-2 (7-1)

Wins: Florida Atlantic, Savannah State, at South Florida, Georgia Tech, at North Carolina, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, at Duke, Virginia, Pittsburgh
Losses: Florida, at Florida State

Many people are saying "This is the year" Miami finally gets back to the national stage. Of course, it seems like people have been saying that for the past five or so years. And that's because they have. However, I really do think this is a turnaround year for Miami. 

Duke Johnson

Senior quarterback Stephen Morris has all the tools to be one of the best in the country, and sophomore running back Duke Johnson showed his gamebreaking ability last season.The only big question mark I have with the 'Canes is their defense, which was not very good. 

However, most of the squad returns on both sides of the ball, and I'm expecting everyone will elevate their level of play because of that experience Miami went 7-5 last year and would have won the Coastal Division and played in the ACC Championship game if it had not been for self-imposed sanctions stemming from a still-unfinished NCAA investigation (Why in the world is this still going on?). 

Their schedule sets up nicely by getting Georgia Tech at home have their only tough road games coming against UNC and rival Florida State, and I think we can count on them winning one of those road games. They'll do enough to put themselves in the ACC Championship game, contending for a BCS bowl.

Georgia Tech 9-3 (6-2)

Wins: Elon, at Duke, North Carolina, Virginia Tech, BYU, Syracuse, at Virginia, Pittsburgh, Alabama A&M
Losses: at Miami, at Clemson, Georgia

Vad Lee

The Yellow Jackets are one of the few teams in the country that run an option offense, which in itself can give teams problems with all the misdirection involved coupled with the fact that it's not an offense their opponents have a lot of experience defending.  It's worked for head coach Paul Johnson throughout his career, and it works even better with experienced players.

All five starters on the offensive line return, and quarterback Vad Lee finally gets the offense all to himself (Tech essentially ran a two-quarterback system last year).  The defense will be solid again for the Yellow Jackets, allowing GT to be good on both sides of the ball.

The only really negative aspect of Georgia Tech's outlook in 2013 is their schedule.  They have to face Miami and Clemson on the road, both of which will likely be losses, or else they'd be higher up in the division.  The good news is that they get UNC and Virginia Tech at home, so they'll have a leg up on the rest of their competition for 2nd in the Coastal.

North Carolina 9-3 (6-2)

Wins: Middle Tennessee State, ECU, at Virginia Tech, Boston College, at NC State, Virginia, at Pittsburgh, Old Dominion, Duke
Losses: at South Carolina, at Georgia Tech, Miami

Bryn Renner

UNC finished tied for the top of the Coastal last season with a 5-3 mark in conference play, but, like Miami, were unable to play in the conference championship game (or go to a bowl game) due to NCAA sanctions.  Now that their probation is over, head coach Larry Fedora is looking to see improvement in his second year in Chapel Hill.

Returning to lead the Tar Heel's fast-past offense is senior quarterback Bryn Renner, who was one of the most efficient passers in the nation last season.  There will be growing pains however, since most last year's offensive success was due to now-Cincinnati Bengal running back Giovanni Bernard.  The defense returns most of their starters from 2012, and the Heels should be able to compete for the division crown once again.

The schedule sets up nicely for UNC as they miss both Clemson and Florida State putting their divisional fate in their own hands.  However, I think they're just a tick below Georgia Tech and Miami, but can still end up with a good 9 or 10 win season.

Virginia Tech 8-4 (5-3)

Wins: Western Carolina, at East Carolina, Marshall, Pittsburgh, Duke, at Boston College, Maryland, at Virginia
Losses: Alabama (in Atlanta), at Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Miami

Logan Thomas

Gone are the days where the Hokies dominated the ACC and getting double-digit wins was a given.  Virginia Tech drastically under-performed last season as they finished with a 6-6 record, with a large part of that due to the inconsistencies on both offense and defense.

Everyone's favorite ridiculously overhyped quarterback returns in Logan Thomas (seriously, why do people still think he's good?), and the needs to improve a lot if Tech expects to do anything in 2013.  Much of their defense returns, but that defense was very spotty and struggled a lot a year ago.  Basically, every unit on both sides of the ball need to show major signs of improvement for the Hokies to be anything like the teams we have come to expect from head coach Frank Beamer.

The Hokies do have an easy schedule as they also don't have to play Clemson or Florida State, but they're simply worse than the teams at the top of the division.  We'll be able to tell a lot about this team in their first matchup against Alabama, but I'm not expecting big things in Blacksburg.

Duke 7-5 (3-5)

Wins: NC Central, at Memphis, Pittsburgh, Troy, Navy, at Virginia, NC State
Losses: Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech, Miami, at Wake Forest, at North Carolina

Anthony Boone

Duke does not have a storied football tradition by any stretch of the imagination, but it's hard to believe the Blue Devils are trying to go to back-to-back bowls for the first time in school history (remember, Steve Spurrier coached at Duke in the 80's when Duke was competing for ACC Championships).  Head coach David Cutcliffe and his squad turned a corner last year, but still finished with a losing record after falling to Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl.

Quarterback Sean Renfree is now Matt Ryan's backup for the Atlanta Falcons, and he will be replaced by Anthony Boone, who filled in nicely when Renfree was injured last season.  Wide out Conner Vernon, who set almost every ACC career receiving record, is also gone, so the Blue Devils will need to have some players set up and rise to the occasion.

Duke's schedule is neither easy nor that difficult with some winnable home games and a few tough road contests, but I think you'll see some improvement in Cutcliffe's squad.  The Blue Devils now have a strong belief that they can win games and have the motivation of accomplishing something no other team has in school history, and I think they'll play inspired football in 2013.

Pittsburgh 3-9 (1-7)

Wins: New Mexico, Virginia, Old Dominion
Losses: Florida State, at Duke, at Virginia Tech, at Navy, at Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, North Carolina, at Syracuse, Miami

Paul Chryst

Pitt had a tough start to the year in 2012, but bounced back and ended up making another bowl game.  Head coach Paul Chryst is now in his second year as the Panthers transfer to the ACC, but unfortunately he doesn't have a talented enough team to make a splash in their inaugural season.

9 starters return to the Pitt defense that should rank in the top half of the conference, but lack any sort of firepower offensively.  They lost 1,000 yard rusher Ray Graham to the NFL, and will have a new quarterback in Rutgers transfer Tom Savage.

Pittsburgh's schedule is easy in the fact they also miss Clemson and get FSU at home, but it doesn't really matter for the Panthers.  Their defense should keep them in most games, but they just won't be able to score enough points to win a lot of their games.  Good thing they have Virginia in their division.

Virginia 2-10 (0-8)

Wins: VMI, Ball State
Losses: BYU, Oregon, at Pittsburgh, at Maryland, Duke, Georgia Tech, Clemson, at North Carolina, at Miami, Virginia Tech

Mike London

Remember a couple of years ago when Virginia seemed to have turned things around and were on an upward trajectory in the conference?  Yeah, how wrong were we?

Virginia was, quite frankly, awful in 2012.  They had a two quarterback system because both would consistently play terribly, and they both are no longer at the school.  Their defense also looked like Swiss cheese at times that couldn't stop a nosebleed.

Essentially, the Cavaliers have no quarterback, no playmakers, and no great defense.  Coach Mike London might have to throw some young guys on their field chalk this year up to gaining experience in hopes of fielding a solid team in a year or two.  The schedule is also tough as they have to face Clemson and play Miami on the road, as well as facing BYU and Oregon in the non-conference slate.

This team is just a mess.

ACC Championship Game

Clemson over Miami

Clemson has had a problem in big games in recent years, but I think they just have too much firepower this year.  Miami has the offense to keep it close for most of the game, but defensively they just won't be able to contain the Tiger's high-powered attack.  Clemson will have a chance to redeem themselves in the Orange Bowl from their disaster there against West Virginia two years ago.

Don't like it? Have other suggestions? Did I miss something? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.