Why Your Favorite ACC Team Will and Won't Make a Playoff Run
2017 was a good year for the ACC. They, at least in their minds, succeeded the SEC as the best conference in college football. Clemson won the national championship over Alabama, and the Heisman Trophy went to Louisville's Lamar Jackson. The depth of this conference is much better than in recent years, but is that a bad thing? Clemson has some rebuilding to do on offense, and will compete with Florida State and Jackson's Cardinals. Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech all could be contenders as well. While the concern may be conference play, it's safe to say this conference is one of the best in the nation.
PREVIOUSLY: C-USA, BIG 12, MAC, PAC-12, MOUNTAIN WEST, SEC, SUN BELT
CLEMSON
WILL: Not many coaches outwork Dabo Swinney, and his efforts paid off last year. The defending champs still are loaded with talent, and have a number of playmakers returning to make another playoff run. Defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins will lead a defense that should again be one of the best in the country. Receivers Deon Cain and CFP hero Hunter Renfrow return to the offense who will move into life post-Deshaun (Watson).
WON’T: Clemson isn’t quite in Alabama territory of reloading every year. Deshaun Watson was special, but it will be extremely difficult to replicate his production. Losing RB Wayne Gallman and receivers Mike Williams and Artavis Scott hurt as well. Swinney works his tail off, but it’s really hard to repeat unless your name is Nick Saban.
FLORIDA STATE
WILL: Can you name a more resilient player in college football than Deondre Francois? Heck, can you name a player that took more hits than him last year? Despite being knocked down numerous times a game, the sophomore managed to throw for 3,350 yards in his freshman campaign. If kept upright, he can become one of the best quarterbacks in college football with his skillset. Coach Jimbo Fisher should find ways to keep him out of trouble in the pocket this year. FSU also returns nine starters defensively, and that experience has the Noles thinking playoff.
WON’T: Francois might retire if he takes another beating like last year. Florida State also liked to keep things interesting, and while they finished 10-3, that record could have read 6-7. Now, we can’t take away the plays that their playmakers produced to win those close games, but you can’t keep flirting with danger and expect the same result every time (ask the 2014 team how that worked). Oh and Alabama awaits in Week 1 this year. And if they survive that? Miami is ready for revenge two weeks later.
NORTH CAROLINA
WILL: Larry Fedora has done a phenomenal job at keeping North Carolina competitive in the ACC every year. He even added a conference championship game appearance to the mix in 2015. Fedora has also seen 18 of his players get draft in the NFL with five of those being first round picks. With continued success, Fedora could be on his way out to a position at a better school in the near future.
WON’T: The Coastal isn’t nearly as terrible as it was in 2015. Virginia Tech is back on the way up under Justin Fuente. Miami will be a competitor under Mark Richt again. And don’t count out Pittsburgh or Georgia Tech either. I have serious concerns if Brandon Harris is who takes over for Mitch Trubisky at quarterback.
PITTSBURGH
WILL: Quadree Henderson is one of the most dynamic players in college football, and the junior will be a focus for every defense he faces. Head coach Pat Narduzzi’s teams have been explosive offensively which has been a nice surprise. His defensive experience could shine through in his third year, and the Panthers’ conference schedule looks favorable. They avoid Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville and get North Carolina and Miami at home.
WON’T: Did they score 76 points against Syracuse? Yes, but they also gave up 61 points in that game. 61 points! To Syracuse! The Orange hadn’t scored more than 33 points all season, and that was against Colgate. Now, Nathan Peterman and James Conner are gone, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada left for LSU. Throw that on top of their first four game (FCS runner-up Youngstown State, at Penn State, Oklahoma State, at Georgia Tech), and things could get ugly fast.
VIRGINIA
WILL: Bronco Mendenhall took BYU from four consecutive losing seasons to a consistent winner. He never had a losing season as the coach of the Cougars. Mendenhall’s BYU teams relied on defense, and Virginia has great defensive pieces in place to excel. Safety Quin Blanding and linebacker Micah Kiser are two of the best at their respective positions, and both will play enormous roles in Virginia’s success.
WON’T: Virginia has only experience two winning seasons in the last decade, their last 10 win season was in 1989, and Mendenhall’s first year on campus resulted in a 2-10 campaign. If you think that a playoff run magically appears….I’ll just let you be disappointed.
SYRACUSE
WILL: Dino Babers is an offensive wizard, and his effects have been evident in each of his stops. Syracuse has plenty of talent for Babers to do the same, and it all starts with Eric Dungey (above). The junior has shown flashes of dominance in his two years as a starter, and his third year will be his best yet. Receivers Ervin Phillips and Steve Ishmael return 138 catches and 1,381 yards between the two of them, and running back Dontae Strickland is back as well to run and catch the ball. There are plenty of weapons in this offense, and the Orange could make a lot of noise in the fall.
WON’T: Dungey’s injuries have shortened each of his first two seasons on campus, and he also has struggled at times with consistency. Giving up 76 points to Pittsburgh was a dagger to a defense that was bad all season. Babers may be an offensive genius, but his defense isn’t even average.
BOSTON COLLEGE
WILL: For years, the Eagles have been so difficult to beat defensively. Year in and year out, Boston College produces one of the top defenses in the country, and that should continue this year. With the talent he recruits, Steve Addazio definitely gets the most out of his players. They make teams with better talent seem inferior on the field.
WON’T: As good as the defense is, the offense is equally as bad. Even with graduate transfer Patrick Towles from Kentucky, the Eagles were one of the worst offenses in college football. If Addazio could get any sort of consistent offense, BC could be one of the best teams in the conference. Since that won’t happen, they will be lucky to make a bowl game.
GEORGIA TECH
WILL: Bring me back to the days when Virginia Tech-Georgia Tech was the talk of the conference. After a brief recession for both teams, they appear to be back on their way up. Paul Johnson endured an uncharacteristic 3-9 season in 2015, but followed that up with a 9-4 season last year. Justin Thomas may not be back to run the offense, but Johnson has proven that he can find replacements.
WON’T: They’re in a conference that has been dominated by Florida State and Clemson, not to mention they have to fight off North Carolina, Miami and the Hokies within their own division. Opening the season against Tennessee will be rough, and the rest of the schedule isn’t easy. Ending the season against Georgia could be a bad way to end 2017.
LOUISVILLE
WILL: Who cares that he tanked in the last four games? Lamar Jackson was the best player in college football, and it wasn’t even close. He could have sat out the last four games for all I care. The things he did in nine games were incredible, and reminiscent of Reggie Bush in terms of athleticism. Jackson is still the best quarterback in college football, and he returns for the Cardinals. I’m not sure what else you need to know about this team.
WON’T: Even with his dual-threat abilities, Jackson was sacked 46 times last season (most in the NCAA). Now, he has to find replacements for six other offensive positions. 2016 started off with a bang that included a 63-20 beatdown of Florida State, but that momentum came to a screeching halt in the last three games. Losing to Kentucky to end the season was a tough pill to swallow, but so was putting up a combined 19 points against Houston and LSU. If Jackson can put up the same stats and improve the Cardinal’s record from last year, give him the Heisman. Heck, give him next year’s Heisman too.
VIRGINIA TECH
WILL: Exit light, enter night. Metallica’s lyrics could have been too real for the Hokies in past seasons, but that quickly changed. Enter Justin Fuente. Taking over for the legendary Frank Beamer didn’t seem easy, but Fuente eased any doubts remaining by shocking the Blacksburg faithful with a 10-4 campaign. No one expected double digit wins in 2016, so we shouldn’t expect anything predictable this year either. Fuente’s squad will be anchored by the defense again. LB Tremaine Edmunds and defensive backs Greg Stroman and Brandon Facyson are all-conference talent that could return the Hokies to the conference championship game.
WON’T: In one of the most baffling decisions in college football, Jerod Evans decided to skip his last year of eligibility to enter the NFL Draft. Whoever takes over for him will return zero pass attempts in 2016. The backfield also doesn’t help much even with Trayvon McMillan returning. In his four “best” games, McMillian rushed 64 times for 406 yards (6.3 yards per rush), while in the rest of the season he rushed 153 times for 265 yards (1.7 yards per rush). Also, does anyone know what Jerod Evans was thinking?
WAKE FOREST
WILL: I wish I could make some “Chris Paul and Tim Duncan don’t play here anymore” references, or add to that “oh wait, they played basketball.” But no, the Demon Deacons decided to actually be decent last year. Dave Clawson finally had a breakthrough in his third season with the Demon Deacons. Clawson utilized a stingy defense to make it to Wake Forest’s first bowl game since 2011, and that formula should be used again this year. Offensively, Clawson will see nine familiar faces from last year and that experience could help this team breakout in 2017.
WON’T: There’s a reason why this team has only had four winning season in the last 20 years, and that trend isn’t promising. Quarterback John Wolford was supposed to have his best season yet, but finished with just nine touchdowns and 10 interceptions. Now, he finds himself in a battle in his senior year for a starting spot. Minus the bowl game last year, Wake Forest beat Tulane, Duke, Delaware, Indiana, Syracuse and Virginia, and this year’s schedule is significantly more difficult. At least Chris Paul and Tim Duncan could consistently win? There, I’m satisfied.
DUKE
WILL: If Duke basketball got as much out of their talent as David Cutcliffe does out of his football team, they would be a dynasty. Cutcliffe remains one of the most underrated coaches in college football, and his team was young last year. Now, that youth will be experienced, and the Blue Devils come into 2017 under the radar.
WON’T: Their schedule isn’t exactly envious. A four game stretch against Northwestern, Baylor, North Carolina and Miami awaits after Week 1, and they are in a division that figures to be crowded this year. Something has to give, and usually because they don’t have as much talent, the Blue Devils are the one that give. At least they don’t flop nearly as bad as Grayson Allen.
NC STATE
WILL: The Wolfpack nearly beat defending champ Clemson last year, and had their offense been more advanced, they would have succeeded. Now, a better offense should put them in competition for the ACC. WR/TE Jaylen Samuels can be one of the best playmakers in the country, and the improvement in offensive production should only get him more touches. 17 starters return, giving the Wolfpack plenty of returning experience.
WON’T: NC State forced Clemson into four turnovers and still couldn’t win. I mean, how many chances did the offense need? It’s hard to win games when the defense does everything, and the Wolfpack’s offense only managed 10 points in a game that could have altered the college football landscape. The loss was also the first of four consecutive, so it’s not like that game was the only issue.
MIAMI
WILL: Swag defined ‘The U’ back in the ‘80s, and that same attitude could be back in 2017. Mark Richt, a former Miami grad, is bringing the confidence to a team that needed a change. Brad Kaaya may be gone, but there is a ton of talent returning. Mark Walton (above) could be one of the best backs in the country, and Ahmmon Richards is one of the fastest receivers. We may not be in the ‘80s, but the Miami-FSU rivalry could be back, and the Hurricanes have the talent to make a serious run.
WON’T: Brad Kaaya was one of the better quarterbacks the ‘Canes had in a long time, but that didn’t matter. The FSU game last year was anticlimactic, as Miami lost on a blocked extra point at the end of the game. Richards can beat anyone off the line, but the question remains if quarterback Malik Rosier can get him the ball. DeMarcus Walker blocking the extra point is still haunting them.
