ACC Contenders Preview

In a conference that doesn't get as much television coverage as the SEC during the fall, the ACC has sneakily been the second biggest player in the playoff picture so far.

With Clemson running the table last season until the championship game and returning their Heisman hopeful quarterback Deshaun Watson you would assume that they would be favorited to win the conference. But there are several pundits who believe they might not even when their division in the conference. Jumbo Fisher has reloaded down in Tallahassee, with 10 returning starters on offense and only a handful of new starters on defense. The Louisville Cardinals also wants to stick their beak into the thick of the competition in the Atlantic Division.

On the Coastal side of the division, defending champion North Carolina has been chosen to make a return trip to the ACC Championship game, but second year Pitt coach Pat Narduzzi could challenge the Tar Heels and first year coaches Mark Richt at Miami, Justin Fuente at Virginia Tech, and Bronco Mendenhall at UVA look to make a spash while changing the culture at their programs.

Let's start the quick previews on teams that have a chance to contend for an ACC title.

CLEMSON TIGERS

Returning 8 starts on offense, led by Pre-Season 1st team All-American Deshaun Watson, the Tigers look to keep the ball rolling down the field with ease in 2016. The defense lost the majority of their talent to the NFL, with only two interior tackles, one senior linebacker and a senior cornerback returning this season. Replacing lost talent on defense is nothing new for Clemson in recent years as the talent pool for Dabo Swinney's squad is deep. Coach Swinney has finally gotten over the hump and, much to his delight, has gotten rid of the "Clemson-ing" moniker (for the time being).

The Tigers open the season on the road against Auburn down on the plains - Clemson is favored in the matchup and they should win, but Auburn has built a reputation on magical seasons after disappointing efforts. After their road trip to open the season, the Tigers don't have a true road game until a Thursday night matchup in Atlanta against the option oriented Yellow Jackets. Georgia Tech is also looking to rebound from a disappointing effort in 2015, and facing the option offense on a short week of preparation has all the makings for a trap game. Clemson will get Louisville at home the next week on 10 days rest before shipping up to Boston College in Massachusetts. On October 29th the Tigers will have their biggest hurdle to clear when they play Florida State in Tallahassee - a place they haven't won at since 2006. This game will undoubtedly decide the Coastal division if they don't have any other slip ups, and it could also decide which ACC team gets a playoff berth.

FLORIDA STATE SEMINOLES

Speaking of the Seminoles, Jimbo Fisher's gang looks to crash Clemson's honeymoon. Going into 2015, the Seminoles replaced eight starters on offense and four on defense. Up until their loss to Georgia Tech on a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown as time expired, Florida State won 28 straight conference games and 40 of 42 games overall. After the loss in Atlanta, the Noles went on to lose to Clemson and then Houston in the Peach Bowl. In what was a "rebuilding" year for the Noles, they managed to win 10 games and qualify for a New Year's Six bowl. This season Jimbo Fisher's offense returns 10 starters this season, highlighted by one of the best running backs in the country - Dalvin Cook. Behind an experienced offensive line Cook could produce even more yards and touchdowns this year, but when defenses stack the box the offense will need a reliable quarterback to keep the defense honest. Quarterback is the only position Florida State won't return this year and after 2nd-string Sean Maguire suffered a broken foot, redshirt freshman Deondre Francois will take the reigns in week one.

Speaking of week one, the Seminoles will travel to Orlando and face off against an SEC dark horse playoff contender, #11 Ole Miss. If Florida State is to be a contender and avoid becoming a pretender, they will need to come out of the gate swinging against the Rebels who have the self-proclaimed best quarterback in the country. After a dress rehearsal in week two against Charleston Souther, the Noles will travel to Kentucky to hunt down the birds in Louisville. Louisville is Florida State's trap game on the road, with the Cardinals trying to prove their worth in the Coastal division by taking down the big players. The Seminoles schedule continues to be tough, hosting North Carolina then traveling to Miami one week later. While Miami is projected to be under matched against the in-state rivals, expect new coach Mark Richt to motivate the Hurricanes and put his stamp on the new regime in South Florida. Two weeks later, Florida State's toughest contest of the season will wait them as the Tigers travel to Tallahassee. As important as this game is to Clemson, it is equally important to Florida State. The Noles have a tougher schedule and stand a greater chance of entering October 29th with a loss than the Tigers, but a victory over Clemson could put them back in the title hunt.

NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS

Under the guidance of Larry Fedora, UNC is no longer only an important player on the hardcourt in the spring but a potential contender in the playoff picture if they can overcome an SEC opponent behind enemy lines and upset the ACC's powerhouses. The Tar Heels enter the 2016 campaign after getting a taste of the conference championship and are still disgruntled after erasing a 19-point deficit against Clemson in the 4th quarter, almost completing comeback, until a controversial onside kick penalty eliminated their chances. This season they return four receivers, a tight end, and their top two running backs from last season and their new quarterback Mitch Trubisky is projected to be more productive than last year's Marquise Williams.

In week one, the Tar Heels will travel behind enemy lines to the face the Georgia Bulldogs at a "neutral" site in the Georgia Dome. With Georgia still trying to solve depth issues under new coach Kirby Smart and possibly starting an unproven true freshman quarterback - the Tar Heels are considered under dogs, but could very easily collect their first quality win of the season. With a tough schedule against the better half of ACC foes on the road, including Florida State and Miami - some projections have the Tar Heels winning as many as 10.5 games to as low as 7.5 games. Much will depend on how well their defense can hold up, because their offense is capable of putting up 30 points a game all season.

LOUISVILLE CARDINALS

Say what you will about Bobby Petrine's past, but it looks like he's built Louisville back into the type of program it was when he left for the NFL. Louisville's offense has the ability to explode in a matter of minutes for scoring bursts, but consistency in a quarterback-by-committe system can be hard to rely on. Luckily for the Cardinals they are returning all three running backs, all five offensive lineman and all of their top receivers. On the defensive side of the ball, they are returning at least 9 or 10 defensive players that got substantial playing time last year.

Louisville's schedule is loaded on the front end, so we'll find out if the Cardinals are for real by the first weekend in October. With Florida State and Clemson on the docket, the Cardinals are extremely unlikely to beat both teams and projected to lose to both teams - but if they can manage to put a complete game together against one of these teams and upset the playoff contenders, they will send ripples through the college football world. Louisville and North Carolina are the only two teams that stand a serious chance to eat the ACC alive from the inside and prevent the conference from reaching it's third straight playoff berth.

Others left out of the conversation: My reasoning for leaving out Miami and Virginia Tech is simple.

For Miami, there's no doubt they drastically improved at Head Coach, bringing back Mark Richt to his alma mater - but Miami has been such a disappointment in recent seasons, it is impossible to tell whether or not they can win more than 10 games to contend for an ACC Title. Will the Hurricanes improve? I think they are in a much better situation going forward in the post NCAA violation era, but quarterback Brad Kaya is young, and the defense is inexperienced. Could they also surprise a lot of people? Yes. Aside from Louisville, Miami stands the best chance at being the biggest surprise in the ACC, but new coaches take time to develop their system and create a culture change.

This is also why I decided to leave Virginia Tech off the list. In Miami, Richt isn't replacing a mainstay in Coral Gables like new coach Justin Fuentes is in Blacksburg. Even though the Hokies are bringing back basically everybody on offense and defense, their offense has drastically changed in Fuentes' spread offense. The personnel returns, but its not the ideal personnel for the system so growing pains will occur. On the defensive side of the ball, the Hokies are very lucky to keep Bud Foster and his aggressive play call. If the Hokies can rely on the defense, and pick up the offensive scheme quick they also stand a chance to surprise the ACC.