ACC FOOTBALL 2018 PREVIEW

BREAKOUT STARS, BIGGEST GAMES, PREDICTIONS

CAN ANYONE STOP CLEMSON?

Clemson is firmly atop the ACC, but the league is deeper than you think. Read on to discover everything you need to know about ACC football in 2018.

A lot of college football fans all around the country believe the ACC is a matter of Clemson feeding on a litany of inferior programs. While it’s true the Tigers are still going to be the class of the league in 2018, the Conference has significantly more depth this season.

The real question is whether any one team can mount a serious challenge to the Tigers’ supremacy. Programs like Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech believe they have the talent required, but they may still be a year or two away.

That does not mean Dabo Swinney’s crew is going to waltz through the regular season undefeated. There are challenging games on Clemson’s schedule. It also doesn’t mean the ACC won’t be a lot of fun to watch this year. The parity should lead to some really exciting games and intriguing storylines as the season goes along.

This piece should serve as a primer for everything that’s coming in the ACC in 2018. We start by praising an unsung running back.

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: A.J. DILLON, BOSTON COLLEGE

A lot of fans are undoubtedly surprised not to see Florida State running back Cam Akers get the nod here. He’s certainly worthy of consideration, but Dillon is a lock to put up big numbers for the Eagles if he can stay healthy. He’s one of the best running backs in the country that fans aren’t talking about.

Dillon burst onto the scene as a freshman for Boston College. He garnered freshman All-American honors from a number of publications and was named both the ACC’s Offensive Rookie of the year and top rookie overall. That’s what happens when you rack up 1,589 yards on 300 carries.

Don’t expect his workload to be reduced by Steve Addazio this season. The Boston College offense will ride Dillon as hard as any player in college football. A Heisman Trophy level season isn’t out of the question for the sophomore tailback.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: DEXTER LAWRENCE, CLEMSON

It speaks to just how good Clemson’s defense will be this year that the two players at the top of the Defensive Player of the Year list are both at Swinney’s disposal. The scarier fact is that both Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins will line up next to one another for the Tigers.

Truthfully, you can’t go wrong picking either player here. Wilkins was the superior player in 2017, but Lawrence was clearly limited by injury. He recently told local reporters that he was only playing at 50 percent last season after nerve issues in his leg. If that’s true, ACC offenses are in for an absolute nightmare in 2018.

Lawrence is no stranger to NFL scouts. He’s expected to be a first round selection when he elects to turn pro. Assuming he enjoys a relatively healthy season, expect him to forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and play his football on Sundays in 2019.

That gives him one more year to wreak havoc in the ACC. His unique combination of size and speed make him impossible to block on the inside. He possesses the size to stop the run from the defensive tackle spot and the agility to rush the passer from the edge. He’ll play inside for the Tigers this year but look for him to get to the quarterback often.

There’s a lot of defensive talent in the ACC this year, but no one has more talent than Lawrence. Look for him to have a massive season.

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: TREVOR LAWRENCE, CLEMSON

No freshman enters the ACC with a bigger reputation than the Tigers’ signal caller. Lawrence has a legitimate chance to beat out Kelly Bryant to start the season as Swinney’s No. 1 quarterback. Even if he doesn’t win the job Week 1, expect him to ultimately steal Bryant’s job before the season gets serious for Clemson.

Lawrence has an absolute cannon for an arm. He’s got the passing talent to open up the Tigers offense again. Lawrence isn’t the same running threat that Bryant is, but his ability to sling the ball downfield will remind Tigers fans of Deshaun Watson.

The only thing that can prevent Lawrence from winning this award is if he doesn’t get enough snaps. Clemson’s coaching staff is sending clear signals they want to give him meaningful playing time this season, but if he isn’t the guy within the first couple of games he won’t put up enough statistics to win the honor.

In the end, Bryant just isn’t going to be dynamic enough to keep Lawrence at bay. Look for him to play things too close to the vest early in the season and to give way to the gun-slinging freshman. Lawrence has the talent to become a legend in Tiger Town. The only real question is when he will take the reins of this talented offense.

BREAKOUT STAR TO WATCH: GREG DORTCH, WAKE FOREST

Wake Forest may not get the same level of attention as some other schools in the ACC, but they do have one of the league’s most exciting young players. Wide receiver Greg Dortch is an absolute weapon for Dave Clawson and the Demon Deacon offense.

The fleet-footed receiver put up great numbers as a freshman before his season was cut short due to an abdominal injury. He should be fully healthy when the 2018 season begins and that’s bad news for ACC defensive backs.

Last season, Dortch caught 53 passes for 722 yards and nine touchdowns in just eight games. He was playing his best football when he went down due to injury. Look for him to pick up right where he left off.

He may just be 5-foot-9, but his speed is breathtaking. That gives him the ability to catch passes down the field behind the defense. However, he’s at his best when he’s able to catch shorter passes with room to run. Dortch is the sort of receiver who has the ability to catch a pass at the line of scrimmage and turn it into a long touchdown.

To put it simply, Dortch is one of those receivers you have to see to truly appreciate. If you haven’t had a chance to watch him play, take the opportunity in 2018.

COACH OF THE YEAR – JUSTIN FUENTE, VIRGINIA TECH

The popular choice here would be to go with Swinney. That’s a fair selection since the Tigers are legitimate national title contenders. However, Fuente has a real chance to win the award because he can lead Virginia Tech to a season that can exceed preseason expectations.

In all honesty, not many prognosticators picked the Hokies to go 9-4 last season. Even more impressively, he managed to guide his program to a 5-3 record in the ACC. There’s a lot of optimism in Blacksburg that Fuente can do even bigger things in his third season at the helm.

That’s a pretty rational thought. It usually takes new coaches a few seasons to really get the type of players they like into the program. Fuente is a very different coach than his predecessor, Frank Beamer. Specifically, he runs a much more dynamic offense. It’s that side of the ball where Virginia Tech might take a giant leap this season.

The Hokies will find out just how good they are in Week 1 when they travel to Tallahassee. Their primetime matchup against the Seminoles on September 3rd may go a long way towards determining who wins the Coastal Division. Don’t be surprised if Fuente takes his squad into Doak Campbell Stadium and emerges with a massive victory for his program. Even if he doesn’t, count on him to guide Virginia Tech to a season where they can credibly contend for an ACC title.

GAME OF THE YEAR: CLEMSON AT FLORIDA STATE

It must be said this is one of the easier choices to make in this year’s ACC preview. Circle your calendars for October 27th when Dabo Swinney leads his team into a hostile road environment at Florida State.

Most pundits believe this game could determine the outcome of the Atlantic Division. It may well mean even more for the Tigers. Defeating the ‘Noles could provide the Tigers a credible springboard to earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. It probably can’t do quite that much for Florida State, but it’s not impossible it could do the same for Willie Taggart’s program.

If Florida State wants to spring the upset, they’ll need the atmosphere to be absolutely electric. The Seminoles program still has a lot of talent, but they don’t have the elite NFL prospects that Clemson has all over the field.

Expect the matchup to boil down to a battle between Florida State’s offense and Clemson’s defense. There’s little doubt the Tigers will boast one of the stingiest defenses in the nation. There’s a ton of talent on the offensive side of the ball for Florida State, but it’s much less proven. In particular, Deondre Francois will need to grab hold of the quarterback job and lead his team. If that doesn’t happen, it’s going to be very difficult for the ‘Noles to knock off the powerful Tigers.

PROJECTED ORDER OF FINISH

ACC FOOTBALL CONFERENCE STANDINGS
CHAMPION: CLEMSOBN	OVERALL	COFERENCE
ALTANTIC DIVISION
CLEMSON	W 12 L 0	W 8 L0
FLORIDA STATE	W 8 L 4	W 5 L3
LOUISVILLE	W 8 L4	W 5 L3
BOSTON COLLEGE	W 7 L5	W 4 L4
NC STATE	W6  L6	W 3 L5
WAKE FOREST	W6  L6	W 3 L5
SYRACUSE	W 4 L 8	W 1 L 7

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

COASTEL DIVISION
MIAMI (FLA)	W10 L 2	W 7 L 1
VIRGINIA TECH	W 8 L4	W 5 L 3
PITTSBURGH	W 6 L 6	W 4 L 4
DUKE	W 7 L 5	W 4 L 4
GEORGIA TECH	W 6 L 6	W 3 L 5
NORTH CAROLINA	W 5 L 7	W 2 L 6
VIRGINIA	W 5 L 7	W 2 L 6

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 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.

CONFERENCE CHAMPION – CLEMSON

Picking anyone else to win the ACC this season would be a great example of trying to over-complicate an issue. The Tigers have the most talent in this league and they are the defending champions. Clemson isn’t a lock to win the league, but they are the strong favorite for a lot of very valid reasons.

The defense is going to be the strength of this team from the outset. The only question for Swinney is whether he can get the offense up to speed quick enough to compete for a national title. History says that Swinney can find a way to get the group to score enough points to win a lot of football games.

Florida State fans will rest their title hopes on sophomore Cam Akers, but he doesn’t have quite enough help to get the Seminoles over the top. Similarly, Virginia Tech and Miami probably need another season or two under their relatively new coaches to legitimately challenge the Tigers.

The irony here is that winning an ACC Championship isn’t going to be Clemson’s primary goal this season. Swinney and the Tigers’ coaching staff will have their squad focused squarely on going back to the College Football Playoff. This season is about winning a national championship for Clemson. Winning a league title is just a means to an end.