Atlantic

• 1. Florida State (6-2): QB Christian Ponder was shredding defenses last season before injuring his shoulder late in the year. Ponder will have a solid set of RB’s and WR’s to work with this year, plus the entire offensive line is back. Considering the offense was one of the best in the conference last year with Ponder healthy, FSU will give defenses nightmares this year. Ponder could be a 1st round pick in next year’s draft and should lead the Seminoles to the ACC Championship Game. What will keep FSU from challenging the best teams in the Coastal is a defense that was terrible last season. New DC Mark Stoops will install a new scheme, but with several new starters breaking in on that side of the ball it is difficult to tell if the Seminoles will be able to improve the defense. FSU misses both Tech teams and gets North Carolina and Clemson at home, so the schedule is fairly favorable. We think they slip up a couple of times in conference play, but Ponder and the offense has the potential to beat anyone on any given night.
• 2. Boston College (5-3): QB Dave Shinskie is the old man of the ACC but is only entering his sophomore year. After returning to football for the first time in six years last fall, Shinskie is poised for a big improvement this year after a full year of football. RB Montel Harris will be the focal point of the offense again and can help Shinskie take advantage as defenses load the box. Four of the lineman are back and will pave the way for Harris, but Shinskie will need to develop chemistry with a new set of WR’s after losing last year’s starters. The big story for the Eagles is that star LB Mark Herzlich is making a comeback from cancer and appears ready to step back onto the football field this fall. If Herzlich plays like his old self (2008 ACC Defense POY), BC’s linebackers will be outstanding. That will help ease the transition for the defense as new pieces are breaking in on the line and in the secondary. Look for the Eagles to take 2nd in the Atlantic, with the potential to overtake Florida State if Shinskie and Herzlich are able to step up.
• 3. Clemson (4-4): Tiger QB Kyle Parker was recently taken in the first round of the MLB draft and it is still up in the air whether he will even strap up for Clemson this fall. If Parker does not play, the offense will take a step back. Backup Tajh Boyd has potential for the future, but will not be able to lead the offense like Parker would. The other big concern on offense is replacing C.J. Spiller. Andre Ellington and Jamie Harper are solid backs in their own right, but there is no replacing what Spiller meant to Clemson. The offensive line has a solid 6 guys who can all start, but depth beyond that is also a concern. The defense will help make up for the lost production on offense. Even with the loss of DE Ricky Sapp, the line will be among the best in the ACC. Safeties DeAndre McDaniel and Rashard Hall are as good of a duo as you’ll find at the back of the secondary. The schedule will be very tough, with road games @ UNC, BC, FSU and Wake and home games against both Miami and Georgia Tech. Couple that rough schedule with the uncertainty surrounding the offense and it will be difficult for the Tigers to climb over .500 in the conference.
• 4. NC State (3-5): QB Russell Wilson is as talented as they come and will have a great group of pass-catchers to help him out. However, the line will have three new starters, and there is no standout at RB. Junior Curtis Underwood redshirted last year and was the favorite to start this year but was hurt throughout spring. That opened the door for other players to impress and it could be as much as a 4-man race for playing time this fall. The defense gave up over 30 points per game last season and loses the entire defensive line. The good news is the LB’s are solid and the secondary has some talent. The schedule is a killer: the Wolfpack open @ Georgia Tech and vs. Virginia Tech and BC, get Florida State and @ Clemson back to back in the middle, then close @ UNC and @ Maryland. Yikes. Winning three games with that schedule can be considered successful.
• 5. Maryland (2-6): The Terps have some serious weapons on offense. QB Jamarr Robinson showed some skills last season and could become one of the best dual-threat QB’s in the nation. RB Da’Rel Scott was slowed by injuries last season but was All-ACC the year before. WR Torrey Smith is a threat to score any time the ball is in his hands. Nearly all of the other skill players are back as well. On defense, the entire LB group is back and will be the strength of the D. The secondary should also improve as it continues to adjust to coordinator Don Brown’s scheme. Don’t expect Maryland to challenge for the top of the division, but they should manage two to three wins and something to build on for the future, which is more than they accomplished last year.
• 6. Wake Forest (2-6): The Demon Deacons have an outstanding trio of WR’s in Marshall Williams, Devon Brown and Chris Givens. The problem for the offense will be replacing QB Riley Skinner, who has been the leader for four years. RB Josh Adams will provide a steady threat on the ground, but the line is breaking in three new players and that is never a good thing for a new quarterback. Wake’s defense has been a turnover machine in the past but was not last year. Coach Jim Grobe hopes they return to those turnover-causing ways. There is a lot of speed on defense and the secondary will be one of the best in the ACC. It may not win them games, but the defense should be able to keep the Deacons in most games. There is a tough set of road games on the schedule that will not be kind to whoever wins the QB job.

Coastal

• 1. Virginia Tech (7-1): The Hokies boast the best RB duo in the nation outside of Tuscaloosa in Ryan Williams and Darren Evans. Senior QB Tyrod Taylor also returns with all of his top WR’s to lead what should be Tech’s best offense since Michael Vick was under center. The line will need to replace the left side, but don’t expect much of a drop off. What will keep the Hokies from running away from the rest of the division is a lot of questions on defense. Usually stingy, the defense loses a lot at all three levels. The good news is that there is one proven veteran leader at each level, including standout CB Rashad Carmichael. With an immediate test in week 1 against Boise State’s high-octane offense, VT’s defense will be tested. The Hokies get their top 3 challengers in the Coastal all in a row in November, but the conference slate is manageable outside of that. A 7-1 or even 8-0 conference record is not out of the question, but with the question marks along the defense it will certainly be a challenge.
• 2. North Carolina (6-2): The Tar Heel offense was a liability last season but returns nearly everyone, so a step forward is expected this year. However, QB T.J. Yates might be unseated by redshirt freshman Bryn Renner. Renner outperformed Yates in the spring and is the fan favorite to take over as starter in the fall. Whichever QB starts will have all of the skill players back and the line should be improved. The real strength for UNC is the defense. Already one of the best defenses in the nation last year, nine starters return to make this perhaps the most feared D in the entire country. There are stars and NFL-caliber players at every level of the defense, so good luck trying to exploit any area when facing the Tar Heels. There are seven senior starters and three more juniors, so this year is probably the best shot UNC has to win the ACC. Back-to-back games @ FSU and vs. VT in early November will likely decide how far the Tar Heels can go this season, but this defense will take its toll on every team on the schedule. We peg them for 6-2 because of the question mark at QB, but if the offense can make significant improvement from last season this team will be in the hunt for a National Title.
• 3. Miami (5-3): The Hurricanes will have an outstanding passing game this year, as QB Jacory Harris returns to lead the offense and will have all of his WR weapons back. The running game will miss Graig Cooper if he is unable to play this year, but there is a lot of depth including Damien Barry and Mike James. The key to the offense’s success will be how quickly the line gels; only two starters return and the schedule will be difficult early with road games @ Ohio State and Pitt before conference play starts up. The defense will be very good as well. The d-line has a ton of depth and talent and the secondary has the potential to be one of the best around. The biggest question on defense is at MLB, but OLB’s Sean Spence and Colin McCarthy will help ease in whoever wins the job in the middle. After the road games @ OSU and Pitt, Miami will open conference play @ Clemson and vs. FSU. If they can survive that murderous stretch things start to spread out from there, but games vs. UNC and VT and @ GT will make it tough for the Hurricanes to emerge at the top of a stacked Coastal Division.
• 4. Georgia Tech (5-3): Despite the loss of star B-back Jonathan Dwyer, the running game will be just fine this season and could actually improve. Roddy Jones and Embry Peeples are explosive A-backs, and Anthony Allen is expected to take over for Dwyer. QB Josh Nebitt will still run the show. There will be three new starters on the line but there are high expectations for those guys. The biggest loss may be WR Demaryius Thomas, who WAS the passing game last season. Nesbitt will need to find a new go-to target this season and will also need to be more accurate in order to keep defenses on their toes as they continue to try to adjust to the running game. The defense will miss DE Derrick Morgan and safety Morgan Burnett, but a switch to the 3-4 should actually help them this year. LB is the strongest position on defense and having an extra LB on the field in the 3-4 could do wonders as the Yellow Jackets try to establish a steady pass rush. It will be difficult for Tech to put together a BCS run in such a difficult division, but another solid bowl game is on the horizon.
• 5. Duke (2-6): A passing attack that was in the top 10 in the nation last year should again be among the best. QB Sean Renfree must replace star Thad Lewis, but expectations are high for Renfree and he will have an excellent trio of WR’s returning as well as most of the offensive line. The Blue Devils will need to improve on the WORST rushing attack in the entire country last year, but with the line back and a couple of potentially solid backs in the mix a step up is expected. The defense is paper-thin up front, but a solid group of linebackers and an athletic secondary will help cover up some of the line’s mistakes. The Blue Devils will likely miss a bowl game again, but what more can you expect with a stacked division and a tough non-conference slate.
• 6. Virginia (1-7): The Cavaliers were among the worst offensive teams in the nation last year and will have a host of new starters this year and a new offensive scheme. QB Marc Verica was decent last season filling in for starter Jameel Sewell, but there are no standouts at any other skill position. There has been a lot of moving around on defense in the spring; Virginia is switching schemes and also has several players moving to new positions. CB Ras-I Dowling is the star of the defense and leads a decent secondary. The defense should be average, but average isn’t good enough when the offense has been historically bad lately.

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