Clemson again picked atop ACC preseason poll; UNC selected tops in Coastal division
A panel of 147 media members again picked Clemson to win the ACC football championship to the surprise of no one. But for just the second time ever in the preseason poll, North Carolina was tabbed as the favorite to win the Coastal Division.
The Tar Heels returned all but one starter from their first-ever Orange Bowl appearance last season. And with quarterback Sam Howell, a contender for the league’s preseason Player of the Year that will be released on Tuesday, expectations for UNC’s season exceed what they were back in 2016 — the only other time it was picked to win the division. Carolina’s only Coastal Division championship came in 2015.
The Heels received 109 first-place votes and placed well ahead of Miami, which had 28, and was predicted to finish second. All seven members of the Coastal Division had a turn at winning it from 2013-19. Indicative of that parity, Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh, Virginia and Georgia Tech also received at least one first-place vote. Duke, which was picked to finish last in the division, was the only team in the Coastal that did not.
UNC received 16 votes overall, compared to the Tigers’ 125 first-place votes, to emerge as the ACC title holder. The ACC football championship is set for Dec. 4 in Charlotte.
N.C. State was picked to finish second to Clemson in the Atlantic Division. The Wolfpack had one first-place vote, which kept the Tigers from being a unanimous favorite. The Pack was followed by Boston College, Florida State, Wake Forest, Louisville and Syracuse.
The Tigers won the ACC title for a sixth straight season last year and a berth in the College Football Playoff. It also marked the seventh time in the last nine seasons that the ACC media preseason poll chose Clemson as the champion including the last four years.
The Tigers are considered a bit more vulnerable than the recent past with the graduation of quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft. D.J. Uiagalelei now assumes the reins as the successor to Lawrence.
ACC Preseason Poll
Overall Champion (147 total votes)
Clemson - 125
North Carolina - 16
Miami - 3
Virginia - 1
Georgia Tech - 1
NC State - 1
Atlantic Division Total points (First-place votes)
Clemson – 1,028 (146)
NC State - 804 (1)
Boston College - 638
Florida State - 510
Wake Forest - 472
Louisville - 462
Syracuse - 202
Coastal Division
North Carolina - 979 (109)
Miami - 881 (28)
Virginia Tech - 582 (3)
Pitt - 576 (1)
Virginia - 540 (2)
Georgia Tech - 340 (4)
Duke - 218
This story was originally published July 26, 2021 at 9:31 AM.