On Wednesday and Thursday we discussed the ACC in our rountable and today we pick an ACC Champion. TSS Associate Editors Bart Doan and Terry Johnson join staff writer Kevin Causey and a special rotating guest in our weekly roundtable discussing all things college football.
Earlier this week we discussed players to watch and the most improved teams in the ACC. Today we conclude our ACC rountables as we are joined by Matthew of the ACC-centric All Sports Discussion and The ACC Weekly Podcast and Mike Ferguson of the Florida State based site Noled Out.
Question: Who do you expect to be the ACC champion?
Matthew
On Twitter @HokiesSmash:
To win the big games, you must have great quarterback play. Clemson not only has the best quarterback in the conference, they also have the best overall player in Deshaun Watson (he will be the ACC preseason player of the year by a healthy margin in the media vote). Deshaun Watson has some help, as well, with terrific wide receivers in Mike Williams and Artavis Scott (and Wayne Gallman won’t be too shabby at running back, either). Assuming Deshaun Watson is healthy, I see Clemson winning a minimum of ten games (including the big matchup vs. Florida State) and the ACC championship versus whoever wins the Coastal Division (and I’m leaning now towards Georgia Tech representing that side of the conference, but it’s a close lean with Virginia Tech right behind).
Mike Ferguson
On Twitter: @MikeWFerguson
With just about all the skill players returning on offense, it’s not hard to make a case for Clemson and Georgia Tech brings a lot of momentum into 2015, but as the old adage goes, “to be the man, you have to beat the man”. Call me a homer, but until proven otherwise, Florida State is still the man when it comes to the ACC. The Seminoles have won 24 straight games against ACC opponents and bringing in Everett Golson this offseason might just be what Jimbo Fisher and company need to shore up one of the team’s biggest question marks. FSU is extremely young and will play arguably its four toughest games (BC, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Florida) away from Tallahassee, but with Dalvin Cook carrying the ball, Jalen Ramsey leading the defense and Fisher on the sidelines, I still like the Seminoles’ chances.
Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart
Going down the rabbit hole with Clemson again, bless their souls. Florida State certainly could make us all look really foolish, but I just can’t get over how good Deshaun Watson is when you keep him 98 degrees and upright. Artavis Scott and Mike Williams (in a seemingly endless line of guys named Mike Williams that are good college wide receivers) will help make the offense downright explosive. Don’t worry about that side of the ball pending injury and what not.
The defense is where you’ll see most people poke a stink eye at their chances. And the schedule isn’t overly nice, but that’s mostly because their out of conference slate is salty with Notre Dame and a trip to South Carolina appearing on it. Those don’t count in the ACC (sorry, ND). They also go to Miami and North Carolina State, so maybe I’m talking myself out of this and need to stop …
Nope. Going Clemson. Just sort of feels like their year so long as they can replace a defense that sees only two returning starters. But Clemson has been recruiting highly for years and they’ll be just fine. After all, their defense was one of the best in the country last year, and all that depth will get a chance to show why it was part of that success in 2015.
Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ
If FSU wins the ACC Championship, it will not surprise me one bit. But…there was a sense of desperation with the Everett Golson transfer that we haven’t sensed out of Tallahassee in quite a while and that makes me apprehensive to pull the trigger on them. Deshaun Watson is simply a special player at QB and I don’t think Dabo Swinney can even screw that up. If Watson can stay healthy, I see Clemson winning the ACC. If he doesn’t, then it will be FSU.
Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @CFBZ
I’m picking Georgia Tech to win the ACC this year.
Make no mistake about it: the Jackets were playing as well as anyone at the end of the 2014-15 campaign. Over the last four games of the season, Tech picked up victories over Clemson (15th), Georgia (9th), and Mississippi State (11th). The only loss during that span was a two-point defeat to Jameis Winston and Florida State.
Things will be different this year. Georgia Tech welcomes back quarterback Justin Thomas and an experienced offensive line (68 career starts), whereas the ‘Noles have to break in a new signal caller (albeit a very good one) and four new starters up front. This extra experience will give the Jackets the advantage in what will be one of the top 10 games of the 2015-16 season.
