The SEC may be thought of as the most dominant conference in college football, but the ACC had been doing what it can in recent history to make that notion a little less concrete. The ACC has major national title contenders, along with teams rebuilding and trending upwards. Here are five storylines you need to know heading into the college football season.
1) High Hopes for the Clemson Tigers
Clemson Football has never had this much hype and expectations around their program. After coming up short of their first ever national championship last year to Alabama, the Clemson Tigers are ranked 2nd in the USA Today Preseason Coaches Poll. They also are home to many people’s Heisman favorite, quarterback Deshaun Watson, who came in 3rd in last year’s voting. Dabo Swinney’s squad will have a reputable opponent week 1 as they start on the road against the Auburn Tigers. This will be their only formidable opponent until their eighth game, when they head to Tallahassee to take on the Florida State Seminoles. Always a great matchup, this year’s contest is sure to be the game of the year in the ACC with so much potentially on the line. With expectations set so high after last season, Tigers fans fear no opponent.
2) New Face Under Center For The Seminoles
The last two quarterbacks for the Florida State Seminoles have been two notable names: Jameis Winston and Everett Golson. The Seminoles’ 2016 signal caller will be senior Sean Maguire, a four-star quarterback out of New Jersey. Jimbo Fisher will call on the first-time starter to lead the #4 ranked Seminoles to the national title game. The Seminoles will be losing their best player from last season, defensive back Jalen Ramsey, who was drafted fifth overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2016 NFL Draft.
3) New Era For the Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes were once the most fierce college football program in the country. “The U” used to be known as a pipeline for NFL talent, and although they still manage to produce a good amount of NFL ready talent, those glory days have seemed more a thing of bygone era than a current reality. The Hurricanes needed a rebranding and it started with letting go of Al Golden and bringing in former Georgia coach Mark Richt. Richt is an excellent recruiter and it may take a year or two for the Hurricanes to be taken serious, but nonetheless the Hurricanes are headed in the right direction.
4) Can David Cutcliffe Bring Back Duke?
Duke will forever be known as a basketball school, but over the last few years, the football program has gained major national respect. There is always constant player turnover in college football, and it will be head coach David Cutcliffe’s priority to keep the program’s momentum moving forward. The ACC is top heavy with Clemson and FSU, so Duke has a chance to stay competitive in 2016.
5) Can the ACC dethrone the SEC?
Florida State defeated the Auburn Tigers in the 2013 BCS Championship to dethrone the SEC, as the conference had won the past seven BCS Championships. The Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks the following year, but the SEC came right back with Alabama winning it all in 2015. The ACC has two very viable candidates in Clemson and Florida State. Clemson got a taste of the glory last year by making it to the championship; and on the FSU side, Jimbo Fisher knows what it takes to bring home the crystal trophy. The ACC is in prime position to take home the 2016 championship and really start making a dent in the (justified but still highly annoying) perception that it’s the SEC, and then everyyyybody else.
