With SEC Media Days in the rearview mirror, it is time to look at their conference rival…the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). We will split the preview by divisions. We will look at the Atlantic Division first. The question we all want answered in 2019 is- can anyone knock off Clemson?
Atlantic:
It has been a four year dominating performance by the Clemson Tigers. It began in 2015 when a quarterback named DeShaun Watson burst onto the scene. Watson led his Tigers to a two year record of 28-2, winning the 2016 National Championship. Clemson ran through the ACC again the following year, but stubbed their toe in the College Football Playoff (CFP).
Clemson nation did not have to wait too long to get another crack at the National Title. Led by freshman Trevor Lawrence, the Tigers became the 1st national champion, since the playoff began, to go undefeated. The 2018 Clemson Tigers finished 15-0 and they were never really tested.
Entering 2019, we can expect Clemson to once again win the ACC and advance to the CFP. Clemson’s dominance makes their conference schedule look weak. It would be a monumental upset if Clemson lost a conference game this year.
The two games I see Clemson struggling with this year are road games against two SEC schools. Texas A&M in week 2 and rival South Carolina at the end of the year. If the Tigers take care of those teams, we will see Clemson 12-0 heading to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game.
Before Clemson’s dominance, Florida State went on a three year dominant streak. The Seminoles won 39 games in three years, winning a national championship in 2013. Florida State had an efficient coach in Jimbo Fisher and a Heisman winning quarterback Jameis Winston.
The good days of old have moved on with Winston in the NFL and Fisher at Texas A&M. Year one under Willie Taggert did not go as planned. The Noles missed the postseason for the first time since 1982. Taggert begins his second year returning a total of 16 starters.
Florida State travels to Death Valley on October 12. Barring a conference loss before hand, this will seemingly be for the division. The Noles have not beaten Clemson since the overtime victory without Jameis Winston in 2014.
Excluding the last two seasons, Florida State always seems to play Clemson tough. Florida State’s success this season comes from quarterback James Blackmon. In addition to Clemson, the Noles host Miami (FL) and travel to archrival Florida. The 2019 schedule puts Florida State 9-3 at the very best.
The last time Clemson or Florida State did not make the ACC Championship was 2008. Boston College repeated as division champions, but lost to Virginia Tech. The Eagles have been up and down since the light shined on them.
The Eagles won seven games last year and look to make another appearance in Capitol One Bowl Mania. Boston College may not have the weapons to compete for the division, but they are talented enough to win 6-8 games. The last division champion is Wake Forest.
The Demon Deacons won the Atlantic in 2006 with a record of 10-2. Wake also made a bowl game last year and plan on doing it again in 2019. From 3rd place on back, any of the remaining teams can make a bowl game. The head-to-head matchups can make or break seasons like this.
One team that we need to watch out for will be Syracuse. The Orange defeated Clemson in 2017 and won 10 games last year. If you want a dark horse in this division race look to the team from New York.
Syracuse joined the ACC in 2013 and finally saw success last year. Even though they defeated Clemson, they finished the 2017 season 4-8. The ten wins last year was the most for the Orange since 2001.
Quite an accomplishment by a team who were the bottom dwellers for five years. Syracuse hosts Clemson this year and depending on how good Florida State is, the Orange could finish 2nd in the division for the second consecutive year.
Clemson is the odds-on favorite to win the Atlantic division in 2019. The Tigers cannot take any opponent lightly, because the other six teams are gunning for them. I do not see an upset happening in this division.
Clemson will be tested but good teams find a way to win the tough games. I would not be surprised if Clemson played one possession games with every division opponent this year.
