ACC preview 2022: Clemson, Miami, NC State and more battle in competitive conference

Last season was unusual in the Atlantic Coast Conference, with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons and Pittsburgh Panthers reaching the 2021 ACC Championship Game.

After a year hiatus, the Clemson Tigers are the clear-cut favorites once again, but the Coastal Division, as always, appears to be wide open, with the Miami Hurricanes, North Carolina Tar Heels and more gunning for a spot in the championship game.

Atlantic Division

1. Clemson Tigers

Coach: Dabo Swinney.

Players to watch: TE Davis Allen, T Walker Parks, DT Bryan Bresee, DT Myles Murphy, LB Trenton Simpson.

Key games: at Florida State, Oct. 15; vs. Syracuse, Oct. 22; at Notre Dame, Nov. 5; vs. Miami, Nov. 19; vs. South Carolina, Nov. 26.

The transition into the post-Trevor Lawrence era didn’t go so smoothly for Clemson, which failed to reach the ACC Championship Game for the first time since 2014. Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, however, is a year more experienced and should be able to lean on one of the nation’s best defenses, led by a pair of potential All-Americans in Bresee and Murphy.

2. Florida State Seminoles

Coach: Mike Norvell.

Players to watch: OL Dillan Gibbons, DL Robert Cooper, DT Fabian Lovett, DB Akeem Dent, S Jammie Robinson.

Key games: vs. LSU, Sept. 4 (in New Orleans); vs. Clemson, Oct. 15; at Miami, Nov. 5; at Syracuse, Nov. 12; vs. Florida, Nov. 25.

It will be a pivotal season for Norvell after the coach failed to lead the Florida State Seminoles to a bowl game in each of his first two seasons. Now he has his players in the fold and is fully out of excuses. Florida State always has one of the most talented rosters in the ACC.

3. Louisville Cardinals

Coach: Scott Satterfield.

Players to watch: QB Malik Cunningham, TE Marshon Ford, G Caleb Chandler, LB Yasir Abdullah, CB Kei’Trel Clark.

Key games: at Syracuse, Sept. 3; vs. Florida State, Sept. 16; vs. USF, Sept. 24; vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 12; at Clemson, Nov. 12.

Cunningham has been a fixture in the ACC for years and remains one of the most dangerous offensive weapons in the conference, even if he’s not always the most consistent. The Louisville Cardinals also have the makings of a much-improved defense, led by Clark and Abdullah.

4. NC State Wolfpack

Coach: Dave Doeren.

Players to watch: QB Devin Leary, C Grant Gibson, LB Drake Thomas, LB Payton Wilson, S Tanner Ingle.

Key games: vs. Texas Tech, Sept. 17; at Clemson, Oct. 1; vs. Florida State, Oct. 8; at Syracuse, Oct. 15; at North Carolina, Nov. 25.

NC State is one of the most hyped teams in the country this preseason, with most of a top-15 defense returning and Leary getting the nod as the preseason ACC Player of the Year. Most of Leary’s weapons from a year ago, however, are gone and there are more question marks than the preseason rankings might suggest.

5. Syracuse Orange

Coach: Dino Babers.

Players to watch: RB Sean Tucker, WR Trebor Pena, OL Matthew Bergeron, LB Mikel Jones, CB Duce Chestnut.

Key games: vs. Louisville, Sept. 3; at Clemson, Oct. 22; vs. Notre Dame, Oct. 29; at Pittsburgh, Nov. 5; vs. Florida State, Nov. 12.

The Syracuse Orange will go as Tucker goes and, frankly, the running back might get Syracuse pretty far. An All-American a year ago, Tucker might be the best player in the ACC after he averaged 6.1 yards per carry, despite being essentially the entire focus of opponents’ defensive game plans.

6. Boston College Eagles

Coach: Jeff Hafley.

Players to watch: RB Pat Garwo II, WR Zay Flowers, G Christian Mahogany, CB Josh DeBerry, S Jaiden Woodbey.

Key games: at Virginia Tech, Sept. 10; at Florida State, Sept. 24; vs. Clemson, Oct. 8; at Notre Dame, Nov. 19; vs. Syracuse, Nov. 26.

If quarterback Phil Jurkovec can stay healthy, then the Boston College Eagles should be feisty. Flowers is as good a receiver as there is the Atlantic Division, and Boston College’s offensive line is always reliable. This division has a chance to be really competitive.

7. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

Coach: Dave Clawson.

Players to watch: QB Sam Hartman, WR Taylor Morin, WR A.T. Perry, OL Sean Maginn, CB Caelen Carson.

Key games: vs. Clemson, Sept. 24; at Florida State, Oct. 1; at Louisville, Oct. 29; vs. North Carolina, Nov. 12; vs. Syracuse, Nov. 19.

Wake Forest feasted on a soft schedule last year, winning the Atlantic while most of the other usual contenders struggled through down seasons. With Hartman out indefinitely because of a medical issue, the Demon Deacons’ present is even murkier.

Coastal Division

1. North Carolina Tar Heels

Coach: Mack Brown.

Players to watch: WR Josh Downs, TE Kamari Morales, DL Jahvaree Ritzie, CB Storm Duck, CB Tony Grimes.

Key games: at Appalachian State, Sept. 3; vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 24; vs. Virginia Tech, Oct. 1; at Miami, Oct. 8; vs. Pittsburgh, Oct. 29.

Last year was a missed opportunity for Brown, who had an NFL quarterback and couldn’t build on the eight wins he strung together in 2020. There’s still plenty of talent, though, because Brown recruits at a high level, and Downs and Grimes have a chance to be two of the biggest game-changing players in the conference.

2. Miami Hurricanes

Coach: Mario Cristobal.

Players to watch: QB Tyler Van Dyke, TE Will Mallory, T Zion Nelson, DT Leonard Taylor, S James Williams.

Key games: at Texas A&M, Sept. 17; vs. North Carolina, Oct. 8; vs. Florida State, Nov. 5; at Clemson, Nov. 19; vs. Pittsburgh, Nov. 26.

Van Dyke’s red-hot finish to the 2021 college football season would inspire confidence no matter who was coaching Miami. Cristobal’s arrival only heightens it. Even if the offense takes a step back following the departures of record-setting wide receivers Mike Harley and Charleston Rambo, a young defense should improve and keep the Hurricanes near the top of their division.

3. Pittsburgh Panthers

Coach: Pat Narduzzi.

Players to watch: OL Carter Warren, DE Habbukuk Baldanado, DL Elliot Donald, DT Calijah Kancey, LB SirVocea Dennis.

Key games: vs. Tennessee, Sept. 10; at Louisville, Oct. 22; at North Carolina Oct. 29; vs. Syracuse, Nov. 5; at Miami, Nov. 26.

After losing Heisman Trophy-finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett to the NFL and All-American wide receiver Jordan Addison to the USC Trojans, Pittsburgh is one of the biggest wild cards in the league, with an offense sure to regress. It should mean a shift back to a more traditional look for the Panthers, who still have one of the best defensive lines in the conference.

4. Virginia Tech Hokies

Coach: Brent Pry.

Players to watch: OL Kaden Moore, LB Dax Hollifield, CB Dorian Strong, S Chamarri Conner, P Peter Moore.

Key games: vs. West Virginia, Sept. 22; at North Carolina, Oct. 1; at Pittsburgh, Oct. 8; vs. Miami, Oct. 15.

With a first-year coach, the Virginia Tech Hokies are hoping to spring out of the mediocrity of former coach Justin Fuente’s tenure. Fuente’s subpar recruiting leaves Virginia Tech’s roster somewhat barren, but the Coastal is never won on the recruiting trail. There’s enough here for Pry to keep the Hokies competitive.

5. Virginia Cavaliers

Coach: Tony Elliott.

Players to watch: QB Brennan Armstrong, WR Billy Kemp IV, WR Keytaon Thompson, WR Dontayvion Wicks, LB Nick Jackson.

Key games: at Illinois, Sept. 10; at Syracuse, Sept. 23; vs. Miami, Oct. 29; vs. North Carolina, Nov. 5; vs. Pittsburgh, Nov. 12.

As good as the Virginia Cavaliers’ offense was last year, their defense was a mess, and former coach Bronco Mendenhall’s surprising resignation in the winter won’t make it so easy for Virginia to just build on last year, even with Armstrong and his top three wide receivers all back. The Cavaliers lost their top six offensive linemen and have to rebuild their defense

6. Duke Blue Devils

Coach: Mike Elko.

Players to watch: WR Jalon Calhoun, OL Graham Barton, DL DeWayne Carter, LB Shaka Heyward, DB Jaylen Stinson.

Key games: at Northwestern, Sept. 10; vs. North Carolina, Oct. 15; at Miami, Oct. 22; vs. Virginia Tech, Nov. 12; at Pittsburgh, Nov. 19.

Elko is one of three new coaches in the division and the one with the most thankless job. Even for former coach David Cutcliffe, success was fleeting in Durham, North Carolina, and Elko will need time to build to some of those high points Cutcliffe had with the Blue Devils.

7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Coach: Geoff Collins.

Players to watch: QB Jeff Sims, RB Dontae Smith, OL Jordan Williams, LB Ayinde Eley, LB Charlie Thomas.

Key games: vs. Clemson, Sept. 5; vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 17; vs. Miami, Nov. 12; at North Carolina, Nov. 19; at Georgia, Nov. 26.

Collins never had an easy job, asked to succeed former coach Paul Johnson and transition the Yellow Jackets from a triple-option team to a more traditional style. Still, it has gone worse than anticipated, with only nine wins in three years for the coach. Losing star running back Jahmyr Gibbs to the Alabama Crimson Tide might have been the back-breaker.