N.C. State
Last year: 9-4 (6-2 ACC), beat Arizona State, 52-31, in Sun Bowl
Best win: at Florida State, 27-21 Worst loss: at Notre Dame, 35-14
Coach: Dave Doeren (sixth year, 34-30, 57-34 career)
Starters returning: 10 (6 offense, 3 defense, 1 specialist)
Offensive player to watch: QB Ryan Finley. Finley, a senior this coming season, garnering Heisman buzz. In 2017, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 3,518 yards, 17 TDs, and six picks. He also rushed for 194 yards and three scores. Finley had the third-most passing yards last season of the returning FBS quarterbacks. Only Missouri's Drew Lock and Penn State's Trace McSorley had more.
Defensive player to watch: DE Darian Roseboro. This was not an easy choice to make with so
many starters lost from last season, including DE Bradley Chubb, the fifth overall pick in the NFL draft to the Broncos. But Roseboro logged 422 snaps and collected 33 tackles, seven for losses, and 2.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble.
Special teams player to watch: P A.J. Cole. Cole is headed into his fourth season starting for the program and averaged 43.7 yards per punt last year, putting 23 inside the 20 and booting 15 at least 50 yards.
Schedule: vs. James Madison, vs. Georgia State, vs. West Virginia, at Marshall, vs. Virginia, vs. Boston College, at Clemson, at Syracuse, vs. Florida State, vs. Wake Forest, at Louisville, at North Carolina.
Win-loss prediction: 7-5 or 8-4. Sort of a cop-out, but I went with the same records for the Wolfpack, Cardinals, and Demon Deacons. Obviously, that group's games against each other will help lay out the Atlantic's pecking order. N.C. State is going to have to outscore some teams with its lack of returning defensive starters, something it can do with Finley under center.
Clemson
Last year: 12-2 (7-1 ACC), beat Miami, 38-3, in ACC championship, lost to Alabama, 24-6, in national semifinal
Best win: at Louisville, 47-21 Worst loss: at Syracuse, 27-24
Coach: Dabo Swinney (11th year, 10th full, 101-30)
Starters returning: 18 (7 offense, 8 defense, 3 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Kelly Bryant. Taking over for Deshaun Watson last season, Bryant, who was a junior in 2017, completed 65.8 percent of his throws for 2,802 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight picks. He also ran for 665 yards and 11 scores. Though he filled in admirably for Watson, Clemson signed the No. 1 freshman QB in the country for this coming season, Trevor Lawrence. A starting quarterback hasn't been named yet.
Defensive player to watch: DE Clelin Ferrell. As a sophomore, Ferrell, who went to Benedictine in
Richmond, racked up 63 tackles, 18 for losses, 9.5 sacks, and a pair of forced fumbles. Ferrell, DE Austin Bryant, and DTs Dexter Lawrence and Christian Wilkins make up the presumed best defensive line in the nation.
Special teams players to watch: Ks Greg Huegel, Alex Spence, and BT Potter. Huegel tore his ACL in mid-September last year after making 2 of 4 field goals, and Spence finished the season making 9 of 14. Both are getting pushed for the starting job by Potter, a freshman who was ranked the third-best kicker in his class nationally.
Schedule: vs. Furman, at Texas A&M, vs. Georgia Southern, at Georgia Tech, vs. Syracuse, at Wake Forest, vs. N.C. State, at Florida State, vs. Louisville, at Boston College, vs. Duke, vs. South Carolina.
Win-loss prediction: 10-2 or 11-1. Texas A&M, now coached by former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, and South Carolina make for some tricky nonconference games, and at Georgia Tech, plus the Wake-State-FSU-Louisville-BC stretch isn't exactly easy street, but with all the experience coming back on this team, it's tough imagining many losses. Whether it is Bryant under center again or the new kid in Lawrence, the offense has weapons with RBs Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster and WR Hunter Renfrow. Look for Clemson to contend for the playoffs again.
Florida State
Last year: 7-6 (3-5 ACC), beat Southern Miss, 42-13, in Independence Bowl
Best win: at Wake Forest, 26-19 Worst loss: at Boston College, 35-3
Coach: Willie Taggart (first year, 47-50 career)
Starters returning: 12 (6 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams)
Offensive player to watch: RB Cam Akers. As a freshman in 2017, Akers piled up 1,024 rushing yards and seven TDs and added 16 catches and a score. He's expected to thrive in Taggart's offense and is a Heisman hopeful.
Defensive player to watch: DE Brian Burns. As a sophomore, Burns collected 48 tackles, 13.5 for losses, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks.
Special teams player to watch: K Ricky Aguayo. Aguayo, a junior this fall, made 18 of his 21 field
goals last season with a long of 51.
Schedule: vs. Virginia Tech, vs. Samford, at Syracuse, vs. Northern Illinois, at Louisville, at Miami, vs. Wake Forest, vs. Clemson, at N.C. State, at Notre Dame, vs. Boston College, vs. Florida.
Win-loss prediction: 8-4 or 9-3. Don't let Taggart's overall record fool you. He is seen as a rising star in the coaching profession. He helped turn around Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Oregon the past eight seasons, entering those programs as they were coming off losing campaigns. The QB competition will be interesting here. Deondre Francois is coming off a bad injury he suffered in the opener against Alabama that wiped out his 2017 season. He had Heisman buzz going into the year, but James Blackman took over as a freshman and played solidly. Tough trips to Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, and Notre Dame could bring down the ceiling for this team.
Last year: 9-4 (6-2 ACC), beat Arizona State, 52-31, in Sun Bowl
Best win: at Florida State, 27-21 Worst loss: at Notre Dame, 35-14
Coach: Dave Doeren (sixth year, 34-30, 57-34 career)
Starters returning: 10 (6 offense, 3 defense, 1 specialist)
Offensive player to watch: QB Ryan Finley. Finley, a senior this coming season, garnering Heisman buzz. In 2017, he completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 3,518 yards, 17 TDs, and six picks. He also rushed for 194 yards and three scores. Finley had the third-most passing yards last season of the returning FBS quarterbacks. Only Missouri's Drew Lock and Penn State's Trace McSorley had more.
Defensive player to watch: DE Darian Roseboro. This was not an easy choice to make with so
Special teams player to watch: P A.J. Cole. Cole is headed into his fourth season starting for the program and averaged 43.7 yards per punt last year, putting 23 inside the 20 and booting 15 at least 50 yards.
Schedule: vs. James Madison, vs. Georgia State, vs. West Virginia, at Marshall, vs. Virginia, vs. Boston College, at Clemson, at Syracuse, vs. Florida State, vs. Wake Forest, at Louisville, at North Carolina.
Win-loss prediction: 7-5 or 8-4. Sort of a cop-out, but I went with the same records for the Wolfpack, Cardinals, and Demon Deacons. Obviously, that group's games against each other will help lay out the Atlantic's pecking order. N.C. State is going to have to outscore some teams with its lack of returning defensive starters, something it can do with Finley under center.
Clemson
Last year: 12-2 (7-1 ACC), beat Miami, 38-3, in ACC championship, lost to Alabama, 24-6, in national semifinal
Best win: at Louisville, 47-21 Worst loss: at Syracuse, 27-24
Coach: Dabo Swinney (11th year, 10th full, 101-30)
Starters returning: 18 (7 offense, 8 defense, 3 specialists)
Offensive player to watch: QB Kelly Bryant. Taking over for Deshaun Watson last season, Bryant, who was a junior in 2017, completed 65.8 percent of his throws for 2,802 yards, 13 touchdowns, and eight picks. He also ran for 665 yards and 11 scores. Though he filled in admirably for Watson, Clemson signed the No. 1 freshman QB in the country for this coming season, Trevor Lawrence. A starting quarterback hasn't been named yet.
Defensive player to watch: DE Clelin Ferrell. As a sophomore, Ferrell, who went to Benedictine in
Special teams players to watch: Ks Greg Huegel, Alex Spence, and BT Potter. Huegel tore his ACL in mid-September last year after making 2 of 4 field goals, and Spence finished the season making 9 of 14. Both are getting pushed for the starting job by Potter, a freshman who was ranked the third-best kicker in his class nationally.
Schedule: vs. Furman, at Texas A&M, vs. Georgia Southern, at Georgia Tech, vs. Syracuse, at Wake Forest, vs. N.C. State, at Florida State, vs. Louisville, at Boston College, vs. Duke, vs. South Carolina.
Win-loss prediction: 10-2 or 11-1. Texas A&M, now coached by former Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher, and South Carolina make for some tricky nonconference games, and at Georgia Tech, plus the Wake-State-FSU-Louisville-BC stretch isn't exactly easy street, but with all the experience coming back on this team, it's tough imagining many losses. Whether it is Bryant under center again or the new kid in Lawrence, the offense has weapons with RBs Travis Etienne and Tavien Feaster and WR Hunter Renfrow. Look for Clemson to contend for the playoffs again.
Florida State
Last year: 7-6 (3-5 ACC), beat Southern Miss, 42-13, in Independence Bowl
Best win: at Wake Forest, 26-19 Worst loss: at Boston College, 35-3
Coach: Willie Taggart (first year, 47-50 career)
Starters returning: 12 (6 offense, 4 defense, 2 special teams)
Offensive player to watch: RB Cam Akers. As a freshman in 2017, Akers piled up 1,024 rushing yards and seven TDs and added 16 catches and a score. He's expected to thrive in Taggart's offense and is a Heisman hopeful.
Defensive player to watch: DE Brian Burns. As a sophomore, Burns collected 48 tackles, 13.5 for losses, 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks.
Special teams player to watch: K Ricky Aguayo. Aguayo, a junior this fall, made 18 of his 21 field
Schedule: vs. Virginia Tech, vs. Samford, at Syracuse, vs. Northern Illinois, at Louisville, at Miami, vs. Wake Forest, vs. Clemson, at N.C. State, at Notre Dame, vs. Boston College, vs. Florida.
Win-loss prediction: 8-4 or 9-3. Don't let Taggart's overall record fool you. He is seen as a rising star in the coaching profession. He helped turn around Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Oregon the past eight seasons, entering those programs as they were coming off losing campaigns. The QB competition will be interesting here. Deondre Francois is coming off a bad injury he suffered in the opener against Alabama that wiped out his 2017 season. He had Heisman buzz going into the year, but James Blackman took over as a freshman and played solidly. Tough trips to Louisville, Miami, N.C. State, and Notre Dame could bring down the ceiling for this team.
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