In part one we looked at the former Coastal division of the ACC. In 2023 the ACC will no longer have divisions within the conference. Today, we look at the teams previously in the Atlantic division.
Boston College
In 2022, Boston College finished the season 3-9 (2-6 in conference). The team lost their starting quarterback to the transfer portal and star receiver Zay Flowers to the NFL draft. Boston College brought in WR Ryan O'Keefe (from UCF) via the transfer portal. They also added to the offensive line in thew portal by bringing in Kyle Hergel (from Texas State) and Logan Taylor (from Virginia). Boston College also brought in a few transfers on the defensive side of the ball in cornerbacks Khari Johnson (from Arkansas), Alex Washington (from Harvard) and Victor Nelson (from Long Island).
Boston College's win total is currently set at 5.5 wins, but can this team reach that mark in 2023? They open the season against Northern Illinois, Holy Cross, Florida State and Louisville. Those first two games should be automatic wins, but Florida State and Louisville will be very hard to keep close with. Because of that, the Eagles should start 2-2. They then play Virginia, Army, Georgia Tech and UCONN. An easier slate of games for Boston College, but there's still some teams in there that could cause problems for the Eagles. Boston College could stumble against any of these teams, and I only see the Eagles winning one game here against Army, bringing them to 3-5 on the season. They then finish their season against Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Pitt and Miami. This is a very tough stretch for the Eagles and the only toss up game is against Virginia Tech, but I took Virginia Tech in part one, which leaves Boston College with a 3-9 record on the season, which puts them toward the bottom of the ACC.
Wake Forest
In 2022 the Wake Forst Demon Deacons finish 8-5 with a 3-5 conference record. They finished their season with a bowl game win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl with a score of 27-17. However, they lost their star QB and one of the best players in the country in Sam Hartman, now at Notre Dame, to the transfer portal. They also lost star receiver A.T. Perry to the NFL draft.
With the departure of Sam Hartman, there is a general feeling that Wake Forest will take a few steps back this season. The current win total for the Demon Deacons is set at 6.5 wins. But, with some of these key changes at key positions can Dave Clawson lead his team back to a bowl game appearance or will Wake Forest fall short of that six-win mark?
They open their season against Elon, Vanderbilt, Old Dominion and Georgia Tech. This is a pretty easy start to the season for Wake Forest and they should be able to win all four of these games to start 4-0 on the season. They then play Clemson, Virgini Tech, Pitt and Florida State. This is a tough four game stretch for the Deacons, and I only see them winning one game against Virginia Tech, putting them at 5-3. They finish the season against Duke, NC State, Notre Dame and Syracuse. This is another tough four game stretch to finish the season, but I think they can manage to get two wins in this stretch. That would put the team at 7-5 on the season.
Syracuse
The next team we'll take a look at is the Syracuse Orange. In 2022, Syracuse 7-6 with a 4-4 conference record. After starting their season 6-0 and climbing up to the 18th spot in the AP poll, the Orange went 1-5 in their final six games of the season. They finished their season with a loss to Minnesota in the Pinstripe Bowl with a final score of 29-20.
Syracuse lost some key players on both sides of the ball to the draft last season. But they were able to land some transfers on the defensive side of the ball. The Orange was able to strengthen their secondary by adding Jaeden Gould (from Nebraska) and Jayden Bellamy (from Notre Dame). Is this enough for Syracuse to put together a more consistent and better season than in 2022?
The win total for Syracuse is currently at 6.5 wins. The Orange opens their season against Colgate, Western Michigan, Purdue and Army. A pretty favorable slate to start the season as the team should be able to go 3-1 with their only loss coming on the road against Purdue. They then have one of the toughest four game stretches in the country against Clemson, North Carolina, Florida State and Virginia Tech. The only winnable game here for Syracuse is against Virginia Tech. After dropping three straight games the team will be 4-4 on the season. They finish their season against Boston College, Pitt, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest. I have Syracuse winning three of their final four games here with the only loss coming to Pitt to finish the season at 7-5.
NC State
You can't talk about NC State in 2023 without first mentioning the loss of star QB Devin Leary, who transferred to Kentucky in the offseason. Leary was injured for a lot of the 2022 season but was still regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation having thrown for 3,433 yards and 35 touchdowns. Instead, the Wolfpack turns to a new leader in Virginia QB transfer Brennan Armstrong, who, in three years of starting, threw for 9,034 yards and 58 touchdowns, while also having 20 rushing touchdowns.
NC State's win total is currently at 6.5 wins, but the Wolfpack has higher expectations than that. Can Armstrong help propel this team past the 6.5-win total?
NC State opens its 2023 season against UCONN, Notre Dame, VMI and Virginia. The only game the Wolfpack could lose here is against Notre Dame. NC State should be able to start 3-1. They then play Louisville, Marshall, Duke and Clemson. This is a tough stretch of games for the Wolfpack, but they should come out of it with two wins against Marshall and Duke, which would put them at 5-3. They then finish their season against Miami, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. This is no easy way to finish the season, however, I think NC State can overcome Wake Forest, Virginia Tech and North Carolina while only losing to Miami to finish the season 8-4.
Louisville
The Louisville Cardinals had a pretty successful season in 2022, going 8-5 and 4-4 in conference play with a bowl win over Cincinatti. There is a lot of hype surrounding the Cardinals heading into the 2023 season. Mainly in part because they have a new head coach in Jeff Brohm who had a lot of success at Purdue. Louisville also added a graduate transfer QB Jack Plummer from Cal, who played under Brohm at Purdue before transferring to Cal. It should also be stated that the Cardinals do not play Florida State and Clemson in 2023.
With that said, their win total currently sits at 8.5. Louisville opens their season against Georgia Tech, Murray State, Indiana and Boston College. the Cardinals should find themselves sitting at 4-0 after a pretty easy four games to start the season. They then play NC State, Notre Dame, Pitt and Duke. This is a tough four game slate for Louisville, but I think they can manage to get two wins here against NC State and Duke to move them to 6-2 on the season. The Cardinals finish their season against Virginia Tech, Virginia, Miami and Kentucky. Again, Louisville should be able to come out of this four-game stretch with at least two wins against both Virginia teams to finish the season at 8-4.
Florida State
Florida State is coming off one of their better seasons in recent history. In 2022, the Seminoles went 9-3 in the regular season, with a 5-3 conference record. They finished their season with a bowl win over Oklahoma in the Pop-Tarts Bowl by a score of 35-32. Florida State finished the season ranked 13th in the AP polls.
There is a lot of hype around this Seminoles team and some high hopes around their fanbase. Jordan Travis, one of the nations top QBs, will again lead Florida State in 2023. Also leading the team is Johnny Wilson, a 6-foot-7 WR, and transfer Keon Coleman (from Michigan State). Along with Trey Benson leading the backfield for the Seminoles. The team was also able to beef up in the trenches by landed multiple offensive and defensive linemen through the portal which should give both units a spark.
Florida State's win total is set high at 9.5 wins. Can the Seminoles make the jump and get to a ten or eleven season in 2023? They open the season against LSU, Southern Miss, Boston College and Clemson. Outside of Southern Miss and Boston College, playing two top ten teams to start the season is difficult for anyone. If Florida State were to come out of these four games with two losses they would already lose their chance of making the playoffs. But, the game against LSU is in Orlando, giving Florida State and advantage. So, I think they can escape this daunting start with a 3-1 record. They then play Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Duke and Wake Forest and I think they'll win all these games to improve to 7-1. They then finish the season against Pitt, Miami, North Alabama and Florida. Again, I think they can win all four of these games, though all them should be close games besides North Alabama. Finishing 11-1 is definitely hard to do but this Seminoles squad has the weapons to do it.
Clemson
We finish this ACC preview with none other then Clemson. The Tigers have long been the team to beat in ACC and they're coming off 9-3 season, going a perfect 8-0 in conference play and winning the ACC championship before losing to Tennessee in the Orange Bowl. Is 2023 Clemson's year to get back in the college football playoffs?
Cade Klubnik will be leading the Tigers offense in 2023 alongside RB Will Shipley and WR Antonio Williams. On the other side of the ball, Clemson lost four All-ACC players to the NFL draft. However, the Tigers are always able to roll out a good defense that can keep up with offense in the country. Clemson's win total is also set at 9.5, can the Tigers reach that and maybe make their way into the playoffs?
They open their season against Duke, Charleston Southern, FAU and Florida State. The only tough game here for Clemson comes against Florida State, but I think they will take care of business and start 4-0. They then play Syracuse, Wake Forest, Miami and NC State. Again, I think the Tigers can go 4-0 here and improve to 8-0 on the season. Clemson finishes their season against Notre Dame, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and South Carolina. Three of these games should be very entertaining, sorry Georgia Tech, we're not talking about you. Notre Dame pose as the biggest threat to spoil Clemson's perfect season, but with the game being in Death Valley I think the Tigers will handle business and go a prefect 12-0 on the season.
ACC Standings:
Clemson 12-0 (8-0)
Florida State 11-1 (7-1)
North Carolina 10-2 (8-2)
Pitt 9-3 (6-2)
Louisville 8-4 (6-2)
Miami 9-3 (5-3)
NC State 8-4 (5-3)
Syracuse 7-5 (4-4)
Wake Forest 7-5 (4-4)
Duke 6-6 (3-5)
Georgia Tech 4-8 (2-6)
Virginia Tech 3-9 (2-6)
Virginia 3-9 (1-7)
Boston College 3-9 (0-9)
ACC Championship Game:
Clemson vs. Florida State