Big thanks to @T0mahawkCh0p  (Edward Lee Kennedy V) for compiling and all our ACC podcast predictions. This is his first article, and we hope he finds the time for more.

It’s hard to believe, but the truth is starring us straight in the face: ACC Football is back in less than a month. With an entire off-season behind us, fall camps have started all across the country. How did this time pass us by so swiftly?

            Pre-season speculation is often left to fandom across all great programs. Here at All Sports Discussion, we take things up a notch. Over the past fourteen weeks, Jeff and Matt have hosted special guest appearances from insiders across all Atlanta Coast Conference programs, providing insights into what fans should anticipate from each team. This provided an opportunity to evaluate and speculate further upon these insights when compared simultaneously to one another.

Thus came inspiration: a visual breakdown of conference performance across all ACC programs. How do special guests perceive their own programs? How do these insiders view other programs in conference? What are pre-season expectations versus out of conference foes? These are questions you’ve been asking. These are questions that Jeff and Matt have answered in their podcast series. Let’s recap.

Overview

            We begin with a simple list of ACC programs, divided alphabetically and by division. Atlantic and Coastal. The guest insider is credited alongside each team they represented.

ACC Standings

            Divided by the orange line running down the center of the grid, the Atlantic division programs sit in the upper portion, while the Coastal division programs reside beneath. Running horizontally, Boston College is predicted WIN 3 games while facing a LOSS in 5 games in conference play, according to @JoeMicik , for example.

You will note that this is the first horizontal team listed in the Atlantic Division. Vertically, the teams are divided alphabetically, however aren’t divided into their respective divisions. So reading Boston College again, outside guests (everyone that isn’t @JoeMicik whose program faces Boston College) predicted their team to WIN against Boston College, leaving them 0-8 in conference play.

            Here are some conclusions that we can make:

• No insider believes their team will go less than 3 wins in conference play
• Three programs were identified as teams that could go winless in conference play: Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest.
• Outsiders predicted one program to go 8-0 in conference: Miami.
• Of insiders, no one believed they would go undefeated in conference play (closest is Florida State at 7-1).
• Of insiders in the ACC Atlantic division, Florida State leads conference foes at 7-1.
• Of outsiders in the ACC Atlantic division, Florida State and Louisville are tied at 7-1 in conference play, with Florida State holding the tiebreaker over Louisville (FSU and Louisville fans have already highlighted this game in advance, ACC fans should do the same!)
• Of insiders in the ACC Coastal division, Miami and Pitt are tied at 6-2 in conference play, with Miami holding the tiebreaker over Pitt.
• Of outsiders in the ACC Coastal division, Miami leads conference foes at 8-0.

            Impressions:

            Personal biases aside (being a Florida State graduate), it amazes me the parity in conference play that has developed before our very eyes. It was only a few years ago when teams would quake in the very thought of playing against a Jimbo Fisher lead FSU or a Clemson program helmed by Dabo Swinney. Now look: Justin Fuente lead the charge as Virginia Tech took Clemson down to the wire in the ACC title game, while Larry Fedora nearly dethroned Clemson in the same matchup, and the Paul Johnson coached Hornets (GT) also battled Florida State for conference bragging rights.

That all being said, perceptions are shaped by history, and if history has been any indication: Florida State is Florida State, and Miami is Miami. While I (personally) question the legitimacy of Miami’s claim at conference superiority this season (name the starting quarterback), there is little doubt that Miami’s offense tools and monstrous front seven should serve them well during the season. However, if recent history is any indication, don’t slouch on the Hokies or Pitt, as both programs are on the rise and are bound to pull the rug from beneath many traditional blue bloods if they aren’t careful.

            In the Atlantic division, we are drawn to the same debate: Florida State or Clemson? Well, maybe the debate has been slightly different with the rise of Louisville as a national contender. Clemson, coached by the ever-colorful Dabo Swinney, has gone on a legendary run that it should be proud of. And like the Jimbo Fisher lead Seminoles; every national title contender needs a season to re-tool.

Enter the Louisville Cardinals, lead by stud quarterback Lamar Jackson. Embarrassing Florida State last season, Lamar and the Cardinals nearly took the ACC from Clemson in Death Valley. Now? Louisville is primed for another emergent season, this time facing Clemson on their home turf. But after throttling the Seminoles at home last season, will they find themselves trapped in revenge game in Tallahassee against a loaded defense and retooled offense? Needless to say, the Atlantic is shaping up to be a 3 horse race. This race, however, could face a hungry wolf pack that takes on two of three in their home den.

Out of Conference Standings & Overall Insider W/L Records

            The ACC is once again predicted to have a strong showing in the Out of Conference standings, according to our insiders’ predictions for each of their programs. The ACC is predicted to go 2 – 3 versus Notre Dame, 8 – 3 versus the SEC, 3 – 1 versus the Big Ten, 1 – 2 versus the Big Twelve, 1 Loss versus the Pac-12, 21 – 1 versus Group of Five programs and 14 – 0 versus FCS programs, with a total OOC W/L record of 49-11.

            Some Thoughts:

• Georgia Tech had two guest insiders make selections (each made separate predictions) meaning both were included in these numbers.
• Losing records versus Notre Dame, the Big Twelve and the PAC-12 shouldn’t be too damaging, as the losses come at major powers in their respective conferences (while Notre Dame should be much improved from last season).
• No insider believes their ACC team will win more than 10 games this season. This speaks volumes of the parity in conference and in OOC scheduling.
• No insider believes their ACC team will lose less than 6 games, meaning everyone believes their team will become bowl eligible.

Mark Your Calendar ACC Football Matchups!

As a final point, I’d like to help eager ACC fans schedule ahead of time for upcoming ACC matchups that you just can’t miss. These are identified through insider perceptions of their program versus the other. The two teams have insider perceptions that come into conflict with the other program, meaning one insider believes their team will beat the other team, and vice-versa. Additionally, I will also note perennial match-ups that are of historical significance to programs.

September 9^th:

• Wake Forest @ Boston College (ACC Network Extra 12:30 P.M. ET)

September 16^th

• Clemson @ Louisville (TBD 3:30 P.M. ET)
• Miami @ Florida State (ABC 8:00 P.M. ET)

September 23^rd

• Duke @ North Carolina (TBD)
• Pittsburgh @ Georgia Tech (TBD)

September 30^th

• Clemson @ Virginia Tech (TBD)

October 5^th

• Louisville @ North Carolina State (ESPN/WatchESPN 8:00 P.M. ET)

October 7^th

• Pittsburgh @ Syracuse (TBD)

October 14^th

• Virginia @ North Carolina (TBD)
• NC State @ Pittsburgh (TBD)

October 21^st

• Boston College @ Virginia (TBD)
• Pittsburgh @ Duke
• Louisville @ Florida State (TBD)

October 28^th

• Georgia Tech @ Clemson (TBD)

November 4^th

• Georgia Tech @ Virginia (TBD)
• Virginia Tech @ Miami (TBD)

November 9^th

• North Carolina @ Pittsburgh (ESPN/WatchESPN 8:00 P.M. ET)

November 11^th

• North Carolina State @ Boston College (TBD)
• Florida State @ Clemson (TBD)
• Wake Forest @ Syracuse (TBD)

November 24^th

• Miami @ Pittsburgh (TBD)
• Virginia Tech @ Virginia (TBD)

November 25^th

• Duke @ Wake Forest (TBD)
• North Carolina @ North Carolina State (TBD)

Special Thanks

Shout out to All Sports Discussion ACC Podcast, to Jeff (@TalkinACCSports) & Matt (@HokieSmash_ASD) give these two a follow, as well as their official Twitter handle @AllSportsDACC .

Special thanks to guest insiders:

Mike Kline (@MikeKlineDSB) covering Duke Football,

Matt Purdy (@UMwolfpack87) covering North Carolina State Football,

Dan Caro (@treadmillhorse) covering Virginia Tech Football,

John Cary (@KilroyFSU) covering Florida State Football,

Ethan Moore (@_EthanMoore) covering Louisville Football,

Matt Thompson (@MattThompson87) & Emily (@Sportsbroad) covering Georgia Tech Football,

Will Ojanen (@WillsWorldMN) covering Virginia Football,

Zach (@CzarOfPgh) covering Pittsburgh Football,

Scott Rhymer (@TigerPreGame) covering Clemson Football,

Zach Evans (@ztevans) covering University of North Carolina Football,

Antwan Staley (@antwanstaley) covering University of Miami Football,

Joe Micik (@JoeMicik) covering Boston College Football,

Brian Harrison (@BH_Orange44) covering Syracuse Football, and

Robert Reinhard (@Robert_Reinhard) covering Wake Forest Football.

If you enjoyed this blog post and the podcasts please give everyone a follow on Twitter. You can follow me @T0mahawkCh0p on Twitter as well if you enjoyed this post, have any questions, comments, or talking points you’d like to make, or just want a friendly chat.

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