@AllSportsDACC contributor and guest picks for 2018 ACC Football.

Good evening.  College football’s big opening Saturday is almost here.  It is GAME WEEK. Here are the @AllSportsDACC team’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) predictions for team by team records, awards, division winners, and the ACC title winner.

Our contributors below make their picks.  Give them a twitter follow!

Matthew  – @HokieSmash_ASD

Jeff – @TalkinACCSports

James C. – @JamesIV1978

Edward – @EdKennedyV

Tom S. – @Shanny2055

Also joining us our guest pickers, including:

• Ethan Moore – than Moore of Louisville Sports Live is here.  You can follow Ethan on Twitter at @_EthanMoore and Louisville Sports Live at @LvilleSprtsLive (and on the Internet at http://louisvillesportslive.net/).  Ethan and and his colleague, Nick Burch (you can follow Nick on Twitter at @_NickBurch) have a radio show dedicated to UofL sports on 93.9 FM the Ville (their twitter account is @939TheVille, which is powered by ESPN) every Wednesday night at 6:00 PM EST.
• Dan the owner of TreadmillHorse.com, a Virginia Tech blog that focuses on Hokies football and men’s basketball.  You can follow Dan on Twitter at @Treadmillhorse.
• Emily used to write about sports at various blogs around the internet, but primarily is found in 140 characters or less @sportsbroad on Twitter.  Emily served as guest and guest co-host on the @AllSportsDACC podcast.
• James Bostic, III, who is Clemson Alumnus and has been on our podcast many times.  You can follow games on Twitter at @CUBOSCO.

ACC Coastal Division Record Predictions

ACC Atlantic Division Record Predictions:

ACC Division Winners, Players of the Year, Coach of the Year, and ACC Title Winner

Open Microphone (talk anything you want about ACC football here):

Matthew:  Larry Fedora better get his North Carolina Tar Heels to a bowl this year or he’s going to have the hottest coaching seat in American in 2019.  I’m not high on Fedora (is his name spelled Feora? No D in Feora? h/t @WillsWorldMN).  Is Larry Fedora equipped to be a coach in the ACC?  Also, Clemson will have four first round draft picks in the 2019 NFL draft – and they will all come from that stout defensive line (Austin Bryant, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, and Christian Wilkins are absolutely sick).

Jeff: I don’t understand why so many people are down on Clemson QB Kelly Bryant. He played good to great in every game he was healthy in but 1 (Alabama), and nobody associated with the Tiger offense should be free of blame for that effort. Don’t sell this guy short. He was following a legend in Deshaun Watson after all, and now has a year starting under his belt. Nate Woody at Georgia Tech is going to be the assistant coach hire of the year in the ACC. His Appalachian State defenses were consistently solid, and his aggressive style will be the complement to Georgia Tech’s option offense that Paul Johnson’s has been looking for. The Yellow Jackets will return to a bowl game.

If NC State ever wanted to make a national splash, this is the year. They have a golden opportunity to start the season 6-0, and get a  marquee win over West Virginia. A 6-0 start would have them in them in the top 15 heading to Clemson. The would be the biggest NC State Clemson game in recent memory, and the Wolfpack play with no fear of the Tigers. Take a look at the schedule and tell me NC State can’t have a double digit wins regular season.

Edward: Speaking for Florida State, with their schedule, new coaching staff and offensive scheme they’ll implement, I can’t predict an ACC Division title (not with this Clemson team at any rate). However, they’ve once again got the talent to compete and have an immediate impact in the Conference. They’re the true wildcard in the ACC this season. Willie has them going in the right direction, and I truly believe they’ll beat Virginia Tech opening night (while Virginia Tech might end the season with the stronger W-L record). But after last season, it is evident a culture change is necessary. Usually, this takes more than an off-season to address. We shall see.

FSU could go 6-6 with their schedule. FSU could also shock the world and go 12-0. I’m going to play this pre-season expectation safe and predict they go 8-4, with anticipated losses to Clemson, Miami and Notre Dame, and one upset at NC State. Speaking of, the Wolfpack are on the up-and-up in the ACC! While in my ‘Chops Takes’ series I had different W-L predictions than what I recorded above, the offseason can have a dramatic impact on perception. I believe NC State is making the right moves to put them on-par with the upper echelon of the ACC Atlantic.

I hate to say it, but Mark Richt might officially bring the U back this season. They won’t beat Clemson, but the U could easily sweep the division title in the Coastal. I have been high on Virginia Tech as well, but there’s no doubt the off-season was NOT friendly to the Hokies. We will see how that translates on Labor Day. See you then, Matt!

Tom: I don’t like a team with a returning quarterback battling a true freshman to run the table, so I see at least one loss in the ACC and one out of conference. Clemson hasn’t been immune to upsets in ACC play with the QB settled. But the defensive line is overwhelming for double-digit wins. Dexter Lawrence is unblockable and deserves the POY honors, although defensive guys are too often overlooked.

People are underestimating Duke, which has a better offensive line protecting QB Daniel Jones and a defense that deserved better than last year’s 7-6 record. Dino Babers won’t breakthrough dramatically yet as he has in past jobs, but 8-4 at Syracuse is remarkable considering where he started.

Dan: One thing that stood out to me while making my picks was the Miami and Clemson both have good chances to go 12-0 this year. That’s not something I can remember seeing in my ACC picks in a long time.  

One team that did not come up favorably in my game-by-game analysis was Georgia Tech. Looks like it might be a tough year for Paul Johnson and the Jackets this season. Virginia also did not look good. After making a bowl last season, this could be a step-back season for Bronco Mendenhall and the Hoos.  One team that looks better-than-expected is North Carolina. Look for a bounce-back season for Larry Fedora and company.

This year is setting up nicely for the Atlantic Division. I have four teams going 9-3 or better. That will bode well for the conference and the perception of this division nationally. Clemson will lead the bunch and I have them going undefeated going into the College Football Playoff. I have Florida State, NC State and Louisville all going 9-3.

The Coastal division will be decided by the Miami-Virginia Tech game. Even if Miami loses that game, they still may win the division. I don’t see anyone challenging Clemson in the Atlantic. Looks like smooth sailing for them all the way to the ACC Championship Game.

Emily: Clemson is walking away with the Atlantic until further notice so once again, the Coastal will be the more interesting division. I expect to see a moderately improved GT team that leads to a much better record. That said, I’ve got them with easily the most disappointing 9-3 season they could think of, with losses to all their rivals. N

C State needs to reckon with the fact they voluntarily brought in Ted Roof, so that 8-4 could easily slip to 5-7, speaking from experience. Much like last year, I just don’t see the losses on the schedule for Miami until they get to the ACCCG and fall to Clemson. Barring a breakout performance, Dabo gets the nod for COY.

James B: Game week is upon us and I have a sneaky feeling that things are not going to play out as neat and clean as many expect after spending the summer convincing ourselves we know how this is going to play out. I think at least one or two what if’s will come to reality. I have been hesitant to jump on the Boston College hype train because their quarterback play even during their win streak at the end of last season was not good.

IF Boston College can get some quarterback play they will be a factor in the Atlantic. IF NC State finds some defense and be more consistent, they too will be a factor to down the stretch. On the other side I am eager to see what Miami looks like no turning over opponents in droves and converting them into touchdowns at alarming rates. While Georgia Tech has been all over the place, it has been pointed out to me that the Jackets end up being pretty good when they have an abundance of experience. With 10 returning starters back on offense and a breath of fresh air at defensive coordinator, I would not count out Georgia Tech. I am excited to see how Clemson plays with such insane expectations.

I am fascinated to see how quickly FSU buys into the Taggart regime. While the conference is getting blasted by national pundits I have a gut feeling that the rest of the conference is not going to make it easy for Miami and Clemson.

Bonus Pick – Who wins the FCS National Title?

Matthew:   Easiest question I get asked all year long.  North Dakota State – the most starters back on offense and defense in the country.  The Bison have the best FCS program there is – and it’s not close by stretch of the imagination.  I’ve told our friend @TreadMillHorse that the Hokies need to recruit some offensive linemen in the Dakotas (let’s make it happen, Dan).

Jeff: North Dakota State – Nick Saban wishes Alabama dominated like the Bison do.

Edward: North Dakota State. Is this still a question anyone has to ask? JOIN THE FBS! I don’t have much to say, and have no real opinion in regards to FCS play. What I do know is North Dakota State is the Alabama equivalent of the FCS. Betting against them is to play with fire. You’ll probably burn yourself.

Tom: North Dakota State and James Madison have flip-flopped the national title the past three years, similar to Alabama-Clemson in the FBS. Maybe it’s James Madison’s turn, but picking against NDSU is like picking against Alabama.

The Bison have done a remarkable job of maintaining the program through coaching changes, including Chris Klieman’s three titles and 54-6 record since succeeding Craig Bohl. Bonus, bonus pick: Ferris State, in my hometown of Big Rapids, Mich., matches last winter’s NCAA Div. II basketball title with a football crown. The Bulldogs lost in the quarterfinals a year ago.

Dan: You have a Clemson-Alabama situation going on in the FCS with North Dakota State and James Madison. Both teams made it to the championship game again last year with North Dakota State winning. I have to balance out Matthew and pick JMU this year. JMU has two more College Gameday appearances than UVA. But to respond to Matthew’s comment above, yes, Virginia Tech could use some of those tough-as-nails offensive linemen from the Dakotas.

Emily: I refuse to pick NDSU, so I’m going with JMU.

James B: North Dakota State, they are so fun to watch. Football poetry on turf. Unfortunately that is where my FCS knowledge ends. If you missed the NC A&T-Jacksonville State game this past Saturday you missed a competitive well played game (FG kicking aside).

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