By Manny Navarro and Grace Raynor
Sep 1, 2023
Happy Week 1 and welcome to the first installment of The Athletic’s ACC power rankings. Each week, Manny Navarro and Grace Raynor will take turns drafting teams based on how they performed the previous week. We will also have a bonus question each week.
We have some special contributions this week for our preseason rankings. We have picked one response from a fan of each team from our annual Hope-O-Meter story that was published yesterday. You guys are passionate — and creative.
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1. Clemson: Are the Tigers back? We’ll get our first glimpse of new-look Clemson on Monday night when Dabo Swinney and his team travel to Duke. Swinney made quite the statement this offseason when he fired former offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter and brought in Garrett Riley from TCU. Now it’s showtime for Riley, quarterback Cade Klubnik and an offense that sputtered in each of the last two seasons. Duke is a formidable team behind quarterback Riley Leonard, and in beating the Blue Devils on the road, Clemson will get some early style points. — Raynor
John: “New OC + overhyped FSU = CU in the playoffs.”
Beets? No. Beats? Yes.@CadeKlubnikQB had a surprise for the team 🎧 pic.twitter.com/nPKtWAW4mQ
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) August 29, 2023
2. Florida State: A lot of people are projecting the Seminoles to make the College Football Playoff, and they could be onto something if Mike Norvell’s team opens with a win against LSU on Sunday night. Or, FSU could just drop to 1-7 against ranked teams under Norvell, and everyone can just claim the Noles were a bunch of 10-3 frauds last season. That’s how we roll in college football. — Navarro
Jack: “I fully expect to make the ACC title game, and it’s only a short hop, skip and jump over to the Playoff from there.”
3. North Carolina: The Tar Heels have a big one Saturday in prime time against South Carolina in Charlotte, which should serve as a nice litmus test for the potential of this team. Quarterback Drake Maye will take center stage after an excellent 2022 season in which he averaged 300-plus passing yards per game while adding a team-high 698 rushing yards. The Tar Heels still have no answers on the Tez Walker situation (what are you waiting on, NCAA?) but betting on Maye to deliver is never a bad choice. — Raynor
John: “The defense, for what seems like forever, has not provided me any hope. Even with Drake Maye, it feels like scoring 50 might not be enough.”
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4. Pittsburgh: The Panthers should improve to 21-7 since the start of the 2021 season after they get through with Wofford. I’m interested in finding out who emerges as the next defensive monster up front for Pat Narduzzi. He’s got them growing on an assembly line over there in the Steel City. — Navarro
Andrew: “Phil Jurkovec might not be a giant step up in talent from Kedon Slovis, but I think he’s a better locker room presence and has a better connection with (offensive coordinator) Frank Cignetti.”
5. Miami: The Hurricanes have much to prove this year after Mario Cristobal went 5-7 in his Miami debut. A year later, the loss to Middle Tennessee still spooks me. But the Hurricanes should have no issues with Miami (Ohio) at home on Friday night in what should be a low-pressure season opener. If they do struggle? Buckle up for a long season. — Raynor
Alton: “Optimistic as in a four-loss regular season rather than last season’s seven.”
6. Louisville: The Cardinals, who play in a town known for producing Sluggers, are 0-for-2 in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic since 2015, with losses to Ole Miss and Auburn. It’s a good thing Georgia Tech left the SEC in 1964. That should help new coach Jeff Brohm and his 25 transfers start his first season back home on the right foot. — Navarro
Rob: “Jeff Brohm baby! But in all honesty, we brought back a lot of talent on both sides of the ball, cleaned up in the portal and have a relatively easy schedule.”
7. NC State: The Wolfpack struggled with UConn on Thursday night in quarterback Brennan Armstrong’s NC State debut. This could be a rebuilding year for the Wolfpack, but an experienced quarterback linking up with his former play caller, Robert Anae, should make this a fun team to watch this fall. — Raynor
BD: “For 35 years, the rule of thumb on NC State has been the following: 1. Set the line at 7.5 wins, 2. See which way all the national pundits are going, 3. Go the other way.”
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8. Duke: Mike Elko went 9-4 last season, won the ACC Coach of the Year award and has 18 starters back — most notably quarterback Riley Leonard. And yet, he’s a 12-point underdog at home to defending conference champion Clemson. Duke shocks the world! Not me. — Navarro
Jared: “Riley Leonard may be a special QB and Mike Elko may be a special coach. Alternatively, did you see last year compared to years prior? How can you not be optimistic if you’re a Duke football fan?”
9. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons ushered in the post-Sam Hartman era with a win over Elon on Thursday night. This team is being overlooked by the media … again. — Raynor
John: “The drop-off from Sam Hartman to Mitch Griffis will be negligible or not as drastic as people make it out to be.”
10. Georgia Tech:Brent Key, the ACC mailbag’s mythical Battle Royale champion, went 4-4 last season as interim coach with wins over Pittsburgh, Duke, Virginia Tech and North Carolina. His problem is he lost a few important players to the transfer portal, including top receiver Nate McCollum (North Carolina) and he’s facing a pretty good Louisville team in Week 1. — Navarro
Chris: “A new coach and a new direction. Previous coach was beyond awful. Can’t go anywhere but up.”
11. Virginia Tech:Common sense says the Hokies won’t lose to Old Dominion for the third time since 2018 and will instead remain undefeated against the Monarchs at home. But can we fully give Virginia Tech the benefit of the doubt? After a 20-17 loss to ODU on the road last year, I need to see the Hokies slam the door on Saturday night before they move up these rankings. — Raynor
Jack: “Better days should be ahead, but not this year. Just beat UVA!”
12. Syracuse: The all-time rivalry with Colgate is actually tied 31-31-5, but Syracuse should take the lead after winning the 17th meeting in a row on Saturday at the JMA Wireless Dome. Garrett Shrader and Oronde Gadsden are the returning headliners on offense this season, but they’ve got a new coordinator in Jason Beck, who moves over from quarterback coach to replace Anae. I’m interested to see how Beck fares before Clemson visits on Sept. 30. — Navarro
Jeff: “Garrett Shrader and Oronde Gadsden coupled with a strong defense might bring us to back-to-back bowl appearances. Of course, if anyone of relevance gets injured it could be a dumpster fire.”
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13. Boston College: The Eagles should beat Northern Illinois on Saturday at home behind quarterback Emmett Morehead, who actually might not be getting enough credit in a QB-heavy league. Still, it could be another tough season for Jeff Hafley’s group, which went 3-9 a season ago. — Raynor
Adam: “This is BC, for 15 years now: Our helmets are gold, half our tickets are sold, our fans are mostly old. But the beer will still be cold.”
14. Virginia: Tennessee athletic director Danny White needs to lay off the Red Bull. He went a little too hard after Cavs coach Tony Elliott on social media for saying he turned down the Tennessee job, which White claims Elliott was never offered. Bottom line: Elliott has enough to deal with — starting with a loaded Vols team in Week 1. — Navarro
Kevin: “Basketball season tips November 6.”
Interesting… don’t remember offering. Ignored this the first time, can’t do it again. An interview doesn’t constitute an offer. Interviewed several candidates, offered 1. https://t.co/eFAxNHZlx3
— Danny White (@AD_DannyWhite) August 22, 2023
Bonus questions this week
What is your favorite ACC town?
Navarro: If we’re making this about an experience in a college town, it’s either Chapel Hill or Charlottesville. But if you asked every ACC writer where they’d like their team to play, it’s Miami so they can spend a couple of hours at the beach. I’m actually a fan of Blacksburg. I like the scenic drive out there, and the stadium atmosphere. There are also some great restaurants, including the Gaucho Brazilian Grille.
Raynor: Chapel Hill is my favorite. My four years at UNC aside, Franklin Street is always a fun time, and it’s hard to beat Kenan Stadium on a beautiful afternoon. Honorable mention: Louisville. There’s a ton to do in the city and — with the exception of that one time when I downed clear bourbon thinking it was water — I’ve always enjoyed it there.
(Photos of Jordan Travis, Riley Leonard and Oronde Gadsden: Megan Briggs, Eric Espada and Bryan M. Bennett / Getty Images)
