CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Clemson Tigers are once again the preseason favorites to win the ACC in 2023, receiving 103 first-place votes in a vote of 176 media members that was released Tuesday.
Dabo Swinney's team has won the ACC championship seven times in the last eight years, including last season. Florida State was predicted to finish second, earning 67 first-place votes. Other teams picked to win the ACC this fall were North Carolina and NC State. Miami was picked fifth overall, followed by Duke and Pitt, the only other team to win the conference since Clemson's run started in 2015.
Clemson defeated North Carolina in last year's ACC Championship Game. Expectations are high for several teams this year. Clemson hired hotshot offensive coordinator Garrett Riley away from TCU, while Florida State has appears poised for a return to its glory as a contender at the top of the ACC. Meanwhile, North Carolina will count on Charlotte native Drake Maye to carry its offense in what most people expect to be his final season in Chapel Hill before leaving for the NFL.
If Clemson wins the league, it will be a successful debut season for new coordinator Garrett Riley and quarterback Cade Klubnik. Riley joined Clemson after guiding TCU's offense during its incredible season that took the Horned Frogs to the national championship game. Klubnik made just one start, a losing effort against Tennessee in the Orange Bowl after D.J. Uiagalelie entered the transfer portal. Offensive coordinator Brandon Streeter was fired following the game with Riley's hire announced the same day.
This season will be the first year the ACC competes without divisions in football. The top two teams will meet at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte in December and the game could have College Football Playoff implications for the first time in several years.
The ACC's champion has failed to reach the College Football Playoff the last two seasons, ending a seven-year run that saw the ACC put at least one team in the four-team championship bracket.
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