As the season draws nearer, it is time for some predictions to be made and I am starting mine off with the ACC Atlantic Division. I will be previewing each team, going over their roster, pointing out strengths and weaknesses, and at the end I will predict their final record. If you are looking for a specific team, I have them listed in alphabetical order.

Boston College

Last Season

Boston College got off to a hot start in 2018, winning seven of their first nine games. Things turned south later in the season for the Eagles as they lost to Clemson with College GameDay in town, lost a close one to Florida State, and were blown out by Syracuse. The Eagles were not able to turn their fortunes around in a bowl game either as their First Responder Bowl matchup with Boise State was cancelled due to inclement weather. Despite the late collapse, I still think it was a solid season for Boston College under Steve Addazio.

Offense

Boston College returns the anchor of their offense the last two seasons in running back AJ Dillon, who has seen quite a bit of success as a bell cow and power runner for the Eagles since he arrived on campus. Dillon missed some time due to injury in 2018, but still managed to run for 1,108 yards on just under five yards per carry. Without Dillon, the Eagles looked a bit lost at times on offense. Also returning is last season’s starting quarterback Anthony Brown. Brown made some big time strides in 2018, but still has to take some steps forward before becoming reliable through the air and will likely need Dillon to bail him out at times. Kobay White led the Eagles in receiving yards in 2018 and will also return. Ben Glines will look to transition from running back to receiver. While Glines did see success at running back when Dillon ws out, his ability at receiver is a bit of a mystery. On the offensive line, Chris Lindstrom will be missed as it is not often you see a player from Boston College get drafted early in the first round. Lindstrom’s younger brother, Alec will fill in along the line, and John Phillips and Benjamin Petrula will return. Guard Zion Johnson was a first team All-Pioneer Conference player at FCS program Davidson, and will be useful as he transferred to Boston College. Consistency on the offensive line will be key for the success of this team offensively, and I have faith that they will remain consistent.

Defense

The Eagles lose quite a bit of talent up front with the departure of defensive end Zach Allen, a constant disruptor against opposing offensive lines with 15 tackles for loss, eight quarterback hurries, and seven pass deflections in 2018. Wyatt Ray was a nice complimentary piece to Allen in 2018 at defensive end and will also be gone, as will defensive tackle Ray Smith. Tanner Karafa looked solid in his time at defensive tackle and is second among returning players for Boston College in tackles for loss and sacks. While his numbers were solid, he will have to get used to being a considered primary focus as opposed to an afterthought by opposing offensive lines. Linebacker will likely be the strength of the defense as Isaiah McDuffie and Max Richardson return after being the second and third leading tacklers on last year’s team respectively. The leader in tackles from 2018, Connor Strachan, will not be back, leaving John Lamot to fill his spot. The Eagles also have some inexperience along the secondary. Hamp Cheevers will be missed at the cornerback position, as he picked off seven passes in 2018. Brandon Sebastian will take over the number one cornerback spot, and looks up to the task as he had 49 tackles, eight pass deflections, and two interceptions last season. Safety is a position of concern as well with both starters from last season gone. The Eagles lose their kicker from 2018, but bring back punter Grant Carlson, who averaged 40.2 yards per punt in 2018. They also will need to find a replacement for return specialist Michael Walker who averaged 13.7 yards per punt return in 2018.

Coaching Staff

Steve Addazio is entering his seventh season as head coach in Chestnut Hill. In his six seasons, he has made a bowl game five times, but has never won more than seven games. While he might not get the Eagles over that hump this season, he needs to sometime soon. A new defensive coordinator will be brought in as Bill Sheridan was promoted from linebacker coach. Sheridan also plans to shift from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3. Boston College will also have a new offensive coordinator in former Tampa Buccaneers quarterback coach Mike Bajakian.

Final Prediction

Boston College loses quite a bit of defensive production, and will need guys to step up. On offense, they either need Dillon to stay healthy and improve his production, or have Brown take a step forward in the passing game. The Eagles also have two new coordinators meaning there will likely be scheme changes that will take time to get used to. Boston College has a fairly tough schedule. While they have three non-conference games that should be wins, they also have to play at Notre Dame. While I think the program will be fine, this could end up being a rebuilding season. The Eagles should hover around the 5-6 win mark. I would guess 5-7 to be their final record.

Clemson

Last Season

Clemson had a couple of scares early in the season as they nearly lost at Texas A&M in week two where they were a two-point conversion away from going to overtime with Texas A&M (Clemson fans better thank Kelly Bryant for that win). In their fifth game of the season, the Tigers had to overcome a second half deficit against Syracuse to win 27-23. After those two close calls, Clemson went the rest of the regular season winning winning every game by at least 20 points. After thrashing Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship and Notre Dame in the Playoff Semifinal, they had another date with Alabama in the National Championship. After looking like an underdog going into the game, the Tigers blew out Alabama 44-16 taking home their second National Championship in three seasons and finishing 15-0. Last year’s team now is being looked at as one of the best single season teams ever and Clemson is finally looking to have the upper hand against Alabama.

Offense

After being the number one overall recruit in 2018 and getting a perfect recruit score on multiple recruiting sites, Trevor Lawrence had a ton of hype going into his freshman season. Once he officially taking the reigns at quarterback after week four, Lawrence performed very well, completing 65 percent of his passes for 3,280 yards and 30 touchdowns to just four interceptions. Lawrence also improved quite a bit as the season went along, and put up a monster game against Alabama. Lawrence is now the favorite to win the Heisman in 2019 and it is a hard thing to argue. At running back, Travis Etienne is back and is one of if not the best running back in the country in 2019. Etienne ran for 1,658 yards in 2018 and a nation leading 24 touchdowns. Etienne might be called upon a bit less as Lawrence will have full and complete trust to air it out, but he will still be a lethal threat in the backfield as a physical and powerful runner. The backfield does lose a bit of depth as Adam Choice graduated and Tavien Feastsr transferred. This leaves Lyn-J Dixon in square possession of the number two running back spot. The emergence of Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins at receiver throughout the season was a nice thing for Clemson fans to see, and expectations are high for them this season. With Hunter Renfrow graduating (after what seemed like 50 years at Clemson) and Amari Rodgers likely out for the season with a torn ACL, Ross and Higgins will have a lot asked of them, but I believe they are up to the task and could end up being the top receiver duo in the country. On the line, center Sean Pollard, guard John Simpson, and tackle Tremayne Anchrum return after starting in 2018. Guard Gage Cervenka played a lot as a rotational player in 2018 and will start this season.

Defense

Along the defensive front, Clemson will have the very tough task of replacing every starter from the best defensive line unit I have ever seen. The group of Christian Wilkins, Dexter Lawrence, Clelin Ferrell, and Austin Bryant featured three top 20 draft picks, and wreaked absolute havoc on any offensive line they went against. That group had immense talent and it will be hard to come close to duplicating it. That being said, Clemson still has some talent along the defensive front. Defensive end Xavier Thomas was a top five recruit in the class of 2018 and was able to become a solid rotational player by the end of the season, totaling 10.5 tackles for loss. Nyles Pinckney saw some time at defensive tackle in 2018 and will look to take a leap this season. The Tigers return their leading tackler from 2018 in linebacker Isaiah Simmons. Simmons could be relied upon to fill his role as a 4-3 middle linebacker, but also showed some versatility at the position with 9.5 tackles for loss and seven pass deflections. In the secondary, the Tigers lose cornerback Trayvon Mullen, the Defensive MVP of last year’s National Championship, but still bring back AJ Terrell and safeties Tanner Muse and K’Von Wallace. Andrew Booth was the highest rated recruit to sign with Clemson in 2019, and will look to crack this rotation as well. The Tigers will have to replace longtime kicker Greg Huegel with BT Potter likely taking the job. Potter was a kick off specialist last season but has little experience with field goals or extra points in games. Cornerback Derion Kendrick looks to be the main return man, and did well returning kicks in 2018.

Coaching Staff

Head coach Dabo Swinney has established himself as a candidate for the title of best coach in the country, besting Nick Saban in two of their last three meetings. Swinney has rebuilt Clemson and can now give them the title of best program in college football (I would say Alabama is still the premier program but Clemson for sure has an argument). Clemson fans should also feel very happy about their retention of defensive coordinator Brent Venables who has turned down numerous head coaching gigs to stay at Clemson. Venables consistently develops talent and keeps opponents on their toes. Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott return as co-offensive coordinators.

Final Prediction

Clemson will be a contender for the team in the country with the most skill position talent. The Tigers have a Heisman favorite at quarterback, last year’s leader in rushing touchdowns, and one of if not the top receiver duos in the country. Despite losing a lot of talent on the defensive front, they have recruited well enough for me to have trust in their ability to reload, and they also have Venables who can always be relied upon to ensure the defense reaches their full potential. Swinney has built a culture and a great program in his time at Clemson. I predict Clemson to run the table and win the ACC with ease. While I think I would put Alabama ahead of them right now, Clemson definitely is capable of repeating as National Champions this season if their defense can reload.

Florida State

Last Season

Year one of the Willie Taggart era at Florida State got off to a pretty rough start. To start things off, the Seminoles lost two of their first three games with their win being a comeback over FCS foe Samford. After two wins against poor competition, they blew a 27-7 lead against rival Miami. That game seemed to start a tailspin as Florida State then lost four of their last five games including blowouts at the hands of Clemson, Notre Dame, and Florida to finish 5-7. It was Florida State’s first time not playing in a bowl game since 1981 and their first losing season since 1976.

Offense

Florida State is in the midst of a quarterback battle this offseason. James Blackman started for most of 2017 after then starter Deondre Francois went down with injury. After being relegated to backup in 2018 after Francois returned, many clamored for him to return and he did put up decent numbers in limited action. Alex Hornibrook started at Wisconsin in 2016 and 2017 but missed some time of 2018 due to injury and transferred after his backup played well and Wisconsin brought in a highly touted quarterback recruit. While it has been said that Blackman is likely the starter and it is the decision I would likely make if it was up to me, it is not a guarantee that Blackman will win and stick with the job. At running back, Cam Akers makes his return after leading the team in rushing yards in 2018. Akers is a good power back and had to often fight through tackles to gain yardage behind a weak offensive line last season. The backfield does lose some depth with last year’s backup, Jacques Patrick graduating. Tamorrion Terry led the Seminoles in receiving yards last season (technically tied with Nyqwan Murray) and will be back. As a big receiver standing 6’4”, Terry was also a good red zone target, with eight touchdowns. Keith Gavin will also be back after starting in 2018 as will tight end Tre McKitty. The loss of Nyqwan Murray will be difficult to deal with, but Florida State fans should be confident in DJ Matthews taking that spot. Where Florida State’s offense massively struggled in 2018 was along the offensive line. That unit took a hit again this offseason when Landon Dickerson transferred to Alabama. Guard Cole Minshew returns after starting and looking solid in 2018. Freshman Dontae Lucas will likely also start. Northern Illinois transfer Ryan Roberts was a contributor in their offensive line and will look to be more of the same in Tallahassee.

Defense

Along the defensive front, Florida State loses Brian Burns, a constant disruption for opposing offensive lines. Burns had 10 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 2018. Defensive tackle Demarcus Christmas will also be gone. Marvin Wilson will need to make a leap at defensive tackle. Wilson was a five-star recruit in 2017, but has seen injuries get in the way of him reaching his full potential. Wilson managed to stay healthy through 2018 after injuries in the offseason before, but might be tough to rely upon. Defensive end Jamarius Robinson missed some time last season due to injury, but should also be a solid player in 2019. Florida State returns their two leading tacklers from 2018 in linebackers Hamsah Nasirildeen and Dontavius Jackson. Nasirildeen made 91 tackles as an outside linebacker, while Jackson was the leader of the defense at middle linebacker. The strength of Florida State’s defense in 2019 should be their secondary. Both starting cornerbacks from last season are back in Stanford Samuels and Asante Samuel. Free safety Jaiden Lars-Woodbey had a very strong freshman season and would be my guess to be the best player on the defense in 2018. There have also been reports that Lars-Woodbey might be used more as a box-stacking safety as well this season which I think he could do well at. True freshman Akeem Dent will look to get the starting nod at strong safety after AJ Westbrook graduated. If Dent does not pan out, Lavonta Taylor has experience as a starter as well. At kicker, the Seminoles still have Ricky Aguayo who has started for the last three seasons. Aguayo had a worse 2018, but has been solid in 2017. DJ Matthews is back as a punt returner, who averaged 13.5 yards per return in 2018.

Coaching Staff

Willie Taggart returns for his second season at Florida State and is already having his job questioned. Taggart has had stops at Western Kentucky, South Florida, and Oregon, but this job looks to be his toughest. Taggart has never been to a program in complete disarray and with a high amount of pressure like Florida State. His coaching chops will need to be shown in this season. With offensive coordinator Walt Bell taking the head coaching job at Massachusetts, Florida State has hired former Baylor offensive coordinator Kendal Briles who held the same job at Houston in 2018. Briles led some high powered offense at Baylor and will have more of an opportunity to do the same with the talent at Florida State. Harlon Barnett returns for his second season as defensive coordinator. Barnett also coaches the secondary. If he can bring the rest of the defense up to that level of play, things should go pretty well for the Seminoles on the defensive side of the ball.

Final Prediction

Florida State needs to either improve on the offensive line, or Akers needs to become even better at fighting through tackles. The Seminoles have talent at running back and receiver, but also need to find a quarterback they can believe in. Defensively, they return talent, they just need to establish consistency. Taggart has not faced a rebuild as tough as this, and especially not one with as much pressure as the one he faces now at Florida State. The Seminoles also need to start playing at their talent level. Their non-conference schedule has some tough games as they have an intriguing opening weekend matchup with Boise State, and have to go to the Swamp for their rivalry game with Florida. I predict them to finish 7-5, but they have the talent to be a nine win team if it all comes together.

Louisville

Last Season

Last Season was a rough one for Louisville. The Cardinals were shredded by Alabama in their season opener to start the post-Lamar Jackson era, but still had hope against lesser opponents. While Louisville beat those two lesser opponents in non-conference play, trouble loomed as they entered ACC play. The Cardinals lost lost their final nine games, with only one being a one score games and five being by over thirty points. Head coach Bobby Petrino was fired near the end of the season, a decision many fans were looking forward to. Appalachian State head coach Scott Satterfield was hired, one that I think fans should be excited about.

Offense

Louisville enters this season with some uncertainty at the quarterback position. Jawon Pass and Malik Cunningham both started some last season. Cunningham led the team in rushing in 2018, had a better completion percentage, and had a better passer rating, but Pass has some potential as well as he is bigger, has a stronger arm, and more experience. I personally would go with Cunningham at quarterback especially since he is younger, but I am not quite sure who Satterfield will go with. Hassan Hall is back at running back after starting in 2018. Louisville did however lose some depth behind Hall, leaving just one other running back on the team to have carried the ball in a game. It generally is also not great when your leading returning rusher is a quarterback who might not even start. In the receiving corps, Louisville loses Jaylen Smith, their leader in receptions and receiving yards as well as tight end Micky Crum. Chatarius Atwell, Seth Dawkins, and Dez Fitzpatrick all saw significant time as secondary options, but one of them will need to make a jump if their passing offense will improve much. Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton looks to be the best player on this team and a major impact along the offensive front, but the offensive line is pretty desolate besides him. Guard Cole Bentley started three games last season, and graduate transfer TJ McCoy started off and on at center at Florida.

Defense

The Cardinals return all starters along the defensive line from 2018. Tabarious Peterson led the team in tackles for loss in 2018, but will look to add more tackles to his total this season. GG Robinson is back at defensive tackle. True freshman Ja’Darien Boykin was the highest rated recruit the Cardinals signed and will look to see time at defensive end. Outside linebacker CJ Avery is back and could be the best player on this defense after finishing second on the team in tackles last season. Avery also picked off two passes in 2018, showing he has some versatility. Middle linebacker Dorian Etheridge finished third on the team in tackles and will also be back. Cornerbacks Cornelius Sturghill, Marlon Character, and PJ Mbanasor are all back as well with Sturghill likely being the star of that group. The Cardinals lose safety Dee Smith, last year’s leading tackler and best defensive player by a pretty good margin. His replacement looks to be Russ Yeast who saw time as a rotational player in 2018. The other starting safety will be Khane Pass, who is a bit more of a box safety than a coverage safety. Rodjay Burns will also look to start at defensive back and punt returner. Blanton Creque will be back at kicker in 2019 after a pretty solid performance last season.

Coaching Staff

Scott Satterfield coached at Appalachian State during their transition to the FBS and made that transition essentially seamless. Satterfield knows how to build up a program and made the Mountaineers a consistent contender in the Sun Belt. I think his hiring was a slam dunk for the Cardinals. Satterfield brings in Bryan Brown, his defensive coordinator at Appalachian State, to hold the same job at Louisville. Brown only has been a defensive coordinator for one season so the transition process might be difficult, but he does also return 10 starters. The Cardinals also bring in Dwayne Ledford at offensive coordinator, who was previously the offensive line coach at North Carolina State.

Final Prediction

Louisville returns a lot of production on offense and defense, but they do not have anyone with stats that were too eye-popping. Louisville overhauled their staff, but it was definitely a worthwhile move. While Louisville has a bright future, time will be needed for Satterfield and his staff to bring in their own players and schemes. Their non-conference schedule has two easy wins, but they also play Notre Dame, and travel to Lexington to play rival Kentucky. I expect Louisville to go 3-9 this season.

North Carolina State

Last Season

The Wolfpack got off to a hot start in 2018, winning their first five games. While that win streak was nice, they still had yet to play the top teams in their conference. They lost their next two games, a blowout to Clemson, and a 51-41 shootout against Syracuse. After splitting their next two games, North Carolina State won their last three games including an overtime win over rival North Carolina. Unfortunately, a 9-3 regular season record could not be improved upon as the Wolfpack were blown out by Texas A&M in the Gator Bowl, finishing 9-4.

Offense

The Wolfpack will have to move on from a multi year starter in Ryan Finley at quarterback. Finley was a very good quarterback but also a respected leader on the team and a mastermind with great field awareness. The projected starter in 2019 is redshirt sophomore Matthew McKay who has eight pass attempts to his name (the good news is he has seven completions). McKay won the backup job last season, and has been said to be much different than Finley in that he has a very strong arm and is a bit more of a runner, but is more erratic and ready to take risks. North Carolina State also replaces Reggie Gallaspy, their leading rusher in 2018. Ricky Person will be the next man up in 2019 and had 520 rushing yards last season in a backup role. The Wolfpack also have to replace two 1,000 yard receivers in Kelvin Harmon and Jakobi Meyers. Their top two receivers this year will likely be Emeka Emezie, last year’s third leading receiver, and Oregon transfer Tabari Hines. One of the two will need to step up and become a reliable first option, something especially needed with an inexperienced quarterback at the helm. Tight end Cary Angeline will return. North Carolina State might look a bit shaky on the offensive line after losing a first round pick and Rimington Award winner (best center in the country) in Garrett Bradbury, and an All-ACC tackle in Tyler Jones. Tackle Justin Witt will likely be the best player on the line. As you can see, a lot of offensive production is lost from 2018, but I think Dave Doeren can be trusted to find some players to fill those gaps well.

Defense

The Wolfpack lose two starters on the defensive line in Eurndraus Bryant and Darian Roseboro. Replacing the two will likely be two very unproven players. After transferring in from a junior college, defensive tackle Val Martin only played in four games in 2018 and will likely start there in 2019. Savion Jackson, the highest ranked recruit the Wolfpack signed, will probably be filling in the starting role at defensive end. With two newcomers starting, the returning starters will have a heavy load to shoulder. Defensive end James Smith-Williams was solid as a pass rusher with six sacks in 2018, but will need to be consistent with the larger number of snaps he will play. Larrell Murchison will also have to be ready to take on double teams on a consistent basis at defensive tackle. North Carolina State loses their leading tackler from last season in linebacker Germaine Pratt. Isaiah Moore returns at inside linebacker. Moore fills his role well at linebacker but also is a contributor in the pass rush. Stephen Griffin also returns at linebacker, and will look to play more in pass coverage. Redshirt freshman Payton Wilson will also be a contributor in the linebacker unit. Wilson was one of North Carolina State’s top recruits in 2018, but missed last season due to a torn ACL. The Wolfpack return both of their starting cornerbacks from last season in Nick McCloud and Chris Ingram. Freshman Shyheim Battle will also look to slip into the rotation at cornerback as well. Safety Jarius Morehead is probably the best player on the defense. Morehead leads all returning players in tackles and interceptions. Christopher Dunn returns at kicker. At punter, the Wolfpack will have to replace last year’s starter and turn to Pro Kick Australia prospect Mackenzie Morgan to take the reigns.

Coaching Staff

Dave Doeren has been at North Carolina State since 2013 and has taken the team to a bowl game in five consecutive seasons. While Doeren has built a consistent program in Raleigh, he has struggled to really get Wolfpack over the hump. That being said, they can always seem to be penciled in for at least seven wins. Des Kitchings and George McDonald will both be in their first season as co-offensive coordinators after they were both position coaches last season. Last year’s offensive coordinator, Eli Drinkwitz was hired to be the head coach at Appalachian State. Dave Huxtable returns for his seventh season as defensive coordinator and has developed quite a bit of talent in his time at Raleigh.

Final Prediction

The Wolfpack will be replacing nearly all of their offensive playmakers from 2018, and will need to find some players to fill those roles well. The defense has some solid players returning, and should improve. Doeren has done well at getting any team he coaches to seven wins. New offensive coordinators will also be relied upon quite a bit. The Wolfpack also benefit from an easy non-conference schedule. I predict North Carolina State to finish 8-4, benefiting from an easy schedule.

Syracuse

Last Season

After sweeping their non-conference schedule and already equaling their 2017 win total, Syracuse blew a lead against Clemson and lost in overtime to Pittsburgh in their first two ACC games. After a double overtime win over North Carolina, the Orange found their footing en route to a four game winning streak that ultimately ended in a blowout loss against Notre Dame. After finishing out the regular season 9-3, Syracuse found themselves matched up with West Virginia in the Camping World Bowl where they won 34-18. At 10 wins, Syracuse had their winningest season since 2001.

Offense

Syracuse will have to replace the heart and soul of their 2018 team and most iconic player in a while in quarterback Eric Dungey. Dungey was a four year starter and left Syracuse as the program’s all-time leading passer while also being an elite dual threat quarterback as well, often carrying the offense when there was minimal talent there. Not only was Dungey a great quarterback for the Orangemen, but he was a major presence as a leader on the team and respected player. He will be tough to replace. The task of replacing him will fall onto Tommy Devito. DeVito looked spotty during the time he saw when Dungey was hurt in 2018. That being said, he did lead the comeback win over North Carolina so he does have big game experience. Moe Neal led the team in rushing last season and will be back. With Dungey as the main rushing threat (leader in attempts) last season, it will be interesting to see how Neal does as the primary focus of the run game, and opposing defenses. Jamal Custis, last year’s leading receiver, is gone but the second, third, and fourth leading receivers are back. Sean Riley led the entire team in catches and was second in yards, while Taj Harris and Nykeim Johnson both went over 500 receiving yards themselves. Johnson and Harris also should see those numbers improve as they were not full time starters in 2018. While Riley looks to be the most established, he or one of the other two will need to emerge as a primary threat especially with a new quarterback. Tackle Airon Servais and guard Evan Adams return at offensive line after starting in 2018 and Ryan Alexander, a graduate transfer from South Alabama, was a two year starter there.

Defense

Syracuse will have some experience along their defensive front as they return three starters, the best of them being defensive end Alton Robinson. Robinson was a major playmaker, racking up 17 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and 11 quarterback hurries. Robinson will now likely be the main focus of opposing offensive lines, but that just means fellow defensive end Kendall Coleman will have more of a chance to shine. Coleman had 12 tackles for loss of his own in 2018, thriving when offenses shifted focus to Robinson. McKinley Williams also returns at defensive tackle. On a more disappointing note, two of the top linebackers from the 2018 squad will be gone this season. Ryan Guthrie led the team in tackles and had 16.5 tackles for loss. Kelan Whitner was a versatile linebacker that impacted both the run and pass defense in a positive manner. Andrew Armstrong will be stepping in at one of the spots, and has had some legitimate reps at the spot, but Lakiem Williams, the other projected starter, really has not. It is possible that true freshmen Mikel Jones and Geoff Cantin could see time at the position. Fortunately for the Orangemen, they will have an elite secondary. Cornerbacks Scoop Bradshaw and Christopher Frederick are both back after starting in 2018. Another cornerback I will be interested to watch is Ifeatu Melifonwu, brother of Patriots defensive back Obi Melifonwu. The younger brother played some in 2018, but should have a bit of a bigger role this season. Strong safety Evan Foster finished third on the team in tackles in 2018. The star of the defense will be free safety Andre Cisco. As a true freshman in 2018, Cisco tied for first in the country with seven interceptions. He also added eleven pass deflections and 60 total tackles. Cisco will look to be even more of a problem in Syracuse’s secondary this season. Kicker Andre Szymt returns after taking home the Groza Award as a freshman. Szmyt hit 30/34 field goals in 2018 and 61/61 extra points. Szmyt was also 3/3 from beyond 50 yards. Punter Sterling Hofrichter is also back after averaging 42.9 yards per punt last season.

Coaching Staff

Dino Babers returns for his fourth season as head coach. After going 8-16 through two years, he and the Orangemen seemed to have definitely turned it around in 2018. Babers did a very good job in 2018, but it should not be very surprising. He did the same thing at Bowling Green and Eastern Illinois, leaving the programs in a much better place than when he found them (and both programs are now worse off). Babers will also have play calling duties in 2019. Babers has former Bowling Green offensive coordinator Mike Lynch returns for his second season with the same job at Syracuse. Brian Ward returns at defensive coordinator, still running his Tampa 2 defense that has led him to quite a bit of success with the Orangemen.

Final Prediction

Syracuse returns some talent on offense, but will greatly miss Dungey at quarterback. Syracuse will need at least average quarterback play to repeat their success from last season. The Orangemen will have a very good secondary led by Cisco and others. Babers proved his worth for Syracuse in year three, and looks to continue that rise. With more experience at the coordinator spots, they should also improve with players better knowing their roles. Syracuse also has an easy non-conference schedule, and has Clemson at home, generating hype for an upset. I expect Syracuse to finish 10-2 and clearly be the second best team in the ACC, but below average quarterback play could drop them some wins, and above average play could bring them up to 11-1. The Orangemen are a team I am buying stock in, and I think they could very well make a NY6 Bowl, which would be a wild success for them.

Wake Forest

Last Season

Wake Forest won their first two games in 2018 against weaker opponents, but then stumbled in their next two games. After starting 0-3 in ACC play and 3-4 overall, the Demon Deacons started to get it all together, beating Louisville and upsetting rival North Carolina State later in the season. After falling to Pittsburgh, Wake Forest needed a win over Duke to be bowl eligible. Luckily for the Demon Deacons, they slaughtered Duke 59-7. The season also ended on a good note after a win over Memphis in the Birmingham Bowl.

Offense

Wake Forest will likely be having a quarterback battle coming into 2019. True freshman Sam Hartman started the first nine games, but suffered a season ending injury leaving Jamie Newman at the helm. In his time as the starter, Newman had a higher completion percentage and passer rating than Hartman while also running for more touchdowns. Hartman has better field vision and is better at going through progressions, but Newman has a stronger arm and is bigger, while both have a good scrambling ability. I think I would go with Newman, but it will be a close battle. Cade Carney returns at running back after coming along very strong at the end of 2018. Carney will now have to be the primary back for the Demon Deacons, and it will be a tougher challenge to take on. Wake Forest loses Greg Dortch, their leading receiver from 2018. Dortch went over 1,000 receiving yards and led the ACC in all-purpose yards. The new number one receiver will likely be Sage Surratt, who finished second on the team with 581 receiving yards. Scotty Washington is another receiver who will be back who saw time last season, and will replace Scotty Bachman, who finished third on the team in receiving yards. A wild card at receiver will be former quarterback Kendall Hinton. Hinton has starts under his belt at quarterback, but converted to receiver after last season. Hinton will look to play slot receiver, taking Dortch’s spot. The Demon Deacons also return tight end Jack Freudenthal. Wake Forest returns three starters on the offensive line, including both tackles. The best player on the offensive line will likely be tackle Jake Benzinger.

Defense

Wake Forest loses three out of four starters from last season on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Willie Yarbary was a major playmaker, and will leave a hole in Wake Forest’s defense. Defensive tackles Sulaiman Kamara and Tyler Williams will have to step up in 2019. Old Dominion transfer Miles Fox will also see some time at defensive tackle. Defensive end Carlos Basham will carry a lot of weight on the defensive line, being the line returning starter from last season. Basham led the team with 11 tackles for loss in 2018 and finished fourth on the team in tackles. The Demon Deacons lose middle linebacker Demetrius Kemp, but return all other linebackers. Justin Strnad led the team in tackles in 2018 with 105, and also had 8.5 tackles for loss and five pass deflections. Luke Masterson saw time at linebacker in 2018, but will play more at rover safety this season. The Demon Deacons return both starting cornerbacks from last season in Essang Bassey and Amari Henderson. Bassey will likely be the best player on this defense, as he had 15 pass deflections and finished third on the team with 74 tackles in 2018. Bassey will look to try and become more of a shutdown corner this season. Safeties Cameron Glenn and Chuck Wade are both gone, meaning two new starters will be needed. Coby Davis looked to take a starting role in 2018, but tore his ACL in the season opener. Nasir Green also saw time as a rotational player in 2018 but has not yet been a starter. Nick Sciba returns at kicker for the Demon Deacons after making 19/22 field goals. Dom Maggie also returns at punter. Dortch was a first team all-ACC returner, and finding a replacement for him will be tough.

Coaching Staff

Dave Clawson returns for his sixth season as head coach. After winning just six games in his first two seasons, Clawson has led the Demon Deacons to a bowl game in three straight seasons. Clawson has brought Wake Forest out of the cellar, but is waiting to take the next step with the team. Warren Ruggiero returns as offensive coordinator after working with Clawson at Wake Forest and at Bowling Green. Lyle Hemphill had big shoes to fill at defensive coordinator after Mike Elko’s departure, and still has room to grow after his first season.

Final Prediction

Wake Forest returns a lot of other solid starts from last season, but will need to find someone that can be the weapon Dortch was offensively and in the return game. There are good players on the defense, but there are also some holes that need to be filled by some players who have not quite proven themselves. Clawson has done well at Wake Forest, but still has not quite proven his worth yet. This is a season where he could do that if the Demon Deacons have success. I expect them to finish 6-6, benefiting from an easy non-conference schedule. While that might not seem great, I think they can build upon this season.

My Projected Standings:

Clemson 12-0 Syracuse 10-2 Florida State 7-5 North Carolina State 8-4 Wake Forest 6-6 Boston College 5-7 Louisville 3-9

To be notified when I post, follow my Instagram @inpassionedsportsnerd. Up next, I will preview the Pac 12 South.

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