It’s Clemson, a sizable gap, then everyone else.

That goes for the ACC and — with the exception of Alabama — the rest of the country. The No. 1 Tigers have won two of the last three national championships, own one of the top 2019 recruiting classes and return most of their production from an undefeated season.

Head coach Dabo Swinney has built a juggernaut to rival that of Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa. Trevor Lawrence looks like one of the best quarterbacks in the nation and has a receiving corps to help him win the program a second straight national championship. Travis Etienne will anchor the run game after averaging 8.1 yards per carry last season. Even the front seven, the only area on the roster with significant turnover, still has defensive coordinator Brent Venables running the show.

So for the fifth straight year, the ACC is Clemson’s to lose. And, with the rest of the conference in the midst of a rough stretch, the gap between the Tigers and everyone else seems wider than ever before.

Coastal Division

Miami Hurricanes: Head coach Manny Diaz takes over a talented team in need of starting quarterback Jarren WIlliams to step up. The freshman went 19-for-29 for 214 yards and a touchdown in 24-20 season-opening loss to Florida.

Virginia Tech Hokies: Longtime defensive coordinator Bud Foster will retire after this season, but for now, fields an up-and-coming squad with an attainable path to eight or nine wins.

Virginia Cavaliers: Last year, the Cavaliers quietly put up their best season (8-5) since 2011, and with a lot of returners including quarterback Bryce Perkins, should build on it.

Pittsburgh Panthers: After winning the division despite a 7-5 record, then getting walloped by Clemson in the ACC title game, it seems the rest of the Coastal has caught up with coach Pat Narduzzi.

North Carolina Tarheels: Mack Brown is a splashy hire — he hasn’t coached since 2013 with Texas and returns to the program he led in the late 1980s and 90s — and after five overall wins in two years, it could take some time for the Tarheels to to reboot and rebuild.

Duke Blue Devils: Losing current Giants quarterback Daniel Jones from a team that went 3-5 in conference play doesn’t bode well.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: The transition from Paul Johnson’s triple-option to Geoff Collins’ more conventional system will probably take a full recruiting cycle to really kick in.

Atlantic Division

No. 22 Syracuse Orange: Ten wins will be a tough act to follow for coach Dino Babers, especially with new starting QB Tommy DeVito, but the defense and schedule give room for optimism.

Florida State Seminoles: After a disastrous five-win season, the Seminoles should improve, though they have a long way to go to challenge Clemson.

NC State Wolfpack: A program that has quietly seen measurable success over the last few years brings back eight returners on defense, which will need to make up for a lot of departures on offense.

Boston College Eagles: The Eagles are squarely in the “fighting to make a bowl” division, but on the upside, Steve Addazio has gotten good at getting to seven wins — having done so five of the last six last seasons.

Wake Forest Demon Deacons: The Demon Deacons seem to outperform measly expectations every year, and they’ll probably have to do the same to make noise in 2019.

Louisville Cardinals: Coach Scott Satterfield walks into a full-scale rebuild that only the fired Bobby Petrino could have created. The Cardinals are playing for 2020 and beyond.