For Immediate Use
Monday, August 12, 2024
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Four ACC Teams Land in Preseason Associated Press Top 25 Poll
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com) – Four Atlantic Coast Conference teams earned spots in the top 25 of the Preseason Associated Press poll, it was announced on Monday, August 12. Florida State came in at No. 10, ahead of Clemson at No. 14 and Miami at No. 19, while NC State was ranked No. 24 in the preseason poll.
The four ACC teams were also ranked in the top 25 of the Preseason US LBM Coaches Poll, powered by USA TODAY Sports, last week.
Ranked in the top 10 all season long last year, Florida State was picked to win the ACC title again this season in the ACC media preseason poll. The Seminoles return 10 starters from a 13-1 team last year that went a perfect 8-0 in conference play. While 2023 ACC Player of the Year Jordan Travis has moved on to the NFL, the Seminoles will turn to experienced quarterback transfer DJ Uiagalelei, who has appeared in 48 games with 40 starts and holds a 30-10 record as a starter over his collegiate career. He has totaled 9,451 yards of total offense, throwing for 8,319 yards and 57 touchdowns and rushing for 1,132 yards and 21 touchdowns.
Clemson, which closed out the 2023 season with five straight wins started by a victory over nationally ranked Notre Dame (Nov. 4), returns 13 starters from last year’s team, highlighted by eight on the offensive side of the ball, including quarterback Cade Klubnik. Led by returners Peter Woods, T.J. Parker and Barrett Carter, the defense that led the ACC in fewest total yards allowed last season should once again be a strong point for the Tigers.
Miami’s year-over-year growth as a program was notable from 2022 to 2023, Year 1 to Year 2, under Mario Cristobal, offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson and defensive coordinator Lance Guidry last year. The Hurricanes ranked 25th in the nation in total offense in 2023, which was up 60 spots from 85th in 2022. The Hurricanes were also ranked 24th in total defense, up 40 spots from 64th in 2022. In addition to ACC Preseason Player of the Year in transfer quarterback Cam Ward from Washington State, whose 14,140 career yards of total offense are the most of any active player entering the 2024 season, the Canes also added two-time All-Pac-12 first-team selection and 2023 Doak Walker Award semifinalist Damien Martinez from Oregon State in the offensive backfield. Coupled with returning wide receivers Xavier Restrepo (1,092) and Jacolby George (864), who both ranked in the top three in receiving yards in the ACC last season, the offense has several weapons to turn to in 2024.
NC State head coach Dave Doeren, now in his 12th season in Raleigh, recorded nine wins last season to give his Wolfpack teams seven 8+ win seasons, four nine-win seasons and made nine bowl appearances during his tenure. NC State, which enters the 2024 campaign as one of just five programs in the Power 5 conferences that have won eight or more games in each of the last four seasons, returns 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year in wideout Kevin “KC” Concepcion and has added several new pieces on the offensive side including transfer quarterback Grayson McCall from Coastal Carolina, running backs Jordan Waters from Duke and Hollywood Smothers from Oklahoma, tight end Justin Joly from UConn and wide receivers Noah Rogers from Ohio State and Wesley Grimes from Wake Forest.
Three other ACC teams received votes in Louisville (111), Virginia Tech (77) and SMU (33).
Florida State and Georgia Tech will kick off the 2024 college football season at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Week 0 on Saturday, Aug. 24, at noon ET in Dublin, Ireland. ESPN’s College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will broadcast live for the first time from Dublin, Ireland, marking the first time that the show will be outside of the United States.
New member SMU will also be one of eight teams playing in Week 0, as the Mustangs will take on Nevada on Aug. 24 at 8 p.m. ET in Reno, Nevada.
All 17 teams will be in action over Labor Day weekend, Aug. 29-Sept. 2, with 16 games spanning four days - Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday. Boston College and Florida State will cap off Week 1 of the 2024 college football season with a Labor Day showdown in ACC play on Monday, Sept. 2, at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.
The 2024 ACC Football Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. ET on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 7, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. For the second consecutive season, the championship game will feature the top two teams based on regular-season conference winning percentage. This is the 15th time in the last 16 years that the game will be held in primetime.
