NC State Picked To Finish Second In Atlantic Division
Clemson is favored to claim the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference football title for the seventh time in the last eight years, according to a preseason poll of 164 media voters.
The Tigers, who recorded their 11th consecutive double-digit win season with a 10-3 finish in 2021, were also chosen as likely Atlantic Division winners. Miami was picked to finish atop the Coastal Division following a 7-5 campaign last season that included wins in five of the final six games.
The 2022 ACC Preseason Poll was conducted via a vote of a media panel, including those who were credentialed for last week’s ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Clemson was named the likely 2022 ACC champion on 103 ballots. NC State picked up 38 votes, followed by Miami with eight and Wake Forest with four. Pitt (3), Virginia (3), Florida State (2), North Carolina (2), and Boston College (1) also received votes.
In the Atlantic Division preseason voting, Clemson led the way with 111 first-place votes and 1,080 total points. NC State, which was tabbed as the likely second-place finisher, picked up 44 first-place votes while accumulating 959 points.
Defending Atlantic Division Champion Wake Forest (six first-place votes, 783 points) was picked for a third-place finish this season, followed by Louisville (591), Florida State (two first-place votes, 509) Boston College (one first-place vote, 469) and Syracuse (201).
In the Coastal Division forecast, Miami received 98 first-place votes and amassed 1,036 total points. Defending ACC champion Pitt (38 first-place votes) was next with 911 points, followed by North Carolina (18 first-place votes, 823 points) and Virginia (six first-place votes, 667 points).
Virginia Tech (three first-place votes, 592 points), Georgia Tech (one first-place vote, 343 points) and Duke (220 points) closed out the voting.
Clemson was selected as the likely ACC champion in the media preseason poll for the fifth consecutive season and the eighth time in the last 10 years.
Miami was projected as the preseason Coastal Division champion for the sixth time and the first time since 2018. The Hurricanes’ lone Coastal Division championship came in 2017.
The Atlantic and Coastal Division winners will meet in the 2022 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 3, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
ACC Preseason Poll
(164 total votes)
Overall Champion
Clemson - 103
NC State - 38
Miami - 8
Wake Forest - 4
Pitt – 3
Virginia - 3
Florida State - 2
North Carolina - 2
Boston College - 1
Atlantic Division
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Clemson (111) - 1,080
NC State (44) - 959
Wake Forest (6) - 783
Louisville - 591
Florida State (2) - 509
Boston College (1) - 469
Syracuse - 201
Coastal Division
(First-place votes in parenthesis)
Miami (98) – 1,036
Pitt (38) - 911
North Carolina (18) - 823
Virginia (6) - 667
Virginia Tech (3) - 592
Georgia Tech (1) - 343
Duke - 220