ACC expert picks 2023: Most overrated and underrated teams, projected order of finish, bold predictions

rewrite this content material with complete period and stay HTML tags The 2023 ACC soccer season is shaping as much as be one of probably the most distinctive in league historical past because the convention says good-bye to divisions and eyes a go back to the College Football Playoff after a two-year absence. While the ACC is present process a significant shift, the convention championship race includes a go back to normalcy, of varieties, as No. 8 Clemson and No. 9 Florida State input the 12 months because the league’s simple frontrunners.The ACC Championship Game has featured both Clemson or Florida State in all however 4 season since department play started in 2005 with the 2 systems combining for 12 of 18 convention titles in that span. The Tigers and Seminoles were the category of the convention, even though now not all the time on the similar time. Clemson has had the higher hand just lately, profitable the ACC in seven of the final 8 years. Mike Norvell’s step forward 2022 season with Florida State, then again, has the ‘Noles again within the most sensible 10 and eyeing a go back to the highest of the league.The two will face off once or more, on Sept. 23, and in all probability level a rematch on Dec. 2 within the ACC Championship Game now that they are now not individuals of the similar department. Can any individual as opposed to the Tigers or Seminoles destroy thru and throw the ACC into chaos, even though? Let’s take a look as our CBS Sports faculty soccer professionals have supplied their picks and predictions for the ACC forward of the 2023 season. Most overrated staff Florida State: Florida State’s nationwide score is truthful; any place between Nos. 7 and 12 feels suitable given the returning manufacturing and offseason roster additions. I even consider the media’s preseason order of end hanging the Seminoles at No. 2 in the back of Clemson. But I consider overrating Florida State is going on with the presumed distance between the Seminoles and the Tigers. The AP Top 25 has Florida State one spot forward of Clemson, and the having a bet markets necessarily have the 2 systems indexed as co-favorites with the Tigers at +130 and the Seminoles at +140. I believe Clemson is the correct favourite, however there is a hole between those two systems that also must be closed. Florida State simply broke thru with a 10-win season but additionally misplaced all of its video games towards ranked fighters. Mike Norvell has constructed up probably the most entire roster we’ve got observed in Tallahassee, Florida, in years, however Clemson has been stacking blue-chip-laden recruiting categories for a decade. I’m now not in a position to position them at the Tigers’ tier simply but. — Chip Patterson Miami: The Hurricanes’ first season beneath Mario Cristobal was once a whole crisis as Miami failed to succeed in bowl eligibility for the primary time since 2007. Still, the preseason ACC ballot slotted Miami at 5th; for context, Miami completed 5th in its personal department twelve months in the past. Modest enhancements are anticipated in Cristobal’s 2nd season, however no magical turnaround is coming. The agenda is even more difficult in 2023 as a division-less setup approach Clemson, Florida State, NC State and No. 21 North Carolina are all at the agenda. Miami does not also have the ease of continuity after each coordinators left this system. Don’t be stunned if the Hurricanes are combating for bowl eligibility on the finish of the 12 months. — Shehan Jeyarajah (Barrett Sallee, Jerry Palm, David Cobb)North Carolina: North Carolina has some ability, needless to say, however the roster is stuffed with too many holes to hopefully say the Tar Heels are one of the ACC’s 3 absolute best groups. With Devontez Walker’s eligibility in query, famous person QB Drake Maye lacks confirmed guns (out of doors the tight finish room). Retaining defensive coordinator Gene Chizik after a woeful 2022 was once questionable, and the secondary — which anchored a go protection that ranked 121st out of 131 FBS colleges final season — misplaced a ton of confirmed choices and will depend closely on switch contributions. — Will Backus (Tom Fornelli) Louisville: Jeff Brohm was once the very best option to be successful the middling Scott Satterfield (26-24 in 4 seasons). He is a legacy. He can trainer. He guided Pur — friggin’ — because of the Big Ten Championship Game. Louisville is not competing for the ACC name, even though. Not anytime quickly. It is a middle-of-the highway ACC program that has completed above 3rd position in its department two times since 2014. It definitely isn’t a countrywide program it was once threatening to be 10 years in the past. God bless Lamar Jackson and all, however is it truthful to mention Louisville has slipped? In one sense, that is why Brohm was once employed. Cal/Purdue switch QB Jack Plummer is available in figuring out the gadget. But this can be a league this is nonetheless dominated through Clemson, with Florida State approaching sturdy. Louisville is a program that has slightly averaged seven wins the final 5 years. The final coaches to in reality win giant with the Cardinals had been Bobby Petrino and Charlie Strong,  and that was once some time in the past. Satterfield did not go away a lot ability at the roster and simplest 4 starters go back on offense.  — Dennis Dodd Most underrated staff Pitt: Pitt adopted up its 2021 convention name through completing tied for 3rd in phrases of ACC report final season. Yet the Panthers tied for 6th within the league’s preseason media ballot. Perhaps electorate forgot that Boston College switch quarterback Phil Jurkovec thrived in offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr.’s gadget right through their time in combination at BC in 2020 and 2021. Perhaps additionally they forgot that ninth-year trainer Pat Narduzzi all the time reloads his defensive entrance seven amid reputedly vital departures. Pitt does not play Clemson, Miami or NC State, and it will get Florida State and North Carolina at house. With that agenda, this staff has all of the makings of a darkhorse league name contender. — Cobb (Patterson, Palm)NC State: Dave Doeren has been at NC State for 10 seasons. He’s controlled to win a minimum of seven video games in 8 of them, and one of the 2 seasons he failed to take action was once his first. This program has persistently completed within the most sensible part of the ACC’s harder department, and it has worse odds to win the league than North Carolina, Louisville and Miami? Am I the one one that recalls what took place final time Brennan Armstrong and Robert Anae cooked in combination? — Fornelli (Dodd, Jeyarajah) Louisville: I did a double take once I noticed that Louisville was once picked 8th within the preseason media ballot. It’s a whole contradiction from the 8.0 win general indexed at Caesars Sportsbook. Oddsmakers are proper and electorate within the ACC ballot are flawed. The transfer from Satterfield to Brohm is an enormous improve, and the addition of Plummer throughout the portal was once a coup for a staff that wishes a gunslinger beneath middle. He threw 26 touchdowns beneath Brohm at Purdue (2019-21) ahead of throwing for three,095 yards and 21 touchdowns final season at Cal. Translation: He is absolutely ok with Brohm’s gadget and extremely skilled. That, coupled with a brand new defensive scheme that may depend closely on an skilled secondary, will lead the Cardinals into ACC rivalry. — Sallee (Backus) Bold predictions Dennis Dodd: Drake Maye now not simplest wins the Heisman and throws for five,000 yards, however reminds us once more if you have got a quarterback you have got an opportunity as he guides North Carolina to a New Year’s Six bowl. That makes it a grand level for the nice Mack Brown to retire (from training) and turn into the brand new govt director of the College Football Playoff.Tom Fornelli: Clemson and Florida State would be the simplest two ACC groups to complete the common season with fewer than 4 losses.Chip Patterson: Clemson pulls off a two-game sweep of Florida State. I’ve were given the Tigers beating the ‘Noles early in Death Valley ahead of working it again with every other win in Charlotte to say their 8th ACC name in 9 years. The addition of Garrett Riley at offensive coordinator will free up top potency for the offense. The protection, which hasn’t ever in reality wavered a lot within the fresh playoff drought, will likely be elite as soon as once more. Barrett Sallee: The Seminoles are for actual, and will turn out it on Sept. 23 in a win over Clemson in Death Valley. They’ll drop one sport alongside the way in which however most sensible the Tigers for a 2nd time within the ACC Championship Game. That’ll give them their first College Football Playoff look since 2014.Shehan Jeyarajah: Clemson will handily beat Florida State of their Week 4 house matchup, reputedly getting rid of the Seminoles from the…