ACC: Burning Questions Heading Into 2023

Stoney Keeley writes a quick preview of the ACC ahead of the start of the 2023 season.

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It’s hard to believe, but the start of the next college football season is beginning to creep up on us. It’s the height of the summer right now, but before you know it, American tackle football is going to kick off in earnest. I can’t wait. Over the course of the next several weeks, I’m going to be surveying the college football landscape, conference by conference, and previewing the upcoming season. Up next, we’re talking about the ACC.

ACC: Burning Questions Heading Into 2023

Is Florida State for real? Man, oh man…are the ‘Noles back? It’s hard to say otherwise after an 11-2 campaign that saw some things really start to click for Mike Norvell. There is talent all over this roster in spades, and for the first time in years, it feels like that is being matched with process and structure. You can’t say Florida State is a shit show any longer. Jordan Travis helms an offense that averaged a whopping 36.1 points per game in 2022, and they get eight starters back. They have a first round pick at defensive end in Jared Verse on a defense that returns a bunch of starters as well. This team is loaded – the only reservation I have is that this team will be entering 2023 with some lofty expectations. If they’re going to prove they’re for real, they have to live up to those.

Is Clemson slipping? You know things are bad if Dabo Swinney is actually going outside of the Clemson program to hire an offensive coordinator. Garrett Riley is a hell of a name to hire, but there’s work to do. Schematically, Clemson sort of needs to get with the times a bit. There’s talent on defense, but it’s not a unit that is as talented as it has been in recent years. They have a steady quarterback, a running back that’ll be playing in the NFL, and good enough pieces to win the conference. But, man…they need to be more consistent – whether that’s a play-calling, motivation, or schematic issue, I don’t know. I see this as a make or break year for “the Clemson dynasty.” Is the hiring of Riley a signal that Swinney is fighting back, digging his heels in, and refusing to let college football pass him by? Or, is it just an indication that things are starting to slip away? It’s simple – win the ACC this season and get the Tigers back on track for National Championship contention. I still don’t think they finish worse than third in the conference, but that’s more an indictment on the number of contenders in the ACC than it is faith in Clemson.

Is Drake Maye enough to make North Carolina a contender? There’s a new offensive coordinator in town. There are some new pieces along that offense. There are still major question marks about the Tar Heels defense, and I think all of that uncertainty makes North Carolina a much more risky projection than the national outlets are suggesting right now. Maye could be a top five pick in the NFL Draft next spring. To me, if the Tar Heels have a shot at real ACC Championship contention, it’s going to be because their quarterback has put the load on his shoulders.

Culture makes contenders – The ACC is an interesting read this offseason. The way I see it, you have two legitimate playoff contenders in Florida State and Clemson. You have a couple of programs that look like they’re still a year or two away as far as talent, system, and cultural implementation goes in Miami and Louisville. You have the ongoing rebuilds at Virginia and Virginia Tech, and then you even have a few seats that are starting to warm up. The ACC really covers the gamut of types of programs and where they reside in their growth trajectories. But, what’s really interesting is this middle class of programs that just seem to have a rock solid foundation and a cultural identity that makes them competitive – NC State, Pitt, Wake Forest, and I’m throwing Duke into this class after Mike Elko’s first season yielded nine wins. This is where your dark horses in the ACC are going to come from. Each may have its own issues, but the culture is what makes them strong. Any of these teams could rise up and be a surprise contender in the ACC this season.

Now, what about those hot seats? The bottom tier of the ACC looks brutal. Virginia and Virginia Tech will get ample time to rebuild, but those programs are already working on heading in the right direction. There are three in the ACC this season that look like they’re closer to a change in Boston College, Syracuse, and even Georgia Tech. What Brent Key did down the stretch for the Yellow Jackets in 2022, going 4-4 with wins over Pitt and North Carolina, is commendable. This is a tough team that’s going to fight, and maybe that’ll keep ’em in some games, but is the permanent hiring of Key enough of a departure from Geoff Collins? Or, was this just a hire to keep culture intact while they figure out long-term plans for the program? That’s the only reason I might consider putting Georgia Tech in this category. But, there are different situations at Boston College and Syracuse, where we’re seasons into the rebuild, not seeing depth accumulate, not seeing high level recruiting, and most importantly, not seeing results. I’d imagine if there’s not a turnaround this year, both programs could be looking for new head coaches (though I’ll say that Syracuse does seem pretty loyal to Dino Babers).

My projected order of finish:

  1. Florida State
  2. Clemson
  3. NC State
  4. Pittsburgh
  5. North Carolina

2023 COLLEGE FOOTBALL SEASON PREVIEWS

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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.

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