29th in Preseason Coaches Poll

[HubbaHubba]

29 is not too bad of a start first year in power conference.

https://sportsdata.usatoday.com/footbal ... 2024-08-05

[BillgoCU]

I think it's respectable as well. Although it is behind 6 other ACC schools, or 7 if Notre Dame is included. Welcome back!
I personally am looking forward to a lot of good football around the league this season.

[Horseshoe]

If there's any accuracy there, it's enlightening about the ACC.

Notre Dame (kind of ACC), which just lost its starting left tackle for the year (7), Florida State (10), Clemson (14), Miami (19), NC State (22), Louisville (28); Virginia Tech (29) all ranked ahead of us.

A step up, indeed.

[Pony ^]

fair rankings although Louisville probably should have been top 25

[Charleston Pony]

From CBS Sports "Overrated and Underrated teams" in pre-season Top 25:


Underrated: SMU (NR)

The Mustangs finished the 2023 season as a top-25 team after winning their first conference championship since 1984. Despite returning the vast majority of its production from the title-winning season, SMU starts the year outside the top 25. Quarterback Preston Stone is one of the nation's most underrated quarterbacks, and he has an incredible collection of skill talent around him. The defense might be the most underrated part of the team with a secondary that would play almost anywhere.

Granted, SMU faces a new challenge as a new member of the ACC. While there's plenty of context, the Mustangs are 0-5 against power-conference teams over the past two seasons. The skepticism is logical, but expect SMU to flip the narrative.

[Hop Sing]

It’s absolutely time to flip the narrative. It’s going to be a massive disappointment if we aren’t 4-0 going into the Florida State game. We won our two big AAC games last year, Memphis and Tulane, but now it’s time to beat the big boys. The pressure is on.

[orguy]

It’s absolutely time to flip the narrative. It’s going to be a massive disappointment if we aren’t 4-0 going into the Florida State game. We won our two big AAC games last year, Memphis and Tulane, but now it’s time to beat the big boys. The pressure is on.

People need to temper their collective expectations. First year in a new P4 conference.
Historically, teams in our position struggle when taking a step up.

[Hop Sing]

I’m not expecting wins against our first two conference opponents Florida State and Louisville, but it will be a massive failure if we aren’t 4-0 non conference. If you can’t beat BYU and TCU at home then it’s gonna be a rough year in the ACC.

[Graceland Tar Heel]

I think it's respectable as well. Although it is behind 6 other ACC schools, or 7 if Notre Dame is included. Welcome back!
I personally am looking forward to a lot of good football around the league this season.

ACC football quality is almost always considerably better than the widely accepted prejudice that it is weak. The ACC has more wins over the SEC in this century than any league, by a good margin. WE beat the Big Ten routinely at a higher rate than we beat the SEC. The ACC problem, as it were, is that it simply cannot deliver the number of TV viewers delivered by SEC and BT.