ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE ALL-LEAGUE SELECTIONS 2020

The end of the college football season is a sad time, because it means that we are almost finished withfootball, and have a long cold winter (and spring) ahead of us.

But it's also a time for passing out hardware, in the form of all-league teams. 

Plenty of players had the spotlight shining on them, so it was admittedly tricky trying to find the best of the best in each league. But through careful research, and all night film sessions, our committee of three came up with what we thought were the best choices in each conference. 

These selections may not match the ones unveiled by the conferences, but that's because much of that is name recognition more than stellar play. Digging deep behind the numbers is what's needed, and that's precisely what we have done here.

In the Atlantic Coast Conference it was pretty much the same old story -- Clemson wins again, though for a change it was pushed. Notre Dame knocked off the Tigers in one of the thrillers of the regular season, but Clemson repaid the Irish with a vengeance in the league title game, leaving no doubt who rules the roost in the ACC. Trevor Lawrence was his usual reliable self, while Irish linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah was a game changer and Butkus Award winner. Clemson frosh Bryan Bresee entered the program with a ton of hype but lived up to it, and looks to have a stellar career ahead. North Carolina State was believed to be an afterthought but had one of the better performances of coach Dave Doeren's tenure in Raleigh.

1^ST TEAM OFFENSE                                                                                   2^ND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Trevor Lawrence/Clemson                                                             QB Sam Howell/North Carolina

RB Javonte Williams/North Carolina                                                     RB Michael Carter/North Carolina

RB Travis Etienne                                                                                     RB Khalil Herbert/Virginia Tech

WR Dyami Brown/North Carolina                                                          WR Jaquarii Roberson/Wake Forest

WR Zay Flowers/Boston College                                                         WR Tutu Atwell/Louisville

WR Amari Rodgers/Clemson                                                               WR Emeka Emezie/NC State

TE Hunter Long/Boston College                                                           TE Brevin Jordan/Miami

OT Christian Darrisaw/Virginia Tech                                                   OT Liam Eichenberg/Notre Dame

OT Robert Hainsey/Notre Dame                                                            OT Jackson Carman/Clemson

OG Doug Nester/Virginia Tech                                                              OG Tommy Kraemer/Notre Dame

OG Aaron Banks/Notre Dame                                                                OG Ben Petrula/Boston College

 C Alec Lindstrom/Boston College                                                       C Jimmy Morrissey/Pittsburgh                                       

1^ST TEAM DEFENSE                                                                                  2^ND TEAM DEFENSE

DE Rashad Weaver/Pittsburgh                                                             DE Patrick Jones II/Pittsburgh

DT Alim McNeil/NC State                                                                       DT Bryan Bresee/Clemson

DT Calijah Kancey/Pittsburgh                                                              DT Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa/Notre Dame

DE Quincy Roche/Miami                                                                        DE Jaelan Phillips/Miami

LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah/Notre Dame                                  LB Chazz Surratt/North Carolina

LB Payton Wilson/NC State                                                                  LB Cam Bright/Pittsburgh

LB Mike Jones Jr/Clemson                                                                LB Charles Snowden/Virginia

LB Isaiah McDuffie/Boston College                                                   LB James Skalski/Clemson

CB Asante Samuel/Florida State                                                        CB Ifeatu Melifonwu/Syracuse

CB Derion Kendrick/Clemson                                                            CB Andrew Booth Jr/Clemson

 S Divine Deablo/Virginia Tech                                                              S Kyle Hamilton/Notre Dame

 S Nolan Turner/Clemson                                                                      S Damar Hamlin/Pittsburgh

1^ST TEAM SPECIALISTS                                                                          2^ND TEAM SPECIALISTS

 K Jose Borregales/Miami                                                                     K Christopher Dunn/NC State

 P Kirk Christodoulou/Pittsburgh                                                        P Lou Hedley/Miami

RS Khalil Herbert/Virginia Tech                                                          RS Nykeim Johnson/Syracuse

 

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Trevor Lawrence/Clemson                  

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah/Notre Dame

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Calijah Kancey/Pittsburgh

COACH OF THE YEAR: Dave Doeren/NC State

 

College Football 2018 Conference Previews -- ACC

 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE

 OVERVIEW

Clemson's Dabo Swinney

 The ACC 2018 looks a lot like the ACC 2017 -- Clemson and everybody else.
 The Tigers juggernaut, which has appeared in the College Football Playoff three straight years, shows no signs of slowing down, which means everyone else is playing for second place -- or a berth in the league title game, where, conceivably, anything can happen. Clemson has the most talent, a frightening defensive front, the best coach and most of its trickiest games at home, which means an unblemished season is not only possible, but likely. There is some intrigue on offense as freshman wunderkind quarterback Trevor Lawrence may have the goods to start from day one, but even if he doesn't he'll push incumbent Kelly Bryant and make him better. 
 As for the rest of the league, Florida State is trending upward behind first-year coach Willie Taggart, who has invigorated the program after it got stale under Jimbo Fisher, and who has been aggressive on the recruiting trail. That means the Seminoles could actually be a challenger to the Clemson throne, though not this year. Boston College is rising behind running back AJ Dillon and a mammoth offensive line, North Carolina State won't go away thanks to the return of quarterback Ryan Finley while a healthy Wake Forest has one of the best secondaries in the league, buoyed by cornerback Essang Bassey.
 Miami should reign supreme in Coastal, though there are still concerning quarterback issues. The Canes have an abundance of speed at the skill positions, notably with receiver Ahmmon Richards and freshman running back Lorenzo Lingard. The Canes also have the ACC's best linebacker group and a stout secondary, which should make it a favorite in most games. Virginia Tech may, for once, need to lean on its offense after injuries and departures make the defense appear mortal -- at least on paper. But as long as Bud Foster is around the Hokies will be tough. Defensive tackle Ricky Walker will become a star this year.
 Georgia Tech is looking for a cleaner offensive performance, and has quarterback Taquon Marshall back to handle the triple option. The defense needs to improve and just might under new coordinator Nate Woody, the architect of solid defenses at Appalachian State for the last five years. Pat Narduzzi has a young but talented squad in Pittsburgh, one that may have learned from three one-score losses a year ago. Linebacker Oluwaseun Idowu is a tackling machine and will anchor an athletic stop unit. Quarterback Daniel Jones needs to get better with his decision making and accuracy if Duke is going to make a move, but the pieces are in place for a run at a bowl bid -- but trips to Miami and Clemson may temper the optimism.
RISING: Florida State
FALLING: Louisville
BOWL TEAMS (10): Clemson, Florida State, Boston College, NC State, Wake Forest, Miami,
Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Duke          

ACC PROJECTED STANDINGS

ATLANTIC 
1 Clemson (13-0, 8-0)
2 Florida State (9-3, 6-2)
3 Boston College (7-5, 5-3)
4 NC State (8-4, 4-4)
5 Wake Forest (6-6, 3-5)
6 Louisville (6-6, 3-5)

7 Syracuse (4-8, 1-7)

COASTAL

1 Miami (10-3, 6-2)

2 Virginia Tech (8-4, 5-3)

3 Georgia Tech (7-5, 4-4)

4 Pittsburgh (7-5, 4-4)

5 Duke (6-6, 4-4)

6 North Carolina (5-7, 2-6)

7 Virginia (4-8, 1-7)

ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

Clemson over Miami

ALL-ACC TEAM

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE

QB Ryan Finley/NC State

RB AJ Dillon/Boston College

RB Cam Akers/Florida State

WR Kelvin Harmon/NC State

WR Greg Dortch/Wake Forest

WR Jaylen Smith/Louisville

TE Tommy Sweeney/Boston College

OT Mitch Hyatt/Clemson

OT Mekhi Becton/Louisville

OG Chris Lindstrom/Boston College

OG Parker Braun/Georgia Tech

  C  Justin Falcinelli/Clemson

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE

DE Clelin Ferrell/Clemson
DE Zach Allen/Boston College

DT Christian Wilkins/Clemson

DT Dexter Lawrence/Clemson

LB Shaq Quarterman/Miami

LB Joe Giles-Harris/Duke

LB Kendall Joseph/Clemson

LB Ben Humphreys/Duke

CB Mark Gilbert/Duke

CB Michael Jackson/Duke

  S  Lukas Denis/Boston College

  S  Jaquan Johnson/Miami

FIRST TEAM SPECIALISTS

  K Ricky Aguayo/Florida State

  P Sterling Hofrichter/Syracuse

KR Anthony Ratliff-Williams/North Carolina

PR DJ Matthews/Florida State

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE

QB Daniel Jones/Duke

RB Travis Etienne/Clemson

RB Ricky Person/NC State

WR Tee Higgins/Clemson

WR Dez Fitzpatrick/Louisville

WR Ahmmon Richards/Miami

TE Daniel Helm/Duke

OT Tyler Jones/NC State

OT Alex Bookser/Pitt

OG Phil Haynes/Wake Forest

OG Landon Dickerson/Florida State

  C  Ryan Anderson/Wake Forest

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE

DE Austin Bryant/Clemson
DE Joe Jackson/Miami

DT Ricky Walker/Virginia Tech

DT DeMarcus Christmas/Florida State

LB Chris Peace/Virginia

LB Dontavious Jackson/Florida State

LB Michael Pinckney/Miami

LB Oluwaseun Idowu/Pitt

CB Levonta Taylor/Florida State

CB Essang Bassey/Wake Forest

  S  Cameron Glenn/Wake Forest

  S  Juan Thornhill/Virginia

SECOND TEAM SPECIALISTS

  K Blanton Creque/Louisville

  P Pressley Harvin/Georgia Tech

KR Joe Reed/Virginia

PR Michael Walker/Boston College

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: AJ Dillon/Boston College
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Christian Wilkins/Clemson
COACH OF THE YEAR: Willie Taggart/Florida State
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: RB Ricky Person/NC State

Schedule Grading -- ACC

 With no games on tap, and with most of the coaching moves finalized and the recruiting hay being put in the barn, attention for most turns to spring football. Different teams have different start dates, but we know that everyone will end their spring drills feeling good about themselves and proclaiming their team ready to go.

That's all well and good, but a lot of the time schedule dictates how well your team fares.

We're going to take a look at 2018 schedules for the Power 5 conferences, beginning today with the Atlantic Coast Conference. What follows is a grading system, with more weight being given for tough non-conference games (even more so if they are on the road). Teams won't be penalized a ton for missing the top teams in their league because that's set by the conference, not by them. We are mainly looking at the games the schools choose to play. Teams WILL be dinged for playing FCS squads, as they should know better.

BOSTON COLLEGE
NC sked: UMass, Holy Cross, at Purdue, Temple
Conference sked: at Wake Forest, at NC State, Louisville, Miami, at Virginia Tech, Clemson, at Florida State, Syracuse
NC grade: D+; This is mainly because of Purdue. Were the Boilermakers not on it would be a big fat F. Yeah, keeping the other games because of regional favor is great, but won't do much to help the Eagles SOS.
Conference grade: A-; BC fans will have a chance to see some great games, with Louisville, Miami and Clemson coming to Chestnut Hill. Road tilts against NC State and Virginia Tech will be tough.
Overall grade: C+ 

CLEMSON
NC sked: Furman, at Texas A&M, Georgia Southern, South Carolina
Conference sked: at Georgia Tech, Syracuse, at Wake Forest, NC State, at Florida State, Louisville, at Boston College, Duke
NC grade: C+; going on the road to College Station is nice, but probably won't be competitive, and having the season-ending Palmetto Bowl at home means the Tigers have a pretty big advantage, even against an improved Gamecocks squad.
Conference grade: B+; Florida State is the only road test that can be considered at all tricky, and Louisville and NC State at home should be pretty easy. No Miami or Virginia Tech, either.
Overall grade: C

DUKE
NC sked: Army, at Northwestern, at Baylor, North Carolina Central
Conference sked: Virginia Tech, at Georgia Tech, Virginia, at Pittsburgh, at Miami, North Carolina, at Clemson, Wake Forest
NC grade: B+; If only NC Central wasn't a part of this. Duke is ambitious, hosting a good Army team before going on the road to face Northwestern and an improving Baylor squad.
Conference grade: A-; No gimmes here, as the Blue Devils host Virginia Tech and travel to Clemson and Miami. Duke could be a better team in 2018, but the record might not reflect it.
Overall grade: A-

FLORIDA STATE
NC sked: Samford, Northern Illinois, at Notre Dame, Florida
Conference sked: Virginia Tech, at Syracuse, at Louisville, at Miami, Wake Forest, Clemson, at NC State, Boston College
NC grade: A-; It would have been a A or even A+ if the Seminoles avoided Samford. Going to Notre Dame and ending the season with the Gators will show how much progress FSU has made in year one of Willie Taggart.
Conference grade: A-; Welcome to the ACC, Willie. All four of the league's heavy hitters are on the slate, Virginia Tech and Clemson at home and Miami and NC State away. Only Boston College would be considered a layup, and given the Seminoles 2017 troubles even that might be a tester.  
Overall grade: A-     

GEORGIA TECH
NC sked: Alcorn State, at South Florida, Bowling Green, at Georgia
Conference sked: at Pittsburgh, Clemson, at Louisville, Duke, at Virginia Tech, at North Carolina, Miami, Virginia
NC grade: B; Taking on rival Georgia in Athens is no picnic, and traveling to USF could be tricky. But BG is seen as a lower rung MAC squad, and Alcorn State is FCS. Not exactly intimidating.
Conference grade: B+; Getting Clemson and Miami at home should be exciting, and a trip to Virginia Tech could be a landmine. But the rest of the schedule is manageable.
Overall grade: B   

LOUISVILLE
NC sked: vs Alabama, Indiana State, Western Kentucky, Kentucky
Conference sked: at Virginia, Florida State, Georgia Tech, at Boston College, Wake Forest, at Clemson, at Syracuse, NC State
NC grade: B+; You would think that having Alabama on the slate would mean an automatic A, but including Indiana State and an overhauled Western Kentucky knocks it down a bit.
Conference grade: B-; Clemson on the road is scary, but there isn't anything else truly intimidating on the slate. Life after Lamar may not be as bad as some think.
Overall grade: B
  
MIAMI, FLA.
NC sked: vs LSU, Savannah State, at Toledo, Florida International
Conference sked: North Carolina, Florida State, at Virginia, at Boston College, Duke, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech, Pittsburgh
NC grade: C+; The opening showdown with LSU should be tasty, and facing former coach Butch Davis and FIU will generate storylines. But the rest of it is pretty blah. Savannah State? Really?  
Conference grade: C-; The only really dicey contest is in Blacksburg, and while FSU at home could be interesting, the Seminoles will likely still be adjusting to Willie Taggart. 
Overall grade: C

NORTH CAROLINA
NC sked: at California, at East Carolina, UCF, Western Carolina
Conference sked: Pittsburgh, at Miami, Virginia Tech, at Syracuse, at Virginia, Georgia Tech, at Duke, NC State
NC grade: B+; Like Duke, the appearance of an FCS school keeps this from being an A. Hosting UCF will be intriguing, and going on the road to face Cal and ECU will not be cakewalks.
Conference grade: B; The Tar Heels miss Clemson, but have to travel to Miami, so that is tough. Hosting NC State is always a big thing, and getting Virginia Tech at home could be interesting.
Overall grade: B  

NORTH CAROLINA STATE
NC sked: James Madison, Georgia State, West Virginia, at Marshall
Conference sked: Virginia, Boston College, at Clemson, at Syracuse, Florida State, Wake Forest, at Louisville, at North Carolina
NC grade: B-; Another FCS team (JMU), though this one is at least top tier. Going to Marshall could be tricky, and the home tilt with West Virginia is one of the marquee matchups of 2018.
Conference grade: B-; Going to Clemson is never a good thing, but the rest of the schedule seems pretty good. Florida State and Wake at home helps, and while going to Louisville could be dicey, the Cards won't be as good as they were last year.  
Overall grade: B-

PITTSBURGH
NC sked: Albany, Penn State, at UCF, at Notre Dame
Conference sked: Georgia Tech, at North Carolina, Syracuse, Duke, at Virginia, Virginia Tech, at Wake Forest, at Miami
NC grade: A-; Yeah, yeah, I know that I've dinged others for FCS teams, and Albany isn't even a good one. But PSU, UCF and Notre Dame could all be top 15 squads, so bravo to Pat Narduzzi for taking them on.
Conference grade: B+; Not a ton of sexy matchups, outside of going to Miami -- think the Canes will remember this year's result in Pittsburgh? Virginia Tech at home should be a challenge, but the rest is pretty uninspiring.
Overall grade: B+

SYRACUSE
NC sked: at Western Michigan, Wagner, UConn, at Notre Dame
Conference sked: Florida State, at Clemson, at Pittsburgh, North Carolina, NC State, at Wake Forest, Louisville, at Boston College
NC grade: B-; Going to South Bend could prove overwhelming, and opening with WMU won't be easy, either. But Wagner and UConn should allow the Orange to go .500 in non-league play.
Conference grade: C+; FSU and Clemson right out of the chute could be a real problem, but after that only NC State is truly intimidating. Don't be surprised if Syracuse flirts with a bowl bid thanks to this slate.
Overall grade: C+   

VIRGINIA
NC sked: Richmond, at Indiana, Ohio, Liberty
Conference sked: Louisville, at NC State, Miami, at Duke, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, at Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech.
NC sked: D+; Not one, but two FCS schools ... shame, shame, shame. Yeah, Richmond isn't bad, but this is one of the poorer schedules out there.
Conference grade: A-; Conversely, the ACC slate is a meat-grinder, with only Clemson being absent. Trips to NC State and Virginia Tech and a home game with Miami will be the difference between going bowling and staying home, so the Cavaliers need to take care of business against the rest of the slate.
Overall grade: C+

VIRGINIA TECH
NC sked: William & Mary, East Carolina, at Old Dominion, Notre Dame
Conference sked: at Florida State, at Duke, at North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Boston College, at Pittsburgh, Miami, Virginia
NC grade: C-; Hosting the Irish will be special for the fans in Blacksburg, but the remaining games should amount to practices.
Conference grade: C-; Four of the last five at home, with only Miami as a challenger, brings this grade down a tad. The opener with Florida State will have hype, but the rest of the slate is pretty boring.     
Overall grade: C- 

WAKE FOREST
NC sked: at Tulane, Towson, Notre Dame, Rice
Conference sked: Boston College, Clemson, at Florida State, at Louisville, Syracuse, at NC State, Pittsburgh, at Duke
NC grade: C-; Notre Dame visiting Winston-Salem will be big, and Tulane will be improved in 2018. Nothing else stands out, though.
Conference sked: B-; Road trips to Tallahassee and Raleigh will be tough, as will Clemson at home. A lot of tossup games here, which the Demon Deacons will need to win if they want to make a third straight bowl appearance.   
Overall grade: C+  

Wednesday: Big 12 schedules