FAVORITE TEAMS

The ACC proved to be the toughest conference in the nation and the most of the teams proved it.

Louisville and UNC were the ACC’s worst of 2018, but Louisville upset Florida State while UNC defeated Coastal winner Pittsburgh. Florida State continues to decline post-Jimbo Fisher era and there are questions on Willie Taggart’s hire. Virginia Tech had potential, but Old Dominion’s 4th quarter dominance and quarterback Josh Jackson’s injury sent them falling to 4-7 and a bowl loss to Cincinnati. Wake Forest and Boston College managed a winnable schedule. Miami had a hangover from a Florida State win and went into a freefall for the next 4 games before winning their last 2. Georgia Tech started 1-3 before winning 6 of their last 9 games. NC State started 5-0 before going to Clemson. After that loss, the Wolfpack limped to a bowl game and lost to Texas A&M. Duke went undefeated in non-conference play, but went a mediocre 3-5 in conference play (like Auburn). Virginia improved in year 3 and won a bowl game for the first time in 13 years. Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey was the key to the team’s successful season, including 10 wins, a Florida State win, and their first bowl win since 2013. Pitt won the Coastal division with luck, perseverance, and a lot of bombardment by Virginia Tech (Old Dominion), Georgia Tech (1-3 start), Duke (3-5 in ACC), Miami (0-4 after Florida State win), and UNC (injuries and suspensions). Clemson dominated the 2018 season in all facets with true freshmen quarterback Trevor Lawrence after replacing Kelly Bryant prior to Syracuse.

Syracuse was a toss up based on Eric Dungey’s health and nothing more. He was about the same with his gutsiness, but he stayed 100% and Syracuse was overall successful. 10 wins (first time in 17 seasons), a first bowl win since 2013, an upset over Florida State, and finishing 2nd place in the Atlantic sounds like the Orange’s best season since joining the ACC. Syracuse had one of the better offenses in the ACC and their defense played about as well as they should. The defensive line and freshmen cornerback Andre Cisco (led team with 7 interceptions) were difference makers. I guess I wasn’t concussed when I chose Syracuse after all.

Duke winning a wide-open Coastal division sounded promising, but injuries played a big part in Duke’s season. Even though they went undefeated in non-conference play, they played a lowly 3-5 in-conference and lost two games badly to Clemson and Wake Forest while being outscored 13-94. Duke had plenty of pieces, but the injuries and the loss of two linebackers Joe Giles-Harris and Ben Humphreys left Duke limited. Quarterback Daniel Jones played inconsistently in parts of the season, but he ended his career on an impressive note. Coach David Cutcliffe has his work cut out for 2019 with key replacements.