There was very little surprise when it came to the top of the ACC's 2019 preseason media poll, as Clemson emerged from the ballot as the overwhelming favorite to win the league for what would be a fifth straight ACC championship. The Tigers received 170 of 173 votes as the preseason favorite in a balloting of media members at last week's ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.
Clemson was clearly the top-billed attraction at the event, and the continued fallout from a 15-0 season and 44-16 victory over Alabama in the College Football Playoff National Championship has not only increased excitement for 2019 but made the Tigers one of the top stories nationally.
The Tigers were mentioned frequently at the ACC's media days, but talk of Clemson also popped up at the SEC Media Days, and when the preseason national polls are released next month, it's possible that Dabo Swinney's team will occupying the same No. 1 spot we see here in the ACC.
The only other teams to receive first-place votes in the ACC's preseason poll were Syracuse (picked to finish as runner-up to the Tigers in the ACC Atlantic after a 10-win season in 2018) and Virginia (picked as the ACC Coastal favorite over Miami and Virginia Tech).
If Virginia follows through on this prediction and wins the division, it will become the seventh and final ACC Coastal Division team to make an appearance in the ACC Championship Game. As it stands, the only teams without an ACC title game appearance are the Wahoos, NC State, Syracuse and Louisville.
ACC championship predictions
| Team | First-place votes |
|---|---|
Clemson | 170 |
Syracuse | 2 |
Virginia | 1 |
Here's the divisional breakdowns.
| ACC Atlantic | ACC Coastal |
|---|---|
Clemson 1,209 (171) | Virginia 1,003 (82) |
Syracuse 913 (2) | Miami 992 (55) |
Florida State 753 | Virginia Tech 827 (20) |
NC State 666 | Pitt 691 (8) |
Boston College 588 | Duke 566 (6) |
Wake Forest 462 | North Carolina 463 (1) |
Louisville 253 | Georgia Tech 302 (1) |
