During ACC Network’s new daily studio show, ACC PM, Mark Packer gave his conference predictions for the upcoming season.
Packer is picking Clemson and Miami to win the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions, respectively, and he’s going with the Tigers to win the conference title.
Packer provided an explanation for predicting Clemson to claim the Atlantic crown, pointing to the Tigers’ early season matchup against defending Atlantic champion Wake Forest on Sept. 24 in Winston-Salem, and the status of Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman, who is out indefinitely with what the school described as a “non-football related medical condition.”
Packer also talked about what he thinks is likely the biggest game in the ACC this season — Clemson’s matchup against NC State on Oct. 1 at Death Valley, where the Tigers ride a 34-game winning streak entering the 2022 campaign and where the Wolfpack haven’t won since 2002.
In the contest against NC State, Clemson will be looking to avenge its 27-21, double-overtime loss in Raleigh last September.
“I’m going to pick Clemson for two reasons — number one, they catch Wake Forest early, and I don’t know about Sam Hartman,” Packer said. “Even with Sam Hartman on the field, that’s still going to be an uphill climb. It’s what, 13 straight, I think, Clemson’s beaten Wake. So, Hartman early, even if he hasn’t played, to see that defensive line, good luck.
“And NC State, I think this is Dave Doeren’s best team, and if there’s going to be a time for NC State, it’s now. But man, you’ve got to win at Clemson, and I’ve got to see that to believe it. They are just so good at home. 34 straight at home… But I’ve got to see it to believe it, and I think NC State beating them last year is great for the Wolfpack’s psyche. But even though they dominated that game, it still was an overtime game, and Clemson at home, coming off last year, ‘hey, we remember that’ — I’ll take Clemson at home. NC State-Clemson, everybody’s circled it, October the 1st, saying, ‘Man, that’s the biggest game in the ACC.’ I think it probably is.”
As for the second-biggest game in the conference this season?
Packer believes it’s defending ACC champion Pittsburgh’s road tilt at Miami on Nov. 26, the final week of the regular season — the game he believes will decide who represents the Coastal in the ACC Championship Game.
“I’m going to tell you what the second-biggest game in the league is — it’s Pitt and Miami, and it’s the last game of the regular season,” Packer said. “I think those are the two best teams in the Coastal Division. I do. No disrespect to Virginia Tech or North Carolina or Georgia Tech or Duke. To me, those are the two best teams.
“And I know Miami has to go to Clemson the week before, which could be a preview (of the ACC Championship Game). In my opinion, it will be. But man, Pittsburgh and Miami, the last weekend in November, just sounds about right for me, for the Coastal. And I do think Clemson and NC State, in my opinion, are the two best teams in the Atlantic.”
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