Tag: Atlantic division

Analysts predict ACC title game matchup, one doesn’t pick Tigers to make it

During The ACC Huddle: Season Preview show on ACC Network recently, a few ACCN analysts gave their predictions for which teams will represent the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in the ACC Championship Game this season. Former Clemson and All-ACC …

During The ACC Huddle: Season Preview show on ACC Network recently, a few ACCN analysts gave their predictions for which teams will represent the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in the ACC Championship Game this season.

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain picked Clemson and Pittsburgh as the ACC Championship Game matchup, with the Tigers winning the conference crown, while former Miami and Georgia head coach Mark Richt picked Clemson and Miami to play in the conference title game.

Former Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel did not pick Clemson to make it to the conference title game, however. Instead, he went with NC State to win the Atlantic and play Pittsburgh.

Here’s what Mac Lain, Manuel and Richt had to say regarding their ACC Championship Game matchup predictions and who will win the Atlantic and Coastal Divisions in 2022:

Mac Lain: “I think it’s return of the king. I think Clemson’s back. So, I think they’re going to be representing the Atlantic. I think they win it, but I think Pittsburgh’s going to make it tough. I think Pittsburgh is going to be representing back-to-back divisional champions, the last-ever Coastal. So, I’ve got Clemson and Pitt. I’ve got Clemson winning it.”

Manuel: “Yeah, I’m going Pitt from the Coastal. I think no matter which quarterback they decide to have (Kedon Slovis has since been named Pitt’s starting QB), that defense is going to be stout. They’re going to have enough playmakers around there, a three-headed monster at running back. The Atlantic side, I’m going NC State. I think (quarterback) Devin Leary’s going to do it. I think he’s going to have an excellent season. That defense is also primed and ready to go, too.”

Richt: “Two coaches I love – Narduzzi (Pitt’s Pat Narduzzi) and Doeren (NC State’s Dave Doeren). I’m doing this to help motivate their teams. I’m picking Clemson and Miami. I’m just giving them something to get mad about. They always want a chip on their shoulder, they want to be hunting instead of being the hunted. So here’s your fodder, coaches. Use it the way you want, baby.”

The 2022 ACC Championship Game will kick off at 8 p.m. on ABC on Saturday, Dec. 3, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

Packer gives his picks for Atlantic, Coastal Division winners, ACC champion

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 …

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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ESPN staffer disagrees with Finebaum, says ‘the tales of Clemson’s demise are long exaggerated’

Although Clemson saw its streak of six straight ACC Championships and College Football Playoff appearances come to an end last season, the Tigers still managed to win 10 games for a school-record 11th consecutive season in 2021. Nonetheless, that …

Although Clemson saw its streak of six straight ACC Championships and College Football Playoff appearances come to an end last season, the Tigers still managed to win 10 games for a school-record 11th consecutive season in 2021.

Nonetheless, that was considered a “down” year by the high standards that Dabo Swinney’s program has set during his tenure in which the Tigers have won seven conference titles, made the playoff every year from 2015-20, advanced to the national title game in four of those seasons and won it all in 2016 and 2018.

While 2021 may have been a subpar season for Swinney’s program based on expectations, ESPN’s Matt Schick fully expects the Tigers to have a bounceback campaign in 2022.

That’s what the ESPN college studio host and play-by-play commentator said on Packer and Durham on ACC Network recently when discussing the outlook of the ACC’s Atlantic Division entering this season.

“It all comes down to, does Clemson rebound? The ACC Atlantic is all about, does Clemson rebound, off of a 10-win season?” Schick said. “That’s where the standard is, and the fact that Clemson has moved into the category of ‘10 wins is just not good enough’ shows how Dabo has lifted the votes of this league and of this conference and at Clemson.”

“I do think Clemson bounces back here this year. I really do,” Schick continued. “I don’t know what happens at the quarterback position. I think that’s a real big question mark. But you don’t string top-10 and top-five classes together and not put it together in that conference. So, I like NC State a lot. I think a lot went well for them last year, and specifically, it helps when Clemson isn’t what we expect. Are they going to be what we’ve expected in the past? I think they’re going to look more like that than they did last year, to be honest.”

Last season, after Clemson suffered its second defeat in September – a 27-21, double-overtime loss to NC State in Raleigh on Sept. 25 – ESPN’s Paul Finebaum opined that “Dabo’s dynasty is done.”

Schick disagreed with Finebaum’s statement, saying, “I think the tales of Clemson’s demise are long exaggerated.”

“You don’t recruit at that level and think, ‘It’s over,’” Schick explained. “You hear Finebaum, ‘It’s over! It’s over with Clemson!’ It’s not over. I think the big question is, with the coordinator switch for the first time, (Tony) Elliott and (Brent) Venables, what does that look like? The structure is there, the foundation is there, it’s just this was the first year that they just missed on the quarterback – the quarterback didn’t perform. Look at the long line. The law of averages says at some point, it was going to stop, or you were going to have a hiccup. They had it last year.”

Despite D.J. Uiagalelei’s struggles in his first full season as Clemson’s starting quarterback last year – when he completed 55.6 percent of his passes and threw more interceptions (10) than touchdown passes (9) following his strong freshman debut in 2020, when he threw for 781 yards and four touchdowns with no picks in two starts vs. Boston College and Notre Dame – Schick expects the Tigers to reclaim the Atlantic Division crown this season.

“You had D.J. Uiagalelei on Dr. Pepper ads in the preseason. He hadn’t done anything yet except a really good game (in 2020) against Notre Dame,” Schick said. “But he hadn’t been the guy, and he’s the guy, and maybe it was too much. Maybe the expectations were too high. But they’ve recruited at too high of a level. Now I think they know what they have at the quarterback position, and maybe you’re winning in spite of, not because of. But I just trust that program too much to not think that they’re going to win the division.”

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ESPN staffer predicts Atlantic Division winner, whether Clemson will return to playoff

An ESPN staffer has made his prediction for the winner of the ACC’s Atlantic Division this season. ESPN’s Jason Fitz said on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain that he’s picking Clemson to win the Atlantic this …

An ESPN staffer has made his prediction for the winner of the ACC’s Atlantic Division this season.

ESPN’s Jason Fitz said on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast with Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain that he’s picking Clemson to win the Atlantic this season over NC State (9-3, 6-2 ACC in 2021), which finished second in the division last season behind Atlantic champion Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1) and ahead of the third-place Tigers (10-3, 6-2).

“I’m going Clemson,” Fitz said.

NC State beat Clemson, 27-21, in double-overtime in Raleigh on Sept. 25 last year, and the Wolfpack’s defense outperformed expectations in 2021 while finishing second in the ACC in scoring defense (19.7 points per game allowed) behind only the Tigers (14.8).

Because of how well the Wolfpack played on that side of the ball last year, Fitz believes the team’s defense will be overhyped heading into 2022, and he cited talent and coaching as two reasons why he’s favoring Clemson to win the Atlantic.

“Look, NC State’s defense last year was better than anybody expected, and when you’re better than anybody expected, you get extra benefit of the doubt going in the next year,” Fitz said. “That’s just the way we do it. So, I feel like the most overtalked about ACC unit going into this season is going to be the NC State defense because of what they did at times last year. Talent matters, right. There’s more talent and there’s more proof of concept in the greatness of the coaching at Clemson. I think we are overvaluing NC State last year and undervaluing Clemson because of last year, and that’s why it’s all been flipped.”

Not only is Fitz picking Clemson to win the Atlantic, but he believes the Tigers will beat Miami in the ACC Championship Game for their seventh conference title in eight years and go on to appear in the College Football Playoff again after seeing their streak of six straight CFP appearances come to an end last season.

“I think Clemson’s back in the College Football Playoff this year,” he said.

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ACC analyst expects a fistfight in the Atlantic Division

Clemson has mostly owned the ACC’s Atlantic Division in recent years, en route to capturing the conference championship in six straight seasons prior to seeing Wake Forest win the division last year before going on to lose to Pittsburgh in the ACC …

Clemson has mostly owned the ACC’s Atlantic Division in recent years, en route to capturing the conference championship in six straight seasons prior to seeing Wake Forest win the division last year before going on to lose to Pittsburgh in the ACC Championship Game.

While the Tigers may be the favorite to reclaim the Atlantic Division crown in 2022, behind a defensive line and overall defensive unit that projects to be among the best in the country, this ACC analyst doesn’t think winning the division will be a cakewalk for Clemson.

With the teams that finished first and second in the Atlantic a year ago (Wake Forest and NC State) returning a bunch of key players, including quarterbacks Sam Hartman and Devin Leary, respectively – and the question marks surrounding Clemson’s quarterback situation and what the Tigers will get out of D.J. Uiagalelei coming off his down season in 2021 – Eric Mac Lain expects the division to be a battle this fall.

The former Clemson offensive lineman and current ACC Network analyst was asked on Packer and Durham with Mark Packer and Wes Durham recently if he senses a fistfight in the Atlantic this season.

“I think until proven otherwise, yeah,” Mac Lain said. “I mean, what is D.J. going to be, what is this offense going to be from Clemson? We have to see it. It’s not so much as it just totally has fallen apart. But you saw the spring game, there wasn’t much glimpse of it — it was vanilla and you can’t hit the quarterback, so we don’t know how mobile he’s going to be. But until proven otherwise, that Clemson offense has to regain some trust.

“Now, defensively, I think they’re going to be one of the best, if not the best in the country. But it also speaks to what NC State has done and who they have coming back and the team that they’ll have, as well as Wake Forest.”

Mac Lain wonders what Clemson’s offensive identity will be in 2022 and believes the Tigers should lean on the running game that helped them reel off six consecutive victories last season to reach the 10-win mark for the 11th straight year.

He also thinks the Tigers will benefit from the fact that rising sophomore running back Phil Mafah got the majority of first-team reps this spring, with rising junior Kobe Pace (toe) being held out of practices and rising sophomore Will Shipley (leg) missing most of the spring recovering from his injury.

“It’s going to be interesting, what is that going to be?” Mac Lain said of Clemson’s offensive identity. “Because we saw at the end of the season, when they went on that run to win 10 games, they ran the football – a lot. They used those three running backs, and this spring, Shipley was hurt, Pace was hurt. Mafah was the guy, and I think that without that happening — which you never want anybody injured — but without that happening, the silver lining is Mafah has emerged. Now, it’s a three-headed monster. I mean, give those guys the rock. …

“So, you have to use those guys. But in the same breath, quarterback play is how you win. That’s how you win in college football, that’s how you win in the NFL. And so at the end of the day, D.J. has to take the necessary steps, be more accurate, be more on time, and his wide receivers have to help him. They have to catch the ball. They had a drop rate last year that was the most we’ve seen in a long time from Clemson. So, offensively, got to get it going, got to figure it out. I’m sure they will, but until they show that, you’ve got to think it (the Atlantic Division) is going to be a battle.”

This analyst isn’t picking Clemson to win the Atlantic Division

It’s early, but at this point in the offseason, this analyst isn’t picking Clemson to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division this season. ESPN’s Jordan Cornette joined Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast and said he’s …

It’s early, but at this point in the offseason, this analyst isn’t picking Clemson to win the ACC’s Atlantic Division this season.

ESPN’s Jordan Cornette joined Kelly Gramlich and Eric Mac Lain on the Gramlich and Mac Lain podcast and said he’s going with NC State to claim the Atlantic Division crown.

Cornette’s reasoning? The fact that the Wolfpack is returning star quarterback Devin Leary, while the Tigers’ quarterback situation is uncertain with D.J. Uiagalelei and freshman Cade Klubnik competing for the starting job.

“Tell me this – I’ll make my decision after you tell me this – who’s going to be the quarterback?” Cornette asked Gramlich and Mac Lain. “Who’s honestly going to play? Are they going to have one quarterback the whole season at Clemson? Who’s going to start the first week?”

After both Mac Lain and Gramlich replied that they believe Uiagalelei will be the starter in Week 1, Cornette replied, “Is D.J. going to start Week 6?”

Neither answered yes, so Cornette quickly responded, “Give me NC State. I’m done. Give me NC State.”

“Clemson had a fine year last year,” Cornette added. “They had a good year – if they’re not Clemson. … Y’all are telling me they don’t know who their quarterback is Week 6, and Devin Leary and (linebacker) Payton Wilson are taking care of business on both sides of the football for NC State next year. No! I love you guys. Give me NC State. If you told me that D.J. would be the quarterback in Week 6, I’d give you Clemson and I’d keep it moving. I thought you guys would help me out, and you didn’t. NC State is going to win the Atlantic.”

Clemson and NC State will square off on Saturday, Oct. 1 at Death Valley. The Wolfpack defeated the Tigers, 27-21, in double-overtime in Raleigh on Sept. 25 last season.

Clemson (10-3, 6-2 ACC) finished third place in the Atlantic Division last season, while NC State (9-3, 6-2) finished second in the division behind Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1).

You can watch Cornette, Mac Lain and Gramlich’s discussion below:

 

Swinney ‘indifferent’ on ACC scheduling format even if he has soft spot for divisions

Dabo Swinney believes arguments can be made both ways when it comes to how ACC teams piece together their conference schedules, which is why Clemson’s coach said he’s “kind of indifferent” on whatever format the league decides to use in the future. …

Dabo Swinney believes arguments can be made both ways when it comes to how ACC teams piece together their conference schedules, which is why Clemson’s coach said he’s “kind of indifferent” on whatever format the league decides to use in the future.

“It’s not really one of my battles or one of the things I’m really passionate about,” Swinney told The Clemson Insider this week. “I’ll get on board with whatever they think is best for the league.”

But Swinney admitted he has his reasons for liking the Atlantic and Coastal divisions that have split the ACC’s football teams down the middle since 2005, which may not be the case much longer.

The ACC is among numerous FBS conferences that could soon make divisions a thing of the past. A 3-5-5 format in which teams have three permanent conference opponents with five of the remaining 10 teams rotating on the schedule every other year was discussed among athletic directors during the league’s spring meetings earlier this month.

The NCAA recently paved the way for leagues to abolish divisions by relaxing restrictions on who’s eligible to play in championship games, leaving it up to conferences to determine how their title-game participants are decided. It opens the door for the two teams with the highest conference winning percentage to play for a championship rather than division winners.

The Pac-12 became the first conference to officially scrap divisions just minutes after the NCAA’s decision. The Mountain West followed soon thereafter.

On one hand, Swinney sees some benefits in the ACC going to a 3-5-5 model in the future, a format that would reportedly go into effect for the 2023 season at the earliest. For one, Swinney said all of Clemson’s future signees would be ensured of playing every other team in the league during their collegiate careers, which isn’t the case under the division format where only one new cross-divisional opponent rotates on a team’s schedule each year.

Swinney said it also creates the potential for more balanced scheduling within the conference, though he opined that could get complicated with some teams wanting to preserve rivalries games as well as the potential addition of Notre Dame as a permanent football member at some point down the road.

“That particular scenario makes sense if we do it. I think it’s more fair,” Swinney said of the 3-5-5 model. “Because what you don’t want is one league and then TV controls what the schedule is. Because I know what’s going to happen for Clemson, and that ain’t good. We’re going to play at night every week. As long as there’s some equity in how the schedule is done, I think it’s fine.”

On the other hand, Swinney has a soft spot for divisions given the transformation Clemson has made into the ACC’s gold standard during his tenure. The Tigers’ Atlantic Division title during Swinney’s first full season at the helm in 2009 clinched their first-ever trip to the conference championship game, setting the program on a course to winning seven ACC titles in 10 years, including six straight from 2015-20. Two of those seasons (2016, 2018) ended with Clemson claiming its most recent national championships.

“I just think there’s some identity there, and I do think it kind of gives you some steps you can take along the way,” Swinney said. “I know for us, in ‘09 when we won that division, it was a big deal. We got to Tampa and we didn’t win the league, but that was a big deal. That was something we could go and sell in recruiting.”

Swinney said it’s not just his own program for which divisions have sentimental value.

“I know (Pittsburgh coach) Pat (Narduzzi) was talking about that at the (spring) meetings,” Swinney said. “When they won the Coastal in ‘18, they didn’t win the league, but that was a big deal for them. So there are arguments both ways.

“Regardless if it’s two divisions or one league, we’ve got to take care of our business and try to win this league. But I think there’s pros and cons to both.”

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ACC analyst asked if it’s Clemson and everybody chasing in the Atlantic Division

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain, now an analyst for the ACC Network, was a co-host on Packer and Durham with Mark Packer on ACCN this week and gave his thoughts on the ACC’s Atlantic Division entering the 2022 season. …

Former Clemson and All-ACC offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain, now an analyst for the ACC Network, was a co-host on Packer and Durham with Mark Packer on ACCN this week and gave his thoughts on the ACC’s Atlantic Division entering the 2022 season.

Packer — who believes the Atlantic is “loaded,” will be “very intriguing” and “the most underrated division in the country” — asked Mac Lain if he thinks it’s Clemson and everybody else in the division chasing the Tigers.

“I don’t think so this year,” Mac Lain said. “I think it is Clemson up front, but I think NC State and Wake are right there, right behind them, pulling on that cape saying hey, last year wasn’t a mistake, last year wasn’t a one-year wonder, and they’re going to have a great chance to prove that.”

Clemson (10-3, 6-2 ACC in 2021) didn’t win the Atlantic Division last season for the first time since 2014.

Instead, it was Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1) that claimed the division crown, though the Tigers dominated the Demon Deacons en route to a 48-27 victory at Death Valley last November.

Wake Forest will look to avenge that loss when it plays Clemson this season in Winston-Salem on Sept. 24.

“Obviously, Clemson going to Wake Forest this year,” Mac Lain said. “Wake has been as good as they’ve ever been, they get smacked by Clemson. You have to be able to take that next step if you want to be legitimate, if you want to be a year-in and year-out power, and some of that comes with schematics. I mean, you keep doing that long zone read against those werewolves, look out. You’re going to have to change something there for Wake Forest.”

Following its trip to Wake Forest, Clemson will return home to host NC State a week later on Oct. 1.

NC State (9-3, 6-2 in 2021) finished second in the Atlantic Division last season and defeated Clemson in double-overtime, 27-21, last September in Raleigh.

Mac Lain called NC State’s game against Clemson this season its “Super Bowl” but pointed out that it won’t be easy for the Wolfpack to earn another win over the Tigers, who are riding a 34-game home winning streak going into the 2022 season — the nation’s longest active home winning streak.

“NC State… they have the Super Bowl, October 1, go do it in Death Valley,” Mac Lain said. “Great you did it at home. Clemson’s won a hundred straight at home. They don’t lose there. You have to go and take it from them if you want to be great, if you all came back for those reasons, and they certainly might be able to. But I think Clemson is gonna feel that disrespect. They’re going to create and create that chip. That’s where they thrive.”

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ACC analyst expects a ‘slugfest’ in the Atlantic Division this season

On Packer and Durham on ACC Network this week, Mark Packer opined that America will fall asleep on the quality of the ACC’s Atlantic Division. Packer believes the Atlantic will be “outstanding” with a trio of expected preseason top-25 teams (if not …

On Packer and Durham on ACC Network this week, Mark Packer opined that America will fall asleep on the quality of the ACC’s Atlantic Division.

Packer believes the Atlantic will be “outstanding” with a trio of expected preseason top-25 teams (if not top-20 or top-15 teams) in Clemson, Wake Forest and NC State, to go with teams like Louisville, Florida State and Boston College that he thinks “are legit and can cause problems.”

Former Georgia Tech running back and current ACC Network analyst Roddy Jones, who joined Packer and Durham as a guest this week, agreed with Packer’s take on the Atlantic Division heading into the 2022 season.

“If the national media does fall asleep on it, then maybe we should take their credentials,” Jones said. “Because you’re going to have teams that are fighting in that top 10 really all season, I think, and I think it will be a couple of them. Now, Clemson and Wake Forest play early on in the season, so that’s going to hurt one of them in terms of that race. But NC State is going to be really good. Clemson is going to be really good. Wake Forest, we saw them, they’re going to be really good. … So, the Atlantic Division is going to be a slugfest.”

The Tigers, Demon Deacons and Wolfpack enter the season with high expectations and hype around them, but Jones believes it’s the other teams in the division — Louisville, Florida State, Syracuse and Boston College — that may catch people by surprise with their play this season.

“I think that second tier is going to be the place that people are the most surprised, if you haven’t been paying attention,” Jones said.

“Louisville, offensively, is going to be as good as I think they’ve been under Scott Satterfield. You look at Florida State, which the arrow was pointing up and to the right on Florida State. Constant improvement. They really figured that offense out and how to move the ball with Jordan Travis last year, and I think they’re only going to expand on that as they get better on offense, get older on defense as well, which is going to be a big one. Syracuse defensively last year was really good, and I think they will be again this year. Offensively, can they throw the ball a little bit better? But they’ve got maybe the best player on that side of the conference in Sean Tucker, and then you’ve got Garrett Shrader, a guy who’s going to give people a lot of problems. Then you mentioned Boston College. They’ve got to replace a lot on the offensive line, but you get Phil Jurkovec back.”

Looking at the division right now on paper, Jones doesn’t see a team that opponents can circle as an “easy win.”

“There’s no team in the Atlantic that you look at right now and say alright, that’s an easy win, which is going to make the division really fun,” he said.

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Atlantic chaos? ACC analyst believes Atlantic Division will be ‘very intriguing’

The phrase “Coastal chaos” has been fitting in the last decade when describing the volatility of the ACC’s Coastal Division, which saw each of the division’s seven teams win the division title from 2013-19. But while the Coastal has rightfully …

The phrase “Coastal chaos” has been fitting in the last decade when describing the volatility of the ACC’s Coastal Division, which saw each of the division’s seven teams win the division title from 2013-19.

But while the Coastal has rightfully become known for its craziness, Mark Packer is already looking forward to seeing what he believes will be a really interesting race in the ACC’s Atlantic Division next season.

“We always talk about Coastal chaos,” Packer said recently on the Packer and Durham show on ACC Network. “I’m just going to make this point now. It’s February, so keep it in mind, it can change a gazillion times and probably will. We always talk about how crazy the Coastal is. That Atlantic Division is really going to be good. I’m just telling ya. There’s some teams with a lot of dudes back.”

In the Atlantic, there is defending division champion Wake Forest, which lost to Pittsburgh in the conference championship game but appears poised to contend for the division title again with returning quarterback Sam Hartman, who led an offense that averaged 41.0 points per game last season, second in the ACC behind only Pitt (41.4).

Then there is NC State, which also returns its starting quarterback, Devin Leary, to go with a defense that ranked No. 2 in the ACC last season in points per game allowed (19.7) behind only Clemson (14.8). The Wolfpack, like the Demon Deacons, figure to be ranked among the nation’s top 15 or 20 teams in the preseason.

Other Atlantic Division foes Florida State (Jordan Travis), Louisville (Malik Cunningham), Boston College (Phil Jurkovec) and Syracuse (Garrett Shrader) all return their starting quarterbacks as well.

Of course, Clemson’s quarterback situation is yet to be determined heading into the spring, with rising junior D.J. Uiagalelei and five-star freshman Cade Klubnik set to compete for the reigns of a Tigers team hoping to get back on top of the Atlantic and win the ACC again in 2022 after seeing their streak of six straight conference titles snapped last season.

“NC State’s going to get so much national love in the offseason, it’s not even funny,” Packer said. “(Louisville head coach Scott) Satterfield was on with us the other day. You got a sense, hey I love my offensive line, I got Malik Cunningham back, I like what we got on the perimeter, defense should be better. You’ve got storylines along that front. You’ve got the whole Clemson situation. Obviously, that’s a given. And what happens with their quarterback, who knows. We’ll watch that in the spring. That’ll be a fun thing to watch.”

Packer is excited to see how it all unfolds next season.

“That Atlantic Division in the ACC is going to be very intriguing,” he said.

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