NCAAF teams
Matt Fortuna, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Clemson is preseason pick to win ACC

College Football, Clemson Tigers, Florida St Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Pittsburgh Panthers

PINEHURST, N.C. -- The Clemson Tigers have been picked to end the three-year conference reign of the Florida State Seminoles in preseason voting at the ACC Kickoff on Tuesday.

The Tigers received 84 votes from media members in attendance, while FSU was second with 41 votes.

"Hopefully when it's all said and done, those who voted for us, we can make them look smart," Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson also was the preseason selection as ACC player of the year.

FSU coach Jimbo Fisher downplayed the importance of not being picked to win, saying it won't change the way his team needs to attack fall camp.

"The same way I did when we were picked to win it," he said when asked how he felt.

The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets were picked to repeat as Coastal Division champions.

Watson, a sophomore, beat out defending ACC player of the year James Conner of Pitt for player of the year by a 69-46 margin. Georgia Tech quarterback Justin Thomas was third with 13 votes.

Watson, who missed spring practice while recovering from ACL surgery, is coming off a freshman season in which he threw for 1,466 yards with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions while rushing for 200 yards and five touchdowns. He played just eight games and made five starts, having suffered hand and knee injuries.

The predicted order of finish for the Atlantic Division was Clemson (101 first-place votes), FSU (56), Louisville (1), NC State, Boston College, Syracuse and Wake Forest.

The predicted order for the Coastal was Georgia Tech (96), Virginia Tech (44), Miami (7), Duke (4), North Carolina (4), Pitt (3) and Virginia.

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