Home ACC preseason balloting: Clemson the favorite, UVA gets no love
Sports

ACC preseason balloting: Clemson the favorite, UVA gets no love

Chris Graham

ACC footballThe writers and broadcasters aren’t giving defending Coastal Division champ Virginia any love, picking the ‘Hoos fifth in the seven-team Coastal in the preseason ACC balloting.

At least I wasn’t the only voter to put the Cavaliers first – there was one other first-place vote for Virginia, according to the ballot numbers released today.

Clemson, of course, is the overwhelming favorite in the Atlantic, receiving 146 of the 147 first-place votes, with a lone voter giving NC State the other first-place nod.

The Tigers received 125 votes in the overall champion category.

There was one vote for Virginia there. Which was not me.

North Carolina was the pick in the Coastal, with 109 votes.

Just so’s you know, there weren’t many Virginia beat writers and broadcasters there, and there were a ton from Carolina, as usual.

Miami was picked second. Miami never lives up to expectations.

ACC Preseason Poll

Overall Champion

  • Clemson – 125
  • North Carolina – 16
  • Miami – 3
  • Virginia – 1
  • Georgia Tech – 1
  • NC State – 1

Atlantic Division

(First-place votes in parenthesis)

  1. Clemson – 1,028 (146)
  2. NC State – 804 (1)
  3. Boston College – 638
  4. Florida State – 510
  5. Wake Forest – 472
  6. Louisville – 462
  7. Syracuse – 202

Coastal Division

(First-place votes in parenthesis)

  1. North Carolina – 979 (109)
  2. Miami – 881 (28)
  3. Virginia Tech – 582 (3)
  4. Pitt – 576 (1)
  5. Virginia – 540 (2)
  6. Georgia Tech – 340 (4)
  7. Duke – 218

Story by Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019, and Team of Destiny: Inside Virginia Basketball’s Run to the 2019 National Championship, and The Worst Wrestling Pay-Per-View Ever, published in 2018. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].