Where is Clemson in this national outlet’s early ACC power rankings?
A national outlet recently released its early ACC football predictions for 2023, giving its very early power rankings for the conference ahead of this upcoming season.
Florida State claimed the top spot in Athlon Sports’ way-too-early ACC predictions, with Clemson a close second in the early power rankings.
Here’s what Athlon’s Steven Lassan wrote about the Tigers heading into the 2023 campaign:
The Tigers have dominated the ACC in recent years, but coach Dabo Swinney’s team might find itself in a different spot going into 2023. Instead of being the favorite, Clemson could be picked behind Florida State and not among the top contenders for the CFB Playoff. However, just because preseason odds might favor a small slip nationally, don’t count out the Tigers from pushing for double-digit wins – and potentially something bigger if all of the pieces fall into place. Hiring Garrett Riley to call plays from TCU was a big-time move for an offense that seemed to run stale in recent years. Sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik is a rising star, and Riley has to find more ways to get running back Will Shipley the ball. The development of the line without Jordan McFadden (LT) and the receiving corps is crucial to Riley’s play-calling debut with the Tigers. Improvement is needed in the secondary, but as usual, Clemson will rank among the ACC’s best on defense. Coordinator Wes Goodwin does have to replace a couple of standouts, including linemen Myles Murphy and Bryan Bresee and linebacker Trenton Simpson.
The next tier of teams after Clemson in Athlon’s early ACC power rankings features North Carolina, NC State, Louisville, Duke and Pitt, in that order. Miami, Wake Forest and Syracuse comprise the No. 8-10 spots in the power rankings, with Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Boston College and Virginia rounding out the bottom of the rankings.
Clemson (11-3, 9-0 ACC in 2022) captured its seventh ACC title in the last eight years this past season, while winning at least 10 games for the 12th straight season and at least 11 games for the eighth time in 11 seasons.
The Tigers will kick off the 2023 season on Labor Day against Duke at Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham, N.C. (Monday, Sept. 4). Following the season opener at Duke, Clemson will play its home opener vs. Charleston Southern on Sept. 9 before hosting Florida Atlantic and Florida State at Death Valley on Sept. 16 and Sept. 23, respectively.
Many believe that contest against the Seminoles will be a preview of the ACC Championship Game, which will feature the top two teams based on winning percentage now that the conference has dropped divisional play. Florida State will be seeking its first win against Clemson since 2014, when the Seminoles last won the ACC Championship.
The 2023 ACC Football Championship Game will be played Dec. 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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