ACC football fans only have to wait a few months before their favorite teams are back in action.
Although it may get overlooked by some of the other leagues, we could be in for a thrilling year when it comes to ACC football.
This has everything to do with Clemson still being a preeminent power in the conference, as well as the likes of Florida State, North Carolina and potentially Miami being on the rise. Not every team will have the year it was hoping for, but we have seen the ACC put forth some incredibly solid teams at the top-end of its league. As for the cellar dwellers, well, let's just not talk about them…
Here are five way-too-early bold predictions that are absolutely coming true in the ACC this year.
ACC football: 5 way-too-early bold predictions for the 2023 college season
5. Miami fans are going to wonder if Mario Cristobal was an answered prayer
Miami Hurricanes fans aren't going to like this, but it's not going to be about U, or The U, this season. I thought Mario Cristobal's first season back in Coral Gables was rather concerning. However, I am willing to understand how hard of a job it might be to turn this thing around. Unfortunately, this is probably going to be a situation where it will not pop until year three.
This is all about Cristobal being able to recruit at a level we became accustomed to at Oregon. He may have had Phil Knight money on his side in Eugene, but Miami has never been a place that has blown away recruits with its resources. While that could be changing, it is all about having the best players in South Florida staying home to play their college football, just like Cristobal did years ago.
I expect that Miami will go bowling this year, but the Canes will only be a middle-of-the-pack team in the ACC this season. That's not the end of the world, but I would get how some fans would be losing patience. Some jobs are harder than others. Oregon has been largely self-sustaining since the Mike Bellotti years, while The U hasn't been The U since Greg Olsen was there. Be patient, y'all.
There is no reason to run Cristobal out of town yet, but year three will be make-or-break for him.
4. Clemson does not reach the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row
I think this will be a really divisive issue in the ACC football landscape heading into next offseason. Dabo Swinney is already a college football legend, but we have to wonder if some of the Clemson Family will start to turn on him after the Tigers miss out on the College Football Playoff for the third year in a row. Cade Klubnik will play well, but he will be outmatched in some league games.
With teams like Florida State rising and Clemson not always asserting its dominance, the once vast gap the Tigers had on the rest of the 13 teams in the league may not be as wide anymore. Some of this may fall back on losing top assistants to Power Five jobs, but I think much of it will come back on Clemson not being interested in taking players from outside via the transfer portal.
It has always been different under Swinney, and for Clemson, it has worked out wonderfully. However, the times are changing in college athletics. Clemson's mom and pop approach to being a college football power may not be sustainable long-term. I don't think they're going to fade into irrelevancy because kids remember this program being elite. It may be a challenging year, though…
Clemson will still win around 10 or so games and could be in the mix to reach the New Year's Six.
3. Drake Maye is a top-five NFL Draft pick, but does not win the Heisman Trophy
Let's be real. The litmus test for how good ACC football will be this year is 100 percent the North Carolina Tar Heels. We like the ageless Mack Brown as their head coach, but we love what he has under center in future NFL franchise quarterback Drake Maye. The hype surrounding him entering his redshirt sophomore season may be a tad outrageous, but he could be the next Aaron Rodgers.
Overall, I would suspect the Tar Heels will be a top-25 team throughout the season like they were pretty much a year ago. They are going to win around nine or 10 games, but I don't think it's going to be enough to keep Clemson or Florida State from becoming conference champions. The good news is Maye will be putting up numbers. The bad news is he is not winning the Heisman Trophy.
Oh, he'll be in New York as one of the five finalists, and probably one of four quarterbacks, if we're being totally honest. It will be a huge moment for Brown, Maye and the rest of the UNC program. However, he is going to finish third or fourth in Heisman voting and be his draft class' version of C.J. Stroud. There is nothing wrong with that, as Maye will also be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft.
The opportunity is going to be too good for him to pass up being a top-five pick come next spring.
2. Mike Elko will be on the shortlist for major Power Five gigs outside of Duke
This comes as quite the shock, I know. What if I told you Duke, of all places, found itself a rockstar head coach? We knew that Mike Elko was a tremendous defensive coordinator at Texas A&M, but he might have actually been the straw that stirred the drink in College Station. Just look at his Blue Devils, and then look at Jimbo Fisher's Aggies… Don't tell me you don't believe in correlations, man!
I don't know if Duke is winning nine games again, it wouldn't shock me if Elko is getting a most sacred Mayo bath in Charlotte for all of the sickos out there to see. It also wouldn't shock me if Elko's name comes up for one of the few major Power Five openings across the country. The right job would have to present itself obviously, but he could replace Mark Stoops at Kentucky if he left.
While we all remember how his predecessor David Cutcliffe made Duke football interesting in the 2010s, there is a chance Elko could be like Steve Spurrier. I'm not saying he'll have the sayings of the Head Ball Coach, but at 45-years-old, Elko could be destined for something far greater than Durham, North Carolina. His first year at Duke was a stupendous success, so I expect great things.
Elko may not leave after year two, but come year three, he could be on everyone's hiring wishlist.
1. Jordan Travis is the Heisman runner-up, as Florida State is all the way back
The thing I feel the most confident about in the ACC is this: Florida State ain't going away. The Seminoles will be here to stay under Mike Norvell, who has done a remarkable job of turning this thing around, whether or not anyone really wanted him to. His success in Tallahassee may have prevented Deion Sanders an opportunity to come home, but Norvell will win championships now.
With Jordan Travis playing as well as Max Duggan did for TCU this past year, Florida State will either make the College Football Playoff or will be in the mix to make it until the final week of the season. Travis may not be the fourth Seminoles quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy, but he will finish as national runner-up, edging out none other than UNC star quarterback Drake Maye.
Including their bowl game, the Seminoles are going to win around 11 or 12 games. This will be a top-eight team in the country after the national title has been played. With Florida State back to what they were during the Jimbo Fisher/Jameis Winston years, it will help bring out the best in rival Clemson, who has gotten somewhat complacent and incredibly stubborn in recent seasons.
Without question, Florida State football will be back in a big way this season to everyone's delight.
