For the second straight year, and for the fifth time in the last seven years, Clemson was picked by the media who cover the Atlantic Coast Conference as it’s preseason favorite to win the league. The ACC announced the media’s selection on Monday.
Clemson was named the likely 2019 ACC champion on 170 ballots. Syracuse picked up two votes, and Virginia received one.
The Tigers, who posted a perfect 15-0 record last season en route to earning their second College Football Playoff championship in three years, were also chosen to repeat as Atlantic Division winners. Virginia was picked to finish atop the Coastal Division following an eight-win 2018 season that culminated with a 28-0 shutout of South Carolina in the Belk Bowl.
When Clemson has been picked by the media to win the league, the Tigers have gone on to win it in 7 of the previous 10 occasions. Clemson’s 11 all-time preseason selections are second to Florida State’s 19.
In the Atlantic Division preseason voting, Clemson led the way with 171 first-place votes and 1,209 total points. Syracuse received the other two first-place votes while placing second with 913 points.
Florida State (753 points) was tabbed for a third-place Atlantic Division finish, followed by NC State (666), Boston College (588), Wake Forest (462) and Louisville (253).
The balloting proved much tighter in the Coastal Division, where Virginia received 82 first-place votes and amassed 1,003 total points. The Cavaliers placed just 11 points ahead of Miami (55 first-place votes, 992 points), while Virginia Tech finished third in the voting with 20 first-place votes and 827 points.
Clemson leads the ACC with 18 league titles in football, including championships in each of the last four years. The Tigers have gone on to win the ACC in each of the last three times they were picked by the media in the preseason poll.
The ACC’s media selections began in 1976. Clemson was first selected as a preseason favorite in 1978. It went on to win the league that year with a perfect 6-0 record.
The Tigers were also picked to win the ACC in 1987, ’88, ’89, ’91, 2008, 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018. They actually went on to win the conference title in ’87, ’88, ’91, 2015, 2016 and 2018.
The media has successfully picked the ACC champion 26 times through the years and has a 62-percent win percentage.
The closest Clemson came to a unanimous selection came in 1987 and 1988. The Tigers received 61 of 63 first place votes in 1987 and 66 of 67 first place votes in 1988. Last year, Clemson was predicted to win the ACC on 139 of 148 ballots.
The last time the ACC had a unanimous selection in the preseason media poll came in 2000, when Florida State received all 74 first place votes.
All seven Coastal Division teams received at least one first-place vote. Pitt (eight first-place votes, 691) was fourth in the overall voting, followed by Duke (six first-place votes, 566). North Carolina (463) and Georgia Tech (302) each received one first-place vote.
The Atlantic and Coastal Division winners will meet in the 2019 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 7, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
ACC Championship Votes
- Clemson – 170
- Syracuse – 2
- Virginia – 1
Atlantic Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
- Clemson (171) – 1,209
- Syracuse (2) – 913
- Florida State – 753
- NC State – 666
- Boston College – 588
- Wake Forest – 462
- Louisville – 253
Coastal Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
- Virginia (82) – 1,003
- Miami (55) – 992
- Virginia Tech (20) – 827
- Pitt (8) – 691
- Duke (6) –566
- North Carolina (1) – 463
- Georgia Tech (1) – 302
–ACC Communications contributed to this story