Clemson has won the ACC Championship in seven of the last eight years. But entering the upcoming season, this ESPN analyst doesn’t see the Tigers as the top dog in the conference.

During a segment on ESPN’s College Football Live show this week, analyst Harry Douglas explained why he thinks Florida State will be the ACC’s best team in 2023.

“For me, I would say in the ACC, I actually have Florida State number one this season,” said Douglas, the former Louisville All-American wide receiver and 10-year NFL veteran who played seven seasons for the Atlanta Falcons.

“When you look at Jordan Travis and what he’s able to bring to the table… He made tremendous strides last year as the starting quarterback for this team. But I look at a guy at the wide receiver position in Johnny Wilson. They go out to the transfer portal and get (wide receiver) Keon Coleman from Michigan State, (tight end) Jaheim Bell from South Carolina, who I think is going to be a star in this offense. And I think Mike Norvell really has something going here. You look at the defensive side and two people – (defensive ends) Patrick Payton and Jared Verse. Jared Verse is going to be a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. But between those two guys, they had 14 sacks last year, and I just think they’re going to do better in 2023.”

As for Clemson, Douglas says the Tigers’ success will hinge on their QB1, and Douglas wants to see a D-line that is reminiscent of the ones that wreaked havoc on opposing signal-callers to help Clemson bring home national championship hardware.

“When I look at Clemson, I think it all depends on the quarterback position,” Douglas said. “Cade Klubnik, he doesn’t have DJ Uiagalelei looking down his back or he looking up his back. He actually is the starting guy this year. Will Shipley, they’re going to have to lean a ton on him this season.

“But when you look at their defense, the defensive line. I need Justin Mascoll, I need Tyler Davis, Xavier Thomas, I need those guys to go and pressure the quarterback like we are accustomed to seeing a Clemson defense from the days that they were winning national championships.”

The Tigers finished the 2022 campaign 11-3 for their 12th straight season with 10 or more wins, while the Seminoles are coming off their first 10-win season since 2016 after winning their final six games last season to finish 10-3. Clemson is looking for its ninth ACC title under Dabo Swinney, while FSU hopes to claim the conference crown for the first time since 2014.

Clemson and FSU will meet again on Sept. 23 at Death Valley. Clemson has won seven straight games in its series with Florida State, dating to 2015.

The 2023 ACC Football Championship Game will be played Dec. 2 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and will feature the top two teams based on winning percentage, meaning the conference title game could potentially feature a rematch between the Tigers and Noles.

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