How does this national outlet see the ACC shaking out in the upcoming season?

Athlon Sports recently released its ACC football predictions, stacking up all 17 teams in the conference ahead of the 2025 season.

Coming off its eighth conference title in the last 10 years, and its first College Football Playoff berth since 2020, Clemson (10-4, 7-1 ACC in 2024) landed at No. 1 in Athlon’s ACC football rankings for this fall, with the Tigers predicted as the conference champion over runner-up Miami.

Here’s what Athlon’s Steven Lassan wrote about the Tigers entering 2025:

Clemson snapped a streak of three years without a playoff trip in 2024. Coach Dabo Swinney’s team returns nearly all of its main contributors and necessary pieces to make a run at the program’s first national title since ‘18.

Quarterback Cade Klubnik showed massive growth in his second full season as the starter. Over 14 games, Klubnik threw for 3,639 yards and 36 touchdowns and ran for 463 yards and seven scores. The senior is among the Heisman frontrunners this fall and will benefit from the development of a promising trio of receivers. TJ Moore, Bryant Wesco, and Antonio Williams headline one of the top groups of pass catchers in the nation. Clemson should also have one of the nation’s top lines with four starters returning. True freshman Gideon Davidson could lead the backfield in ‘25.

Clemson’s defense has slipped a bit since the departure of coordinator Brent Venables to Oklahoma. Coach Dabo Swinney took steps to return the Tigers’ defense to the top of college football by hiring veteran coordinator Tom Allen away from Penn State. Allen takes over a loaded group. Up front, TJ Parker and Peter Woods will contend for All-America honors, and the second level is stacked with Sammy Brown and Wade Woodaz returning. Cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Ashton Hampton and safety Khalil Barnes are back to anchor the back end.

After Miami at No. 2, SMU, Louisville and Georgia Tech round out the top five in Athlon’s ACC rankings for 2025.

Clemson doesn’t face Miami during the 2025 regular season, but the Tigers will open their conference slate at Georgia Tech on Sept. 13 and later host SMU on Oct. 18 at Death Valley in a rematch of last year’s ACC Championship Game. Clemson will finish up its conference schedule at Louisville on Friday, Nov. 14.

As for the other ACC opponents on Clemson’s schedule, Duke is No. 6 in Athlon’s ACC rankings, while Florida State is No. 7, North Carolina is No. 9, Boston College is No. 12 and Syracuse is No. 13.

Former Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott’s Virginia team is ranked No. 14.

Stanford, led by interim head coach Frank Reich, came in last in the rankings.