Atlantic Division

Is there any question who the king of the ACC castle is? That would be head coach Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers. Clemson has won the four straight ACC titles and has won two national championships during that span. Swinney will have Heisman candidate Trevor Lawrence back at quarterback, Travis Etienne at RB, and a pair of All-ACC caliber wide receivers in Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins. The only real challenge for the Tigers is Atlantic division rival Syracuse, which went 10-3 last season. Head coach Dino Babers has the Orange headed in the right direction.

Last year, the Coastal Division winner, Pittsburgh, lost seven games. No team in the division had more than seven wins. This year, the favorite is Miami with new head coach Manny Diaz. The Hurricanes return three of the best linebackers in the ACC led by senior Shaq Quarterman. If not Miami, then the Coastal winner will likely come from Virginia – either the Cavaliers or Virginia Tech, which suffered through a 6-7 season and the loss of several players in the offseason.

**odds provided by Bovada

Clemson	+150		Georgia Tech	+1600
Florida State	+225		NC State	+6000
Miami Florida	+900		Duke	+6000
Louisville	+100		Virginia	+7000
North Carolina	+100		Wake Forest	+7500
Virginia Tech	+1400		Syracuse	+7500
Pittsburgh	+1400		Boston College	+10000

Most Improved: N.C. State
The Wolfpack went 7-6 last season and head coach Dave Doeren is ready for his team to make its move. The defense returns eight starters and if they can figure out the quarterback position, the Wolfpack could pull some surprises. This is a team that went 8-5 in 2014 and started 4-0 in 2015. Sophomore Jalan McClendon could be the quarterback that takes the Wolfpack to the next level.

Biggest Disappointment: Boston College
The Eagles had the best defense in the ACC. They ranked first in every major statistical category and were among the nation’s best. In fact, Boston College finished first in the nation, yes first, in total defense (254.3 ypg). Head coach Steve Addazio welcomes six starters back on defense. The problem is on offense where B.C. is pathetic. Don’t expect that to change anytime soon. The Eagles will start another graduate transfer QB in former Kentucky starter Patrick Towles. The only place for the offense to go is up. Still, Boston College will disappoint in 2016.

Coastal Division

Winner: North Carolina
Head coach Larry Fedora loses QB Marquise Williams, but he has plenty of weapons returning on an offense that averaged 41 points a game. Mitch Trubisky will start at QB and will have RB Elijah Hood (1,463 yds., 17 TDs) and WR Ryan Switzer (55 rec., 697 yds., 6 TDs) to work with. Switzer is also one of the most dangerous return men in all of college football. The Tar Heels defense, much improved in 2015, returns six starters and will continue to get better.

Most Improved: Miami
The Hurricanes improved immediately when they welcomed former alumnus Mark Richt in as their new head coach. Miami returns nine starters on offense including QB Brad Kaaya who threw for 3,238 yards and 16 TDs last year. Running back Joe Yearby (1,002 yds.) is back and might not even start. Seven starters return on defense and the Hurricanes open with three very winnable games (FAMU, Florida Atlantic, Appalachian State).

Biggest Disappointment: Virginia Tech
New head coach Justin Fuente will find it very difficult in his first year in Blacksburg. He will have a first-year quarterback and an offense that must get used to a much different style. The bright spot is that Fuente will have eight starters on offense and six on defense returning in 2016. The Hokies defense allowed more yards, rushing yards, and points than it ever has during the tenure of defensive coordinator Bud Foster. If that doesn’t improve, Virginia Tech could be in for a long season.

ACC Champion: Clemson
The Tigers biggest roadblock is an Oct. 29 game at Florida State. Clemson is loaded, especially on offense. The Tigers scored 23 points on the Seminoles a year ago. Florida State wound up ninth in the nation in scoring defense (17.5 ppg). With their experience, Clemson can run the table in the Atlantic Division and will roll in an ACC title game rematch with North Carolina.

Other CFB Conference Predictions:

- Big 12 Conference

- Big Ten Conference

- ACC Conference

- PAC 12 Conference

- SEC Conference