Clemson pegged to win ACC

For the first time since 1991, Clemson has been voted the most likely to take the ACC title this season. Also, 1991 was the last year Clemson won the ACC title: It was the year before Florida State entered the league.

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The Clemson Tigers finished 9-4 last year. More information from past seasons is available online.
Clemson, coached by Tommy Bowden, received 59 of 65 votes in the league's Atlantic Division, and received 51 votes to win the ACC Championship.

A press release quoted Head Coach Tommy Bowden:

“I believe our players will embrace this and it will motivate them in our August practices. But it will also motivate the opposition, including our non-conference opponents. We will get everyone’s best shot.

“We appreciate the respect, but the objective is to earn it on the field by the end of the season. We have a lot of work to do to achieve that.”

Virginia Tech won the Coastal Division's first place. This year marks the first time Florida State (coached by Bobby Bowden, Tommy Bowden's father) hasn't been picked since 1992, making 18 straight years that a Bowden has been picked to win the ACC title.

This is the sixth time Clemson has been chosen since 1976. Clemson won the title all but once. Predictions of the winning team have been accurate 66 percent of the time.