Today’s dead-tree edition featured an ACC preview, including predicted records for each team.
And it’s only fair to run down what went into each of those picks.
SEE RELATED:
While it would be easy to just line teams up in a row and figure the selections would be static, a season doesn’t work that way. So there are some surprises tossed in here; whether they work out or not is anyone’s guess.
But here’s the rundown of how each prediction was arrived at, with a swing game in italics that gave me the most consternation while making a selection:
ATLANTIC DIVISION
BOSTON COLLEGE (6-6, 2-6)
W: Northeastern, Kent State, Wake Forest, @Notre Dame, Central Michigan, North Carolina
L: @Clemson, Florida State, @Virginia Tech, N.C. State, @Virginia, @Maryland
CLEMSON (8-4, 4-4)
W: Middle Tennessee, Boston College, Texas Christian, @Maryland, Coastal Carolina, Florida State, Virginia, @South Carolina
L: @Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, @Miami, @N.C. State
FLORIDA STATE (9-3, 6-2)
W: Jacksonville State, @Brigham Young, South Florida, @Boston College, Georgia Tech, @North Carolina, N.C. State, @Wake Forest, Maryland
L: Miami, @Clemson, @Florida
MARYLAND (7-5, 4-4)
W: James Madison, Middle Tennessee, Rutgers, @Wake Forest, Virginia, @N.C. State, Boston College
L: @California, Clemson, @Duke, Virginia Tech, @Florida State
N.C. STATE (8-4, 5-3)
W: South Carolina, Murray State, Gardner-Webb, Duke, @Boston College, Clemson, @Virginia Tech, North Carolina
L: Pittsburgh, @Wake Forest, @Florida State, Maryland
WAKE FOREST (7-5, 3-5)
W: Baylor, Stanford, Elon, N.C. State, @Clemson, @Navy, @Duke
L: @Boston College, Maryland, Miami, @Georgia Tech, Florida State
COASTAL DIVISION
DUKE (4-8, 1-7)
W: Richmond, @Army, North Carolina Central, Maryland
L: @Kansas, Virginia Tech, @N.C. State, @Virginia, @North Carolina, Georgia Tech, @Miami
GEORGIA TECH (9-3, 6-2)
W: Jacksonville State, Clemson, @Miami, North Carolina, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, @Vanderbilt, Wake Forest, @Duke
L: @Florida State, @Virginia, Georgia
MIAMI (8-4, 5-3)
W: @Florida State, Florida A&M, @Central Florida, Clemson, @Wake Forest, Virginia, Duke, @South Florida
L: Georgia Tech, @Virginia Tech, Oklahoma, @North Carolina
NORTH CAROLINA (7-5, 3-5)
W: The Citadel, @Connecticut, East Carolina, Virginia, Georgia Southern, Duke, Miami
L: @Georgia Tech, Florida State, @Virginia Tech, @Boston College, @N.C. State
VIRGINIA (5-7, 3-5)
W: William & Mary, Indiana, Georgia Tech, Duke, Boston College
L: Texas Christian, @Southern Mississippi, @North Carolina, @Maryland, @Miami, @Clemson, Virginia Tech
VIRGINIA TECH (9-3, 6-2)
W: Marshall, Nebraska, Miami, @Duke, Boston College, North Carolina, @East Carolina, @Maryland, @Virginia
L: vs. Alabama, @Georgia Tech, N.C. State
—- Patrick Stevens