ACC Midseason Top 10 Players, Coach Rankings, Bowl Projections
The ACC’s best players, best coaches, and bowl projections at the midseason.
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ACC Midseason Top Ten Players
1. DE Bradley Chubb, Sr. NC State
Chubb’s been the league’s dominant force over the first half with 35 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss and constant pressure behind the line. He crushed Syracuse, shoved around Louisville, and came up huge against Florida State.
Not based on talent as much as overall performances, the rest of the top performers of the first half of the season have been …
2. QB Lamar Jackson, Jr. Louisville
3. QB Ryan Finley, Sr. NC State
4. LB Micah Kiser, Sr. Virginia
5. LB Dorian O’Daniel, Sr. Clemson
6. QB TaQuon Marshall, Jr. Georgia Tech
7. QB Josh Jackson, Fr. Virginia Tech
8. DE Duke Ejiofor, Sr. Wake Forest
9. LB Joe Giles Harris, Soph. Duke
10. S Lukas Denis, Jr. Boston College
– ACC Midseason Predictions For Every Team
ACC Midseason Coach Rankings
1. Dabo Swinney, Clemson
Who reloads this fast after losing Deshaun Watson, Wayne Gallman, Mike Williams, Jordan Leggett, Artavis Scott, and Ben Boulware? No, the Tigers aren’t as good as the 2015 and 2016 versions – a certain Houston Texan really is irreplaceable – but Swinney has done a magnificent job of putting together another national title contender without any lag time whatsoever.
Based on what they were able to do over the first half of the season considering the talent returning and expectations …
2. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia
3. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech
4. Dave Doeren, NC State
5. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest
6. David Cutcliffe, Duke
7. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech
8. Mark Richt, Miami
9. Bobby Petrino, Louisville
10. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State
11. Dino Babers, Syracuse
12. Larry Fedora, North Carolina
13. Steve Addazio, Boston College
14. Pat Narduzzi, Pitt
– ACC Midseason Predictions For Every Team
ACC Midseason Bowl Projections
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Notre Dame is eligible for any ACC bowl tie-in as long as it’s within one game of the team eligible for the slot, except the Orange Bowl.
The ACC champion goes to the Orange Bowl if it’s not in the College Football Playoff. If the ACC plays the Big Ten in the Orange Bowl, the ACC should get another team – at least it has the opportunity – into the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
College Football Playoff: Sugar Bowl
Clemson vs. Alabama
1. Capital One Orange Bowl
Miami vs. Wisconsin
Since the Big Ten – Michigan – played in the last Orange Bowl last year, the SEC could be in next to face the ACC, but it’s not a sure thing. Both the Big Ten and SEC are guaranteed three appearances each over a 12-year span. The Orange will likely take the highest-ranked team available, and the next projected SEC team would be a better fit for the Chick-fil-A Peach.
2. Camping World Bowl
NC State vs. West Virginia
First Tier
Citrus Bowl
Virginia Tech vs. Auburn
Belk Bowl
Florida State vs. Tennessee
Hyundai Sun Bowl
Georgia Tech vs. UCLA
New Era Pinstripe Bowl
Louisville vs. Nebraska
Franklin American Mortgage Music City
Wake Forest vs. Vanderbilt
OR
TaxSlayer Bowl
The ACC is hand-in-hand with the Big Ten in these two bowls. In 2015, the ACC played in the Music City and the Big Ten was in the TaxSlayer. In 2016, the ACC was in the TaxSlayer and the Big Ten in the Music City. Expect the ACC to go to the Music City.
Second Tier
Independence Bowl
Virginia vs. UAB
Military Bowl
Duke vs. Navy
Quick Lane Bowl
No ACC Team Projected Available
Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl
Conditional if American Athletic or Conference USA can’t fill the spot.
Birmingham Bowl
Conditional if American Athletic or SEC can’t fill the spot.
