College football rankings: ACC predicted order of finish for 2022 season

What to expect in the ACC for the 2022 college football season.

ACC Media Days is in the rearview mirror and with it comes the unofficial start of the college football season still to come.

Which makes it officially prediction season, as the media announced its preseason football poll for the ACC in the 2022 campaign.

College football rankings: ACC predicted order of finish

First, let's take a look at the projected division standings and from there, our first glance at how the ACC football championship should shape up.

First-place votes in parentheses

ACC Coastal

Miami is looking for a return to greatness under Mario Cristobal

7. Duke. First-year head coach Mike Elko has about as tough a job as you can ask for in college football, rebuilding the Blue Devils program not so much from scratch, but very much from the ground up.

6. Georgia Tech (1). The Wreck lost two offensive pieces in quarterback Jordan Yates and lead back Jahmyr Gibbs, leaving coach Geoff Collins without much to work with patching up the ACC's third-worst offense.

5. Virginia Tech (3). Seven starters should return on defense to help the transition, but the Hokies need an answer at quarterback and new pieces at receiver after losing their top two targets.

4. Virginia (6). Tony Elliott steps in as coach with a dynamite trio moving the ball led by quarterback Brennan Armstrong and two elite receivers, but needs to take a sledgehammer to a defense that allowed almost five TDs per game in ACC play.

3. North Carolina (18). The Heels lose star quarterback Sam Howell, the bulk of their rushing attack, and four O-line starters, but have recruited well defensively and have Gene Chizik back running the unit, not to mention a room full of excellent receivers.

2. Pittsburgh (38). Kenny Pickett is gone from the defending ACC championship squad, but Pitt scored what could be the difference-maker at the position in former USC starter Kedon Slovis, a 65% passer with 11 TDs and eight picks last fall. But the absence of Jordan Addison, college football's leader with 17 TD catches last fall, cuts a huge hole in Pitt's passing attack.

1. Miami (98). We'll see what Mario Cristobal can do with his alma mater, apparently stacked at quarterback and defensive back, but with some roster-building work to do elsewhere on a team that was just eight combined points away from going undefeated in ACC games.

ACC Atlantic

Clemson was an early College Football Playoff dynasty / USA Today Images

7. Syracuse. Dino Babers comes into a defining season with just one winning season out of six, and under pressure to correct a record that includes just 15 wins in 50 ACC appearances. Syracuse fielded the league's fourth-worst total offense a year ago and mustered under 150 air yards per game, the ACC's worst mark.

6. Boston College (1). Phil Jurkovec went down in Week 2, but will come back healthy and ready in 2022, good news after the Eagles' offense ranked worst in the conference in yards and fourth-worst in points. The ACC's fourth-ranked defense brings back a half-dozen starters, too.

5. Florida State (2). Mike Norvell is 8-13 with the Noles, nowhere near acceptable for this program. He has a potential difference-maker at quarterback after Jordan Travis threw 15 TDs and six picks last fall, but didn't have a turnover in five outings. FSU went 4-1 in that stretch.

4. Louisville. Getting quarterback Malik Cunningham back on the field in 2022 is a major positive for the Cardinals. He was a 62% passer a year ago, throwing for 2,734 yards and 18 touchdowns to only six interceptions, while also rushing for over 1,000 yards and 20 additional touchdowns, both top 10 numbers nationally.

3. Wake Forest (6). Nine starters on college football's 11th ranked offense are back, including quarterback Sam Hartman, whose exploits got the Deacons in the ACC title game a year ago, but this team has a way to go repairing its 91st ranked defense.

2. NC State (44). Four points kept the Wolfpack from an undefeated mark in ACC play, a run that included a win over No. 9 Clemson and with losses at Miami and at Wake. Up to 10 starters on defense that ranked No. 3 in the ACC last fall should come back for a reunion in 2022, as does quarterback Devin Leary, a 3,400-yard passer in 2021 with 35 touchdowns against three picks.

1. Clemson (111). For six straight years, Clemson won the ACC and made the College Football Playoff before a 3-loss outing in 2021 thanks to defensive injuries and a sluggish showing from DJ Uiagalelei. If the 5-star quarterback plays to form and this D lives up to its potential, expect to see the Tigers back in the playoff.

ACC football championship

1. Clemson — 103 votes

2. NC State — 38

3. Miami — 8

4. Wake Forest — 4

5. Pittsburgh — 3

T-5. Virginia — 3

7. Florida State — 2

T-7. North Carolina — 2

9. Boston College — 1

(h/t ACC Preseason Football Rankings)

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