There’s at least two positives that Georgia Tech fans can take from the ACC preseason media poll.
One, the poll has invariably underrated the Yellow Jackets. Two, Tech won’t have to do much to exceed expectations.
On the heels of their 3-9 season (1-7 in the ACC), Tech was picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Coastal. It’s the lowest that the Jackets have been picked since the league split into two divisions in 2005. The poll, voted on by 191 media members, was released Monday morning.
The order of the Coastal was: North Carolina, Miami, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech, Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia. The Tar Heels received 121 of the first-place votes.
Clemson was named on 148 ballots as the Atlantic Division favorite, ahead of Florida State (42 first-place votes). Clemson was named on 144 ballots to win the ACC championship, followed by Florida State (39).
The runaway favorite for ACC player of the year was Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson with 164 votes. FSU running back Dalvin Cook was second with 18.
The last time the Coastal favorite went on to win the division was 2011. Since then, the division winners were projected to finish second (Georgia Tech in 2012), seventh (Duke in 2013), fifth (Georgia Tech in 2014) and fifth (North Carolina in 2015).
In coach Paul Johnson’s eight seasons at Tech, the Jackets have finished better than their ACC Kickoff projection six times.
ACC Championship Votes
1. Clemson - 144
2. Florida State - 39
3. North Carolina - 7
4. Louisville - 1
Atlantic Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
1. Clemson (148) – 1,293
2. Florida State (42) – 1,176
3. Louisville (1) - 961
4. NC State - 704
5. Boston College - 441
6. Syracuse - 426
7. Wake Forest - 347
Coastal Division
(First place votes in parenthesis)
1. North Carolina (121) – 1,238
2. Miami (50) – 1,108
3. Pitt (14) - 859
4. Virginia Tech (3) - 697
5. Duke (2) - 597
6. Georgia Tech (1) -588
7. Virginia -261
ACC Player of the Year
1. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson - 164
2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State - 18
3. Elijah Hood, RB, North Carolina - 4
t-4. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami - 2
t-4. Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville - 2
5. DeVon Edwards, CB/KR, Duke - 1
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