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Clemson picked to win ACC, Deshaun Watson preseason POY

By Patrick Schmidt

Jul 22, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks with quarterback Deshaun Watson during the ACC Football Kickoff at Westin Charlotte. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney talks with quarterback Deshaun Watson during the ACC Football Kickoff at Westin Charlotte. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Clemson Tigers are the preseason pick to win the ACC by the media.

The ACC released the results of the media ballot that picked the winners of the two divisions and the preseason player of the year.

The media picked the Clemson Tigers to repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division and the ACC. The North Carolina Tar Heels are the media’s preseason pick to win the Coastal Division.

Clemson received 148 first-place votes and 1,293 votes to win the Atlantic with Florida State finishing with 42 first-place votes and a total of 1,176 votes. The game between the two teams has largely decided the winner of the conference the last few years and this year figures to do the same.

Louisville, NC State, Boston College, Syracuse and Wake Forest round out the rest of the Atlantic.

In the Coastal, North Carolina received 121 first-place votes and a total of 1,238 votes. Mark Richt and his Miami Hurricanes received 50 first-place votes and a total of 1,108 votes. Pittsburgh came in as the clear-cut No. 3 team but not much separates Virginia Tech, Duke and Georgia Tech in the middle of the division. Bronco Mendenhall’s Virginia Cavaliers received the fewest votes of any team.

Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson was also named the preseason ACC player of the year with 164 votes. Florida State Seminoles running back finished a distant second with 18 votes. I thought the vote would be a little closer than that. Also receiving votes are Elijah Hood, Brad Kaaya, Lamar Jackson and DeVon Edwards.

More saturday blitz: 20 Best NFL Players from ACC Teams

Which teams do you think will battle in the ACC Championship Game for a right to earn a potential berth in the College Football Playoff? Do you think Cook or someone else can pull off the upset and prevent Watson from winning the ACC Player of the Year?

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