5 Surprise 2017 college football conference title contenders

ACC – Virginia Tech

2014 – Florida State
2015 – Clemson
2016 – Clemson

Virginia Tech lacks something that the other schools on this list have: a proven quarterback. Junior Jerod Evans made the decision to enter the NFL draft early and went undrafted last year. It’s not unfathomable to think that true freshman Josh Jackson, a 3-star dual threat quarterback from Michigan, could win the starting job.

But offense is not how Virgina Tech snatches the ACC title away from powerhouses Florida State or Clemson. They’ll have to do that with their defense. The Hokies finished fourth in the ACC in total defense last season. They weren’t particularly dominant against either the run or the pass, but as a unit they were consistently above average in both aspects.

It was the red zone that proved to be their downfall. Tech allowed 34 red zone scores in 41 attempts. If they can crack that nut they’ll be in good shape to pick up a few more wins in 2017. They return their top three leading tacklers including ballhawk Andrew Motuapuaka. Defensive backs Greg Stroman (10 passes defended, 3 interceptions), Mook Reynolds (6 PD, 2 INT), and Adonis Alexander (7 PD, 2 INT) will all return as well.

Virginia Tech’s toughest game in 2017 comes at home against Clemson in September. The Tigers will still be good, but they have a lot of pieces to replace off their 2016 National Championship team. Getting them early in the season before they’re running on all cylinders could prove a boon to the Hokies. After Clemson, they have road contests against Boston College, Miami, Georgia Tech, and Virginia. It’s entirely possible they won’t play another ranked team all season until the conference title game. That bodes well for Tech.