ACC Football Power Rankings 2017: Week 1 edition
The Pittsburgh Panthers got a gift in graduate transfer Max Browne, formerly a backup quarterback with the USC Trojans. Browne hopes his experience can carry him to better success with the Panthers in the ACC.
Browne has weapons in Jester Weah, Quadree Henderson and Qadree Ollison to do well. He’ll just need to pass the ball efficiently. The biggest question is the Pittsburgh defense, which returns just three starters from 2016.
Safety Jordan Whitehead still leads a solid group in the secondary with cornerback Avonte Maddox in the wings.
The North Carolina Tar Heels are another team that acquired a graduate transfer at quarterback. Former LSU Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris joined the program this past offseason and looks to pick up where Mitch Trubisky left off.
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Wide receiver Austin Proehl leads an inexperienced wide receiving corps. Proehl caught 43 passes for 597 receiving yards and three touchdowns last season.
The Tar Heels biggest strength in 2017 should be their defense. The defensive line returns 11 of its top 13 contributors and the secondary looks to improve with M.J. Stewart at cornerback.
The NC State Wolfpack should be this year’s surprise team in the ACC. They return eight starters on both sides of the ball and have one of the best defensive lines in the conference.
Defensive end Bradley Chubb leads an experience group of lineman into the 2017 season. Chubb recorded 21.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks last year.
The secondary must replace three starters but the rest of the defense remains intact. The Wolfpack allowed just 108.6 rushing yards per game in 2016, second in the ACC.