ACC Football 2018: No surprise atop preseason power rankings

When Justin Fuentes took over for Frank Beamer many expected the Hokies to take a step back in terms of challenging for the ACC consistently. He has done a good job keeping the program stable and having Bud Foster as your defensive coordinator is always a plus.

They will have to overcome a poor running game that didn’t do much last season but their secondary is one of the most underrated in the conference. This could be a 4-4 ACC team if they can pull off an upset or two in conference play.

AJ Dillon returns and should be one of the best backs in the ACC. If they can get improved quarterback play the Eagles could pull off a major upset against one of the big dogs in the conference. Zack Allen leads the defense and they face arguably the toughest conference schedule in the ACC that includes Louisville, Miami, and Clemson at home with the road games at Florida State, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina State.

The Tar Heels went 3-9 last season and will look to get back to a bowl game in 2018. They return both of their leading rushers and the second half of the season includes a lot of winnable conference games. If they can get on a hot streak they could contend for the ACC title. This could be a ten win team or a four-win team, it will just depend on how the talent handles pressure and expectations of the fan base.