ACC Football 2018: Midseason awards and superlatives

Offensive player of the year

Before you panic and write a comment that never gets read, Travis Etienne is the most outstanding player in the ACC. That said, I’m also giving out an offensive player of the year that’s not the MOP. Ryan Finley, the NC State quarterback, is the offensive player of the year. Finley has the Wolfpack dialed in for a 5-0 record heading into the heart of the ACC schedule. In addition to a perfect record, the Wolfpack are ranked 22nd overall per the S&P+.

Dave Doeren’s Pack haven’t exactly played the toughest of schedules. NC State has knocked off FCS James Madison, group of 5 programs Georgia State and Marshall, before wins over Boston College and Virginia. NC State will have to prove itself on the road against Clemson and Syracuse in back-to-back weeks and knock off Florida State and Wake Forest (both possible) at home.

Despite the opponent, Finley has looked awesome. The senior quarterback has thrown for 1,621 yards and 10 touchdowns with three interceptions. Finley’s average yards per attempt is 8.7 which is well above average. The 6-foot-4, 214-pound Finley has also completed 69.5 percent of his passes en route to a perfect record through Week 6.

The jury is out on if these trends can continue after tougher opponents but he has thrown for over 3,000 yards in 2016 and 2017 and his touchdown to interception ratio is 48 to 22.