ACC Football preview, predictions for 2020: A Blitz Podcast

After a few weeks of jammed-packed news cycle, the blitz crew finally sets their sights on the 2020 ACC football preview and predictions.

Welcome to our 2020 ACC football preview, now including Notre Dame. We’ve teased this preview for several weeks now, but with the news cycle being jammed-packed with information for several weeks now, we haven’t been able to devote the necessary time to previewing the ACC.

Despair no more, because we have put together a comprehensive look at the ACC for 2020, hypothetical or not.

For several years the knock on the ACC has been that it is Clemson and then everyone else. There have been no real challengers to the Tigers for conference superiority since Florida State dropped from its perch near the top of the mountain.

That all could change in 2020, though, with changes necessitated from the COVID-19 pandemic thrusting Notre Dame into the fray for one season. Can the Fighting Irish challenge the Tigers for the conference title and book a trip to a second College Football Playoff in three seasons?

What about North Carolina in Mack Brown’s second season back in Chapel Hill? The Tar Heels exceeded expectations in 2019 led by freshman quarterback Sam Howell, and with a ton of talent returning, North Carolina could very well be a legitimate threat to Clemson at the top of the conference.

Miami and Virginia Tech also look poised for a run up to the standings this season, and all eyes will be on Louisville to see what Scott Satterfield has on tap following a six-win turnaround from Bobby Petrino’s disastrous final season in 2018.

Is it still a forgone conclusion that Clemson runs away with the ACC in 2020? Or will another team shock the world and wrestle away superiority along the Atlantic Coast from Dabo Swinney’s Tigers?

Along with giving you our projections for the winner of the conference, we also rank the teams from 1-15, giving you our thoughts on who might surprise and who might disappoint in the conference in 2020, provided we actually do see the ACC go through with a full season.

Let us know your picks in the comments below. We’ll move on to the SEC preview next week.

The Saturday Blitz Podcast is part of the FanSided Radio Network at Spreaker. The show goes live every Wednesday morning. You can reach John Mitchell at @jlmitchell93 and Zach Bigalke at @zbigalke on Twitter.