Preseason Poll Ranks Virginia Last in ACC Coastal

According to a poll of the 148 media members who attended the Atlantic Coast Conference Football Kickoff media days in Charlotte last week, Clemson is the preseason favorite to reclaim its ACC crown.

Pollers were less fond of the Virginia Cavaliers football team, who sit at the other end of the spectrum, receiving the fewest amount of points (257) in the Coastal Division. While the Hoos were not dead last in terms of numbers (that honor goes to Syracuse, who garnered only 232 points), these results are yet another reminder of the uphill battle the team faces.

Hopefully, the Hoos will be able to use these projections as more fuel to the fire. Last year, UVA defied the odds when they, also being picked to finish last, rounded out conference play with a 3-5 record and a fifth place position in the Coastal standings. If Head Coach Bronco Mendenhall and the rest of the staff want to follow through on greater expectations, then the team will need to surprise the media once more.

Within the division, the voters expect Miami to return to the conference title game, followed closely behind by Virginia Tech (ugh). Georgia Tech, Duke, Pittsburgh, UNC and Virginia round out the bottom five of the Coastal.

Here is a complete look at the poll:

TheACC.com