What we like best: Really, what's not to like? OK, we do have a few things, which we'll get to below, but overall this is the most talented team in the ACC. We could pick Cullen Harper because he has another year of experience and the starting job at quarterback is all his. We could pick James Davis and C.J. Spiller, the best one-two punch in the ACC. We could pick the defensive line, which somehow lost Phillip Merling and still got better. But we'll go with Jacoby Ford. The wide receiver missed all of November plus the bowl game after breaking his ankle, but he appears to be healthy. Because of his speed, Ford may be the most dangerous receiver in the conference and could be the reason that opposing defensive coordinators will be pulling out their hair during Clemson week this season.

What we like least: The offensive line. Replacing Barry Richardson won't be easy. Cory Lambert won't be as good as Richardson, but if he gives a solid effort at left tackle it will be huge for the Tigers. Mason Cloy has good upside, but, like Lambert, he needs to prove himself on the field. Same for David Smith. Thomas Austin will be good, but outside of the junior center there are a lot of question marks on the line. It could turn out to be a good unit, but for now it's the weak link on a very talented offense.

Schedule:
Aug. 30 -- Alabama (Atlanta)
Sept. 6 -- The Citadel
Sept. 13 -- NC State
Sept. 20 -- SC State
Sept. 27 -- Maryland
Oct. 9 -- at Wake Forest (Thu.)
Oct. 18 -- Georgia Tech
Nov. 1 -- at Boston College
Nov. 8 -- at Florida State
Nov. 15 -- Duke
Nov. 22 -- at Virginia
Nov. 29 -- South Carolina

Patrick's prediction: 10-2 overall, 6-2 ACC, 2nd in Atlantic Division

What others are saying to ACC Nation

David Glenn, ACC Area Sports Journal and ACCSports.com: I am on of those on that (Clemson) bandwagon. But you know how you kind of very gently step on to a boat that you've never been on because you're not sure if the boat's going to wobble or pull away from the dock or whatever? That's kind of how I step on to the Clemson football bandwagon.

Phil Steele, Phil Steele's College Football Preview: When I throw my eight sets of power ratings into the computer, they all had Clemson a couple of notches ahead of everybody else, meaning they can win on the road at Florida State, they can win on the road at Wake Forest, at Boston College, which are some tough games this year. And I actually don't have them an underdog in a single game this year.

Cullen Harper, Clemson quarterback: The biggest thing we've got to get taken care of this August camp is that O-line because it all starts up front. We're inexperience right there. We lose four out of five starters, but at the same time we're very talented.

Other previews:

About.com

Athlon Sports

ESPN/Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook

2007 Recap: 5-7 overall, 2-6 ACC

What we like best: The running backs. Javarris James and Graig Cooper would be the best running-back duo in the ACC if it wasn't for Clemson's James Davis and C.J. Spiller. Both can run the ball and catch it out of the backfield. Cooper ran for 682 yards and four touchdowns last year, while James finished with 582 yards and four touchdowns. James should be healthy this year, which he wasn't last season, and Cooper should stay strong throughout the season after adding some muscle in the offseason. The two will need to carry the offense as a new quarterback learns how to run the team.

What we like least: The schedule. One thing this young team with an inexperienced quarterback could use is a fast start, but that's unlikely considering the early schedule. After what should be an easy opener against Charleston Southern, Miami has to go to Florida and Texas A&M, then returns home to play North Carolina and Florida State. The Hurricanes will be very lucky to come out of that stretch at 3-2, but could easily be 1-4 a week into October. Things get easier after that, but only for a few weeks then it's a visit from Virginia Tech and trips to Georgia Tech and N.C. State to finish the season. Both the Jackets and Wolfpack should be playing well by late in the season.

Schedule:
Aug. 28 -- Charleston Southern
Sept. 6 -- at Florida
Sept. 20 -- at Texas A&M
Sept, 27 -- North Carolina
Oct. 4 -- Florida State
Oct. 11 -- UCF
Oct. 18 -- at Duke
Oct. 25 -- Wake Forest
Nov. 1 -- at Virginia
Nov. 13 -- Virginia Tech
Nov. 20 -- at Georgia Tech
Nov. 29 -- at North Carolina State

Patrick's prediction: 3-9 overall, 1-7 ACC, 6th in the Coastal Division

What others are saying to ACC Nation:

Phil Steele, Phil Steele's College Football Preview: This year just 11 returning starters, they don't have a quarterback that has any experience whatsoever, and they're playing a difficult schedule. But, with that said, they still have a lot of talent ... I've got them playing in the Music City Bowl against Mississippi."

Randy Shannon, head coach: We're in the process of getting that foundation set to where we need to be at. If we stay healthy, we're going to be pretty good. We're going to have the stability and some depth at some positions. If we get injured real quick, then we're going to be OK, but we won't be as good as we need to be."

Other previews:

Athlon Sports

ESPN/Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook

The Red Zone Report

In an effort to shorten the game of college football, the powers-that-be have once again adjusted the rules. Among the changes will be a 40-second play clock, a change in rules governing when the clock stops on out-of-bounds plays and no 5-yard facemask penalty.

ACC Nation talked with Doug Rhoads, the ACC's coordinator of football officials, about these changes and how they impact the game.

Also this week:

-- Mike Maniscalco of 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, N.C., talks UNC, NC State and Duke football, as well as Olympic basketball. We also believe he may be seriously sleep deprived;

-- The first coaches' poll of the season is out and Patrick and Q discuss the results;

-- A listener wants to know why the ACC isn't split into geographical divisions like other conferences;

-- An update on ACC football previews;

And more.

What we like best: Paul Johnson. Forget for a moment whether the offense is a triple-option (the term used by a lot of the media) or a spread (the term used by others in the media) or simply the system (the term used by Johnson). Forget about the A-backs and B-backs. Forget the questions about whether Johnson and his offense can be successful at this level of college football. Just keep in mind, for now, that Johnson has been a winner at this last two stops. He won a pair of I-AA national titles at Georgia Southern and coached Navy to five bowls (although he left for Georgia Tech before coaching in last season's bowl game).

The players seem to be buying into the system and Josh Nesbitt could be a perfect fit for Paul Johnson's offense. Nesbitt was the team's third-leading rusher last year with 339 yards on just 53 carries (an average of 6.4 yards per carry). Once Nesbitt and the rest of the offense get a handle on Johnson's system, Tech will be tough to beat. Whether that happens this season or next is just one big question for the Yellow Jackets.

What we like least: This was a toss-up. We're not crazy about a defense that lost its coordinator, Jon Tenuta, and its best player, Philip Wheeler. The defensive line, with Vance Walker and Michael Johnson, seems to be set, but the linebackers and secondary have some questions that need to be answered.

But the biggest thing we don't like is the schedule. The Jackets have only five road games this season, but those games are against BC, Virginia Tech, Clemson, UNC and Georgia. Paul Johnson, welcome to the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Schedule:
Aug. 28 -- Jacksonville St.
Sept. 6 -- at Boston College
Sept. 13 -- at Virginia Tech
Sept. 20 -- Mississippi State
Oct. 4 -- Duke
Oct. 11 -- Gardner-Webb
Oct. 18 -- at Clemson
Oct. 25 -- Virginia
Nov. 1 -- Florida State
Nov. 8 -- at North Carolina
Nov. 20 -- Miami
Nov. 29 -- at Georgia

Patrick's prediction: 4-8 overall, 2-6 ACC, 4th in the Coastal Division

What others are saying to ACC Nation:

Mitchell Light, senior editor with Athlon Sports: Love the Paul Johnson hire. Love it, love it. They might have some growing pains this year with personnel issues and stuff, but just look at this guy. He's won big everywhere -- Georgia Southern, national championships ... the success at Navy was just phenomenal. I don't buy at all this offense can't work."

John Feinstein, author & Navy football radio analyst: "You put him (Paul Johnson) at a place like Georgia Tech where, obviously you can recruit very good football players and a school that won 10 games just a year ago, you would think heâs going to bring in â you know heâs going to bring in higher-caliber athletes than the ones heâs able to recruit at Navy with all the restrictions he had to deal with.â

Vance Walker, defensive tackle, on changes to defense: "We're going to run a lot of man-to-man coverage, which I think will be good ... because this year we're going to cater to our strength, which is the defensive line. It's going to free us up and if the cornerbacks are playing man coverage, it will give us just a little more time, which is all we needed, really, last year to get more sacks or tackles."

Other previews:

CollegeSports-fans.com

CollegeFootballNews.com

ESPN/Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook

Duke preview with Dave Nathan of 99.9 The Fan in Raleigh, N.C.

2007 Recap: 1-11 overall, 0-8 ACC

What we like best: The passing game. Thad Lewis threw for 2,430 yards and 21 touchdowns with 10 interceptions last year and will go into his junior year with a coach known as a quarterback guru. Lewis can't help but get excited when he hears that David Cutcliffe has worked with the likes of Peyton and Eli Manning, plus has some experience in turning around a moribund program at Ole Miss. Cutcliffe compared Lewis Tee Martin at Tennessee.

Eron Riley is the only proven receiver, but he has All-ACC talent. Last year Riley caught 40 passes for 830 yards and nine touchdowns and, teamed with Lewis, will give Duke one of the better quarterback-receiver combinations in the conference. Considering the running game was abysmal last year, that Lewis-to-Riley combination will be critical to any success Duke has on offense.

What we like least: There's a lot to pick from, but I guess we should go with the losing environment that surrounds Duke football. Cutcliffe won at Ole Miss, but Duke will be a tougher assignment. The Blue Devils haven't had a winning season since 1994 and have lost 25 ACC games in a row. Just like success breeds success, failure breeds failure. Steve Spurrier did win at Duke, but as losing season follows losing season the Spurrier years seem like ancient history.

Schedule:
Aug. 30 -- James Madison
Sept. 6 -- Northwestern
Sept. 13 -- Navy
Sept. 27 -- Virginia
Oct. 4 -- at Georgia Tech
Oct. 18 -- Miami
Oct. 25 -- at Vanderbilt
Nov. 1 -- at Wake Forest
Nov. 8 -- NC State
Nov. 15 -- at Clemson
Nov. 22 -- at Virginia Tech
Nov. 29 -- North Carolina

Patrick's prediction: 4-8 overall, 2-6 ACC, 5th in the Coastal Division

What others are saying:

Phil Steele, Phil Steele's College Football Preview: "They've got three games early on which they could win all three or bare minimum win two of the first three. Then they get the week off and play Virginia. If they knock off Virginia this is a team that could actually flirt with a winning record. I'm not calling for it. I'm thinking maybe four or five wins this year, but I actually think Duke has a shot at escaping the basement."

Vince Oghobaase, Duke defensive tackle: A reasonable expectation for me personally, and I believe a lot of my teammates think the same, is that the sky is the limit. We have now all the tools and everything in place to be a successful ball club. There's no excuse why we can't go out there and win ballgames this year."

Mike Hogewood, ACC football announcer and host: "The last time Duke did anything good, who was the head coach? Steve Spurrier. What was Steve Spurrier known for? Offense. You've got David Cutcliffe, an offensive guy, some say an offensive genius, coming in there. And who's he replacing? A defensive guy, Ted Roof ... I think he's (Cutcliffe) is going to give Duke a chance. He's got to get some players, obviously, but there's no reason Duke can't be better than they have been."

Other previews:

ESPN/Blue Ribbon College Football Yearbook

Athlon Sports

Mike Hogewood joins the guys this week to talk ACC football. Find out why something Al Groh said surprised Mike, his thoughts on Duke's David Cutcliffe, why he thinks Patrick is bold (and perhaps crazy) and his surprise team in the ACC this year, plus much more.

Also,

-- Drew Weatherford says the starting job is his at FSU;

-- Duke's Vince Oghobaase almost throttles Patrick;

-- Q threatens to take his pants off at the ACC Football Kickoff;

-- Andrew Gardner thinks he know why Chan Gailey got fired;

-- Patrick apologizes to Jeff Adams and Rob Higgins;

-- Listeners weigh in on offensive lines, optimistic teams and Virginia Tech's striptease;

This is a young Miami team with 26 true freshmen listed in the media guide. That's why the veterans like Jason Fox and Eric Moncur feel the need to show leadership this season if the Hurricanes are to have success on the field.

"A lot of those (young players) have the physical ability to play," Fox said in an interview with ACC Nation at the ACC Football Kickoff July 20 in Greensboro, Ga. "But a lot of them don't know yet how much more college football is than just being physically able to play. It's a lot more mental than people realize."

Duke hasn't had a winning season since 1994 and hasn't won an ACC game since 2004. The Blue Devils went 1-11 last year and got rid of coach Ted Roof. Enter former Ole Miss coach David Cutcliffe, who said it wasn't as simple as teaching Duke to win football games.

"You know what we have to learn," asked Cutcliffe. "We have to learn how to earn the right to win. That's probably the best way I can sum up our team."

Duke just won a lawsuit by basically claiming football programs don't get any worse than the one the Blue Devils currently field, but if Cutcliffe has his way that will change soon. If he starts to win this year it will be, in part, because of the arm of Thad Lewis and his ability to find receiver Eron Riley. There is other talent on this Duke team also and Cutcliffe discusses that talent as well as other subjects heading into the 2008 season.

(Note: Due to the nature of the press conference, audio levels for the questions aren't as high as Cutcliffe's audio levels.)

There are advantages to having your team buried on page four of the local sports section.

"I don't think I'd want to be Tommy Bowden," Boston College's Jeff Jagodzinski told the media at this week's ACC Football Kickoff. "That (Clemson football) is the only show in town. To be in a pro town, especially (one) like Boston -- it's the best pro sports (town) right now in the country ... it's awesome."

Jags said he has no desire to be on the front page every day and, to listen to some, he doesn't have to worry about that this season. Boston College no only loses the best quarterback in the conference last year in Matt Ryan, but also has to replace its entire backfield and some key parts on defense and the offensive line.

Listen to what Jagodzinski has to say about this team as it gets ready for the 2008 season.

(Note: Due to the nature of the press conference, the audio levels for the questions will be a little lower than those for Jagodzinski.)

Last season Wake Forest had a big-play defense, one that scored eight touchdowns. This year, Wake's Jim Grobe would like to see those big plays again, but he wants more out of the defense.

"The key for us this year is getting off the field (and) give the offense a chance to score some points," Grobe told the media Monday afternoon at the ACC Football Kickoff. "Even though last year we were pretty opportunistic, forced a lot of turnovers, scored a lot of points, I think one of the things we didn't do a very good job of ... we gave offenses too many long drives."

Wake will have to improve on that, as well as find a replacement for wide-receiver and Mr. Everything Kenny Moore. Grobe addressed that issue also, as well as talked about the importance of putting back-to-back solid seasons together and much more.

(Note: Due to the nature of the press conference, the audio levels of the questions may not be as high as Grobe's audio levels.)