Which is the most overrated team in the ACC?

On this week’s edition of The Student Section college football roundtable we predict the team from each conferences that the college football prognosticators have overrated. TSS Associate Editors Bart Doan and Terry Johnson join staff writer Kevin Causey and special rotating guests in our weekly roundtable discussing all things college football.

Earlier this off-season we dove into the ACC by discussing players to watch, the most improved teams and who will win the conference championship. Now it’s time to look at who has been overrated. Joining us in this conversation is TSS writer and the man behind The Next Wave Football, Ryan Palencer….

Question: The coaches poll has been released, other outlets are releasing their Top 25 polls (SI, Athlon) and we are in the middle of releasing our poll.  Which ACC team is the most overrated heading into the 2015 season?

Ryan Palencer:
On Twitter @RyanPalencer

It’s Virginia Tech.

Picked by many to finish second to Georgia Tech in the ACC Coastal Division, the Hokies are a serious contender for the most overhyped team in the conference. A squad that struggled to produce offensively against nearly every opponent in conference last year, does not seem to have improved much on that side much this season either. The defense will be strong as usual, but the offense desperately needs to improve on the 4.9 yards that it averaged per play last season.

While Virginia Tech brings back 13 starters, and experience is always important, the experience has to be from quality players. I don’t expect them to have to rely on a final season win to get bowl eligible like last year, second in the division is also quite lofty.

Bart Doan:
On Twitter @TheCoachBart

I’ll be honest … these questions are like stepping on Legos in the middle of the night on the way to the John because overrated implicates an indictment of the actual folks on the team. So I’d rather go “overhyped” with something like this, because then it places it on the media and not the folks with their hands in the dirt on a 100 degree day running gassers.

I’d probably tend to go with Georgia Tech, mostly because there seems to be an incredible amount of hype around them in spite of some of their heavy losses in the running game category both on the line and carrying the ball. Common logic suggests they’ll still find someone who can grate the road, but I feel like losing Shaq Mason and seven of their top 10 rushers is a big deal. Ditto for losing their top receiver.

Ditto for having to play Florida State and Clemson in cross-divisional games. So basically, GT, as ridiculously difficult as they are to prepare for, might not meet some folks expectations of them in my opinion.

Kevin Causey:
On Twitter @CFBZ

Without a doubt in my mind, the answer to this question is….

Notre Dame.

Yeah, yeah…I know they aren’t a “full” member of the ACC but I just don’t see how they are a team that is on the verge of a Top 10 ranking. We now have five years of data on how Brian Kelly teams preform at Notre Dame. The average record he has posted has been 8.2 wins and 4 losses. The one team that he had that won double-digit games is the exception, not the rule. Notre Dame hasn’t been anything special under Kelly (with the exception of one magical season) and that won’t change this season.

The Irish will have three losses by October 17th and that is simply not a team that deserves the kind of pre-season hype that the Irish are getting. The good news for Irish fans is that they did draw a pretty easy ACC schedule so after those three losses they will still have the ability to bounce back and finish in the Top 25.

Terry Johnson:
On Twitter @SectionTPJ

Clemson is the most overrated team in the ACC.

Make no mistake about it: the Tiger defense is the reason that the team won 10 games last year. Under the leadership of Brent Venables, Clemson’s D led the nation in total defense, tackles for a loss, and third down conversion percentage. It also allowed the fewest number of red zone scores (20) and gave up just 126 plays of 10 yards or longer – also tops in the country.

Unfortunately for those that bleed Purple and Orange, the defense needs to replace seven starters from that stellar unit including Vic Beasley, Stephone Anthony, Tony Steward, and Grady Jarrett, who all recorded 10 or more stops behind the line of scrimmage.

Given the magnitude of these losses, there’s absolutely no way Clemson’s defense matches last season’s production. Even with a healthy DeShaun Watson under center, I don’t see them beating Florida State or Georgia Tech this fall.

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