Hot Topics for ACC Kickoff

It's been two years since the ACC held its premier event of the summer, but finally, hoards of media and every football coach from around the league will descend on Charlotte, N.C., beginning Wednesday morning.

With new direction at the helm of the conference, there will be a variety of important topics discussed at this year's ACC Kickoff. Talking season gets started with commissioner Jim Phillips' first media address. Then the Coastal Division is up.

Atlantic Division teams will hold serve Thursday, culminating in a time for storylines to emerge and build heading into the fall season.

Here are some of the "hot topics" that will surround the two-day media extravaganza:

Tigers on the big stage

Dabo Swinney always commands a crowd, and this year will be no different for the opinionated Clemson head coach. There will no doubt be twisting of words at some point, but it's also important to hear how Swinney feels about the sudden and drastic changes surrounding the sport.

But he won't be the only attending Tiger who will receive plenty of attention. Due to a change in the number of players invited per school, Swinney is bringing his sophomore quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, who has only started two games in his young career. The California kid will be followed closely and asked a ton of questions as the new face of one of college football's most powerful programs. Super senior James Skalski and Matt Bockhorst are the two other entertaining talkers at what will be a fun Thursday to follow.

New era in ACC

Name, image and likeness, the NCAA transfer portal and an expanding College Football Playoff will certainly be the trending topics on social media this week. Those things are defining the game right now, and every coach should have an opinion.

But that's not all as college football begins a new era where players can make money on an open market and go to another school without penalty. Phillips replaces longtime commish John Swofford at an important time for conferences. The ACC is one of the big players at the table, and with the NCAA talking of deregulation, it's going to fall on the leagues to be the strong faces of the sport. Phillips will get a chance to show he's the right person to lead the ACC into an uncertain future.

Who's No. 2?

When the annual predicted order of finishes are turned in by the attending media, there's no drama over No. 1. Clemson, which has won the ACC the past six consecutive years, will be selected as repeat champions. That's a no-brainer.

Which teams are behind them and how close are they will be the bigger storyline. Any true contender isn't likely to emerge from Clemson's own division, but the Coastal offers a pair of hyped programs in North Carolina and Miami—both of whom are second behind the Tigers, according to FanDuel, at +1000. UNC's Mack Brown is a rockstar at events like this, and he's bringing the most accomplished returning QB in the league in Sam Howell with him. Heisman Trophy candidate D'Eriq King will be there to represent Manny Diaz's squad, and the dual-threat QB is primed for a big year if he's healthy.

Experience at QB

If the ACC is to finally be considered more than a one-team conference that rides Clemson's coattails and doesn't provide enough power teams nationally, then a narrative change will start at the key position. Not only are Howell, King and Uiagalelei the faces of the league this year, but the ACC also welcomes back Pitt's Kenny Pickett, Boston College's Phil Jurkovec, Louisville's Malik Cunningham, N.C State's Devin Leary, Wake Forest's Sam Hartman and Virginia's Brennan Armstrong.

FSU has UCF transfer McKenzie Milton now, and Braxton Burmeister is back at Virginia Tech. That's a ton of experience throughout the league, thanks in part to COVID-19 and eligibility extensions. It could help the league take a big step forward and greatly enhance the quality of teams this season.

Coming and going

Boston College's Jeff Hafley and FSU’s Mike Norvell are the only newcomers to ACC Kickoff, but that's only because the event was canceled last year due to COVID-19. Hafley is in his second season and looking to make some noise in the Atlantic behind a pass-first offense, so it'll be good for the rest of the league to get to know him better this week. Norvell is looking to build FSU back to national relevance

There will be questions, however, about coaches that could be attending their last ACC Kickoff, at least at their respective schools. Duke's David Cutcliffe is 66 years old and has earned the right to decide when he's done coaching, but the Blue Devils have missed a bowl game their previous two seasons and will be picked near the bottom of the Coastal this week. Syracuse's Dino Babers and Virginia Tech's Justin Fuente are hot-seat candidates because of multiple years of underachieving. It's hard to think the league won't see some turnover between now and next summer somewhere.