Wolfpack Picked to Finish 11th, Gill only Preseason All-ACC Pick
NC State has been picked to finish 11th among the 15 teams competing for the ACC football championship this season, according to the league's preseason poll released Friday.
Individually, punter Trenton Gill is the only Wolfpack player to earn mention on the ACC's preseason all-conference team in a vote by members of the league's media.
Neither result should come as a surprise.
It's hardly breaking news that expectations for coach Dave Doeren's team are low this season after last year's 4-8 finish that ended with six straight losses. But there's a siliver lining to the Wolfpack's low standing.
History tells us that State's athletic teams usually do their best when the expectations on them are the lowest. And they're pretty low in 2020.
If you're looking for something a little more tangible to give you hope for a successful season, it's that the Wolfpack's amended schedule is a favorable one.
State no longer has to travel to Death Valley to play its usual Atlantic Division rival Clemson, which was picked to finish first in the league on 132 of the 134 ballots that were cast and features the ACC preseason Player of the Year in quarterback Trevor Lawerence.
It also gets to avoid Notre Dame and Louisville, which finished second fourth in the preseason poll. Rival North Carolina, at No. 3, is the only member of the top four the Wolfpack will face in 2020.
At the other end of the poll, State will match up -- coronavirus permitting, of course -- against three of the four teams ranked below it, No. 12 Duke, No. 14 Syracuse and No. 15 Georgia Tech. The Wolfpack will open its season at home on Sept. 19 against No. 10 Wake Forest.
Here's how the entire poll and preseason All-ACC team shake out:
ACC Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis, followed by total points)
1. Clemson (132) – 2008 - also picked to win ACC Football Championship Game
2. Notre Dame (2) – 1824
3. North Carolina – 1682
4. Louisville – 1434
5. Virginia Tech – 1318
6. Miami – 1280
7. Florida State – 1177
8. Pitt – 1132
9. Virginia – 994
10. Wake Forest – 659
11. NC State – 634
12. Duke – 618
13. Boston College – 532
14. Syracuse – 449
15. Georgia Tech – 339
2020 All-ACC Preseason Football Team
(Total votes in parenthesis)
Offense
WR – Tamorrion Terry, Florida State (100)
WR – Tutu Atwell, Louisville (96)
WR – Dazz Newsome, North Carolina (75)
TE – Brevin Jordan, Miami (77)
AP – Michael Carter, North Carolina (82)
OT – Jackson Carman, Clemson (64)
OT – Ben Petrula, Boston College (61)
OG – Zion Johnson, Boston College (78)
OG – Aaron Banks, Notre Dame (34)
C – Jimmy Morrissey, Pitt (80)
QB – Trevor Lawrence, Clemson (131)
RB – Travis Etienne, Clemson (133)
RB – Javian Hawkins, Louisville (80)
Defense
DE – Carlos Basham Jr., Wake Forest (89)
DE – Patrick Jones II, Pitt (37)
DT – Marvin Wilson, Florida State (108)
DT – Tyler Davis, Clemson (75)
LB – Chazz Surratt, North Carolina (106)
LB – Rayshard Ashby, Virginia Tech (66)
LB – Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, Notre Dame (47)
CB – Asante Samuel Jr., Florida State (90)
CB – Derion Kendrick, Clemson (85)
S – Paris Ford, Pitt (62)
S – Hamsah Nasirildeen, Florida State (56)
Special Teams
PK – Nick Sciba, Wake Forest (69)
P – Trenton Gill, NC State (43)
SP – Damond Philyaw-Johnson, Duke (48)
ACC Player of the Year
1. Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson – 100
2. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson – 30
3. Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina – 1
4. Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina – 1
5. Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame – 1
6. Carlos Basham Jr., DE, Wake Forest – 1
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