ACC coaches favor Clemson over Florida State in survey

May 17, 2016

The ACC looks as if it will once again come down to Clemson and Florida State, and if recent history is any indication it will impact the national landscape.

Only the Big Ten has had a better 1-2 punch at the top of its conference than the ACC the last three seasons, as the Seminoles and Tigers have combined for 72 wins. Both are expected to be in the preseason top five in 2016 and rightfully so. Few programs return more starters than Florida State. No other program returns Clemson’s Deshaun Watson (plus maybe the best stable of offensive weapons nationally).

As of mid-May, each team is worthy of the spring adulation and Way-Too-Early ranking, but that isn’t to say they are without flaws. The Seminoles have questions offensively despite returning nearly their entire two-deep depth chart. Tigers coach Dabo Swinney has to retool his defense a second straight season.

Earlier this spring, Andrea Adelson and I asked a handful off ACC staff — offensive, defensive and head coaches — which team will be better in 2016: Clemson or Florida State. Maybe it’s recency bias, but the overwhelming support came for the Tigers. Clemson is the reigning ACC champions, but Florida State won three straight titles from 2012-14.

Florida State hosts Clemson on Oct. 29.

Deshaun Watson will be one of many offensive weapons for Clemson in 2016. AP Photo/Joe Skipper

Here is what the coaches, who will remain anonymous, had to say about the two teams. It is certainly a very small sample size when you consider how many coaches are in the 14-team league, but it was still surprising to see coaches routinely favor Clemson, a …

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