ACC Teams That Could Be Underrated in 2014

The ACC as a whole is an underrated conference because they don’t have the amount of national powers found in the SEC and Pac-12. There are five teams from the ACC that are being overlooked for 2014.

Clemson

The Tigers lost some key offensive playmakers from 2013, but will reload with more than capable replacements. Cole Stoudt, Tajh Boyd’s replacement, is a senior who has been in the system for three years. The Tigers have playmakers at receiver and running back that are capable of performing well, but they haven’t proven themselves yet.

Clemson’s defense could be their strength in 2014. You can rub your eyes and look again, but you read that right. The Tigers are loaded on the defensive line, led by Grady Jarrett and Vic Beasley. Stephone Anthony leads the linebacker group, and Mackensie Alexander is one of the many young players that makes Tiger fans excited about the secondary.

The reason for the uncertainty about Clemson this season is the unproven players at the skill positions. Chad Morris and Brent Venables are among the best coordinators in the country, so don’t sleep on the Tigers just yet. An 8-4 or 9-3 season is what most are expecting, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them at 10-2 or 11-1.

Clemson DE Vic Beasley (Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports)

Virginia

How can Virginia be underrated when they’re coming off a 2-10 season? The answer to that is recruiting and patience. While the Cavs don’t have much to show for on the field the last two seasons, they have been successful off the field on the recruiting trails.

They came out in the top 34 in 2013 and 2014 according to ESPN’s class rankings. Also, in the 2014 cycle they signed two 5-star prospects in Andrew Brown and Quin Blanding.

The Cavs return 17 starters overall and have the talent to win some games in 2014. Quarterback is the main issue for this team right now. David Watford struggled last season, throwing 7 more interceptions than touchdowns. Greyson Lambert could be the answer at the position, but he is still young.

The schedule is a tough one for Virginia with non-conference games against UCLA and BYU. Their road games inside the ACC are Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Duke. I’m not projecting the Cavs to win 7 games and compete for the ACC Coastal title, but they can certainly be underrated and put up a better mark than last year’s 0-8 ACC record.

Mike London has signed some big-name recruits the past couple of seasons at Virginia, so the talent is there for the Cavaliers to take that next step.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels lost five of their first six games last year, but the second half of the season is what has hopes high in Chapel Hill. The Heels won six of their final seven in 2013, including a 39-17 victory over Cincinnati in the Belk Bowl.

This year’s squad has 14 starters returning. Their schedule doesn’t look too bad this year, considering they won’t have to open with South Carolina again. The only non-conference games that would be much of a challenge is on the road against Notre Dame and East Carolina. North Carolina should beat East Carolina, but a loss to them last year makes it worth noting here.

They play on the road at Miami, Clemson, and Duke but could potentially win two of those. We are all waiting to see if Duke was a cinderella team or if they are here to stay. Clemson won’t be easy, but the Tar Heels have a good shot in the Miami game.

Watch out for this team in 2014 because of what they have offensively. Marquise Williams had a good season in 2013 and is in contention to win the starting job this year as well. He threw for 1,698 yards and 15 touchdowns, while rushing for 536 yards and six touchdowns.

Fedora is one of the many coaches in the ACC that has talent on the roster, but is looking to take that next step to put his program back on the map.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech hasn’t had the kind of success the last two seasons they are used to with Frank Beamer leading the team. That doesn’t necessarily mean they were terrible years, but it just didn’t feel like traditional Hokie football.

For this reason, some doubt the Hokies once again in 2014. With the loss of quarterback Logan Thomas, which some may credit as a good thing, there is uncertainty at the quarterback position.

Virginia Tech figures to be one of the contenders for the ACC Coastal this season, but figuring out who will be under center is the first thing on the offseason agenda. Mark Leal didn’t play much in the regular season and had a shaky performance in the Sun Bowl. Others that could win the job are Brenden Motley, Andrew Ford, and Texas Tech transfer Michael Brewer.

The toughest games on the schedule for Virginia Tech in 2014 is @Ohio State, @North Carolina, @Duke, and Miami at home. There’s a very real chance that the Hokies win two of those games. With their defense, their schedule, and an offense that has to improve there’s a possibility that Beamer’s team could win 9 or 10 games this year.

Louisville

It feels like Louisville is a completely different team in 2014, but I’m not sure that’s as bad as it may seem. There’s no Charlie Strong, no Teddy Bridgewater, and the stars of one of 2013’s best defense are gone to the NFL.

The Cardinals bring back DeVante Parker, one of the most talented wide receivers in the nation, along with a veteran and talented offensive line.

They have Dominique Brown and Michael Dyer at running back, both seniors, but quarterback is the biggest issue. Will Gardner, a sophomore, has big shoes to fill that Bridgewater left. With an offensive-minded head coach in Petrino, I think Gardner can develop into a decent quarterback.

Gardner will need to do that developing quickly though, because the Cardinals start out against Al Golden’s Miami Hurricanes. Other notable games for Louisville include @Clemson, @Notre Dame, and Florida State at home.

Just like Clemson, many fans point to what the Cardinals lost from last year’s team, but fail to take a deep look at what they still have. The Cardinals have a very good offensive line and should be successful on offense in Petrino’s system. They have a strong secondary, but the question mark will be how well the defensive line plays.

This team has a chance to win 8 games this year. Florida State, Clemson, Notre Dame, and Miami in the season opener will all be tough for the Cardinals to overcome, but after that they have a solid chance in every other contest. If they are able to upset Notre Dame or Miami, which isn’t that far of a stretch, this could be a team that climbs to 9 wins.