Patrick Donovan (@SportsBoss) has shared his 2015 ACC Preview: Atlantic Division with us.

2015 ACC Preview: Atlantic Division 

In our first conference preview installment of the summer we are breaking down the ACC, starting with the Atlantic Division, the better of the two divisions having won the last four conference championships.  This portion of my preview will look at each team using an opening, good news, bad news & bottom line breakdown; before the season starts I will project division & conference winners using these previews along with schedule breakdowns. 

The SBPI, or SportsBoss Power Index, referenced often in breakdowns below including a chart at the end of this article, is a ratings system I developed that uses a mix of approximately 20 statistical categories on both offense & defense, grading each team on each statistic followed by adjusting for SOS to reach a final rating.  You can read more about this topic on my blog that will provide further background on SBPI and show ratings from prior seasons.  I have back tested my model to 2009 as that was as far back as all the statistics I use were available.

For now, teams are listed in alphabetical order.

Boston College Eagles: the Eagles appear to be trending in a favorable direction under 3^rd year Head Coach Steve Addazio as when he took over BC ranked #118 in the SBPI, but they climbed to #76 in 2013 and finished last year surprisingly at #40 (which was actually just 8^th best in the ACC).

• Good news: last season BC went 7-6 including three conference road wins & a home win over USC. Four of their six losses were by 4 points or less including 3-point losses to Clemson & at Florida State.  Their rush defense, which ranked 2^nd in the country last season (behind Michigan State) should be solid once again with five of the front seven starters returning to Chestnut Hill.

• Bad news: the Eagles lose their best offensive player in QB Tyler Murphy & do not have any experience behind him. In addition they will have a new OC & be breaking in five new offensive linemen.  Lastly their FG kicking game is surrounded by questions.

• Bottom line: with all the new pieces in critical spots a .500 season would be a success despite the fact they will play 8 of their 12 games at home (one of the 8 is at Gillette Stadium vs. Notre Dame). This is clearly a season of transition for BC as they are still searching for a QB & will struggle more than usual with their rushing game breaking in new starters across the OL.

I breakdown the other ACC Atlantic Division teams here at The SportsBoss.