A favorite is emerging to win the ACC football preseason poll. It’s not Clemson

Former Clemson offensive lineman Eric Mac Lain insisted the Tigers are “still the king of this conference” during the opening day of ACC Kickoff.

But for the first time in a long time, he might be in the minority.

The three other ACC Network panelists on that same roundtable with Mac Lain – Mark Richt, EJ Manuel and Eddie Royal – all picked Florida State as the best team in the ACC right now, a trend that could very well manifest itself in next Tuesday’s preseason media poll release.

Clemson is coming off an 11-3 season and its seventh ACC championship in eight years and returns 15 starters including promising quarterback Cade Klubnik, All-ACC running back Will Shipley and standout defenders Jeremiah Trotter Jr., Barrett Carter and Tyler Davis.

The Tigers have also been selected preseason ACC champions eight of the past 10 years and seven of the last eight dating back to the 2015 season.

But that may not be enough to slow the Florida State hype train. The Seminoles, led by star quarterback Jordan Travis, started last season with a bang by defeating eventual SEC West champion LSU and finished 10-3 and ranked No. 11 in the final AP Top 25 poll. They ended the season on a six-game winning streak.

Travis is back, as are six other FSU players who earned first-, second- or third-team All-ACC honors in 2022 – the most of any of the conference’s 14 teams. And that’s not to mention a decorated transfer portal haul including former Virginia cornerback Fentrell Cypress II and former South Carolina tight end Jaheim Bell, among others.

Never mind the fact Clemson and coach Dabo Swinney have won seven consecutive games against Florida State. And that the last time media picked the Seminoles to win the ACC in 2017 (over Clemson), they finished 7-6 and sixth out of seven teams in the old ACC Atlantic Division.

This is shaping up as a garnet and gold talking season as the Seminoles seek their first ACC championship since a 2012-14 three-peat amid the Jimbo Fisher-Jameis Winston years.

“You look back a season ago, and we took some great steps as a team,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said. “We had some really positive experiences, and we had some games where we came up short for a variety of different reasons. To be able to learn from those, you’ve got to be able to pour all that you have into it.”

Clemson beat Florida State 34-28 last season in Tallahassee, but it wasn’t a walk in the park. The Tigers led 34-14 entering the fourth quarter before Travis and FSU engineered consecutive touchdowns drives; it took a late-game onside kick recovery for Clemson to escape victorious.

That’s one of many storylines already adding hype to the teams’ 2023 meeting, which is set for Saturday Sept. 23 in Clemson’s Memorial Stadium.

Clemson and FSU are permanent opponents through 2027 under the ACC’s new divisionless scheduling model.

They had a nasty public spat three years ago regarding the last-minute cancellation of a game at FSU during the 2020 season affected by COVID-19.

And, thanks to the conference’s new scheduling format, the Tigers and Seminoles could very likely see each other again on Dec. 2 in the ACC championship game at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium – with a spot in the four-team College Football Playoff on the line.

“I’ve been a part of a lot of big ones where in the past the division was on the line – that game determined the division,” Swinney said of playing FSU. “So now it’s a game that might determine who’s going to the playoff now as it expands. And certainly for the Final Four (this year). Or how it’s going to shake out the December ACC Championship game. It’s always electric.”

Here’s a sampling of media takes and predictions – essentially weighing Clemson versus FSU – heading into the ACC order of finish announcement next Tuesday. The preseason All-ACC team and ACC Player of the Year will be announced the day after.

Clemson or FSU: Who wins the ACC?

247Sports picks FSU over Clemson: “This is the year Florida State breaks through and wins the ACC Championship, according to 247Sports’ panel. The vote was close. Clemson garnered 10 picks and Florida State eked out the win with 12 votes, making this our second-tightest decision behind 247Sports’ Big Ten panel. … A victory by Florida State could signal a changing of the guard. Clemson’s decade-long run of titles was built on developing high school recruits. Florida State is trying to win with a mix of home-developed talent and a healthy dose of transfers” (Brandon Marcello)

Richmond Times-Dispatch picks FSU over Clemson: “September will speak volumes about the Seminoles. They open the season in Orlando versus LSU and close the month at Clemson, an annual rival they’ve lost to seven consecutive times. … Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik came off the bench to rescue the Tigers in the ACC championship game against North Carolina. How will he fare as the full-time starter?” (David Teel)

Athlon Sports picks FSU over Clemson: “The Seminoles have made big-time progress as a program since Mike Norvell’s arrival in 2020 and enter ‘23 as a team capable of unseating Clemson atop the ACC and returning to the CFB Playoff. … The Tigers aren’t going anywhere, however. A loaded defense should rank among the best in college football, and the offense is expected to improve under new coordinator Garrett Riley” (Steven Lassan)

Saturday Road picks Clemson over FSU: “So while Florida State is getting a lot of love heading into the upcoming ACC football season, the Seminoles are going to have to show me they’re worthy of it before I take that leap of faith onto the bandwagon. … Maybe the Noles really are that good. Maybe they’re not. Until then, the defending ACC champions are still the team to beat” (Brett Friedlander)

Tampa Bay Times picks FSU over Clemson: “I left Orlando in December thinking Florida State should be favored to win the ACC championship this season. Nothing that has happened since then has changed my mind, which is why I picked the Seminoles to beat Clemson … The fact that their Week 4 matchup is at Clemson is another factor, though a rematch in the title game would be here in Charlotte at a neutral site” (Matt Baker)