NC State Football: Wolfpack picked to finish third in ACC preseason poll

In the recently released ACC preseason poll, NC State football was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division.

On Monday, the ACC released their preseason poll and the NC State football team was picked to finish third in the Atlantic Division. The Clemson Tigers are the clear favorite to win the the ACC with 1,031 points and 145 first-place votes. They were followed by the Florida State Seminoles with 789 points and one first-place finish.

However, the Wolfpack finished third with 712 points but did actually get two first-place votes.

The Wolfpack are coming off their best season under head coach Dave Doeren, finishing the year in second place in the Atlantic Division with a 9-4 record. These are the most wins for this team since 2010.

This is a reason that expectations are a little higher entering this year than in past seasons. Doeren returns as head coach and he will have an experienced quarterback under center with Ryan Finley.

The redshirt senior may not be happy with these preseason poll results, considering last week during the ACC Kickoff he said the goal is winning an ACC Championship.

The questions lie on the defensive side of the ball as Doeren will have to replace their entire defensive line. All four starters went on to the NFL, led by Bradley Chubb who was selected fifth overall by the Denver Broncos.

If the Wolfpack were to make the ACC Championship Game, it would be the first time in school history. It would also end a streak of three straight years for the Clemson Tigers reaching the ACC Championship game and would be the first time since 2008 that Clemson or Florida State wasn’t representing the Atlantic Division.

Next: NC State Football: Top 4 games for 2018 season

The Wolfpack will being their 2018 season at home against the James Madison Dukes on September 2nd.