ACC preview: Clemson looks to return to the top of the league

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Fourth-ranked Clemson is determined to follow a year of change with a return to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Tigers saw their six-year run as champions snapped last year, then the Tigers lost coordinators on both sides of the ball to head-coaching jobs. Yet Dabo Swinney’s team is favored again ahead of teams like No. 13 North Carolina State, No. 16 Miami, No. 17 Pittsburgh and No. 22 Wake Forest.

"Not many guys on this team had really experienced anything other than winning championships," Swinney said. "So we go into this with a different perspective. Is it any easier to win? I don’t think so."

The Tigers’ "stumble" still came with double-digit wins for the 11th straight season, though they lost two ACC games – at N.C. State in double overtime and at eventual league champ Pittsburgh – for the first time since 2014.

They return nine offensive starters, including quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei, and six defensively with a fearsome front featuring preseason all-ACC picks Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy. But the people leading those units have changed with the departures of offensive coordinator Tony Elliott (Virginia) and defensive coordinator Brent Venables (Oklahoma), a rare break of continuity from two national-title runs.

If Clemson can get back to the top, that will mark its seventh ACC title in eight seasons. That’s would be an unprecedented run, re-kindling memories of Florida State’s tear through the league in the 1990s.

THE ACC STINKS, ESPECIALLY AGAINST POWER 5 FOES

"We were blessed to come out with a 10-win season, win six in a row at the end," offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Brandon Streeter said. "A lot of