Things to watch this week in the Atlantic Coast Conference:
Game of the week
No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, Saturday, noon ET (ABC).
The Tigers open the season in the biggest way possible against a Georgia squad that won the national title in 2021 and 2022 and remains bitter about missing the College Football Playoff a year ago.
Clemson was the reigning ACC champion last year but fell from contention with a 4-4 mark (all four defeats to league opponents) before November. The Tigers closed the season with five straight wins and a win over the No. 1 team would suggest Clemson is back in playoff form.
Clemson will need improved play from quarterback Cade Klubnik and receivers like Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown and Adam Randall to stretch the field after a season where explosive plays were hard to find.
The undercard
No. 19 Miami plays at state rival Florida in a matchup of two teams eager to return to the national title mix.
The Hurricanes hopes are squarely based on ex-Washington State quarterback Cam Ward, who was picked as the preseason player of the year despite never taking a snap for Miami. The Hurricanes will also lean heavily on defensive transfers like safety Mishael Powers, who played in the CFP title game with Washington last January, and ex-N.C. State defensive tackle C.J. Clark.
Other games to watch include No. 10 Florida State opening its home schedule on Labor Day night against Boston College. The Seminoles, picked to win the conference again this season, had the year's first major stumble with a 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland last week.
Impact players
Haynes King, Georgia Tech. The former Texas A&M quarterback has steadily grown and he led his team to that Week Zero upset, 24-21, over ACC favorite Florida State. King finished with 200 yards combined (146 passing, 54 rushing) and directed the game-winning field goal drive over the final 6:33 of the game. Georgia Tech is home against Georgia State this week.
Grayson McCall, NC State. McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Conference player of the year at Coastal Carolina who helped lead the Chanticleers into the Top 25 the past four seasons. Now, he's joined the 24th-ranked Wolfpack for his last college season and hopes to show the same efficiency that led him to set a then-NCAA record for pass efficiency rating (207.6) in 2021.
Inside the numbers
Boston College quarterback Thomas Castallanos ran for 1,113 yards last season, second most among all QBs in the Bowl Subdivision. ... SMU passer Preston Stone was 11th nationally a season ago with 3,197 yards and 28 TDs last season. He kept that up with 254 yards and led a fourth-quarter touchdown drive for a 29-24 win over Nevada last week. ... Virginia Tech running back and return specialist Bhayshul Tuten is second among active FBS players in all-purpose yards with a career average of 127.08 per game.
Chasing Bowden
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney starts his 17th season with 170 victories. That's just three behind the late Bobby Bowden of Florida State for most overall wins by a head coach coaching at an ACC school. Swinney is the Tigers' all-time leader in coaching wins. Unless Clemson has a full-blown collapse, Swinney should surpass the mark by late September or early October.
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Credit: AP
