General

ACC Points of Pride

ACC  
  • ACC Network (ACCN), the 24/7 national platform dedicated to the ACC, announced its extensive 2021 fall Olympic sports schedule which includes more than 70 field hockey, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball matchups on ACCN as part of coverage across ESPN networks. ACC Network Extra (ACCNX), the network’s digital arm available on the ESPN app, will carry more than 200 ACC events. ACC Network will celebrate its two-year anniversary on Sunday, Aug. 22.
   
  • Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution recently announced distribution agreements with Mediacom Communications Corporation and the National Cable Television Cooperative (NCTC). As part of the distribution agreements, Mediacom and NCTC will now offer the ACC Network to its customers, allowing fans and followers of the ACC to access the multiplatform network beginning this September.


Football
  • The ACC is the Conference of Quarterbacks with 13 of 14 teams returning a quarterback with starting experience in 2021. Pitt’s Kenny Pickett leads all conference QBs with 36 career starts, while Miami’s D’Eriq King has 33. FSU’s McKenzie Milton started 33 games at UCF before transferring to the Seminoles for the 2021 season. Louisville's Malik Cunningham and North Carolina's Sam Howell have each started 25 games.
 
  • The ACC placed 11 quarterbacks - tied for most in the country - on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award watch list released Thursday. The Golden Arm Award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. 
 
  • The ACC led all conferences with six quarterbacks on the Davey O'Brien Award Watch List. The Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation’s best college quarterback and is the oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award.
 
  • The ACC led all conferences with five quarterbacks on the Manning Award Watch list. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting.
 
  • The ACC led the country with 13 quarterbacks making at least one NFL start in 2020 – Boston College's Matt Ryan (Falcons), Clemson's Deshaun Watson (Texans), Duke's Daniel Jones (Giants), Louisville's Lamar Jackson (Ravens) and Teddy Bridgewater (Panthers), North Carolina's Mitch Trubisky (Bears), NC State's Mike Glennon (Jaguars), Philip Rivers (Colts), Russell Wilson (Seahawks) and Ryan Finley (Bengals), Virginia Tech's Tyrod Taylor (Chargers) and Wake Forest's Kendall Hinton (Broncos) and John Wolford (Rams).
 
  • No. 3 Clemson, No. 10 North Carolina and No. 14 Miami are ranked in the AP Top 25 preseason college football poll released this week. The Tigers received six first-place votes and 1,447 points. Clemson has been ranked in 103 consecutive AP polls, the second-longest active streak in the country.
 
  • The ACC will open the season with five straight days of football action over the Labor Day Weekend. NC State hosts USF on Thursday, Sept. 2 at 7:30 p.m. on ACC Network, and North Carolina plays at Virginia Tech on Friday at 6 p.m. on ESPN. Saturday’s marquee matchups begin with Miami facing defending national champion Alabama in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta on Saturday, Sept. 4, at 3:30 p.m. Immediately following that game, ACC Champion Clemson will take on Georgia in the Duke’s Mayo Classic in Charlotte, North Carolina at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. On Sunday, Sept. 5, Florida State hosts Notre Dame at 7:30 p.m. on ABC. The weekend concludes with Ole Miss and Louisville meeting in a second Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game in Atlanta on Monday, Sept. 6 at 8 p.m. on ESPN.
 
  • Clemson is the preseason favorite to claim its seventh consecutive ACC football title, according to a preseason poll of 147 media voters at ACC Football Kickoff. The Tigers, who posted a 10-2 record last season while earning a postseason playoff berth for the sixth consecutive year, were also chosen as likely Atlantic Division winners. North Carolina was picked to finish atop the Coastal Division. The Atlantic and Coastal Division winners will meet in the 2021 ACC Football Championship Game on Saturday, December 4, at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
 
  • North Carolina junior quarterback Sam Howell was chosen the ACC Preseason Player of the Year in a voting of media at the ACC Football Kickoff. Howell also was recently named a preseason All-American by The Athletic.


Cross Country
  • The first ACC Cross Country action of the 2021 season is scheduled for Sept. 1, with Virginia Tech and Wake Forest hosting meets. Eight more conference schools open their seasons Labor Day weekend. Both the Notre Dame men and NC State women posted NCAA runner-up finishes last season, and Florida State returnee Adriaan Wildschutt was the men’s national silver medalist.


Men's Soccer
  • Five ACC teams are ranked among the top 25 of the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll - the most of any conference. All five are ranked in the top 15 with four among the nation’s top 10. Pitt leads all ACC teams at No. 3 nationally and is followed by North Carolina (4), Clemson (6), Wake Forest (7) and Virginia Tech (15).
 
  • For the first time in program history, Pitt was voted the preseason favorite to win the 2021 ACC men’s soccer title by the league’s head coaches. The Panthers also were named the favorite to capture the Coastal Division crown, while reigning ACC champion Clemson was selected as the favorite to win the Atlantic Division.


Women's Soccer
  • Five ACC teams are ranked among the top 10 of the preseason United Soccer Coaches Poll - the most of any conference. Florida State opens the year as the nation's top-ranked team, followed by No. 3 North Carolina and No. 4 Virginia, No. 6 Clemson and No. 7 Duke.
 
  • The Seminoles (167 points) were voted the preseason favorite to win the 2021 ACC women’s soccer title by the league’s head coaches. North Carolina collected 155 points to finish second in the voting, while Virginia earned 148 points to occupy third. Duke and Clemson round out the top five with 129 and 124 points, respectively.
 
  • Four ACC head coaches are among the top 10 in NCAA Division I for most victories by an active head coach - the most of any conference. UNC coach Anson Dorrance leads the way with 889 wins, while Florida State's Mark Krikorian is fifth on the list with 457. Virginia's Steve Swanson is sixth with 433, while Pitt's Randy Waldrum is eighth with 420 career victories.
 
  • The ACC leads all conferences with 10 student-athletes on the 2021 MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List. The Hermann Trophy is the nation’s highest individual honor recognizing the National Player of the Year as determined by the voting of Division I coaches, who are members of United Soccer Coaches. Last season, Florida State’s Jaelin Howell became the 15th student-athlete from a current ACC school and second from the FSU program to win the prestigious honor.


Volleyball
  • Four ACC teams are ranked in the AVCA Preseason Top 25. No. 9 Pitt leads the league, followed by No. 13 Louisville, No. 24 Georgia Tech and No. 25 Notre Dame.
 
  • Pitt was also selected as the preseason ACC favorite by the league’s head coaches, earning 13 first-place votes. 2020 ACC Champion Louisville earned two first-place votes and was picked second.