Florida State Football Picked Second in Preseason ACC Poll

Star running back Dalvin Cook runner-up as preseason ACC Player of the Year

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Florida State was picked to finish second in the Atlantic Division and earned the second most votes to win the Atlantic Coast Conference, according to a preseason poll of 191 media members in attendance at last week’s 2016 ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.

Defending conference champion Clemson was picked to win the Atlantic Division as well as capture the conference championship. North Carolina was selected to repeat as the favorite in the Coastal Division.

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The Tigers were picked to win the conference on 144 ballots, while the Seminoles were selected first on 39. In Atlantic Division voting Clemson received 1,293 total points (148 first-place) and Florida State placed second with 1,176 total points (42 first-place votes). Louisville finished third with 961 points and one first-place vote.

NC State (704 total points) was tabbed for a fourth-place Atlantic Division finish, followed by Boston College (441), Syracuse (426) and Wake Forest (347).

Florida State junior running back Dalvin Cook collected runner-up honors in voting for the preseason ACC Player of the Year behind Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Watson had 164 votes, while Cook grabbed 18. North Carolina running back Elijah Hood received four votes, while Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson picked up two votes apiece. Duke cornerback/return specialist DeVon Edwards received one vote.

Cook set new FSU single-season records for rushing yards (1,691) and all-purpose yards (1,935), while scoring 20 total touchdowns in 2015. The Miami, Fla., native captured the Jim Brown Award given to the nation’s best running back by the Touchdown Club of Columbus and rushed for 100 yards eight times, including a 266-yard, three-touchdown performance against USF and a 222-yard game versus Miami. For his career, Cook is averaging 107.96 rushing yards over 25 games, the highest average in ACC history.

Led by head coach Jimbo Fisher and upperclassmen stars Cook and senior defensive end Demarcus Walker, Florida State returns 17 starters in 2016 and is expected to be a preseason Top 10 team. The Seminoles finished 10-3 in 2015 and advanced to the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl – the fourth straight trip to a BCS/”New Year’s Six” bowl. Since 2012, FSU has a record of 49-6 and has won three ACC Championships.

 

ACC Championship Votes

1. Clemson – 144
2. Florida State – 39
3. North Carolina – 7
4. Louisville – 1

 

Atlantic Division

(First place votes in parenthesis)                       

1. Clemson (148) – 1,293
2. Florida State (42) – 1,176
3. Louisville (1) – 961
4. NC State – 704
5. Boston College – 441
6. Syracuse  – 426
7. Wake Forest – 347

 

Coastal Division

(First place votes in parenthesis)                       

1. North Carolina (121) – 1,238
2. Miami (50) – 1,108
3. Pitt (14) – 859
4. Virginia Tech (3) – 697
5. Duke (2) – 597
6. Georgia Tech (1) -588
7. Virginia -261

 

ACC Player of the Year

1. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson – 164
2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State – 18
3. Elijah Hood, RB, North Carolina – 4

t-4.    Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami – 2

t-4. Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville – 2

1. DeVon Edwards, CB/KR, Duke – 1

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