Florida State, Miami predicted as ACC division winners

Seminoles picked as conference champions

Florida State players celebrate a win in the Orange Bowl. The Seminoles are the preseason pick to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

CHARLOTTE – When the ACC first conceived of a football championship game, the game was awarded to Jacksonville for a variety of reasons. Not the least of which being that league officials expected Florida State and Miami to be regular representatives in the the game.

That was 13 years ago. Florida State and Miami have never met in the ACC Championship Game. In fact, Miami has never won their division. That could change in 2017.

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The conference announced the media's preseason predictions for order of finish and the player of the year voting and Florida State and Miami were chosen as the favorites to win their respective divisions.

The Seminoles received 118 votes as conference champions.  Two other Atlantic Division teams followed in the predictions: Clemson with 35 votes and Louisville with 7. No other team received more than three votes.

Miami earned 103 votes as Coastal Division champions, ahead of Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh.

Defending Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson was the preseason pick as conference player of the year, receiving 113 votes for the award, well ahead of Florida State sophomore quarterback Deondre Francois, who received 23 votes. Oakleaf high school alum Shaq Quarterman received one vote for player of the year.