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Published Jun 2, 2015
Rundown Review of Athlons ACC Preview Edition
Gene Williams
Warchant.com Publisher
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The arrival of college football preview magazines is one of the first signs that the 2015 football season is right around the corner.
One of the first magazines to hit the shelves is Athlon. Here's our look at the Nashville-based publication's ACC edition for 2015.

Top 25

There is always a lot of interest in where various magazines rank Florida State and its biggest rivals. Athlon is right on par with several other preseason rankings, placing FSU at No. 9 -- both Sporting News and Sports Illustrated also rank the 'Noles ninth overall.
ACC rivals Clemson and Georgia Tech aren't far behind. Athlon ranks the Tigers No. 14 followed by the Jackets at No. 18. Part-time member Notre Dame comes in at No. 12. The next highest-ranked ACC team is Louisville all the way down at No. 38, while in-state rival Miami comes in at No. 43.
1. Ohio State
2. Alabama
3. Baylor
4. Auburn
5. TCU
6. USC
7. Michigan State
8. Oregon
9. Florida State
10. Georgia
12. Notre Dame
14. Clemson
18. Georgia Tech

All-Americans

There's a notable dropoff in the number of FSU preseason All Americans compared to the previous couple seasons. Considering FSU just put 11 players into the NFL draft, and with just two or three seniors projected to start, the lack of potential All-Americans is completely understandable.
Defensive back Jalen Ramsey and placekicker Roberto Aguayo made the first team, while running back Dalvin Cook cracked the third team.

ACC section

  • Florida State is picked to win its fourth straight ACC title and 16th overall. Not surprisingly, Clemson and Georgia Tech are tabbed to be the only other legitimate contenders.
  • Not a single Florida State unit is picked No. 1 in Athlon's conference unit rankings, but four groups come in at No. 2 -- running backs, wide receivers, defensive line and defensive backs.
  • Five Seminoles made the cut for Athlon's all-ACC first team - Dalvin Cook, Roderick Johnson, Roberto Aguayo (spelled Aguay in the publication), Jalen Ramsey and Terrance Smith.
  • Jumping on the trend of advanced analytics, Athlon ranked all ACC teams in five different unique statistical categories. Showing how useless these stats are, Pittsburgh finished No. 1 in two of the five categories -- efficiency and field position. Despite finishing the season undefeated and winning the ACC, FSU ranked No. 7 (field position), No. 7 (efficiency), No. 3 (explosiveness), No. 5 (finishing drives) and No. 11 (adjusted turnover margin).

    • Florida State preview

    If you follow Florida State football closely, you won't find anything new in the four-page section previewing the Seminoles. The write-up contains a basic overview of the well-known strengths and weaknesses facing FSU this fall. Of course, the magazine was published well before Everett Golson announced his transfer plans, so a major component for the upcoming season is missing.
    One questionable note titled "Shifting Schemes?" speculates that FSU might look to drop one of its DBs and add another edge rusher. Not sure where that comment came from, but unless defensive coordinator Charles Kelly is thinking of dumping the "star" back in the secondary, it's unlikely we'll see much of a shift in FSU's basic defensive scheme.
    Finally, the most interesting part of the preview section is always the quote from an anonymous opposing coach. This coach was very complimentary of Florida State despite all the losses because Jimbo Fisher has recruited so well the last couple years. The one thing that stuck out was the final comment that the defense is not as aggressive with Charles Kelly as it was under Jeremy Pruitt.

    Notable

  • Dalvin Cook is No. 9 on the list of Heisman Trophy contenders
  • Miami's Al Golden is No. 4 for coaches on the hot seat for this season.
  • Florida State's running backs, with a No. 9 ranking, were the only group to crack Athlon's top 10 national unit rankings.
  • Athlon cited Florida's "Swamp" as an example of how major college football is seeing declining attendance. The magazine even showed a photo of huge sections of empty seats during a game. Interestingly, Florida's official website recently released a graphic bragging about its attendance based on what appears to be exaggerated numbers.
    • Where do you spend your Saturday's in the fall? #Swamp15 #GoGators #Football #fans
    A photo posted by Florida Gators Football (@gatorzonefb) on

    Final Review

    Athlon is always first to hit the shelves because they know how much college football fans are starved for content this time of year. But in the haste to be first, Athlon is usually the least informative of the major preseason publications. But if you are desperate to have something tangible in your hands reminding you that the 2015 season isn't that far away, go for it.
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