High expectations for Hurricanes in preseason ACC poll. Here’s where Miami is projected to finish

The Miami Hurricanes are once again projected to contend for a spot at the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Hurricanes were picked to finish third in the league in the 2024 ACC Preseason Poll, which was released on Wednesday.

Out of 170 ballots submitted by the media panel that took part in the poll, 17 picked Miami to finish first in the conference, which has expanded to 17 teams with the inclusion of SMU, California and Stanford this season.

Reigning ACC champion Florida State was projected to repeat as conference champion and received 81 of 170 first-place votes. Clemson was picked second and took 55 first-place votes. NC State was fourth and got five first-place votes. Virginia Tech (sixth place), Georgia Tech (ninth place), Cal (10th place) and Boston College (14th place) each also received at least one first-place vote.

The top two teams in conference play during the regular season advance to the conference championship game, scheduled for Dec. 7 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Now, high preseason expectations are nothing new for the Hurricanes under coach Mario Cristobal.

In 2022, Cristobal’s first season as the head coach at his alma mater, Miami was the preseason favorite to win the Coastal Division and advance to the ACC Championship Game. UM finished the season 5-7, 3-5 in conference play and finished fifth in the Coastal.

In 2023, the ACC’s first season without divisions, the Hurricanes were projected to finish fifth in the league. They improved with a 7-6 overall record but once again went 3-5 in ACC play to finish tied for ninth in the league.

Will the Hurricanes finally live up to their early projections in Year 3 under Cristobal? The season begins Aug. 31 against the Florida Gators.

The full preseason poll is below. The point breakdown is 17 points for a first-place vote, 16 for a second-place vote and so on all the way to one point for a 17th-place vote:

1.) Florida State (81 first-place votes), 2,708 points

2.) Clemson (55 first-place votes), 2,657 points

3.) Miami (17 first-place votes), 2,344 points

4.) NC State (eight first-place votes), 2,318 points

5.) Louisville, 1,984 points

6.) Virginia Tech (five first-place votes), 1,968 points

7.) SMU, 1,798 points

8.) North Carolina, 1,712 points

9.) Georgia Tech (one first-place vote), 1,539 points

10.) California (two first-place votes), 1,095 points

11.) Duke, 1,056 points

12.) Syracuse, 1,035 points

13.) Pittsburgh, 1,016 points

14.) Boston College (one first-place vote), 890 points

15.) Wake Forest, 784 points

16.) Virginia, 629 points

17.) Stanford, 477 points