Clemson Football: 5 Programs the ACC could consider adding in the future

CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers holds the ACC Championship trophy after their 42-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTE, NC - DECEMBER 01: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers holds the ACC Championship trophy after their 42-10 victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on December 1, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
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CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts with players before their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
CLEMSON, SOUTH CAROLINA – NOVEMBER 16: Head coach Dabo Swinney of the Clemson Tigers reacts with players before their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Memorial Stadium on November 16, 2019 in Clemson, South Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The Clemson football team may go through the 2019 season without beating an opponent ranked inside the top-25, which could prompt the ACC to make changes.

The chief complaint when it comes to Clemson football is the fact that the Tigers play in the ACC.

Though Clemson dominates teams from outside the conference all the time, analysts- and the CFB Playoff committee, for that matter- believe the ACC is ‘less than’ when comparing it to the rest of the Power-5.

Though the ACC has had some good years and currently has some programs potentially on the rise, there’s no doubting that the conference has been down this season.

Other than Clemson football, the ACC has not had one team consistently inside the top-25. Traditional powerhouses like Florida State, Miami and even Virginia Tech have struggled this year and the media has taken notice.

As we move towards the future, it certainly stands to reason that the ACC could consider adding two more programs- one to the Atlantic Division and one to the Coastal Division- to positively impact its perception in the future.

If certain programs- like FSU, Miami, Virginia Tech and NC State- could return to prominence, and the conference could add a couple more quality programs, there’s a chance that the Power-5 league could become one of the most difficult conferences in the country, with Clemson football leading the way.

It’s not going to happen overnight, but here are five programs the ACC could strongly consider adding in the future.

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