July 25, 2011

• Visit the 2011 ACC Football Kickoff Site

PINEHURST, N.C. -- Florida State, seeking its first league title since 2005, is the consensus choice to win the Atlantic Division and to defeat Virginia Tech in the Dr Pepper ACC Championship Game according to a poll of media members attending this week's ACC Football Kickoff at the Pinehurst Resort.

The 2005 ACC Football Kickoff was also the last time the Seminoles were projected by the media to win
the ACC title.

Boston College running back Montel Harris, who enters his final season within striking distance of the
conference's 33-year-old record for career rushing yardage, is the preseason Player of the Year.

The Seminoles of coach Jimbo Fisher, who won the Atlantic last year, received 65 of 71 first-place votes in that portion of the balloting. Fifty of the 65 also said Florida State will prevail in the title game, set for Dec. 3 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C.

The Hokies, who have won three of the first six championship contests, got 66 votes in the Coastal election.

Eighteen electors picked Tech to repeat as ACC champion.

Harris, who enters this fall with 3,600 career rushing yards, the most of any ACC player after his junior
season, as chosen by 26 media representatives, with FSU quarterack EJ Manuel second with 14 votes. Harris' teammate Luke Kuechly, a 2010 unanimous All-America linebacker selection, was third with 12 votes.

This fall, Harris will be chasing the Atlantic Coast Conference career rushing record of 4,602 yards, set in 1978 by NC State All-America Ted Brown.

ACC Championship Votes