2016 Atlantic Coast Conference football season

The 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference football season was the 64th season of college football play for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), played from September 2016 to January 2017. The Atlantic Coast Conference consists of 14 members in two divisions. The Atlantic Division consists of Boston College, Clemson, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina State, Syracuse, and Wake Forest. The Coastal Division consists of Duke, Georgia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, Virginia, and Virginia Tech. The two division champions met on December 3 in the 2016 ACC Championship Game. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina, but on September 14 the conference announced that the game would be moved to a neutral venue outside of North Carolina due to the controversy surrounding the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act (commonly known as House Bill 2, or HB2).

Preseason Poll
The 2016 ACC Preseason Poll was announced following the ACC Football Kickoff meetings in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 21–22. North Carolina and Clemson were each selected to repeat in their respective divisions. Deshaun Watson of Clemson was once again voted the Preseason ACC Player of the Year. It was voted on by 191 media members, all of which were in attendance for the ACC Football Kickoff.

Atlantic Division poll

 * 1) Clemson – 1,293 (148 first place votes)
 * 2) Florida State – 1,176 (42)
 * 3) Louisville – 961 (1)
 * 4) North Carolina State – 704
 * 5) Boston College – 441
 * 6) Syracuse – 426
 * 7) Wake Forest – 347

Coastal Division poll

 * 1) North Carolina – 1,238 (121)
 * 2) Miami – 1,108 (50)
 * 3) Pittsburgh – 859 (14)
 * 4) Virginia Tech – 697 (3)
 * 5) Duke – 597 (2)
 * 6) Georgia Tech – 588 (1)
 * 7) Virginia – 261

Preseason ACC Player of the Year

 * 1) Deshaun Watson, CLEM – 164
 * 2) Dalvin Cook, FSU – 18
 * 3) Elijah Hood, UNC – 4
 * 4) Brad Kaaya, MIA – 2
 * 5) Lamar Jackson, LOU – 2
 * 6) DeVon Edwards, DU – 1

Coaches
Note: Stats shown are before the beginning of the season

Bowl games
* Rankings based on CFP rankings

All-conference teams
First Team

Second Team

Third Team

ACC individual awards
ACC Player of the Year
 * Lamar Jackson, Louisville

Rookie of the Year
 * Deondre Francois, Florida State

Coach of the Year
 * Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech

Offensive Player of the Year
 * Lamar Jackson

Offensive Rookie of the Year
 * Deondre Francois, Florida State

Jacobs Blocking Trophy
 * Roderick Johnson, Florida State

Defensive Player of the Year
 * DeMarcus Walker, Florida State

Defensive Rookie of the Year
 * Dexter Lawrence, Clemson

Home game attendance
Bold – Exceeded capacity †Season High