Courtesy of Clemson

Clemson QB Cullen Harper (front) is a fifth-year senior who led the ACC in passing efficiency last season.

Clemson quarterback Cullen Harper might be the envy of his peers.

"It's very comforting to look behind you and see [running backs] James Davis, C.J. Spiller," Harper said. "And you look to your left and your right and you see [receivers] Aaron Kelly, Tyler Grisham, Jacoby Ford.

"Just get those guys the ball and watch them make a play."

And then there is Harper himself. The fifth-year senior threw for 2,991 yards and led the ACC in passing efficiency last year, when he made the All-ACC second team.

Davis and Kelly, both All-ACC first-team picks, flirted with leaving early for the NFL but opted to stay at Clemson. The Tigers also welcome back Spiller, Davis' partner in the Tigers' "Thunder and Lightning" backfield.

No wonder the Tigers were picked to win the ACC in the league's media poll.

"If we don't make it to the ACC championship, we let some people down, we let ourselves down," Harper said at the ACC's recent preseason media gathering in Greensboro, Ga.

"All the pieces of the puzzle are in place. This is the first time since I've been here that we really have a legitimate shot of being in the ACC championship game."

But coach Tommy Bowden is still worried. He must replace four starting offensive linemen, including NFL Draft pick Barry Richardson.

"That's an awful important piece of the puzzle," Bowden said of his offensive line. "I do have some good offensive skill [players], ... but so much of your offensive production ... is geared toward productivity on the offensive line, and that's a concern. Are we going to have to simplify things so much [that] those skill guys can't shine?

"Cullen could actually be a better quarterback and not have the same statistics or as many wins simply because those [offensive-line] guys, it took them longer than we expected [to click]."

Clemson has been ranked ninth in the USA Today preseason coaches' Top 25 poll. ACC fans might be reserving judgment on the Tigers for awhile, though.

Two years ago, Clemson got off to a 7-1 start but finished 8-5. Last year, the Tigers got off to a 4-0 start before suffering back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. They finished 9-4.

"A lot of people feel like we're basically going to do like we did last year -- make a run ... and slip up," Tigers defensive back Michael Hamlin said. "But this year, I don't see that happening.

"We've got too many weapons."