One reason that ACC teams will be difficult to beat this season is that practically every squad features a proven quarterback. The ACC has an abundance of experienced trigger men, many of them dual threats, which can cause opposing defensive coordinators some sleepless nights.

Essentially 11 of the league’s 14 teams return a quarterback who had some level of success last season.

The only three that don’t are Louisville, where former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson rewrote the record books; Wake Forest, which boasted underrated John Wolford the past few seasons, and Virginia’s Bryce Perkins, who tore up the junior college ranks last year.

Look around the league and scouts will point out that N.C. State’s Ryan Finley and Duke’s Daniel Jones have NFL arms, but may have to up their games for the next level.

Then there are some guys who can beat you with their arms and their feet, such as Syracuse’s Eric Dungey, Boston College’s Anthony Brown, Florida State’s Deondre Francois, Virginia Tech’s Josh Jackson, and Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

Clemson’s Kelly Bryant is an intriguing story in that he led the Tigers to a 12-2 record last season and is looking over his shoulder at true freshman Trevor Lawrence, who rewrote the Georgia high school passing record books. Miami’s Malik Rosier won his first 11 starts for the Hurricanes and yet his job isn’t exactly safe either.

That leaves us with North Carolina, where Chazz Surratt started the first seven games but gave way to Nathan Elliott at season’s end due to inconsistency.

While broadcasting a preview of the entire ACC with Greg DePalma of Ourlads (an NFL scouting service … you can listen to the show by clicking here), it struck me that this league is blessed with a lot of play-making quarterbacks.

Here’s a breakdown of what ACC fans have to look forward to or dread, depending on your point of view, from the league’s QBs this season:

CLEMSON: Despite all the success the Tigers enjoyed in making their third consecutive College Football Playoff appearance, Bryant came under heavy criticism about his passing numbers. Although he completed 66 percent of his throws, there was a 13 TDs to 8 interceptions ratio that kept fans grumbling. All this has opened the door for competition from true freshman Trevor Lawrence, a five-star with long hair and a strong arm. It will be interesting to see how Dabo Swinney approaches this QB race with a warmup game in Furman before taking the act to the road for a battle with none other than Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M team.

NC STATE: Finley had big-time passing numbers last season with 3,518 yards and returns his big-play receiver in Kevin Harmon, a 1,000-yard guy a year ago. Finley completed 65 percent of his passes last season and 17 TDs as compared to only six picks.

LOUISVILLE: How do you replace a guy like Lamar Jackson? How about with a QB whose last name is Pass? As in Jawon Pass. This 6-foot-4, 230-pound sophomore has a big arm and has better passing touch than Jackson. He’s not quite the runner, so look for more snaps from under center. With an offensive mind like Bobby Petrino running the show, Pass could be dangerous, particularly with a fleet of talented wide receivers, including Jaylen Smith (980 yards in ‘17).

WAKE FOREST: It appears that redshirt junior Kendall Hinton will be the successor to Wolford, who helped lead the Deacs back to prominence. Hinton played in five games in 2017 and looked good in his only start against Clemson (203 yards passing, two touchdowns, and 92 more yards rushing).

BOSTON COLLEGE: Anthony Brown gave the Eagles something last season that had been missing throughout Steve Addazio’s tenure in Beantown: a quarterback that could put points on the board. Brown was a dual threat who missed the final month of the season with a knee injury. BC is gradually moving him back into the offense in training camp, being careful not to aggravate the injury. In the meantime, the Eagles are giving some understudies an opportunity to strut their stuff just in case.

FLORIDA STATE: Anyone who pays attention to college football knows the background on Deondre Francois, who was often spectacular as a freshman two seasons ago then was lost for the season with a knee injury in last year’s opener against Alabama. Francois is back and healthy and will be operating the ACC’s only new head coach, Willie Taggart’s, spread offense. This could be fun to watch.

SYRACUSE: Eric Dungey has been one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the nation the past few seasons, and for the first time in his three years as a starter, Dungey will be protected by an experienced offensive line. The problem is that most of his target-rich receiving corps is gone and he’ll have to develop new receivers.

MIAMI: Malik Rosier helped raise the Hurricanes’ profile last season but inconsistency late in the season didn’t help his cause. Fans were down on Rosier when the Canes faded down the stretch with an inexplicable loss at Pitt, then a 38-3 rout to Clemson in the ACC championship game, followed by a loss to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl. As a result, Rosier is being challenged by three backups, led by redshirt freshmen N’Kosi Perry, Cade Weldon and true freshman Jarren Williams.

VIRGINIA TECH: Josh Jackson showed signs of brilliance in the early portions for a true freshman, leading the Hokies to seven wins in their first eight games. Breakdowns in the O-line caused him to make some poor decisions in the second half of the season, which raised a few eyebrows. He’s backed by true and redshirt freshmen, and while there may be criticism, there seemed to be a sense of panic when Jackson had some academic issues over the summer. After he returned, Hokie Nation breathed a sigh of relief.

DUKE: With quarterback guru David Cutcliffe teaching, Daniel Jones had a sometimes spectacular sophomore season. However, some of Jones’ decisions were head scratchers and left some as non-believers. He has the arm, but does he have the rest? It didn’t help that the Blue Devils’ receiving corps let him down for the entire season, leaving Cutcliffe often frustrated and calling them out for more production. Some of those young receivers return with a talented corps of tight ends that might help his decision making look better this time around.

GEORGIA TECH: At times, Taquan Marshall just couldn’t be stopped last season, but he wasn’t surrounded by a cast that could finish the job. Tech missed out on a bowl trip for the second time in three years, which puts a little pressure on Paul Johnson and his option offense on The Flats. One thing to remember: when Johnson has a returning QB, good things usually happen to the Yellow Jackets. The problem is, Marshall completed a mere 37 percent of his passes in 2017, which would be a real issue most anywhere. But Georgia Tech, where the ball is rarely airborne, really? There will be pressure on the Jackets to keep Marshall healthy because his main backup, Lucas Johnson, was being evaluated Thursday for likely season-ending surgery after a leg injury suffered in training camp this week.

VIRGINIA: Bronco Mendenhall changed his offensive scheme in the offseason, luring dual-threat Bryce Perkins to the East Coast and away from Arizona’s deserts. Perkins led Arizona Western Community College to the junior college national championship game last season and has been impressive during UVa’s spring drills and training camp. He is arguably the fastest quarterback in Cavaliers history. Reports are that he can throw, too, even on the run. Where he is most lethal though is when he takes off on an option run or when pass plays break down and he is forced to ad lib.

PITT: Kenny Pickett only started one game last season, but he made it count, leading the Panthers’ stunning upset over Miami in the Steel City late last season. Pickett was fearless, taking over the game with his running ability, and connecting on timely passing that kept the Hurricanes on their heels all day long. Problem for Pickett is that only four starters return on offense.

NORTH CAROLINA: Does anyone really know what’s going on in Chapel Hill? Surratt was inconsistent last season and Elliott wasn’t much better. Both are battling for the starting job in training camp. Whoever wins the job, will be forced to work with a shaky offensive line, but will have a couple of talented receiving targets in playmaking Anthony Ratliff-Williams and Jordyn Adams.