ACC football power rankings: Can your coach buy a proper pair of slacks?

“A tradition unlike any other...”

Because this is your go-to site for #jokesandgarbage around Syracuse Orange athletics and the ACC, we’ve been ranking coaches’ ability to buy clothes for the past few years.

Each preseason, the conference asks millionaire coaches who usually wear athletic wear to dress up a bit for the ACC Football Kickoff (media days) event. Originally, that exercise included a polo and khakis. But the league upped the ante last year with full suits for everybody -- a practice continued this season.

Because the teams arrive on different days, there hasn’t been a photo of all of the coaches together. But with photos of each division out, we now feel properly prepared to determine once again:

Can your coach buy a proper pair of slacks?

First, the images we’ll be evaluating:

And now onto the rankings...

1. Larry Fedora, North Carolina (LY: 6)

Larry redeems himself from last year’s sock-less endeavor, wearing a crisp black suit with minimal extra fabric in the leg. It’s rare for these coaches to dress like they have the money they clearly do, but Fedora is able to pull it off here.

2. Dave Clawson, Wake Forest (LY: 3)

Clawson brings his A-game for the second straight season, with a slim-fit black suit, and pants that portray minimal pleat. He also stands out a bit as the only black suit in the Atlantic (vs. the Coastal, which wore predominantly black). A good decision for him.

3. Bronco Mendenhall, Virginia (LY: 4)

The bottoms of Bronco’s pants are cuffed, but because it’s a black suit, it’s barely noticeable. There’s nothing fancy about the pants or any aspect of the suit. But it fits well and looks professional, which means it’s a success.

4. Dino Babers, Syracuse (LY: 5)

I’m tempted to ding Dino for the low socks (and really, it would only be fair if I did). However, his pants avoid the extra fabric problems that other coaches seem to have, and again, points for minimal pleat.

5. Jimbo Fisher, Florida State (LY: 2)

Jimbo’s wearing nearly the same suit as Babers, but with a larger pleat, a cuff and a little too much extra fabric in the pant leg. You could interchange him and Dino if you really hate the no-socks look for the Syracuse coach.

6. Bobby Petrino, Louisville (LY: 9)

Simple, gray suit that does have an obvious cuff and pleat in the pants, but overall is a pretty standard look. To be honest, probably like that jacket better than most of the other ones present at the event, too.

7. Justin Fuente, Virginia Tech (LY: 13)

Pants length seems right, and the pleats are barely noticeable. That color of suit wouldn’t work for everybody, but Fuente pairs some socks and a tie pretty well to complete the look.

8. Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech (LY: 7)

Basic, black suit that’s dark enough to minimize detail of the fabric. There are probably pleats, but you can barely see them. For being an elder statesman in this group, PJ finds a more modern suit with some sheen.

9. David Cutcliffe, Duke (LY: 12)

Cutcliffe’s another older coach who’s sort of mailed it in previously. This time around, he also goes for something a little more modern, rocking a non-standard color or pattern and some creative socks. A little extra fabric and super-pleat in pants, however.

10. Dave Doeren, NC State (LY: 8)

Dave’s got a basic gray suit that won’t offend, but way too much extra fabric in the pants. The cuff, plus a deep pleat make for a parachute effect at the bottom of the slacks.

11. Pat Narduzzi, Pittsburgh (LY: 10)

Tons of extra fabric in the pant leg, and he’s dressed like he’s either in the mob, or trying to sell you life insurance. Vertical stripes are typically slimming, but don’t really carry water here for some reason.

12. Steve Addazio, Boston College (LY: 11)

That’s a big cuff at the bottom, and there’s plenty of extra fabric in the pant leg as well. I also saw a photo of him standing, and you could see quite a bit of punching at the bottom of the leg. Not great.

13. Dabo Swinney, Clemson (LY: 14)

After winning the national title, Dabo finally gets out of the basement of these rankings. But still: the big cuff and a deep pleat just make for something a little less polished than you’d want. Plus, this rubbed me the wrong way.

14. Mark Richt, Miami (LY: 1)

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Richt goes from first to worst, wearing a light tan suit that completely washes him out and also has way too much fabric at the bottom. Deep pleats kill people, especially here with a lighter suit. Cuffs too. Ugh.