CHARLOTTE – Maybe don’t even put Wake Forest on your preseason ACC ballot, quarterback Sam Hartman told a room full of voters at ACC Kickoff on Wednesday.

Well, you’ve got to put the Deacons in one of seven spots for the ACC Atlantic in order to file a ballot … but you get his point.

“That would be nice because that's where we live,” Hartman said. “We went to Wake Forest. We've changed the culture … (it) used to be, it's a great school, you must be smart because you go there, but now it's because you are a good football player who is also pretty smart.”

It’s an interesting time for Wake Forest. Within the program, the expectation going into last season was that it could be a special season – Hartman was declared bold at this event a year ago for saying if the Deacons didn’t win 10 games, it’d be a disappointing season.

Coach Dave Clawson reiterated that outside perception of his program going into last season didn’t match expectations within the doors of Sutton Sports Performance Center.

But the outside perception remained that an 11-win season and the Atlantic Division crown was the surprise of the league last year.

“Every year we come to these media days and people have low expectations of us, and we never let that dictate how we went about our weekly process or our preparation,” Clawson said.

It’s not as easy to ignore Wake Forest entering this season – not with nine returning starters on offense and an energized defense under new coordinator Brad Lambert.

The goal is to ignore whatever the preseason prognostications are, as it has been in years past.

“We welcome those expectations, but our team has to be mature and make sure that nothing is given,” Clawson said. “Everything is earned. We've got to remain humble and yet stay hungry and never ever be satisfied with where we're at, and I think with the leadership that we have here today, I'm very comfortable and confident that that will happen.”

It’s a strange dichotomy for Wake Forest. And it’s probably one that only gets brought up in public settings and carries no weight inside the locker room or coaches’ offices.

But when one of the ACC’s perpetual underdogs suddenly springs into a strong position, does it get the benefit of the doubt that it’s repeatable?

Or do the Deacons go back to being seen – at least in the preseason – as nothing more than a plucky punching bag?

Again, we’re dealing with expectations within the program vs. outside perception.

This started about an hour after Wake’s win over Rutgers in the Gator Bowl. Hartman was asked if, given the 11-3 clip, the prestigious bowl win, the record-setting offense, perception of Wake Forest had been changed and the Deacons wouldn’t be in the same position to be overlooked and underrated again.

“I hope not,” Hartman said on New Year’s Eve.

Maybe Hartman’s wish is coming true.

Clemson’s down year was a 10-win season and it’s not like the standard has changed for a program that had been to the previous six College Football Playoffs. N.C. State forms the Big 3 in the Atlantic Division, the Wolfpack getting healthier on defense and returning a star quarterback of its own in Devin Leary.

In studying each team, there’s a theme that two of the three check important boxes – but none of the three checks the same box.

But that’s a story for the season.

We won’t know if the Wake Forest is the favorite to repeat in the ACC’s Atlantic Division – this last season with divisions, mind you – until next week. Results of the preseason poll will be released July 26, with the preseason All-ACC team and player of the year coming on July 27.

“I'm not a big fan of getting preseason ranks and being ranked really high because I like to play as an underdog because you play with a chip on your shoulder,” defensive end Rondell Bothroyd said.

If everybody is an underdog though, is anybody really an underdog?

The spoiler alert only covers that Wake Forest is going to be in the top three of the division. Based on straw-polling and talking to other voters, the Deacons aren’t going to land in favorite position.

So they’ll be on the ballot – sorry, Sam. But they probably won’t be picked to repeat – so they’ve got that going for them.