UNC will begin the 2012 season against Elon at Kenan Stadium on Sept. 4. PHOTO: Robert Willett

CHAPEL HILL — And we’re back from Greensboro, and from the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff. As you know by now, the ACC media picked the Tar Heels to finish third in the Coastal Division, behind Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech. UNC received two first-place votes.

Lots of things came out of the ACC’s media days, which were somewhat overshadowed by the NCAA’s announcement of debilitating sanctions against Penn State in the wake of the Jerry Sandusky child abuse case. I wrote a story you can read here about how the ACC coaches reacted to the news.

As for UNC, lots of things of interest emerged. I’ll write about some of those both here and in the paper in the coming days, but first wanted to provide a recap of five things we learned about the Tar Heels during the ACC kickoff. Here goes …

Where will UNC finish in the Coastal Division in coach Larry Fedora's first season in Chapel Hill?  PHOTO: Robert Willett

GREENSBORO — I don’t usually vote in these things but Mike Finn, the ACC’s associate commissioner of football communications, convinced me I should cast a preseason football ballot here at the ACC’s annual preseason football kickoff.

So I obliged. Truth be told, it wasn’t that much of a hard sell. Preseason polls are pretty meaningless, and my opinion certainly doesn’t mean much so it fits right in. Anyway, in case you missed it on Twitter earlier, here’s how I filled out my preseason football ballot:

• Composite 2012 ACC football schedule

The ACC on Monday released its 2012 football schedule. As had been previously announced, N.C. State will begin play earlier than the rest of the conference. The Wolfpack will begin the season on Aug. 31 against Tennessee at Georgia Dome in Atlanta.

North Carolina opens the season on Sept. 1 at Kenan Stadium against Elon, while Duke hosts Florida International at Wallace Wade Stadium. Wake Forest, meanwhile, will begin the season on Sept. 1 at home against Liberty.