GREENSBORO, N.C. — Take a quick scan of the room and the Syracuse table stands out.

At most of the other schools’ tables, there was a sampling of the teams’ skills — usually a bigger lineman or linebacker and an agile, but smaller skill player that the Atlantic Coast Conference is known for.

Not at SU’s table, where the 6-foot-2, 290-pound Macky MacPherson sat across the table from the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Jay Bromley. Both play in the middle of the field– MacPherson as a center and Bromley as a defensive tackle– and will be central to the Orange’s success this season and the culture that new head coach Scott Shafer is emphasizing at Syracuse.

“It starts in the trenches,” Bromley said. “There is no Tajh Boyd if his line doesn’t block, there’s no Ryan Nassib if his line doesn’t block. The game starts and ends in the trenches.”

Twenty minutes before they sat down in the Grandville Ballroom at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center for the ACC Football Kickoff, Boyd commanded attention at a table nearby. By the time MacPherson and Bromley actually sat and spoke, a Florida State wide receiver and defensive back had taken Boyd’s table. Maryland was represented by a quarterback and a defensive back and Pittsburgh had a wide receiver there, as well.

MacPherson and Bromley were mountainous presences in their corner of the room, indicative of how they will take to the ACC.

Clemson and Florida State are the centerpieces, with their high-flying offenses being the shining examples of what the ACC is known for. MacPherson and Bromley both know that — they both repeatedly cited that as what stands out to them about their new conference.

Syracuse doesn’t necessarily have the ultra-talented skill players or a clear-cut veteran quarterback, and that played into MacPherson and Bromley’s representation for SU on Sunday. But it’s also a glimpse into the style that the Orange will play. Without those skill guys or an established quarterback, SU’s success will rely on trench play more than ever.

“I think we’re an intense ground-and-pound, we’re-going-to-impose-our-will-on-you-kind of team and we’re going to do that by being physical and being tough,” MacPherson said. “And that’s the way we’re going to do it.”

MacPherson himself knows a lot about the ACC. He’s a college football fan and has watched most teams play. The ACC is a major conference that puts teams in high-profile bowl games, so MacPheron’s interest makes sense.

SU is coming off a conference title, but in the smaller Big East. Elements of that could be in play this year — MacPherson points out that most teams probably don’t know a lot about Syracuse, but the inverse is true, too. A lack of familiarity with Syracuse could surprise some teams, but the Orange hasn’t seen most of these teams either.

Sunday was the Orange’s first chance to get an up-close peek at its new conference rivals. Bromley has had a chance now to meet them away from the football field even if they’re “just guys in shorts and slacks.” Sunday was a first impression, but to Bromley the impressions won’t matter until play begins.

“We realize that they’re regular people,” Bromley said. “They’re cool guys, I’m having fun with them. They’re funny guys, I wouldn’t mind being their teammate, but at the end of the day we play for opposite schools and one day we’re going to meet on that field.”

Plenty could change by the time SU begins actually playing in the ACC. Some under-the-radar player could become a star in training camp. The wide receiver position could find more stability. A quarterback will almost certainly be established.

Whatever transpires over the next month or so, though, Syracuse has an identity. It’s different than most ACC teams’, but in the minds of MacPherson and Bromley it’s one that can lead to success — even in a new league.

“Personally, I’m biased because I’m an offensive lineman, but your teams win or lose in the trenches,” MacPherson said. “You can have the best quarterback, running back and wide receiver in the nation. If you don’t have a half-way decent offensive line to protect them, you’re not going to win games.”