ACC Roundtable 2: Spaziani, Eagles Deliver

This week's ACC blogger roundtable is brought to you by the internet's #1 purveyor of ESPN College Gameday signs, College Game Balls.


1. *Ding Dong* The pizza man is here, did your team deliver what you expected in their opener, why or why not?

BC certainly delivered in week one. Not only did they deliver what we expected, but they also threw in a free side over of breadsticks.

Even though it was Northeastern - a 2-10 CAA team - the win was just what Spaziani and this young Eagles team needed. For one, the offensive output was encouraging and not much expected. It all started with the Eagles first play from scrimmage, a Montel Harris' 48 yard TD run. The running game was able to run right through an outmanned Northeastern defense. The quarterbacks also got some much needed experience, and both Shinskie and Tuggle were able to get their first collegiate TD passes under their belts.

Second, the shutout was also a boost to the very young Eagles front seven on defense. The young linebackers played well, led by true freshman Luke Kuechly. Given all the offseason turmoil, this game was a great way to ease into a season that doesn't really heat up until BC travels to Death Valley next week.

2. The ACC was downright pathetic in week one. Which display of ineptitude shocked you the most? Going forward is there hope for the conference?

For a moment, I'll look past the Virginia and Duke losses since we really didn't expect them to make any noise this season in the ACC. That being said, you have to scratch your head when you see NC State and All-ACC quarterback Russell Wilson manage 3 points at home against South Carolina on Thursday night. NC State was a chic preseason Atlantic Division champion pick and managed to lay a huge offensive egg in week 1 on national television. NC State only managed 133 yards of total offense, and Wilson completely only 52.2% of his pass attempts. Luckily for NC State, the Wolfpack schedule is ridiculously back loaded, and Tom O'Brien's team will have time to work out the kinks offensively.

3. After the show they put on Monday night, Atlantic bloggers is FSU the team to beat and what about Miami Coastalites?

The Atlantic Division race is again going to be very interesting this season. It's simply way too soon to crown Florida State the division champ based on Monday night's performance. There were plenty of things I didn't like about the Seminoles performance that can be overlooked by simply looking at the 38-34 final score. For one, where was the Seminoles rushing game? It is true that the Seminoles rushed for 110 yards on the night, but 69 of those yards came late in the fourth quarter (and a bulk of those 69 yards came off two runs, including the Ponder scramble for 30 yards on 3rd and 3).

More importantly, where was the much heralded Seminole defense? The defensive line hardly got any pressure on Jacory Harris and only got to Harris once all night. The play in the secondary was even worse. Didn't catch the game? You didn't miss anything from the FSU secondary. Look no further than Jacory Harris's stat line on the night - 21 of 34 passing, 386 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, 11.4 yards per throw. Mind you this is a kid making his third career collegiate start in Doak Campbell Stadium on national television, and the Seminole secondary let Harris drop Bernie Kosar-like numbers on them.

If the Seminole pass rush and secondary doesn't improve, and improve in a hurry, they may be looking at a long, long season. Imagine if FSU gives quarterbacks like Max Hall, Russell Wilson, Riley Skinner and Tim Tebow the same amount of time in the pocket as they gave Jacory Harris. If they do, the Seminoles should be more worried about becoming bowl eligible than returning to the ACC Championship Game.

No, Florida State isn't the favorite to win the division. Then again, if we learned anything from last season, it's that we are better off not having a favorite and just enjoying the Atlantic Division wild ride.

4. You've been granted one curse, other than your opponent pick one team you would like to see lose in week 2.

Sorry Jeff, but there's only one other game that matters this week for the Eagles, and that's tomorrow night's Clemson at Georgia Tech game. BC needs Georgia Tech to beat Clemson to give Clemson an early ACC loss. Not only will the Tigers losing help BC in the Atlantic Division standings, but it just might shake this young Tiger team's confidence as they play host to Boston College next Saturday.