Full of juicy tidbits of information about each of the ACC program's adventures in week 1. We even let a mainstream media member join in on the fun this week.
Have a read over at College Game Balls.
Showing posts with label acc roundtable. Show all posts
Showing posts with label acc roundtable. Show all posts
Friday, September 11, 2009
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
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.
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.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
ACC Roundtable 1 Wrap-Up Over at Tomahawk Nation/CBSSports.com
You can find a thoroughly exhausting yet informative wrap-up of yesterday's ACC Roundtable discussion over at Tomahawk Nation. If you wanted to know anything and everything about our 8 ACC opponents for 2009, head on over and check out the preseason scouting reports.
Monday, August 17, 2009
ACC Roundtable 1: Preseason Edition
The Florida State blog Tomahawk Nation is hosting the football season's first ACC roundtable discussion. We did our best to answer his questions about Boston College as did other ACC bloggers representing (hopefully) 11 of the 12 programs. Over the next few days, Tomahawk Nation will post a wrap-up of all the participating blogs' answers.
Here are TN's questions and our answers:
Will your team be better than last year, why or why not? Will it show in the record, why or why not?
BC will likely be better on the offensive side of the ball and worse on the defense side. Overall, this is probably a net loss. Unfortunately, this will show in the Eagles' final record. Notre Dame has a better chance of beating the Eagles this year (the game in South Bend). Our game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is nearly a sure loss, and it's difficult to find definite wins on our ACC schedule. A record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) is likely a best, best case scenario with anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4 a possibility. In all liklihood the Eagles won't surpass their 2008 win total.
The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which guys did your team lose and how will you replace them if you can? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?
I don't know if you can call it an injury per se, but obviously the biggest void for the Eagles to fill this season is in the linebacking corps with the loss of All-American Mark Herzlich. Add to this the uncertainty of when Mike McLaughlin will return from tearing his Achilles back in March, and the Eagles will need newcomers to step up at linebacker. The Eagles will look to sophomores Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson to fill the holes left by Herzlich and McLaughlin. Spaz will likely also rotate in redshirt freshmen Alex DiSanzo and Nick Clancy as well as senior Kevin Distaso. Of that group, however, only Will Thompson has significant experience as he played behind Robert Francois. These Eagles will hopefully step up, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to completely fill the void left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.
Incumbent starting quarterback Dominique Davis leaving for academic reasons might actually be a blessing in disguise. This allowed the Eagles to go out and recruit another quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who appears to be the front-runner for the starting position. Also, where Jeff Jagodzinski and Steve Logan favored more of the duel-threat style quarterback (Davis and Tuggle), early it appears Frank Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill favor more of the traditional, pro-style quarterback (Shinskie, Marscovetra, Rettig, Bordner).
Less importantly, it would have been nice to see WR Clarence Megwa back in pads during the Eagles opening practices, however Megwa injured his right hand and has had to sit out of practice. If Megwa can get back on the field, he will join a talented wide receiving corps that has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference (provided the starting QB can get them the ball). Still, we are glad Megwa is back and has recovered from a fairly gruesome broken leg injury suffered vs. Clemson last season. Again, if the QB can get the receivers the ball, I would expect big things from seniors Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa and Justin Jarvis. Hopefully, Ifeanyi Momah will step up and serve as more than a goal-line, possession receiver.
Which existing player (or group of players) must step their game up in order for your team to over-achieve?
Without a doubt, the preseason focus is on the starting quarterback position. We will only go as far as our starting quarterback will take us. Right now, the candidates are trying to shake off the rust in practice as no QB has any FBS game experience.
The Eagles proved last year that they could make noise in the ACC simply by having a competent, game-managing quarterback. If David Shinskie (or Tuggle/Marscovetra) can manage the game and not lose games a la Chris Crane, the Eagles will likely live up to or slightly surpass their preseason expectations. However, the starting quarterback will have to step up their game and be even better than Crane was last season if Eagles fans expect the team to overachieve this season. There are too many questions on the defensive side of the ball this season. To overachieve, BC will have to win the games they won last year with defense (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech round 1, Florida State) with their offense.
Here are TN's questions and our answers:
Will your team be better than last year, why or why not? Will it show in the record, why or why not?
BC will likely be better on the offensive side of the ball and worse on the defense side. Overall, this is probably a net loss. Unfortunately, this will show in the Eagles' final record. Notre Dame has a better chance of beating the Eagles this year (the game in South Bend). Our game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is nearly a sure loss, and it's difficult to find definite wins on our ACC schedule. A record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) is likely a best, best case scenario with anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4 a possibility. In all liklihood the Eagles won't surpass their 2008 win total.
The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season. Which guys did your team lose and how will you replace them if you can? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?
I don't know if you can call it an injury per se, but obviously the biggest void for the Eagles to fill this season is in the linebacking corps with the loss of All-American Mark Herzlich. Add to this the uncertainty of when Mike McLaughlin will return from tearing his Achilles back in March, and the Eagles will need newcomers to step up at linebacker. The Eagles will look to sophomores Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson to fill the holes left by Herzlich and McLaughlin. Spaz will likely also rotate in redshirt freshmen Alex DiSanzo and Nick Clancy as well as senior Kevin Distaso. Of that group, however, only Will Thompson has significant experience as he played behind Robert Francois. These Eagles will hopefully step up, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to completely fill the void left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.
Incumbent starting quarterback Dominique Davis leaving for academic reasons might actually be a blessing in disguise. This allowed the Eagles to go out and recruit another quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who appears to be the front-runner for the starting position. Also, where Jeff Jagodzinski and Steve Logan favored more of the duel-threat style quarterback (Davis and Tuggle), early it appears Frank Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill favor more of the traditional, pro-style quarterback (Shinskie, Marscovetra, Rettig, Bordner).
Less importantly, it would have been nice to see WR Clarence Megwa back in pads during the Eagles opening practices, however Megwa injured his right hand and has had to sit out of practice. If Megwa can get back on the field, he will join a talented wide receiving corps that has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference (provided the starting QB can get them the ball). Still, we are glad Megwa is back and has recovered from a fairly gruesome broken leg injury suffered vs. Clemson last season. Again, if the QB can get the receivers the ball, I would expect big things from seniors Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa and Justin Jarvis. Hopefully, Ifeanyi Momah will step up and serve as more than a goal-line, possession receiver.
Which existing player (or group of players) must step their game up in order for your team to over-achieve?
Without a doubt, the preseason focus is on the starting quarterback position. We will only go as far as our starting quarterback will take us. Right now, the candidates are trying to shake off the rust in practice as no QB has any FBS game experience.
The Eagles proved last year that they could make noise in the ACC simply by having a competent, game-managing quarterback. If David Shinskie (or Tuggle/Marscovetra) can manage the game and not lose games a la Chris Crane, the Eagles will likely live up to or slightly surpass their preseason expectations. However, the starting quarterback will have to step up their game and be even better than Crane was last season if Eagles fans expect the team to overachieve this season. There are too many questions on the defensive side of the ball this season. To overachieve, BC will have to win the games they won last year with defense (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech round 1, Florida State) with their offense.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
ACC Power Rankings: Week 12 and ACC Roundtable 4
Week 12
Notes
Maryland is our new #1 after surviving Carolina. No one should want to play the tortoises at home. Fear the turtle? Thankfully for Eagles fans, fans of ACC Coastal division teams, and Maryland's bowl opponent, their season-finale, the ACC Championship and the Bowl game won't be played in College Park.
BC takes the 2nd spot from Florida State, Miami moves up (for now) as they have now won five straight. Coastal eliminator Thursday night as Miami travels to Atlanta to take on the Yellow Jackets.
The rest ... meh.
This Week
Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech (Thursday) ... North Carolina State at North Carolina ... Clemson at Virginia ... Boston College at Wake Forest ... Duke at Virginia Tech ... Florida State at Maryland
ACC Roundtable
From Old Virginia is hosting this edition of the ACC Roundtable. We really don't have many feelings either way about the Virginia Cavaliers football team, other than if you take a cheap shot on Mathias Kiwanuka, you are no friend of ours. Putting those feelings aside, From Old Virginia is a primo sports blog on UVA sports. You should check it out. Onto the questions ...
1. Take a look into your team's past, as far back as you like. If you could pick one game and change its outcome, which would you choose and why?
The Miracle in Miami ... no, just kidding. If we had to change one BC game, it probably would have been last year's ACC Championship game. We were the better team and we let the Hokies off the hook in the second half. Not to mention we made a bad quarterback (Sean Glennon) look like Joe Montana.
Change the outcome of that game, BC wins their first ACC conference championship, goes to the Orange Bowl and beats Kansas (I'll take the matchup between Matt Ryan and the Jawhawk secondary. Merely conjecture, but I don't think Ryan throws 3 picks including a pick-six). BC wins the Orange Bowl and puts a temporary halt to the ACC's BCS bowl skid.
2. What non-ACC program most resembles yours?
I dunno. This year, it might be Louisiana State. Nasty defense, shaky offense, inexperienced quarterback. Don't put away teams when the game is all but handed to you (LSU: Alabama, BC: Georgia Tech, Clemson). We sorta look like LSU this year, less being one year removed from the National Championship and the obnoxious fan base. Historically, let's go with TCU. Perenially underrated, underappreciated, nasty run defense. Struggled through the late 1990s only to come on strong in the 2000s. Bounced around conferences of late, religiously affiliated school, the list goes on ...
3. Which do you prefer? The ACC of 2008: not too well respected around the nation, but a conference in which almost any team has a shot at the conference title? Or the ACC of 1998: getting plenty of respect from football pundits as a good conference, but dominated by one hegemonic superpower that we all hate?
We were in the Big East in 1998, were coming off a 4-7 season and two years removed from a gambling scandal. We'll take what's behind door #2 please (the 2008 season).
4. Hey, it's basketball season! What are your expectations for your team? What kind of season would make you happy?
NIT, baby! We have a young and talented team. Bubble team for the NCAA tournaments would be nice but isn't expected. Looking to improve on last year's 14-17 season.
- Maryland (7-3, 4-2 ACC)
- Boston College (7-3, 3-3)
- North Carolina (7-3, 3-3)
- Miami (7-3, 4-2)
- Florida State (7-3, 4-3)
- Georgia Tech (7-3, 4-3)
- Virginia Tech (6-4, 3-3)
- Clemson (5-5, 3-4)
- Virginia (5-5, 3-3)
- NC State (4-6, 2-4)
- Wake Forest (6-4, 4-3)
- Duke (4-6, 1-5)
Notes
Maryland is our new #1 after surviving Carolina. No one should want to play the tortoises at home. Fear the turtle? Thankfully for Eagles fans, fans of ACC Coastal division teams, and Maryland's bowl opponent, their season-finale, the ACC Championship and the Bowl game won't be played in College Park.
BC takes the 2nd spot from Florida State, Miami moves up (for now) as they have now won five straight. Coastal eliminator Thursday night as Miami travels to Atlanta to take on the Yellow Jackets.
The rest ... meh.
This Week
Miami (FL) at Georgia Tech (Thursday) ... North Carolina State at North Carolina ... Clemson at Virginia ... Boston College at Wake Forest ... Duke at Virginia Tech ... Florida State at Maryland
ACC Roundtable
From Old Virginia is hosting this edition of the ACC Roundtable. We really don't have many feelings either way about the Virginia Cavaliers football team, other than if you take a cheap shot on Mathias Kiwanuka, you are no friend of ours. Putting those feelings aside, From Old Virginia is a primo sports blog on UVA sports. You should check it out. Onto the questions ...
1. Take a look into your team's past, as far back as you like. If you could pick one game and change its outcome, which would you choose and why?
The Miracle in Miami ... no, just kidding. If we had to change one BC game, it probably would have been last year's ACC Championship game. We were the better team and we let the Hokies off the hook in the second half. Not to mention we made a bad quarterback (Sean Glennon) look like Joe Montana.
Change the outcome of that game, BC wins their first ACC conference championship, goes to the Orange Bowl and beats Kansas (I'll take the matchup between Matt Ryan and the Jawhawk secondary. Merely conjecture, but I don't think Ryan throws 3 picks including a pick-six). BC wins the Orange Bowl and puts a temporary halt to the ACC's BCS bowl skid.
2. What non-ACC program most resembles yours?
I dunno. This year, it might be Louisiana State. Nasty defense, shaky offense, inexperienced quarterback. Don't put away teams when the game is all but handed to you (LSU: Alabama, BC: Georgia Tech, Clemson). We sorta look like LSU this year, less being one year removed from the National Championship and the obnoxious fan base. Historically, let's go with TCU. Perenially underrated, underappreciated, nasty run defense. Struggled through the late 1990s only to come on strong in the 2000s. Bounced around conferences of late, religiously affiliated school, the list goes on ...
3. Which do you prefer? The ACC of 2008: not too well respected around the nation, but a conference in which almost any team has a shot at the conference title? Or the ACC of 1998: getting plenty of respect from football pundits as a good conference, but dominated by one hegemonic superpower that we all hate?
We were in the Big East in 1998, were coming off a 4-7 season and two years removed from a gambling scandal. We'll take what's behind door #2 please (the 2008 season).
4. Hey, it's basketball season! What are your expectations for your team? What kind of season would make you happy?
NIT, baby! We have a young and talented team. Bubble team for the NCAA tournaments would be nice but isn't expected. Looking to improve on last year's 14-17 season.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
ACC Roundtable 3: Conference Rising
This week's ACC Roundtable is brought to you by the fine bloggers over at the Legacyx4, a Georgia Tech blog. Our answers below:
1. There is no question as to whether the ACC is one of the toughest conferences this year as far as its constituents are concerned. Currently, 4 teams are bowl eligible while 5 are within one game of reaching eligibility. Is it mediocrity, or is the ACC on its way to being the powerhouse that expansion was supposed to bring?
The ACC is on its way, but is it there yet? Well, not quite. However, the conference does get a boost from the youth and success of its flagship programs - Miami and Florida State. As these two programs go, so goes the relative and perceived strength of the conference.
Miami is currently sitting at 6-3 (3-2) and riding a 4 game win streak. The Hurricanes just registered a big win in the Coastal Division Saturday knocking off streaking Virginia 24-17 in overtime. If not for Miami being a very, very young team, their losses to North Carolina and Florida State at home might have gone another way and it could have been a very different season. Still at 6-3 (3-2), Miami has the opportunity to win the Coastal division if they string wins together against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Florida State, currently at 6-2 (3-2) is also looking strong, although they finish the regular season with four very tough games. The Seminoles road to Tampa includes back-to-back home games against a dangerous Clemson team and Boston College as well as Maryland on the road. Florida State has a lot of talent, but is also very young and prone to mistakes (see: the loss to Wake Forest). If these two young teams can run the table and make it to Tampa, you'll start hearing the national media's tune change when they talk about the ACC. Not to mention John Swofford will literally shit his pants with excitement if this year's ACC Championship game ends up being a Florida State vs. Miami rematch in Tampa.
That being said, ACC programs not located in the state of Florida also have to be good in order for the conference to improve. Let us throw one possible wrinkle into the powerhouse expansion theory: the coaching carousel. The ACC has benefited tremendously from coaches making a name for themselves at some of the conference's historically weaker programs, notably Cutcliffe (Duke), Grobe (Wake Forest), and Davis (North Carolina). With primo college football jobs opening up throughout the year at Tennessee, Clemson, Washington, and the potential for even more at the end of the year (Auburn?), there's no telling if these coaches will jump for these higher profile positions. Not to mention, no one really knows if Jimbo Fisher will be able to keep things rolling down in Tallahassee when Bowden the elder finally decides to hang them up. What will happen to Virginia Tech if Bud Foster decides to leave Blacksburg for a head coaching gig? What if Cutcliffe jumps right back to Tennessee? And if Clemson doesn't make a big splash with its next head coaching hire, AD Terry Don Phillips should be worried about the potential of Clemson football falling back into ACC mediocrity.
In short, the ACC powerhouse expansion plan is only as good as the conference's group of head coaches. If a Wake Forest loses a Jim Grobe, a Duke loses a David Cutcliffe, or a North Carolina loses a Butch Davis, there's no telling what will become of the ACC programs not named Miami or Florida State.
2. With a few notable exceptions, quarterback play in the ACC has been poor across the past couple of seasons, contributing at least in some part to the lack of offensive potency in the conference. Where does the ACC stand today in terms of quarterback play, and do you think our offenses are improving?
ACC quarterbacks are indeed "turrible." With the exception of one of last year's Top 5 draft picks in the NFL draft, there has really been nothing to write home about when it comes to the quality of ACC quarterbacks. Sure, Clemson's Cullen Harper put up some ridiculous numbers last year that even surpassed Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan (65.1% completion percentage, 27:6 TD:INT ratio, 140.96 passer rating), but as soon as he didn't enjoy the protection he had last year, Harper's numbers have significantly come back down to earth. Wake's Riley Skinner has been good, not great this year.
At the beginning of this year, seven of ACC teams made changes at quarterback (BC, NC State, Florida State and the entire Coastal division sans Duke). A few of last year's starters - notably Virginia Tech's Glennon and Florida State's Weatherford - were benched in favor of younger, more mobile quarterbacks. With so many starting ACC quarterbacks as underclassmen this year, however, the future is bright for the conference. The young group of quarterbacks can only get better with in-game experience. Of the group of QBs, only Boston College and Clemson will have to replace a senior starting quarterback next year.
3. There are 5 out-of-conference games left for the ACC - BC/Notre Dame, Wake Forest/Vandy, Clemson/USC, GT/Georgia, and FSU/Florida. We went 3-2 in those games last year, and then 2-5 in bowl play (with the only wins coming over Michigan State and UConn). How do you feel we as a conference will compete against the rest of the NCAA in the final weeks of the season, and are you confident in our bowl play?
The conference will probably go 3-2 again this year in their remaining out of conference games. However, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have greatly improved their chances to win these games this year. On the flipside of the same coin, Paul Johnson appears to be ahead of schedule in rebuilding Tech's program, and the Jackets seem to have a better shot at upsetting Georgia this year in Athens than in years past. If pressed to pick the winners and the losers, I'd say Boston College, Wake Forest and Clemson will win and Georgia Tech and Florida will come up short.
Do we have faith in the conference's bowl play this year? In a word, no. Not until we see results on the field in these bowl games. An ACC team hasn't won the Orange Bowl in 12 seasons. We haven't won the Chick-Fil-A (nee Peach Bowl) since the 2003 season. The Gator Bowl has been competitive the last two bowl games, but the ACC hasn't won since the 2005 season when Virginia Tech beat Louisville 35-24. The only sure things for the conference come bowl season have been Boston College (winners of 8 straight bowl games), the Meineke Car Care Bowl (ACC teams are 5-1 out of 6 all-time bowl games in Charlotte, with the only loss conference loss coming courtesy of then-Big East conference member Boston College over UNC) and the Champs Sports Bowl (5 straight ACC victories). Everything else is an absolute crap shoot. We'd even throw in the Eagle Bank Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl into the toss up category. The ACC's Eagle Bank Bowl opponent, Navy, has been fairly good this year and already has one victory over an ACC team under its belt. And last year's Georgia Tech team loss to a good Fresno State team on the blue turf.
4. As far as Tech fans are concernced, ACC officiating is absolutely atrocious, both in conference (helmet-to-helmet, lack of holding calls) and out of conference. Are you in agreement? List any specific, obvious grievances, or use this opportunity to verbally assault ACC refs.
Bad officiating is not specific to the ACC. Did the refs miss a blatant 15-yard facemask call on Chris Crane in last week's Clemson game? Yes. Do we hold any particular grudges this year against ACC officials? Not really. Besides, BC has been one of the least penalized teams in college football this season, so we really don't have any leg to stand on criticizing the refs.
5. Every college football fan has a favorite player not on their team. Who is that player for you in the ACC?
Maybe we are in the minority, but I really don't like any players not wearing the maroon and gold. Perhaps us Eagles fans have been conditioned to hate our opponents given all the rock fights we had in the Big East. Though if you held a gun to our head and told us to pick someone, we'll go with North Carolina's junior wideout Hakeem Nicks. Nicks already has had 4 games of 100+ yards in receiving and 700+ yards, 7 touchdowns receiving on the season. Eagles fans are all too familiar with his 3 touchdown performance against BC.
1. There is no question as to whether the ACC is one of the toughest conferences this year as far as its constituents are concerned. Currently, 4 teams are bowl eligible while 5 are within one game of reaching eligibility. Is it mediocrity, or is the ACC on its way to being the powerhouse that expansion was supposed to bring?
The ACC is on its way, but is it there yet? Well, not quite. However, the conference does get a boost from the youth and success of its flagship programs - Miami and Florida State. As these two programs go, so goes the relative and perceived strength of the conference.
Miami is currently sitting at 6-3 (3-2) and riding a 4 game win streak. The Hurricanes just registered a big win in the Coastal Division Saturday knocking off streaking Virginia 24-17 in overtime. If not for Miami being a very, very young team, their losses to North Carolina and Florida State at home might have gone another way and it could have been a very different season. Still at 6-3 (3-2), Miami has the opportunity to win the Coastal division if they string wins together against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.
Florida State, currently at 6-2 (3-2) is also looking strong, although they finish the regular season with four very tough games. The Seminoles road to Tampa includes back-to-back home games against a dangerous Clemson team and Boston College as well as Maryland on the road. Florida State has a lot of talent, but is also very young and prone to mistakes (see: the loss to Wake Forest). If these two young teams can run the table and make it to Tampa, you'll start hearing the national media's tune change when they talk about the ACC. Not to mention John Swofford will literally shit his pants with excitement if this year's ACC Championship game ends up being a Florida State vs. Miami rematch in Tampa.
That being said, ACC programs not located in the state of Florida also have to be good in order for the conference to improve. Let us throw one possible wrinkle into the powerhouse expansion theory: the coaching carousel. The ACC has benefited tremendously from coaches making a name for themselves at some of the conference's historically weaker programs, notably Cutcliffe (Duke), Grobe (Wake Forest), and Davis (North Carolina). With primo college football jobs opening up throughout the year at Tennessee, Clemson, Washington, and the potential for even more at the end of the year (Auburn?), there's no telling if these coaches will jump for these higher profile positions. Not to mention, no one really knows if Jimbo Fisher will be able to keep things rolling down in Tallahassee when Bowden the elder finally decides to hang them up. What will happen to Virginia Tech if Bud Foster decides to leave Blacksburg for a head coaching gig? What if Cutcliffe jumps right back to Tennessee? And if Clemson doesn't make a big splash with its next head coaching hire, AD Terry Don Phillips should be worried about the potential of Clemson football falling back into ACC mediocrity.
In short, the ACC powerhouse expansion plan is only as good as the conference's group of head coaches. If a Wake Forest loses a Jim Grobe, a Duke loses a David Cutcliffe, or a North Carolina loses a Butch Davis, there's no telling what will become of the ACC programs not named Miami or Florida State.
2. With a few notable exceptions, quarterback play in the ACC has been poor across the past couple of seasons, contributing at least in some part to the lack of offensive potency in the conference. Where does the ACC stand today in terms of quarterback play, and do you think our offenses are improving?
ACC quarterbacks are indeed "turrible." With the exception of one of last year's Top 5 draft picks in the NFL draft, there has really been nothing to write home about when it comes to the quality of ACC quarterbacks. Sure, Clemson's Cullen Harper put up some ridiculous numbers last year that even surpassed Heisman hopeful Matt Ryan (65.1% completion percentage, 27:6 TD:INT ratio, 140.96 passer rating), but as soon as he didn't enjoy the protection he had last year, Harper's numbers have significantly come back down to earth. Wake's Riley Skinner has been good, not great this year.
At the beginning of this year, seven of ACC teams made changes at quarterback (BC, NC State, Florida State and the entire Coastal division sans Duke). A few of last year's starters - notably Virginia Tech's Glennon and Florida State's Weatherford - were benched in favor of younger, more mobile quarterbacks. With so many starting ACC quarterbacks as underclassmen this year, however, the future is bright for the conference. The young group of quarterbacks can only get better with in-game experience. Of the group of QBs, only Boston College and Clemson will have to replace a senior starting quarterback next year.
3. There are 5 out-of-conference games left for the ACC - BC/Notre Dame, Wake Forest/Vandy, Clemson/USC, GT/Georgia, and FSU/Florida. We went 3-2 in those games last year, and then 2-5 in bowl play (with the only wins coming over Michigan State and UConn). How do you feel we as a conference will compete against the rest of the NCAA in the final weeks of the season, and are you confident in our bowl play?
The conference will probably go 3-2 again this year in their remaining out of conference games. However, Notre Dame, South Carolina and Vanderbilt have greatly improved their chances to win these games this year. On the flipside of the same coin, Paul Johnson appears to be ahead of schedule in rebuilding Tech's program, and the Jackets seem to have a better shot at upsetting Georgia this year in Athens than in years past. If pressed to pick the winners and the losers, I'd say Boston College, Wake Forest and Clemson will win and Georgia Tech and Florida will come up short.
Do we have faith in the conference's bowl play this year? In a word, no. Not until we see results on the field in these bowl games. An ACC team hasn't won the Orange Bowl in 12 seasons. We haven't won the Chick-Fil-A (nee Peach Bowl) since the 2003 season. The Gator Bowl has been competitive the last two bowl games, but the ACC hasn't won since the 2005 season when Virginia Tech beat Louisville 35-24. The only sure things for the conference come bowl season have been Boston College (winners of 8 straight bowl games), the Meineke Car Care Bowl (ACC teams are 5-1 out of 6 all-time bowl games in Charlotte, with the only loss conference loss coming courtesy of then-Big East conference member Boston College over UNC) and the Champs Sports Bowl (5 straight ACC victories). Everything else is an absolute crap shoot. We'd even throw in the Eagle Bank Bowl and the Humanitarian Bowl into the toss up category. The ACC's Eagle Bank Bowl opponent, Navy, has been fairly good this year and already has one victory over an ACC team under its belt. And last year's Georgia Tech team loss to a good Fresno State team on the blue turf.
4. As far as Tech fans are concernced, ACC officiating is absolutely atrocious, both in conference (helmet-to-helmet, lack of holding calls) and out of conference. Are you in agreement? List any specific, obvious grievances, or use this opportunity to verbally assault ACC refs.
Bad officiating is not specific to the ACC. Did the refs miss a blatant 15-yard facemask call on Chris Crane in last week's Clemson game? Yes. Do we hold any particular grudges this year against ACC officials? Not really. Besides, BC has been one of the least penalized teams in college football this season, so we really don't have any leg to stand on criticizing the refs.
5. Every college football fan has a favorite player not on their team. Who is that player for you in the ACC?
Maybe we are in the minority, but I really don't like any players not wearing the maroon and gold. Perhaps us Eagles fans have been conditioned to hate our opponents given all the rock fights we had in the Big East. Though if you held a gun to our head and told us to pick someone, we'll go with North Carolina's junior wideout Hakeem Nicks. Nicks already has had 4 games of 100+ yards in receiving and 700+ yards, 7 touchdowns receiving on the season. Eagles fans are all too familiar with his 3 touchdown performance against BC.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
ACC Roundtable 2: Changing of the Guard
This week’s ACC Roundtable is being hosted by Mike over at Tar Heel Mania, which, as the name suggests, is a North Carolina sports blog (and our opponent on Saturday). Mike will publish a wrap-up of the discussion after the rest of the ACC bloggers weigh in.
This week’s discussion centers on the changing of the guard atop the ACC’s ranked teams. #17 Virginia Tech, #18 North Carolina and #21 Wake Forest were all bounced from the Top 25 after dropping road games to conference opponents. Enter #21 Georgia Tech, #23 Boston College and #24 Florida State atop the list of ACC title game contenders.
Okay, first things first: could someone please explain what the hell just happened this past Saturday?
I tried to start explaining this in the comments section of a previous post. I just don’t think the ACC has been as crazy as the mainstream media and sports writers have made it out to be. The reasons the perception of the conference is down and last weekend’s results seem crazy to some can be explained by some rational logic. The reason why things seem crazy is because sports writers and media pundits are simply easily distracted by shiny things (and of course, blogfrica is not exempt from jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon) ...
See the progression of the MSM’s ACC champion “lock” ...
Preseason: Clemson is the team to beat, oh wait, they have no O-line and are coaching deficient ...
Week 3-4: Wake Forest is the team to beat, oh wait, they can’t score touchdowns in league games and dropped to the Midshipmen ...
Week 5-6: Carolina is resurgent! Butch Davis is king! They beat Rutgers on the road and Notre Dame at home!! Oh wait, Rutgers is Rutgers again and the Irish have gotten fat over wins against San Diego State (1-6), Michigan (2-5), Stanford (4-4) and Purdue (2-5). Combined record 9-20.
Week 7: Virginia Tech, left for dead after a blocked punt gave the ECU Pirates a win over the Hokies in Charlotte, are now the team to beat after knocking off Coastal division champion hopefuls Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Oh wait, they are inept on offense ...
Week 8: Florida State and Georgia Tech are now the team to beat. But really, who has Florida State beat? Miami by 2? NC State by 9? And Georgia Tech is currently behind the 8-ball in their own division having lost to Virginia Tech (but there is hope!).
That being said, my guess is we’ll hear about 2-3 more teams as the conference front-runner before the year is out (Virginia? Maryland? Boston College?). Will the real ACC champion please step up so we can end all this prognosticating already?
The above frames the conversation about what exactly happened last weekend.
#21 Wake Forest 0, Maryland 26. The Sam Swank-less Deacons had trouble scoring points, as redshirt freshman Shane Popham missed FGs from 47 and 40 yards. Should we be surprised? Absolutely not - when your school’s leading scorer in sidelined and all your team has managed to do in two league games is 3 point you to death. On the other side of the ball, Maryland got their offensive playmakers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Da’Rel Scott going, and that was all the Terps needed to pull out the home win.
#17 Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 28. Simply, the Boston College defense was greater than the Virginia Tech offense last Saturday night. Chris Crane and Jeff Smith make this game much more interesting with the turnovers. Without the turnovers that led to 17 points, this one isn’t close.
#18 North Carolina 13, Virginia 16 OT. Over the last three games, Virginia has suddenly found its offense in a new quarterback (Verica) and running back (Peerman). They have been very good in their past three games – all at home - but we’ll see how they handle their trip to Atlanta this weekend.
So with all that, we can only implore everyone to give this ACC season some time. The lack of a wire-to-wire presumptive champ is what is hurting this league’s image when, in fact, this conference is probably the toughest top to bottom in all of college football. Don’t believe me? Check out any one of these polls or computer rankings that rank all 120 I-A teams. The ACC might not have a top 10 team in that list, but they don’t have a team in the 100+ range either, which is more than can be said of the other 5 BCS conferences. And if you throw out NC State (ranked 96), the rest of the conference falls within the 15-59 range which is probably the closest coupling of teams in any one conference.
Good Maryland, bad Maryland. We’ve seen a fair share of both in 2008. Good Maryland may be the best team in the ACC, while bad Maryland could probably lose by 20 to anyone left on their schedule. Which Maryland do we see for the rest of the season and where do you expect the Terps to finish?
So long as Maryland can get their offensive playmakers involved, I think we’ll see much more of the good Maryland than you’ll see the bad Maryland. Their remaining schedule isn’t necessarily too favorable, with trips to Virginia Tech and Boston College upcoming, but it is manageable. The Terps have been terrible on the road – losing to Middle Tennessee State (why you even schedule this game, I have no idea) and getting blanked by Virginia. If Clemson actually is coached in the second half of their game against Maryland in Death Valley, the Terrapins could easily be 0-3 on the road this season.
We are predicting the Terps finish out their ACC schedule with a 3-2 mark pushing their overall record to 5-3. However, we don’t think that will be enough to win the division and represent the Atlantic in Tampa.
Injuries are a part of college football, but they seem to have ravaged ACC offenses this year. Wake Forest has been without Sam Swank, Clemson is without C.J. Spiller, UNC is without T.J. Yates and Brandon Tate, Virginia Tech is without Kenny Lewis Jr., and NC State is without just about everybody. Which team misses their fallen star(s) most and why?
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was quoted as saying “Brandon not being here has nothing to do with us not winning” following the loss to Virginia. I tend to agree with a guy that built a National Championship team and guided the Miami Hurricanes to a 51-20 mark. So we’ll take his word for it.
While NC State’s injury situation has been unfortunate, the Wolfpack were never really contenders in the league this year.
So we’ll go with Wake Forest’s Sam Swank. When your star kicker scores all of your team’s points in a league game, and you end up winning the game, you are going to miss him. When you get shutout on the road by schizo Maryland and you miss two field goals, you miss your kicker. Which is a shame, because kickers shouldn’t be that important to your football team’s success. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the ACC is a defensive league, and you can take all the points you can get in league play.
Last one: the pretty much unanimous division champs were Virginia Tech and Wake Forest last week. Given all the craziness that just happened, give us your updated ACC Championship scenario.
Jeff and I agree. We think Georgia Tech is going to find a way to keep winning, and Virginia Tech somehow manages to blow their 2 game stranglehold on the Coastal Division crown with 5 to play.
In the Atlantic, we let out homerism show and have the Eagles now in the ACC Championship game. Yes, Wake’s schedule looks manageable from here on out, but their struggling offense is too big of a red flag for us to pencil them in for playing in Tampa. We aren’t drinking the Seminole kool-aid just yet (Ohhh yeah!!!) and Maryland has to travel to Chestnut Hill at season’s end and as pointed out earlier, they haven't shown they are very good on the road.
This week’s discussion centers on the changing of the guard atop the ACC’s ranked teams. #17 Virginia Tech, #18 North Carolina and #21 Wake Forest were all bounced from the Top 25 after dropping road games to conference opponents. Enter #21 Georgia Tech, #23 Boston College and #24 Florida State atop the list of ACC title game contenders.
Okay, first things first: could someone please explain what the hell just happened this past Saturday?
I tried to start explaining this in the comments section of a previous post. I just don’t think the ACC has been as crazy as the mainstream media and sports writers have made it out to be. The reasons the perception of the conference is down and last weekend’s results seem crazy to some can be explained by some rational logic. The reason why things seem crazy is because sports writers and media pundits are simply easily distracted by shiny things (and of course, blogfrica is not exempt from jumping from bandwagon to bandwagon) ...
See the progression of the MSM’s ACC champion “lock” ...
Preseason: Clemson is the team to beat, oh wait, they have no O-line and are coaching deficient ...
Week 3-4: Wake Forest is the team to beat, oh wait, they can’t score touchdowns in league games and dropped to the Midshipmen ...
Week 5-6: Carolina is resurgent! Butch Davis is king! They beat Rutgers on the road and Notre Dame at home!! Oh wait, Rutgers is Rutgers again and the Irish have gotten fat over wins against San Diego State (1-6), Michigan (2-5), Stanford (4-4) and Purdue (2-5). Combined record 9-20.
Week 7: Virginia Tech, left for dead after a blocked punt gave the ECU Pirates a win over the Hokies in Charlotte, are now the team to beat after knocking off Coastal division champion hopefuls Georgia Tech and North Carolina. Oh wait, they are inept on offense ...
Week 8: Florida State and Georgia Tech are now the team to beat. But really, who has Florida State beat? Miami by 2? NC State by 9? And Georgia Tech is currently behind the 8-ball in their own division having lost to Virginia Tech (but there is hope!).
That being said, my guess is we’ll hear about 2-3 more teams as the conference front-runner before the year is out (Virginia? Maryland? Boston College?). Will the real ACC champion please step up so we can end all this prognosticating already?
The above frames the conversation about what exactly happened last weekend.
#21 Wake Forest 0, Maryland 26. The Sam Swank-less Deacons had trouble scoring points, as redshirt freshman Shane Popham missed FGs from 47 and 40 yards. Should we be surprised? Absolutely not - when your school’s leading scorer in sidelined and all your team has managed to do in two league games is 3 point you to death. On the other side of the ball, Maryland got their offensive playmakers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Da’Rel Scott going, and that was all the Terps needed to pull out the home win.
#17 Virginia Tech 23, Boston College 28. Simply, the Boston College defense was greater than the Virginia Tech offense last Saturday night. Chris Crane and Jeff Smith make this game much more interesting with the turnovers. Without the turnovers that led to 17 points, this one isn’t close.
#18 North Carolina 13, Virginia 16 OT. Over the last three games, Virginia has suddenly found its offense in a new quarterback (Verica) and running back (Peerman). They have been very good in their past three games – all at home - but we’ll see how they handle their trip to Atlanta this weekend.
So with all that, we can only implore everyone to give this ACC season some time. The lack of a wire-to-wire presumptive champ is what is hurting this league’s image when, in fact, this conference is probably the toughest top to bottom in all of college football. Don’t believe me? Check out any one of these polls or computer rankings that rank all 120 I-A teams. The ACC might not have a top 10 team in that list, but they don’t have a team in the 100+ range either, which is more than can be said of the other 5 BCS conferences. And if you throw out NC State (ranked 96), the rest of the conference falls within the 15-59 range which is probably the closest coupling of teams in any one conference.
Good Maryland, bad Maryland. We’ve seen a fair share of both in 2008. Good Maryland may be the best team in the ACC, while bad Maryland could probably lose by 20 to anyone left on their schedule. Which Maryland do we see for the rest of the season and where do you expect the Terps to finish?
So long as Maryland can get their offensive playmakers involved, I think we’ll see much more of the good Maryland than you’ll see the bad Maryland. Their remaining schedule isn’t necessarily too favorable, with trips to Virginia Tech and Boston College upcoming, but it is manageable. The Terps have been terrible on the road – losing to Middle Tennessee State (why you even schedule this game, I have no idea) and getting blanked by Virginia. If Clemson actually is coached in the second half of their game against Maryland in Death Valley, the Terrapins could easily be 0-3 on the road this season.
We are predicting the Terps finish out their ACC schedule with a 3-2 mark pushing their overall record to 5-3. However, we don’t think that will be enough to win the division and represent the Atlantic in Tampa.
Injuries are a part of college football, but they seem to have ravaged ACC offenses this year. Wake Forest has been without Sam Swank, Clemson is without C.J. Spiller, UNC is without T.J. Yates and Brandon Tate, Virginia Tech is without Kenny Lewis Jr., and NC State is without just about everybody. Which team misses their fallen star(s) most and why?
North Carolina head coach Butch Davis was quoted as saying “Brandon not being here has nothing to do with us not winning” following the loss to Virginia. I tend to agree with a guy that built a National Championship team and guided the Miami Hurricanes to a 51-20 mark. So we’ll take his word for it.
While NC State’s injury situation has been unfortunate, the Wolfpack were never really contenders in the league this year.
So we’ll go with Wake Forest’s Sam Swank. When your star kicker scores all of your team’s points in a league game, and you end up winning the game, you are going to miss him. When you get shutout on the road by schizo Maryland and you miss two field goals, you miss your kicker. Which is a shame, because kickers shouldn’t be that important to your football team’s success. Nevertheless, it is claimed that the ACC is a defensive league, and you can take all the points you can get in league play.
Last one: the pretty much unanimous division champs were Virginia Tech and Wake Forest last week. Given all the craziness that just happened, give us your updated ACC Championship scenario.
Jeff and I agree. We think Georgia Tech is going to find a way to keep winning, and Virginia Tech somehow manages to blow their 2 game stranglehold on the Coastal Division crown with 5 to play.
In the Atlantic, we let out homerism show and have the Eagles now in the ACC Championship game. Yes, Wake’s schedule looks manageable from here on out, but their struggling offense is too big of a red flag for us to pencil them in for playing in Tampa. We aren’t drinking the Seminole kool-aid just yet (Ohhh yeah!!!) and Maryland has to travel to Chestnut Hill at season’s end and as pointed out earlier, they haven't shown they are very good on the road.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
ACC Roundtable: Midseason Checkup Roundup
This past Sunday we hosted the first ACC Roundtable of the year. As we are halfway through the college football season, the theme of the roundtable was a midseason checkup on the likely favorites to play in Tampa. The guilty parties that participated in this first Roundtable ...
Instead of recapping the answers for each of these questions individually, let's take this in another direction. Below, we'll recap the roundtable by focusing on the teams that these esteemed ACC bloggers think have a chance to make it to the New Big Sombrero ...
Virginia Tech Hokies (5-1, 2-0)
Six of six blogs agree - the Virginia Tech Hokies will be representing the Coastal Division in this year's ACC Championship game. If this happens, Beamer's bunch will be making their 3rd ACC Championship game appearance in 4 years.
The Hokies' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
at Boston College
at Florida State
Maryland
at Miami (FL)
Duke
Virginia
Why The Hokies Will Be Playing in Tampa
What once was a preseason homer pick, now has a little more merit (Gobbler Country). Gobbler Country cites the fact that the Hokies hold this silly little thing called a "tiebreaker" over both North Carolina and Georgia Tech as reason enough to win the Coastal Division. Gobbler Country predicts the Hokies finish their ACC slate of games at 6-2 but anticipate that both the Heels and Jackets won't run the table. From Old Virginia agrees as they aren't straying far from the beaten path with their Coastal Division pick (although it must pain them deeply to pick the Hokies).
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
/yawn
Upset Alert!
Since Virginia Tech swept the blogger vote as the presumptive Coastal winner, there was a lot of varying opinions as to who could trip the Hokies en route to the ACC Championship game. From Old Virginia panders to blatant homerism and predicts that the Hokies will have the toughest time with the Cavaliers. Call it a hunch, I guess, since anything can happen in a rivalry game. CollegeGameBalls predicts that the Hokies will be upended by Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. CGB claims that a blitzing Florida State defense will be enough to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor off balance enough for the 'Noles to pull out the victory. Tar Heel Mania points to any of Miami, Virginia or Florida State to pull off the upset of the Hokies
Three of five blogs claim that the Hokies should be extra cautious when they face their old Big East rival Miami on November 13. The Legacyx4 thinks the Hurricanes will be a tough draw as they will be desperate to take that first step towards glory.
Didn't you mean take that first step towards respectability?
Can The Hokies Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
Possibly. BC Interruption think this is the year for the ACC regardless of who represents the ACC. It very well could the year we end our 1-9 slide because, as Gobbler Country points out, the Orange Bowl picks last this year as part of the BCS bowl selection process. CollegeGameBalls and From Old Virginia aren't so confident in the Hokies.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-1, 2-0)
It wasn't a clean sweep, but 4.5 of six blogs agree - Wake will represent the Atlantic in Tampa. The .5 represents our waffling between the Deacons and the Eagles as division champs.
The Deacons' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
at Maryland
at Miami (FL)
Duke
Virginia
at North Carolina State
Boston College
Vanderbilt
Why The Deacons Will Be Playing in Tampa
Gobbler Country's argument about why the Hokies will play in Tampa holds true for the Deacons too - since they have already dispatched Atlantic division foes Clemson and Florida State, they have an inside track to the Atlantic Division crown. Not only are they currently sitting atop the Atlantic Division standings, but they have the third best defense in the league (behind Georgia Tech and Boston College). From Old Virginia thinks that Wake will take care of business this weekend against Maryland and against Boston College in November to wrap up the division.
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
All 4.5 of the blogs that picked Wake Forest to win the Atlantic had the Deacons in the title game preseason.
Upset Alert!
BC Interruption and From Old Virginia agree that Wake Forest's toughest test will come this weekend in College Park. Our reputable UVA representative cites the road game as reason why this Saturday is Wake's toughest test remaining. Contrast that with BC and NC State who have to travel to Winston-Salem.
BC Interruption claims that because you never know what you are going to get with Friedgen's turtles, it could be a looong trip home for Riley Skinner and the Deacons. Gobbler Country thinks the always improving Wolfpack could knock off the Deacs at Carter-Finley Stadium. Eagles fans can attest to the fact that Russell Wilson and the Pack put up quite a fight at home.
Tar Heel Mania thinks any of Boston College, Maryland or Miami could knock off Wake. Because in the ACC, anything goes.
CollegeGameBalls is confident that Wake can take care of their two toughest opponents remaining - Boston College and their out of conference matchup with the upstart Vanderbilt Commodores.
Can The Deacons Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
CollegeGameBalls is confident in the Deacons if they represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. Same with the Legacyx4, as they feel any of the possible ACC Champs (Virginia Tech, BC, Wake, Georgia Tech or UNC) can win the Orange Bowl.
Tar Heel Mania ... not so much. "If Wake goes to the Orange Bowl, and has to face at at-large from the Big 12 (Missouri, Oklahoma) or SEC (Georgia, Florida, LSU), then we’re doomed."
Boston College Eagles (4-1, 1-1)
Taking away the one homer pick (Jeff and I feel that the winner of the Wake-BC game will represent the Atlantic), only the Legacyx4 manned up and picked Boston College to get to the Championship game.
The Eagles' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
Virginia Tech
at North Carolina
Clemson
Notre Dame
at Florida State
at Wake Forest
Maryland
Why The Eagles Will Be Playing in Tampa
What do you get when you mix a lights-out defense, skin-of-your-teeth finishes and a healthy dose of bullshit? Apparently the Boston College football Eagles, according to Legacyx4.
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
Not at all. Even Jeff and Brian, ever the BC optimists, had the Eagles finishing no higher than 3rd place in the Atlantic Division before the season began. The coaches picked the Eagles to finish 4th in the Atlantic above only Maryland and NC State.
Upset Alert!
If Boston College makes a play for the Atlantic Division crown, the Terrapins are their biggest roadblock. We couldn't describe Maryland better than Legacyx4 could, however:
Can The Eagles Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
If the Eagles can manage to win the ACC, they get a big ACC blogger thumbs up for their chances in Miami.
No blogger had any other team penciled into the ACCCG outside of Virginia Tech, Wake Forest or Boston College ... however, that doesn't mean this thing is a done deal.
On The Outside Looking In
The general theme of the responses was that the Coastal Division winner is much more of a sure thing than the Atlantic Division at this point. In addition to Wake, Boston College and "Jekyll and Hyde" Maryland are very much in play. (Oh, how the Tigers have fallen!)
In the Coastal Division, Georgia Tech and North Carolina are certainly on the outside looking in, but have turned a lot of heads this year with their respective turnarounds in Atlanta and Chapel Hill. A Yellow Jacket starting defensive tackle cites their game against North Carolina as their toughest test remaining.
Not only is Legacyx4 proud of the Ramblin' Wreck this year, but they scoff at the idea that a second ACC BCS at-large birth is beyond the realm of possibility. They point no further than the possibility of an 11-1 Carolina or Ga Tech team getting a BCS at-large berth. Maybe even a 10-2 team from the Atlantic Coast Conference could be a second representive for the conference in a BCS bowl.
Tar Heel Mania agrees, and includes North Carolina, Florida State or Georgia Tech in the mix of teams that could finish 11-1, but tempers this prediction by stating his Heels could also easily go 7-5.
We remain unconvinced.
Finally, how about some indication of who the ACC will face in the Orange Bowl?
From Old Virginia says it's now or never for the ACC. Due to the Orange Bowl having the last BCS pick this year, the ACC could face a BCS Buster like Utah instead of an at-large Big XII or SEC team. They like the conference's chances against one of these so-called BCS Busters, but doesn't think we'll have much luck against a Big Ten, Big XII, or SEC at-large opponent.
Some other suggestions: Missouri, Boise State, BYU or the Big East champion (Pittsburgh? West Virginia? Cincinnati?). Tar Heel Mania even throws out the possibility of a Vanderbilt or Michigan State opponent.
The other overriding theme in the responses to the Orange Bowl question was the lack of respect these bloggers have for the Big East conference this year. I guess with a majority of the blogger audience representing Big East defectors, this is to be expected.
- Boston College: BC Interruption
- Georgia Tech: The Legacyx4
- North Carolina: Tar Heel Mania
- Virginia: From Old Virginia
- Virginia Tech: Gobbler Country
- Virginia Tech: CollegeGameBalls
Q: We are about halfway through the season with the heart of the ACC football schedule upon us. Let's take a temperature check. Who ya got in the ACC Championship game? Has this changed at all from the teams you penciled in at the beginning of the season as part of your preseason predictions?
Q: We've only played a few ACC games yet we've already seen some upsets of possible Championship game participants - notably Maryland over Clemson, Georgia Tech over Boston College, and Virginia over Maryland. Looking at the remaining ACC schedule, pick one league game for each of your ACC Championship game participants where they could be upset.
Q: Last one, the first BCS standings come out on October 19. While it is unlikely that an ACC team will play its way back into the National Title game conversation and a second at-large berth seems equally unlikely, at least we have the Orange Bowl! Is this the year the league puts an end to their 1-9 BCS skid? Why or why not?
Instead of recapping the answers for each of these questions individually, let's take this in another direction. Below, we'll recap the roundtable by focusing on the teams that these esteemed ACC bloggers think have a chance to make it to the New Big Sombrero ...
Virginia Tech Hokies (5-1, 2-0)
Six of six blogs agree - the Virginia Tech Hokies will be representing the Coastal Division in this year's ACC Championship game. If this happens, Beamer's bunch will be making their 3rd ACC Championship game appearance in 4 years.
The Hokies' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
at Boston College
at Florida State
Maryland
at Miami (FL)
Duke
Virginia
Why The Hokies Will Be Playing in Tampa
What once was a preseason homer pick, now has a little more merit (Gobbler Country). Gobbler Country cites the fact that the Hokies hold this silly little thing called a "tiebreaker" over both North Carolina and Georgia Tech as reason enough to win the Coastal Division. Gobbler Country predicts the Hokies finish their ACC slate of games at 6-2 but anticipate that both the Heels and Jackets won't run the table. From Old Virginia agrees as they aren't straying far from the beaten path with their Coastal Division pick (although it must pain them deeply to pick the Hokies).
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
/yawn
Upset Alert!
Since Virginia Tech swept the blogger vote as the presumptive Coastal winner, there was a lot of varying opinions as to who could trip the Hokies en route to the ACC Championship game. From Old Virginia panders to blatant homerism and predicts that the Hokies will have the toughest time with the Cavaliers. Call it a hunch, I guess, since anything can happen in a rivalry game. CollegeGameBalls predicts that the Hokies will be upended by Bobby Bowden and the Seminoles at Doak Campbell Stadium. CGB claims that a blitzing Florida State defense will be enough to keep quarterback Tyrod Taylor off balance enough for the 'Noles to pull out the victory. Tar Heel Mania points to any of Miami, Virginia or Florida State to pull off the upset of the Hokies
Three of five blogs claim that the Hokies should be extra cautious when they face their old Big East rival Miami on November 13. The Legacyx4 thinks the Hurricanes will be a tough draw as they will be desperate to take that first step towards glory.
Didn't you mean take that first step towards respectability?
Can The Hokies Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
Possibly. BC Interruption think this is the year for the ACC regardless of who represents the ACC. It very well could the year we end our 1-9 slide because, as Gobbler Country points out, the Orange Bowl picks last this year as part of the BCS bowl selection process. CollegeGameBalls and From Old Virginia aren't so confident in the Hokies.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (4-1, 2-0)
It wasn't a clean sweep, but 4.5 of six blogs agree - Wake will represent the Atlantic in Tampa. The .5 represents our waffling between the Deacons and the Eagles as division champs.
The Deacons' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
at Maryland
at Miami (FL)
Duke
Virginia
at North Carolina State
Boston College
Vanderbilt
Why The Deacons Will Be Playing in Tampa
Gobbler Country's argument about why the Hokies will play in Tampa holds true for the Deacons too - since they have already dispatched Atlantic division foes Clemson and Florida State, they have an inside track to the Atlantic Division crown. Not only are they currently sitting atop the Atlantic Division standings, but they have the third best defense in the league (behind Georgia Tech and Boston College). From Old Virginia thinks that Wake will take care of business this weekend against Maryland and against Boston College in November to wrap up the division.
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
All 4.5 of the blogs that picked Wake Forest to win the Atlantic had the Deacons in the title game preseason.
Upset Alert!
BC Interruption and From Old Virginia agree that Wake Forest's toughest test will come this weekend in College Park. Our reputable UVA representative cites the road game as reason why this Saturday is Wake's toughest test remaining. Contrast that with BC and NC State who have to travel to Winston-Salem.
BC Interruption claims that because you never know what you are going to get with Friedgen's turtles, it could be a looong trip home for Riley Skinner and the Deacons. Gobbler Country thinks the always improving Wolfpack could knock off the Deacs at Carter-Finley Stadium. Eagles fans can attest to the fact that Russell Wilson and the Pack put up quite a fight at home.
Tar Heel Mania thinks any of Boston College, Maryland or Miami could knock off Wake. Because in the ACC, anything goes.
CollegeGameBalls is confident that Wake can take care of their two toughest opponents remaining - Boston College and their out of conference matchup with the upstart Vanderbilt Commodores.
Can The Deacons Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
CollegeGameBalls is confident in the Deacons if they represent the ACC in the Orange Bowl. Same with the Legacyx4, as they feel any of the possible ACC Champs (Virginia Tech, BC, Wake, Georgia Tech or UNC) can win the Orange Bowl.
Tar Heel Mania ... not so much. "If Wake goes to the Orange Bowl, and has to face at at-large from the Big 12 (Missouri, Oklahoma) or SEC (Georgia, Florida, LSU), then we’re doomed."
Boston College Eagles (4-1, 1-1)
Taking away the one homer pick (Jeff and I feel that the winner of the Wake-BC game will represent the Atlantic), only the Legacyx4 manned up and picked Boston College to get to the Championship game.
The Eagles' (Remaining) Road To Tampa
Virginia Tech
at North Carolina
Clemson
Notre Dame
at Florida State
at Wake Forest
Maryland
Why The Eagles Will Be Playing in Tampa
What do you get when you mix a lights-out defense, skin-of-your-teeth finishes and a healthy dose of bullshit? Apparently the Boston College football Eagles, according to Legacyx4.
Was This Expected? In other words, how does this measure up to your preseason expectations?
Not at all. Even Jeff and Brian, ever the BC optimists, had the Eagles finishing no higher than 3rd place in the Atlantic Division before the season began. The coaches picked the Eagles to finish 4th in the Atlantic above only Maryland and NC State.
Upset Alert!
If Boston College makes a play for the Atlantic Division crown, the Terrapins are their biggest roadblock. We couldn't describe Maryland better than Legacyx4 could, however:
Like one of those PCP fueled antagonists on COPS who can crash through a brick wall but then get manhandled by a 115 pound lady cop, the Terps are insanely unpredictable, and as the last game on the Eagles' schedule, we would be all nerves going into it with only one ACC loss.
Can The Eagles Bring Glory to the ACC in the BCS?
If the Eagles can manage to win the ACC, they get a big ACC blogger thumbs up for their chances in Miami.
No blogger had any other team penciled into the ACCCG outside of Virginia Tech, Wake Forest or Boston College ... however, that doesn't mean this thing is a done deal.
On The Outside Looking In
The general theme of the responses was that the Coastal Division winner is much more of a sure thing than the Atlantic Division at this point. In addition to Wake, Boston College and "Jekyll and Hyde" Maryland are very much in play. (Oh, how the Tigers have fallen!)
In the Coastal Division, Georgia Tech and North Carolina are certainly on the outside looking in, but have turned a lot of heads this year with their respective turnarounds in Atlanta and Chapel Hill. A Yellow Jacket starting defensive tackle cites their game against North Carolina as their toughest test remaining.
Not only is Legacyx4 proud of the Ramblin' Wreck this year, but they scoff at the idea that a second ACC BCS at-large birth is beyond the realm of possibility. They point no further than the possibility of an 11-1 Carolina or Ga Tech team getting a BCS at-large berth. Maybe even a 10-2 team from the Atlantic Coast Conference could be a second representive for the conference in a BCS bowl.
Tar Heel Mania agrees, and includes North Carolina, Florida State or Georgia Tech in the mix of teams that could finish 11-1, but tempers this prediction by stating his Heels could also easily go 7-5.
We remain unconvinced.
Finally, how about some indication of who the ACC will face in the Orange Bowl?
From Old Virginia says it's now or never for the ACC. Due to the Orange Bowl having the last BCS pick this year, the ACC could face a BCS Buster like Utah instead of an at-large Big XII or SEC team. They like the conference's chances against one of these so-called BCS Busters, but doesn't think we'll have much luck against a Big Ten, Big XII, or SEC at-large opponent.
Some other suggestions: Missouri, Boise State, BYU or the Big East champion (Pittsburgh? West Virginia? Cincinnati?). Tar Heel Mania even throws out the possibility of a Vanderbilt or Michigan State opponent.
The other overriding theme in the responses to the Orange Bowl question was the lack of respect these bloggers have for the Big East conference this year. I guess with a majority of the blogger audience representing Big East defectors, this is to be expected.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
ACC Roundtable: Midseason Checkup
A few of the ACC blogs got together and decided to put together an ACC Roundtable discussion. We take a pulse of the Atlantic Coast Conference through seven weeks and peer into the crystal ball to see who is going to be playing in Tampa. If you'd like to participate, leave a link to your responses in the comments section below. We'll publish a wrap-up of the discussion later this week.
We are about halfway through the season with the heart of the ACC football schedule upon us. Let's take a temperature check. Who ya got in the ACC Championship game? Has this changed at all from the teams you penciled in at the beginning of the season as part of your preseason predictions?
We have the winner of the Boston College vs. Wake Forest game representing the Atlantic division in Tampa (yes, we know we're homers). In the Coastal, we have penciled in Virginia Tech to represent the other half of the conference. If the Hokies slip up this year (see below), we could see the winner of the Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina game slipping into the title game.
How does this stack up to our preseason predictions? Well I had picked Wake Forest to win a tiebreaker and represent the Atlantic and had Virginia Tech in the Coastal. Jeff (and nearly everyone else) had Clemson representing the Atlantic and Virginia Tech in the Coastal. We were wrong about Clemson, who at 3-3 (1-2 ACC) pretty much seems left for dead. The only way we can see Clemson sneaking back into the race is if they run the table in the ACC to finish 6-2.
We were both dead wrong about the length of the turnarounds in Chapel Hill and Atlantic, as we had the Tar Heels finishing 3rd and 4th in the Coastal, and had Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets finishing 5th in the division.
We've only played a few ACC games yet we've already seen some upsets of possible Championship game participants - notably Maryland over Clemson, Georgia Tech over Boston College, and Virginia over Maryland. Looking at the remaining ACC schedule, pick one league game for each of your ACC Championship game participants where they could be upset.
The trap game for Wake Forest will be their October 18 road trip to College Park to face the Maryland Terrapins. No team has looked so inconsistent from week to week than Friedgen's bunch. If the Maryland that beat California and throttled Eastern Michigan shows up, Wake Forest could be in for a rough day. If the Maryland who dropped a game at Middle Tennessee State or got shutout by the Virginia Cavaliers shows up, Wake should roll. Maryland will have had two full weeks to prepare to host the Deacons. If they don't show up, they have no more excuses.
If Wake drops a game to Maryland, we see the winner of the November 22 game between Boston College @ Wake Forest punching their ticket to Tampa.
The following weekend is the trap game for the Virginia Tech Hokies as they travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State. The Seminoles haven't beat the Hokies since 2005 when they upset Virginia Tech 27-22 in the first ACC Championship Game. Of course, if Virginia Tech does drop this game, they are still in the driver's seat to win their second consecutive Coastal Division title. The other game the Hokies should be on the lookout for is their November 13 trip to Miami.
Last one, the first BCS standings come out on October 19. While it is unlikely that an ACC team will play its way back into the National Title game conversation and a second at-large berth seems equally unlikely, at least we have the Orange Bowl! Is this the year the league puts an end to their 1-9 BCS skid? Why or why not?
This is the year. This is the damn year the ACC sheds its place as the punchline of all BCS Bowl jokes. Fingers crossed. The ACC will end their 1-9 BCS skid this year in the Orange Bowl. It largely depends on who is representing the Conference, but if the matchup is against the Big East champion in the Orange Bowl, we give the ACC a good chance to pull out the victory. Potential Big East champions include Pittsburgh, West Virginia or Cincinnati(?).
If the ACC's Orange Bowl opponent ends up being a BCS buster like Boise State, Utah or BYU, or a second team from the Big XII or the SEC, all bets are off (see: Boise State Fiesta Bowl, 2006). Note: the Orange Bowl gets the ACC Champion and the last at-large pick of the BCS bowls this year.
Please please please let this be the year ...
We are about halfway through the season with the heart of the ACC football schedule upon us. Let's take a temperature check. Who ya got in the ACC Championship game? Has this changed at all from the teams you penciled in at the beginning of the season as part of your preseason predictions?
We have the winner of the Boston College vs. Wake Forest game representing the Atlantic division in Tampa (yes, we know we're homers). In the Coastal, we have penciled in Virginia Tech to represent the other half of the conference. If the Hokies slip up this year (see below), we could see the winner of the Georgia Tech vs. North Carolina game slipping into the title game.
How does this stack up to our preseason predictions? Well I had picked Wake Forest to win a tiebreaker and represent the Atlantic and had Virginia Tech in the Coastal. Jeff (and nearly everyone else) had Clemson representing the Atlantic and Virginia Tech in the Coastal. We were wrong about Clemson, who at 3-3 (1-2 ACC) pretty much seems left for dead. The only way we can see Clemson sneaking back into the race is if they run the table in the ACC to finish 6-2.
We were both dead wrong about the length of the turnarounds in Chapel Hill and Atlantic, as we had the Tar Heels finishing 3rd and 4th in the Coastal, and had Paul Johnson's Yellow Jackets finishing 5th in the division.
We've only played a few ACC games yet we've already seen some upsets of possible Championship game participants - notably Maryland over Clemson, Georgia Tech over Boston College, and Virginia over Maryland. Looking at the remaining ACC schedule, pick one league game for each of your ACC Championship game participants where they could be upset.
The trap game for Wake Forest will be their October 18 road trip to College Park to face the Maryland Terrapins. No team has looked so inconsistent from week to week than Friedgen's bunch. If the Maryland that beat California and throttled Eastern Michigan shows up, Wake Forest could be in for a rough day. If the Maryland who dropped a game at Middle Tennessee State or got shutout by the Virginia Cavaliers shows up, Wake should roll. Maryland will have had two full weeks to prepare to host the Deacons. If they don't show up, they have no more excuses.
If Wake drops a game to Maryland, we see the winner of the November 22 game between Boston College @ Wake Forest punching their ticket to Tampa.
The following weekend is the trap game for the Virginia Tech Hokies as they travel to Tallahassee to face Florida State. The Seminoles haven't beat the Hokies since 2005 when they upset Virginia Tech 27-22 in the first ACC Championship Game. Of course, if Virginia Tech does drop this game, they are still in the driver's seat to win their second consecutive Coastal Division title. The other game the Hokies should be on the lookout for is their November 13 trip to Miami.
Last one, the first BCS standings come out on October 19. While it is unlikely that an ACC team will play its way back into the National Title game conversation and a second at-large berth seems equally unlikely, at least we have the Orange Bowl! Is this the year the league puts an end to their 1-9 BCS skid? Why or why not?
This is the year. This is the damn year the ACC sheds its place as the punchline of all BCS Bowl jokes. Fingers crossed. The ACC will end their 1-9 BCS skid this year in the Orange Bowl. It largely depends on who is representing the Conference, but if the matchup is against the Big East champion in the Orange Bowl, we give the ACC a good chance to pull out the victory. Potential Big East champions include Pittsburgh, West Virginia or Cincinnati(?).
If the ACC's Orange Bowl opponent ends up being a BCS buster like Boise State, Utah or BYU, or a second team from the Big XII or the SEC, all bets are off (see: Boise State Fiesta Bowl, 2006). Note: the Orange Bowl gets the ACC Champion and the last at-large pick of the BCS bowls this year.
Please please please let this be the year ...
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