Oh Say, Can You ACC?
As other bloggers on this site will tell you, the SEC is where it’s at in terms of football in the South. The rings, trophies, and media hype will tell you that. But don’t sleep on the boys in the ACC. It’s really hard to rattle off the names of the schools in the ACC without thinking of the glory days of the programs, and some really good football. Miami? The U, NFL prospect machine with freak athletes and a mean streak. Florida State? DYNASTY, one of the best teams in the 90′s and 00′s. Virginia Tech? Scary team, always athletic and never takes a play off, offense, defense, or special teams. And that’s just getting started. NFL players have gotten their starts at NC State and Boston College. Georgia Tech, running their new triple option, is a very tough team to stop when they’re clicking. This SHOULD be a great conference.
So why is it frowned upon by the masses?
Miami has had a falling from grace. Suddenly, when there isn’t enough winning to cover up the bad boy attitude of the Hurricanes, the public eye starts to give them the death stare. Randy Shannon is getting this team back to where they need to be, but it will take some winning (without incident) to get people to believe in “The U” again.
Florida State has taken the Criminoles label to another level. As Bobby Bowden got up in age and lost control of the program, it became a bit of an ACC side-show. A once proud dynasty has fallen the way of the Cornhuskers. And that’s not a good thing. Florida is the best, or second best if you ask a Texan, state for football in the US, and there is no reason a proud program like FSU can’t get back to 10 years of top 5 finishes.
Virginia Tech just never seems to put it all together. There are days when they go out and dominate from start to finish. There are days when they have to fight and scrap to win. But then there are days when they look like they simply don’t belong as a top 25 team. Those are the days the Hokies (or Chokies, if you’re looking at it from that perspective) need to limit to take the next step, and become the next ACC dynasty. The talent that Beamer gets at Lane Stadium is ridiculously good, and it’s only a matter of time before Orange Bowl appearances start turning into Championship Game appearances.
So what should we expect from the ACC this year? In a year where the boys on the hardwood were a bit of a disappointment, I hope to see the boys hit Spring Practice hard, get ready to fight, and make a case for the ACC being a top 3 football conference. Miami will be a tough team to beat, VT will be strong, and if the ACC can get some good wins from FSU and others, I have no doubts that the perceptions may start to change.
However, if Miami comes out and loses to Ohio State, and the Hokies choke away a couple of wins, then it will be a long wait ’til the Blue Devils, Heels, Deacons, and Terps hit the hardwood again to try and give the ACC a good name.
Early predictions?
1. Virginia Tech (Top 5 finish, possible National Championship contender)
2. Miami (Top 10 finish, BCS game)
3. Georgia Tech (Top 15 finish)
4. North Carolina (Top 20 finish)
5. FSU (Top 25 finish)
6. Boston College (Others Receiving Votes finish)
7. Clemson
8. Virginia
9. Duke
10. Wake Forest
11. NC State
12. Maryland
