The ACC has long been known as a basketball conference. With the influx of new coaches over the last few years and a renewed commitment to football, the ACC is beginning to become relevant again. This year should be no different with 5 teams ranked in the preseason poll. Let’s see how it shakes out.
1. Best things come to those who wait. It’s the first take for Jimbo Fisher. If he has half the success of Bobby Bowden, he’ll have done an outstanding job. He brings with him a new defensive coordinator in Mark Stoops. They have a solid O-line, which is great when you pair that with a senior QB in Christian Ponder. I’m not in the same group as the people touting him as a Heisman candidate, but he is a talented player. He’s got to show that he doesn’t still have any lingering issues from his shoulder injury from last year. If the defense doesn’t improve on last year’s performance, none of this will matter.
2. Ramblin Wreck. Georgia Tech returns one of the most dynamic quarterbacks, if not players, in all of college football, Joshua Nesbitt. Having a senior leader triggering that option offense has to make defensive coordinators shudder. Losing Demaryius Thomas is a huge blow, but Stephen Hill showed some flashes of brilliance as a freshman. There are plenty of running backs, as well, to grind up the clock. Coach Johnson has won a lot of games in his first two years in Atlanta, and this year should be no different. They are a team to watch as we head towards the BCS title game.
3. Beamer Ball. The most consistent team in the conference is Virginia Tech. They don’t ever change their strategy. They run the ball, play good defense, have strong special teams, and turn over the opposing offense. They have a tough battle to start the season with Boise St, but they have the advantage of playing it in Landover, MD. We’ll see how they fare with new players all over the field. You can never count out Beamer though. They’ve won half of the ACC titles over the last 6 years.
Jacory Harris and The U are back.
4. The U is back. Randy Shannon has done a great job bringing football back to South Beach. Can you believe it’s almost been a decade since they had the best talent in the country? Well, right now they have one of the best QBs in the conference in Jacory Harris. If he can consistently make the right decisions, the Canes should battle for the conference title. They return most of the guys from last year’s 9-win team. They had a great start to last season, but faded down the stretch. Down in Coral Gables, they’re hoping that experience will carry them to bigger things this year.
5. Nothing could be finer. NCAA sanctions have been all the rage this offseason, and the Tar Heels were no exception. Even though nothing has been levied against them, I have to believe that Marvin Austin is going to have a problem staying eligible. That’s a big deal, because they have a lot of talent on defense and he is the best of the bunch. A lot of expectations were put on this team when he announced his decision to come back to school. With their first 2 games against LSU and G-Tech, Butch Davis is going to have his work cut out for him. Their offense was very inconsistent, and unless that changes, UNC will continue to be a basketball school first.
After slugging it out in what should be a wide open conference this year, Georgia Tech is my pick to win the ACC. The option attack is so unique and with such a gifted athlete running it, they’ll be hard to beat. That Thursday night game in Blacksburg is going to be the best game of the conference season.
