'09 ACC football preview

Now we're in my territory! The ACC proved a year ago that they are one of the deepest conferences in college football, with 10 of the 12 teams in bowl games. But even more important that that they had a BCS bowl win for the first time in.....well.........lets just say the Florida State glory days. That being said the conference has several teams with bowl potential and probably around half the league is good enough to crack the top 25 by seasons end. Let's start with the two time defending champs in Virginia Tech. They had their share of ups and downs from loosing to East Carolina to winning an Orange Bowl. Well for hokie fans (myself included) this year should be as good if not better than last. Tyrod will FINALLY play QB by himself and Shaun Glennon can't turn the ball over. That being said the WR core is young but improving, just ask Boston College. The run game will be solid with Tyrod and Darren Evans not even to mention one of the top recruits in the country at RB. The Defense.....well is a typical VT defence with speed everywhere and with the return of Virgil and Whorilds they got the leadership needed. But they aren't the only ones in the ACC. North Carolina is young and maturing. Yates has potential to become a Carolina great and put UNC in a big time bowl game. Any time you have a young talented team the more they play the better they get and they'll win a lot of the close ones they lost. Florida State is in a similar position except for one thing.....Bobby Bowden is the head coach. Look for them to play VT in the ACC title game. With that said here is a quick team by team breakdown.



Boston College C-: A pretty low grade for a team who played in the ACC title game a year ago, but after a disastrous offseason, a new coach, QB, and not to mention the defence it will take a few games into the season for them to find out who they are and establish a good team chemistry. A rebuilding year to say the least.

Clemson C+: Giving any Clemson athletic team a grade is almost impossible. To prove this look no further than their 2008 campaign. Picked as the cream of the crop in the ACC they got scorched by Alabama and then won 3 in a row then lost to Maryland, Wake and Georgia Tech. After that run ACC hopes were gone. But with the return of Jacobe Ford and Cullin Harper Clemson "could" be good. Only time will tell or will it be a typical case of the "Tiger Sag"

Duke C-: Miracles do occur Duke not only won a game in the '08 campaign they won 4. Can anyone tell me the last time that happened....anyone. This year should just be a continuation of a pretty good year in the Duke football world. There young and basically return the same players from a year to go. Now that they know they can win a bowl game is not out of reach.

Florida State B: Any team that can be competitive with the '08 Florida squad and returns just about everyone has to be considered a force, not to mention Bobby Bowden is the head coach. Christian Ponder is a QB that has great potential but has got to avoid the late game mistake. Also FSU has a running game that will probably be 2nd in the league only to VT. The typical speed you find in any Florida team defence gives them the ability to play with anyone.

Georgia Tech B: The ramblin wreck will be in full force under the reigns if Paul Johnson. They will definitely challenge Virginia Tech for the Coastal title along with North Carolina. However if the option game fails GT does not have the passing game to beat good defences. GT with no option game is like a car without gas, it just doesn't work. 10 wins is definitely a possibility as well as an ACC title. More good news for the yellow jackets: they play VT in Atlanta not Blacksburg.

Maryland C: Combined with a lost talent and a tough schedule Maryland will be hard pressed to have a season much better than a year ago. They can compete with the big boys but the Terps are not a proven squad under pressure and their youth is not a help. Look for a 7 to 8 win season and a decent bowl game.

Miami C+: A huge test right out of the gate, traveling to Florida State. Talent is abound and it appears the U is headed in the right direction. Javaris James will be the anchor of a Miami offence that is trying to find its way back to the days of the late '90s and early 2000's. The defence is improving in a hurry and could crack the top 20 defences in the country. Any team with that talent is more than capable of a run in the ACC and have a nice bowl bash to end the season. If Miami is going to overtake VT in the coastal they'll have to win in Blacksburg.

North Carolina B-: Proven coach + easy non conference schedule = a 10 win season? The talent is there with T.J Yates at QB and while they lost Tate there is plenty of talent backing him up. UNC's road to the coastal title would also have to go through Blacksburg. But its not impossible especially since they know they can win having giving the game in Chapel Hill away last year. UNC has more experience which will lead to winning a lot of the close games they lost last year.

NC State C: Tom O'Brien is the main reason for State's recent success and with a developing QB in Daniel Evans the potential for success is there. We will see what they are made off when they host South Carolina on opening day. Expect 7 maybe 8 wins for a team that is headed in the right direction.

Virginia D: The new ugly duck in the ACC, yes even Duke is better. UVA hasn't beat their rivals VT since '03 and with Al Groh it doesn't seem like that streak is going to change. It is time for new leadership at Virginia and this team is the definition of a rebuilding team.

Virginia Tech B+: 2 time defending champs looking for a 3 peat and possibly a run at a BCS title. The Tech defense is run by Bud Foster and returns just about everyone from a nationally 7th ranked defense. Yes Macho Harris is not there but Virgil shows he can fill in just fine. The LB core is solid and as always at VT will be hunting down any opposing QB. Finally Tyrod is THE man in charge of the offence, no Glennon. Daren Evans and new recruit Ryan Williams. It's Hokie Hokie Hokie Hi time at VPI and a great possibility of a 3 peat.

Wake Forest C: Wake will continue to impress all the "experts". So does anyone know what's going to come out of Winston Salem? Well we do know they will be disciplined and have young talent that could blossom earlier than expected. Jim Grobe is a great coach and will have the Demon Deacs ready to play.

Favorite: Virginia Tech
Sleeper: North Carolina
Just flat out bad: Virginia
MVP: the VT defense
-Kyle