2011 ACC Football Preview: Jimbo, Frankie, Mr. Golden and the gang
It's July 11 as I begin to write this witty, immaculate prose. That's 52 days until Thursday, September 1, which is opening night ("Opening Night!") for college football. Do I/this site really have 52 days of things to say about the upcoming season? Good Lord no. But we can take a look at some conferences, some players, some zany themes where we do things like link coaches to movies, etc. It should be a fun ride. 52 days. That's less than two months, right?
We'll start with the ACC. It houses two schools dear to this site's founders in Florida State and Miami. We thought about writing that the proper way -- Miami (FL) -- but honestly, if you've gotten three or four lines into this and you think Miami of Ohio is in the ACC, you should probably go click back to American Girl and keep your order fresh. Whoa, that was kinda harsh. To calm myself down, I shall now write about the ACC this year.
The ACC, as you may know, is organized into two divisions: the somewhat-more-logical-than-how-the-Big-Ten-did-it "Atlantic" and "Coastal." We'll begin with the Atlantic.
The Atlantic Division
Florida State: It all begins and ends here on this side of the coin. You can say that E.J. Manuel might not be ready for the prime time stage, potentially, but otherwise this team is very solid all around. 10 wins last year, great recruiting classes left and right, and pretty much the only place in America where a "coach succession" plan actually has worked. If they beat Oklahoma on Sept. 17, they are a much bigger deal than just the ACC; then it's a legitimate national discussion.
Clemson: With Wisconsin enjoying a measure of success in the Big Ten recently, you can shift the "always the bridesmaid, never the bride" line over to Clemson, South Carolina. Great traditions -- Howard's Rock! -- and some great players -- The Fridge -- but honestly, you can make an argument that Clemson is the most disappointing D-1 program of the past two decades, relative to how much the school spends on football, puts into recruiting, and the passion of the fan base. They have a small, very outside shot to win this division -- coming in No. 2 is likely -- but since it's Clemson, can't we just go pencil in 8-4?
Maryland: Randy Edsall rode a bowl game (in which he got masscared) at UConn into a sweeter gig with Under Armour money, and his first year might not be too bad -- Danny O'Brien was ACC Rookie of the Year at QB last night, the O-Line returns four starters, the D-Line returns three starters, Dave Meggett is an emerging RB, etc. Edsall will probably do some things at Maryland since the ACC, top-to-bottom, isn't super strong (at present, it has one, maybe two, elite programs and then a bunch of teams in the bottom or middle), but it could take a while for people to respond to him.
North Carolina State: No Russell Wilson (he's at Wisco), so the new starter is Mike Glennon (Sean Glennon's younger brother). Seems like an also-ran, honestly.
Boston College: Ended last year losing five straight. Mark Herzlich is gone. Their remaining LBs are actually really good, but this anticipates as a long season in Chestnut Hill.
Wake Forest: Dang, yo! The bloom is really off that Jim Grobe rose, eh? When he ran the Deacs to the Orange Bowl in 2006, people were saying he'd succeed Paterno at PSU. Now, no one can name a gosh-darn player on this team ("Is Abbate still there?") and they have nine games this year against teams that went to a bowl last season, including three games against teams that will probably win 10 games this year (FSU, ND, VT). Ugly, ugly year in Winston-Salem. They do have an underrated crop of bars, though, so there's that.
The Coastal Division
Virginia Tech: Tyrod Taylor is gone. New dude is apparently Logan Thomas. Usually VT's problem is in September, no? The first four games are cake. If this machine gets rolling, it's another 10-11 win season, probably.
UNC: T.J. Yates is gone. New dude is Bryn Renner (great name, theoretically will get a ton of ass in college). They lost a lot of elite NFL-type defensive presences, but they return a crapload of experience on both lines. Big issue here: could all the Butch Davis stuff utterly crumble this season? Magic eight ball says maybe.
Miami: Has talent, and will get more talent. Ton of options at RB, so expect a lot of ground and pound. That's what she said. Jacory Harris needs to go the hell home. He throws up a lot of wounded ducks. This could be a 10-win team by 2012 if Al Golden's mentality clicks with 'em.
Duke: They play football here? Easy joke, admittedly. Perhaps too easy. But no, they're not about to be a threat in the ACC, or the Coastal. They do return 14 starters, though, and Sean Renfree is a decent chucker, so four-five wins isn't out of the question.
Georgia Tech: Here's the issue -- they lost most of their top offensive skill position players. They run the triple option. That's not an easy offense to master. There's a learning curve here, maybe in the form of a 4-8 campaign or some such. Paul Johnson is a wacky dude, though; he'll pull out a few YouTube sensations this season, probably.
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