Opportunity abounds for ACC Football in 2010
- Harlon Jordan
Year after year it seems the Atlantic Coast Conference falls short and becomes the laughing stock of college football. Last years championship game thriller between Clemson and Georgia Tech was a prime example. It got absolutely abysmal ratings and was reduced to a lightning quick recap on sports networks. No one cared. Why should they? A week earlier, both teams were beat by middle of the pack SEC teams. The fans, the viewers, the writers - all have gotten used to ACC teams bea
ting up on one another, then getting their backside handed to them by someone from the Big XII or SEC. Or for a change of pace, getting waxed in the first game of the year, then beating up on each other. The last two seasons alone have seen an ACC-SEC battle on opening weekend in which Alabama steamrolled #7 Virginia Tech and #9 Clemson, respectively.
Last years 3-4 bowl game record didn’t help matters. ACC Champ Georgia Tech and it’s supposedly unstoppable offense was, well, stopped cold by Iowa in the Orange Bowl (the Yellow Jackets managed 155 yards of TOTAL offense in the game, over 200 yards fewer than their average). Miami, which was clearly head and shoulders above Wisconsin talent wise, lost the battle of “power vs speed” in the Champs bowl. North Carolina fell for the second year in a row to a Big East opponent in its home state. And Boston College, who held their own for a little while against USC, eventually lost by double digits. The lone bright spots were Virginia Tech and Clemson’s thumping of SEC schools and Florida State’s emotional win in Bobby Bowdens final game.
That brings us to 2010.
Right off the bat the ACC has four games of national prominence in the first two weeks of the season, and five more in the following weeks that give the league a chance to shake things up. One could argue a 4-0, or even 3-1 record would do wonders for the conferences respect. North Carolina and Florida State should be able to hold their own against LSU and Oklahoma, though not by much. The toss up games are Miami vs Ohio State and Virginia Tech vs Boise State. It’s been nearly impossible for teams to fully prepare for the Broncos and actually develop a gameplan that works and Ohio State looks absolutely stacked this season.
End of the year rivalry games will even shoulder a bit more weight this year. The losses last year by Georgia Tech and Clemson to their SEC counterparts cast a bad veil on the leagues title game, and another win by Florida over the Seminoles compounded the image problem. All three teams stack up much better this year and have no excuse not to walk away with a ‘W’.
Sep. 4th: Virginia Tech vs Boise State
If you don’t feel like a kid at Christmas talking about this one, you’re not a fan of football. Toss out the respect aspect of this one, and it’s still easily one of, if not the best, games of the season from a national perspective. The boys in blue from Boise State have risen to national power under Head Coach Chris Petersen, who has a career record of 49-4 (an astounding .925 winning percentage), guided last year’s Boise State team to its fourth undefeated regular season in six years, its seventh WAC championship in eight seasons, and finished the season with a No. 4 ranking by the Associated Press. 
They present an interesting challenge for a Virginia Tech team that lost seven starters on defense. Normally, that’s enough to cause a major problem for teams, but when is the last time Bud Foster had a sub par defensive season? Offensively, the Hokies are stacked with talent. Stud RB Ryan Williams had an all-star freshman campaign, and QB Tyrod Taylor has developed his passing game to respectable, complementing his scrambling skills. Both teams should be ranked in the top 10 in every major preseason poll, with Boise State likely seeing a spot as high as number two. A win by Beamers boys would go a long way for the conference as a whole.
Stat Smack: Classic ‘great offense vs great defense’
Boise State finished 2009 ranked first in the country in scoring. Not taking a single thing away from their offense, but a majority of those high scoring games were against sub-par defenses. Virginia Tech comes in boasting a Top 10 defense that should do what Oregon and TCU did to the Broncos last year – slow them down. Boise State won those two games purely because of stellar defense. But it won’t be that easy. Tech has arguably one of the best backfields in the country in Ryan Williams and Darren Evans, and mobile QB that has developed into a passing threat.
Sep. 4th: North Carolina vs LSU
The other opening weekend match up features a third consecutive ACC-SEC clash in the Georgia Dome, with North Carolina taking on LSU. As mentioned above, the last two tilts have seen Alabama blow through Clemson and Virginia Tech. This match up has all the makings a baseball score, with the Tar Heels and Tigers both featuring some of the best defenses in the game. In 2009, the Tar Heels finished sixth in the nation in total defense. While LSU allowed a few more yards per game, they actually allowed fewer points.
And to make matters more interesting, these dominant defenses are going against offenses that are almost the polar opposite. Both teams finished 2009 75th or worse in most major offensive categories, and averaged nearly the same scoring clip (25 for LSU; 24 for UNC). Throughout the year, they struggled to find an identity offensively. The 2010 version of these offenses should be a touch better, but don’t expect a high scoring affair.
Stat Smack: Battle of the…..offenses?
Which team will have an offense that actually shows up? In 2009, North Carolina finished the year 108th in the nation in total offense, barely putting up 300 yards a game. The Tigers were right behind them at 112th. While the Heels did take a drop at wide receiver, QB T.J. Yates is back and their running game should be improved. As crazy as it sounds, it might only take one scoring drive to win this one.
Sep. 11th: Miami at Ohio State
Revenge couldn’t come at a better time. I’m sure Hurricane faithful are still seeing red about the 2002 BCS National Title Game. For those that had their head under a rock, Ohio State won on what was thought to be questionable calling at the time. 
The 2010 version is shaping up to be a great one. The Hurricanes are slowly seeing a return to national respect under Head Coach Randy Shannon. After going 12-13 in his first two seasons, the Canes made a push for the ACC Title game in 2009, cracking the Top 10 at one point along the way, before a late season slide was topped off by a loss to Wisconsin in the Champs Bowl. Many preseason publications actually have them winning the conference this year.
They match up well against an Ohio State squad that finished the season 11-2, capped off by a 26-17 win against Oregon in the Rose Bowl. Buckeye QB Terrelle Pryor is a true dual-threat guy, and can wreak havoc on defenses that lack speed. That’s where Miami might have an edge. There are few teams in the nation with as much speed, and offensively they possess enough weapons to keep things close. Only time will tell though whether the young guns at the ‘U’ are knocked on their heels by one of the most intimidating stadiums in the country.
Stat Smack: Ohio State run defense vs the Miami rushing attack
The Buckeyes only allowed 90 yards rushing per game. The most they surrendered was 187 to Navy, which was actually a success considering the Midshipmen finished third in the nation in rushing with nearly 300 yards per game.
The Canes averaged a respectable 138 yards rushing per game last year, but coming into 2010 there are question marks. They lost All-American Jason Fox on the line, and starting RB Graig Cooper is still questionable after a nasty knee injury in the bowl game. Speedster Damien Berry is a viable option as a starter, but isnt proven yet.
Sep. 11th: Florida State at Oklahoma
This match up might not have the glitz and glamor of Miami and Ohio State, but it still has the potential to be a statement game for the league.
Year in and year out, Oklahoma is considered a powerhouse in college football. Their 2009 campaign was a bit of a disappointment, finishing 8-5 and only 5-3 in conference play. But of those 5 losses, four were by seven points or fewer. Their defense was still as strong as ever, winding up in the top 10 in almost every major defensive category. It presents an interesting challenge for a Seminole offense that looks to as powerful as any in the ACC. All-ACC quarterback Christian Ponder is back and has the luxury of lining up behind a seasoned offensive line that returns five starters for the second year in a row.
Stat Smack: The tale of two halves
The 2nd and 3rd quarters could prove to be vital in this one. Oklahoma scored nearly 60% of its points in the first two quarters of its games, while Florida State allowed 128 points (33% of total points allowed) in that same quarter. On the flip side, the Seminoles only allowed 58 points in the 3rd quarter last year while the Sooners struggled, only scoring 98 points total in the 3rd quarter.
Other out of conference games of note: Clemson at Auburn; Maryland at West Virginia; NC State vs Cincinnati; Miami at Pittsburgh; Duke vs Alabama
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