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The Atlantic Coast Conference was quite the enigma in 2008.  The ACC had 10 bowl teams and yet had no teams in the top 10 at seasons end.  The ACC had the best non-conference performance among the BCS conferences, and yet nobody seemed to notice.  Why is this?  

The ACC isn't sexy.  America loves sexy and in college football, offense is sexy.  The ACC, on the other hand, is a defensive conference.  Six of the ACC's head coaches have a background on the defensive side of the ball.  Compare that to the Big 12, where only three of the head coaches have a defensive background.  Head coach personalities are often reflected in the play of their teams, and that is the case with the ACC.  The ACC was the best defensive conference in 2008, but again, few noticed.  5 ACC teams had a top 20 defense in 2008, and all but two had a defense in the top half of college football.  No other conference came close.   Wake Forest featured 4 Defensive NFL draft picks in the first 4 rounds, including the #4 overall pick in linbebacker Aaron Curry.  That same Wake Forest team beat media darling Ole Miss and surprising Baylor out of conference, yet received little publicity for doing so with a 4-4 record in conference.  

The ACC's style is downright boring.  The majority of ACC coaches are very conservative.  They punt.  They play the field position game.  They don't run wide-open offenses.  The ACC has the lowest average margin of victory of all the major conferences.  The games are all close, because all the teams are talented.  There are no off-weeks in the ACC.  Teams who overlook an opponent lost to that opponent more often than not.  In many ways, the ACC resembles the NFL.  People enjoy NFL football, but there isn't a higher-scoring alternative played on Sundays.  As Tony Barnhart writes, the NFL loves the ACC.  Over the last 5 years, the ACC has the most first round picks on defense.

And while the ACC plays great defense, they also have some talent on the offensive side of the ball.  Most don't realize the good offense being played because of the defensive nature of the conference.  4 of the first 9 draft choices last year were from the ACC and 3 of those were offensive players.  The last two 1st round QB's chosen from the ACC have been big time hits (Matt Ryan and Phillip RIvers), in no small part because of the excellent defenses they faced in the ACC.

In 2009 though, the ACC might put a few more points on the scoreboard, and catch the eyes of some voters who ignored the conference last year, as more offensive-minded coaches gain control, and young quarterbacks become experienced veterans.  Inside, we preview the ACC with the help of some of the best writers who cover the ACC, in this first edition of the ACC Roundtable!  

We asked each writer three question sets about their team.  

• Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?
• The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?
• Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Atlantic Division

Boston College won the ACC Atlantic last year by virtue of a tiebreaker over FSU and Maryland.  

ATLANTIC	CONF. W-L	OVERALL W-L
Florida State	5-3	9-4
Boston College*	5-3	9-5
Maryland	4-4	8-5
Wake Forest	4-4	8-5
Clemson	4-4	7-6
North Carolina State	4-4	6-7

Talk about parity!  The entire Atlantic division was bowl eligible, and every team was within 1 game of playing for the conference championship.  This year, things look to be slightly more spread out, as several teams seem poised to take a big step forwards or backwards.  

Forget the ACC writer's picks.  Let's have a look at the current vegas odds:

9/4 Florida State
7/2 Clemson
7/2 North Carolina State
6/1 Wake Forest
9/1 Maryland 
21/1 Boston College

There's a wide divide between the top three and the next two, and then a huge gap between everyone and Boston College.  So let's start with Boston College.  

Boston College

Boston College has a new head coach in Frank Spaziani this season after their head coach (Jeff Jagodzinski) left the team to pursue NFL opportunities.  Spaziani was the Eagle's excellent defensive coordinator.  

In 2008, Boston College had arguably the best defense in the nation (with USC and UF having legitimate claims as well).  BC had two monsters in the middle.  Over 650lbs of defensive tackle tandem in B.J. Raji and Ron Brace, who would be selected in rounds 1 and 2 of the NFL draft, respectively.  They also had a Butkus Award Finalist in linebacker Mark Herzlich, a certain 1st round pick had he elected to leave school.  Tragically, he decided to return to school and was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer this off-season.  Not many schools have three or four early round draft choice types on defense, but BC had just that in 2008, and they rode that defense to the ACC championship game.  Boston College notched an incredible 26 interceptions, which led the nation.  They did this by dominating 1st and 2nd down with their huge defensive line and linebacking corps, which allowed their secondary to focus almost solely on the pass.  Interceptions come on 3rd and long and BC was great at forcing opposing offenses into 3rd and long.  This year, BC returns only 5 starters on defense, and none of those 5 are projected NFL selections.  To say that the talent has dropped off would be a huge understatement.  It's highly doubtful that BC's defense will come close to what it did last season, and the burden on the secondary should be significantly increased.  Were those defensive backs really that good?  Or were they the beneficiaries of a great front-7 that out opposing offenses in tough situations?  BC hopes for the former but Vegas seems to think it is the latter.  

On offense, BC was not great, but they weren't as bad as some might believe.  Consider that they had to face the excellent defenses of Virgina Tech (twice), North Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, and Florida State, and their numbers look a bit better.  They have either the best or second-best offensive line in the ACC, led by Center Matt Tenannt and Left Tackle Anthony Costanzo, both of whom should eventually be first day draft choices.  The wide receivers are experienced and are led by Rich Gunnell.  The major question is quarterback, which our BC writers discuss below.  

Your Boston College writers are Brian and Jeff of BC Interruption, one of the leading Boston College websites.  

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

BC will likely be better on the offensive side of the ball and worse on the defense side. Overall, this is probably a net loss. Unfortunately, this will show in the Eagles' final record. Notre Dame has a better chance of beating the Eagles this year (the game in South Bend). Our game against Virginia Tech in Blacksburg is nearly a sure loss, and it's difficult to find definite wins on our ACC schedule. A record of 9-3 (5-3 ACC) is likely a best, best case scenario with anywhere from 6-6 to 8-4 a possibility. In all liklihood the Eagles won't surpass their 2008 win total.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

I don't know if you can call it an injury per se, but obviously the biggest void for the Eagles to fill this season is in the linebacking corps with the loss of All-American Linebacker Mark Herzlich. Add to this the uncertainty of when Middle Linebacker Mike McLaughlin will return from tearing his Achilles back in March, and the Eagles will need newcomers to step up at linebacker. The Eagles will look to sophomores Dominick LeGrande and Will Thompson to fill the holes left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.  Spaziani will likely also rotate in redshirt freshmen Alex DiSanzo and Nick Clancy as well as senior Kevin Distaso. Of that group, however, only Will Thompson has significant experience as he played behind Robert Francois. These Eagles will hopefully step up, but it would be unreasonable to expect them to completely fill the void left by Herzlich and McLaughlin.

Incumbent starting quarterback Dominique Davis leaving for academic reasons might actually be a blessing in disguise. This allowed the Eagles to go out and recruit another quarterback in Dave Shinskie, who appears to be the front-runner for the starting position. Also, where Jeff Jagodzinski and Steve Logan favored more of the duel-threat style quarterback (Davis and Tuggle), early it appears Frank Spaziani and OC Gary Tranquill favor more of the traditional, pro-style quarterback (Shinskie, Marscovetra, Rettig, Bordner).

Less importantly, it would have been nice to see WR Clarence Megwa back in pads during the Eagles opening practices, however Megwa injured his right hand and has had to sit out of practice. If Megwa can get back on the field, he will join a talented wide receiving corps that has the potential to be one of the better units in the conference (provided the starting QB can get them the ball). Still, we are glad Megwa is back and has recovered from a fairly gruesome broken leg injury suffered vs. Clemson last season. Again, if the QB can get the receivers the ball, I would expect big things from seniors Rich Gunnell, Clarence Megwa and Justin Jarvis. Hopefully, Ifeanyi Momah will step up and serve as more than a goal-line, possession receiver.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Without a doubt, the preseason focus is on the starting quarterback position. We will only go as far as our starting quarterback will take us. Right now, the candidates are trying to shake off the rust in practice as no QB has any FBS game experience.

The Eagles proved last year that they could make noise in the ACC simply by having a competent, game-managing quarterback. If David Shinskie (or Tuggle/Marscovetra) can manage the game and not lose games a la Chris Crane, the Eagles will likely live up to or slightly surpass their preseason expectations. However, the starting quarterback will have to step up their game and be even better than Crane was last season if Eagles fans expect the team to overachieve this season. There are too many questions on the defensive side of the ball this season. To overachieve, BC will have to win the games they won last year with defense (Notre Dame, Virginia Tech round 1, Florida State) with their offense.

Boston College seems to always exceed expectations.  Losing their highly regarded head coach and their three best players from a season ago make Boston College a major longshot to win the division this season.  Very few teams have the ability to replace the players BC lost, and the Eagles aren't in that group of teams.  Bowl Eligibility should be considered a major victory for the Eagles.  

Key Note:  Boston College's defensive line and linebackers are 160lbs lighter this year than last year (1902 to 1742).  BC was huge in the front-7 in 2008, and this is a major drop-off.  

Prediction:  5-7 (2-6 ACC)  BC's off-season was rather devastating and will be too much to overcome.  

 

Maryland Terrapins 

Maryland was quite the enigma in 2008.  They beat bowl teams in Nevada, North Carolina, N.C. State, Wake Forest, Clemson, and Cal, yet lost to middle Tennessee State and were shut out by Virginia!  They do return their quarterback a running back, but their offensive line and wide receivers are major question marks.  They return just 4 starters on defense, and are switching from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 scheme, despite having a serious lack of depth along the defensive line.  

Your Maryland writer is Ben Broman, of the excellent Maryland website Testudo Times:

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

Short version: They'll be better, but the record won't be.

There's a lot to like about Maryland this year - a game-seasoned, fifth-year senior QB; a deep, talented stable of RBs with a frontline All-ACC starter; nine (yes, nine) game-ready WRs; a likely improved secondary; and leaders returning from the linebacking corps. The new defense, instilled by former UMass head coach Don Brown, has been getting rave reviews and has torn through the offense without fail so far, utilizing surprise blitzes and press coverage. While the defensive line has been getting a bad rap in the media, the new scheme will take a lot of pressure off them, and the projected starters all either have experience or were highly touted out of HS. There's only one problem, but it's a sizable one: the offensive line. The group is talented, but very, very young, which could render all those skill players moot, particularly early on as they adapt to playing when it counts.

By the end of the year, I'm fairly confident that the line will have gelled together and the weak spots will have been shored up, meaning this team will be a bear to play late in the season. At that point, there's no doubt in my mind this year's Maryland will be better than last year's. They might even be better already. But last year's Maryland overachieved a little, winning in spite of a constant prevent defense; so while they may win head-to-head, besting 8 wins may be tough to do, especially in an improved ACC.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Injuries have been quiet in College Park this off-season. The only major player lost was probable starting DT Dion Armstrong. He left the team due to academic ineligibility and fitness problems, but no one was really counting on his presence come September (these issues had been known for awhile). He'll be replaced by redshirt freshman A.J. Francis and true freshman Zach Kerr. Both should be able to do an adequate job in filling that hole - both are as talented as Armstrong, and very underrated.

There are a few other newcomers who could contribute, notably PK Nick Ferrara, G Pete White, LBs Darin Drakeford and Avery Murray, and RBs Caleb Porzel and D.J. Adams. Ferrara is a scholarship kicker, so you'd expect him to be the starter. White is a massive, talented guard, a position that doesn't have a lot of depth. Both Drakeford and Murray  enrolled in the spring to get a head start, and, because there's not a lot of depth at LB, could find themselves backups. Neither Porzel nor Adams are needed, but they're two of the most skilled and athletic players Maryland's brought in a long time, and have been impressing Ralph Friedgen in practice. Friedgen's known to be quick to burn RB redshirts, so the best of the two may see the field.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

Unquestionably, the offensive line. As I've already said, they're the one huge weakness. If they can show that they're better than what people are saying, even if that only ends up being average, I'll be very confident about this team. If I had to single out one guy, I'd say LG Lamar Young - he's very talented, but reportedly has some issues with attitude, an issue a group this young doesn't need to deal with.

While he wasn't always incredibly productive, teams had to pay a ton of attention to wide receiver Darious Heyward-Bey.  That won't be the case in 2009 as Bey is gone to the NFL (#7 overall choice.)

This Maryland team should take a step back.  Their over/under for wins in vegas is 6, and there are 9/2 odds available if you are brave enough to project the Terps to win more than 6 games.  Like Boston College, bowl eligibility should be considered a major victory for this team.  They lost a bunch.  The opening game at Cal is very likely to be a loss, probably of the blowout variety.  They then get two very winnable games against James Madison and Middle Tennessee State, but Maryland should be big underdogs in 5 of their final 9 games.  To be bowl eligible, they will need to win against Rutgers, Virginia, at Duke, & Boston College, or pull a big upset for each of those they lose.  

This is Maryland, so anything crazy is possible, but poor line play on both offense and defense, combined with a lack of quality depth should keep the Terps home during Bowl Season.  The Terps cannot sustain any injuries, particularly on defense.  Projection:  5-7 (3-5 ACC)  

 

Wake Forest

Wake Forest had one of the best defenses in the nation last season, as profiled above.  How they replace the departed defensive players and the play of their offensive line are the major issues facing the Deacons this year.  

The best site for Wake Forest coverage is undoubtedly Blogger So Dear,  the brainchild of Martin Rickman.  

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

Wake Forest probably won't be better than last year, but they do have some chance.  A program like Wake Forest can't replace 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th round NFL draft choices on defense in one season, but they do have a 4-year starter at quarterback and stable of runningbacks.  Vegas odds indicate it's very likely that Wake wins 7 games or fewer, but finishing 4-4 in conference play is doable, even if the team won't be as good, probably because of easier games against Boston College and Maryland.  

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Wake has been lucky this off-season and hasn't suffered any major injuries of note.  

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

The offensive line.  All five starters return from a group that was horrible last year, albeit somewhat because of injury.  Wake must get their running game in order so that QB Riley Skinner doesn't have to force so many passes.

Expect Wake's defense to take a step back this season.  Like Boston College, they depended largely on takeaways and those probably won't be there in the same quantity that they were last season.  Only 4 starters back on defense puts extra pressure on the offense to win some early games.  The game against Stanford should be particularly telling, as the Cardinal can really put up the points.  If the offense can carry this team early, they have a shot to reach 8 wins.  If the offense struggles, or the defense is worse than expected, Wake will be watching bowl season from their couch.  Wake will likely be favored in 7 of their games, and 7 wins seems about right for this squad, as they pull off one upset and drop one game they should win, and take a minor step back from their fantastic 2008 season.  Projection:  7-5, (3-5 ACC)

 

North Carolina State Wolfpack

The 'Pack almost had two different seasons in 2008.  WIth and without quarterback Russel Wilson:  

Wilson had an incredible 17-1 TD/ INT ratio last year.  

via Dr. Saturday

They also were the only team in the conference that featured an offense that was significantly better than their defense (Georgia Tech an FSU also had offenses which were better than their defenses, but not close to the huge discrepancy the Wolfpack had).  

With that in mind, we turn to James C. of the sarcastically named Yet Another NC State Sports Blog

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

Yes, State will be better this year, and yes, it will show up in the record. The reasons are simple: a capable backup quarterback for Russell Wilson and eight home games on the schedule.

State faltered last season when forced to call upon the quarterbacks on the depth chart behind Wilson. Both Harrison Beck and Daniel Evans were turnover machines; to a person, every State fan that I've talked to knew the PapaJohns.com Bowl was over the moment it was announced Wilson wouldn't return for the second half. Forget the fact that State was up by 11...the game was over at that point.

This season should be different, however. Six-foot-six redshirt freshman QB Mike Glennon -- the best looking quarterback prospect State has had on campus since Philip Rivers -- throws a crisp ball with a quick release and, per teammates, is deceptively quick in the pocket. He's an unknown commodity at this point, but he continues to impress Tom O'Brien in practice. He's made more than one allusion to Matt Ryan when speaking of the young Glennon.

With eight home games and two games against FCS opponents (a last- second change to the schedule required picking up a second FCS opponent), State's record is almost guaranteed to be better this season. Out of conference, I see State going 3-1 against its two FCS foes and South Carolina and Pitt. Going .500 over the remaining conference slate would still put the Pack at 7-5 and into a bowl bid.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

I don't think the ceiling for the Pack is as high as it was before losing All-Conference linebacker Nate Irving. Irving was the driving force behind State's defense last season when healthy, and he stood to be one of the league's best defenders before a car accident put him out of commission for the year. I don't know that any one player on State's roster can replace Irving, but Dwayne Maddox and Terrell Manning are two youngsters that could potentially make some noise in his place.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

State needs a running game. Bad. If Russell Wilson is to remain healthy for the full 12 games, State's running game has to step up and take some pressure off him. While the sight of Wilson scrambling is a nightmarish one for opposing defenses, it also puts the collective hearts of Wolfpack fans in their throats, hoping and praying this isn't the run that puts him out of commission for the rest of the year. So two units must step their games up in '09 -- the running backs and the offensive line. I'm a believer that everything on offense flows through the play of the OL, so if that comes together then I think everything else will fall into place. But bottom line -- State needs a two-pronged attack on offense to succeed this season.

Where I might've gotten brave in predicting nine or maybe even 10 wins prior to Irving's injury, I'm now thinking State will finish the regular season 8-4. That would be a solid step up and set the table for 2010 to be a tremendous season.

While NC State's offense was really a tale of two seasons, their defense was not.  State's defense was just bad last season- definitely in the bottom half of the country.  WIthout Irving, can they really be better?  The signs of improvement at the end of last season were likely a product of playing two bad offenses (Wake and Duke), and two really sloppy offenses (Miami and North Carolina- combined 9 turnovers).  

I applaud James for not being a homer in his evaluation and am torn between 8-4 and 7-5.  There's a real chance State can start 7-0, but again, it depends on the offense taking a small step forward and the defense taking a big step forward.  With Irving, I'd have said 8-4, but without Irving, I expect the 'Pack to lose 4 of their final 5 games, after starting 5-1, as they end up 7-5 (4-4 ACC).  

 

Clemson

There are two fine Clemson websites out there for Clemson fans.  First, Block-C (formerly Danny Ford is God), and ClempsonFootball.

Back on June 4th, I wrote this on why Clemson could win the Atlantic Division.  It did not go over well with many 'Nole fans.  

Clemson to win the ACC +1000  Hold on Noles fans.  Let me explain!  Where is the value in football?  Along the lines and on defense.  Quarterbacks are sexy.  Linemen are not.  This guy will never be on the cover of GQ:

via www.nflgridirongab.com

But he'll be paid millions upon millions of dollars because he weighs as much as a small elephant yet has the feet to win dancing with the stars.

Clemson's recruiting classes in 05-07 ranked 15th, 13th, and 16th nationally.  Clemson has 15 starters from those 3 classes.  That's 15 physically mature grown men who were very talented to begin with. 

And Clemson isn't sexy.  They lost their best wide receiver (Aaron kelley) and the 2nd leading all-time rusher in James Davis.  They also lost their quarterback.  Similar to UGA, people are writing Clemson off because they lost their recognizable players.  They did not, however, lose their best players, and that's what I care about. 

The Tigers were widely picked to dominate the ACC last year and flopped so poorly that their coach was fired.  Clemson was as overhyped last year as they are underhyped this year.  To understand why, let's review what happened to Clemson.  They got smoked by an Alabama team who nobody realized was elite until much later in the season, then they suffered huge injuries to both lines, particularly on the offensive line where they had 9 different guys start a game!  Their QB had serious personality issues, and he was a pocket passer type who suddenly had no pocket.  They were 3-1, but then lost three very close games @ Maryland, @ Wake Forest, and against Georgia Tech by an average of less than a field goal.  Know what I call that?  Bad luck, and it's proven that everyone wins about half of their games decided by 7 points or less.  Winning or losing a huge percentage of those is truly, variance.  Clemson was 1-4 in games decided by less than a touchdown.  If they had gone 3-2, they'd probably be ranked in the top 15 to start this year. 

So, did anything good come of their season? You bet.  First, they got an excellent defensive coordinator in Kevin Steele to replace an already excellent defensive coordinator in Vic Koenig.  Steele was at FSU forever, is considered one of the best defensive coordinators in America, and knows FSU's defensive scheme inside and out.  Second, Clemson already played excellent defense last year.  They were the 4th best defense in the country.  Their points per game numbers don't show it because the offense set them up in horrible field position after horrible field position, but that ultra comprehensive system (linked above) shows their true performance level.  Clemson will, have a defense that is in the conversation for "best in America", and I expect as many as 7 of these defenders to eventually be drafted in the first 3 or 4 rounds of the NFL draft.    Finally, they got a lot of guys experience on the offensive line.  Much like FSU, their offensive linemen took their lumps last year and will be much better this year.  Clemson's OLine is probably more talented than FSU's, though I am not prepared to call them better.  They received far less press because they didn't become so inexperienced until later in the season (brought on by injuries), while the Noles were very young from day one and got a lot of preseason press.  This year, they bring back all 5 of their main starters and these guys are very talented and experienced. 

At receiver, they return 2 of the top 3, and also have Dye (high 4* Junior), Jones (high 4* soph), McNeal 5* frosh, and Rendrick T aylor (Unproven, but a a greg jones/ cornelious ingram type athlete at tight end).  Jamie Harper (another high 4* RB) is more than capable of replacing James Davis at running back to go with CJ Spiller.  And at QB, they have Willie Korn and Kyle Parker (5* and 4* respectively).  Both are very talented players and the chance is that one WILL play pretty well.  Plus, Clemson's staff won't ask them to do much at all.  Behind a very talented line, and a great running game (likely), they will be asked to manage the game, throw play action passes, and make plays with their legs.  It's been proven that if you play NFL style ball (ultra conservative, defense, field position) in the ACC, you’ve been successful.  Eventually, that’ll stop because teams like FSU or Miami will just be better than folks and will play offense AND defense, but for my money, not this year.

What about the schedule? Clemson starts off @ GT on a Thursday night, but they play Middle Tennessee state before that, so it's effectively a bye week, they then get BC at home, go @ Maryland, get a bye week, play Wake Forest at home, then travel to Miami.  They then come home and get Coastal Carolina (a bye week) before hosting FSU.  FSU hasn't won at Clemson since before Chris Rix!  They then play @ NCST, and finish at home with Virginia. 

Clemson gets de facto bye weeks before their two most difficult games, and draw Virginia out of the Coastal, which is HUGE.

Playing at home, getting a bye week before FSU, and getting to play UVA gives Clemson a shot to win the division.

Clemson 2009 looks to be similar to Ole Miss 2008.  In 2007, Ole Miss:

*Went 0-3 in games decided by 4 points or less (the bad luck factor) (Like Clemson)
*Was loaded with talent from a coach who was a great recruiter (like Clemson)
* Fell way short of expectations (like Clemson)
* Fired their coach. (Like Clemson)

In 2008, Ole Miss team: 

* Returned 16 starters from those elite recruiting classes, including 9 on defense. (Clemson returns 15, including 8 or 9 on defense)
* Had an elite defense, especially their defensive line. (Much like Clemson)
* Had a new coach to energize the program, including quality coordinators.  (Like Clemson)
* Brought back an offensive line comprised almost entirely of talented upperclassmen (Like Clemson)
* Had a distinct lack of name skill-position talent (Like Clemson, except spiller)

And won the cotton bowl.  

The point of this exercise is that just because you haven't heard of the talent on a squad doesn't mean that the talent is not there.  Sometimes all it can take is a new coach or a lack of really bad luck to allow that talent to shine through.  Ole Miss won games with excellent defense, and a 5* QB who had tons of time behind a talented and more experienced OLine, despite Jevan Snead being a first time starter.

Since I wrote that, a few things have happened to Clemson.  They have remained mostly healthy, and named baseball star Kyle Parker their starting quarterback.  The defense should againbe among the nation's best as they return almost everyone, including maybe the Nation's best defensive line.  Playing at home against FSU, getting a bye week before the 'Noles (and a de facto bye week before Georgia Tech), and getting to play UVA (2 tough games against the Coastal Division) gives Clemson a shot to win the division.

The key will come down to how Clemson plays in 4 key ACC games.  @ Georgia Tech, @ Miami, v. Florida State, and @ NC State.  Provided they stay healthy on the offensive line, the offense should be improved.  

Projection:  9-3 (5-3 ACC).  

 

Florida State

FSU is covered here extensively.  The Seminole offense was the best in the conference last year, and the defense was above average in the conference and top 25 nationally.  

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

FSU should be significantly better this season, but their record might not reflect it.  FSU plays the toughest schedule in the nation, per Phil Steele and numerous other sources.  

Sep. 7	Miami-FL	8, ESPN
Sep. 12	Jacksonville St.	6, ESPN360.com
Sep. 19	at BYU	7, VERSUS
Sep. 26	South Florida	TBA
Oct. 3	at Boston College	TBA
Oct. 10	Georgia Tech	TBA
Oct. 22	at North Carolina	8, ESPN
Oct. 31	NC State	TBA
Nov. 7	at Clemson	TBA
Nov. 14	at Wake Forest	TBA
Nov. 21	Maryland	TBA
Nov. 28	at Florida	3:30, CBS

It's doubtful any team would run through that slate unscathed, including the National Championship favorites.  The 2009 FSU team would likely win 1 or 2 more games against last year's schedule.  Against this current schedule, it is anyone's guess.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

FSU lost fullbacks Seddrick Holloway and Marcus Sims to attrition, but neither projected to be a serious contributor as FSU moves to more two tight-end sets and away from the fullback.  

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

The interior of the defensive line.  FSU's run defense was horrible last season.  

The defense cannot allow opposing offenses to hold onto the ball forever like some did last season.  Getting the ball back to the offense will be key for FSU, as the offense will wear out opposing defenses.

Projection:  FSU goes 9-3, 6-2 in the ACC, losing to UF, Clemson, and one other team in conference.  

 

Coastal Division

Vegas says 4 teams have a legit shot to win this division:  Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Miami, and North Carolina.  Duke and Virginia do not and neither have a legitimate chance to make a bowl game.  

Let's start in reverse order, with VTech up first.

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech won the ACC last year and have won the Coastal division for almost every year it has existed.  We have two ACC writers:  GobblerCountry and College Game Balls. Take it away boys:  

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

GC: We'll be better and it will show in our record. He people over-hyping the Hokies this preseason forget that they're a team that lost four games last season. Tech may not win the ACC this year, but they won't lose four regular season games, either.

The talent on the offense has improved by leaps and bounds. It's just up to our offensive coordinator to utilize that talent. Other than quarterback, I think this team has better talent across the board than the 1999 team. But that team had a true difference-maker at quarterback.

If Tyrod Taylor turns into anything resembling a difference-maker, we'll be a special team.

CGB:  If we aren't better, then I want my proverbial money back. 2008 was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Hokies and lo and behold we win ten games (again), the ACC and the Orange Bowl. The only key players missing from ‘08 in ‘09 are DE Orion Martin, CB Macho Harris, LBs Purnell Sturdivant, Brent Warren and sigh QB Sean Glennon. With Bud Foster in charge I have faith we'll be able to overcome the losses on defense and the offense will be able to do more than enough to win ACC games.

As for our record, I am calling for us to win 11 games which is one better than last year. That's assuming we make it to and win the ACC Championship. That's why our trip to Atlanta is so crucial. And I'm not talking about the game versus Alabama, but our return trip against Georgia Tech. That's the must win game on our schedule.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

GC:  We lost our returning leading rusher, battering ram and bell cow in Darren Evans. Without him, the Hokies no longer have someone they can rely on in short-yardage situations.

The newcomers expected to have an impact are led by Ryan Williams, who I expect to get the bulk of the carries by the middle of the season. Williams' debut is the most anticipated by Hokie fans since that of Kevin Jones. He's supposed to be a home run hitter who can break any play for six points.

CGB: As far as the Hokies are concerned these two questions go hand-in-hand. At the beginning of camp Darren Evans, our only returning running back with any major carries, tore his ACL and was zonked for the year. Ryan Williams, David Wilson, Josh Oglesby and Tony Gregory are grinding it out in camp to see who is going to carry the rock come Bama time. They have a whopping 38 collegiate carries among them, 100% belonging to practice-killa-game-chilla Oglesby.

Williams and Wilson are the big play threats missing from the backfield over the past couple of seasons and because of the hype surrounding their recruitment most Hokies want to see them leading the ground attack. So far replacing Evans has gone as well as filling out a TPS Report. Williams is a me-ist and Oglesby and Wilson suffered their own nagging injuries. Ultimately, they'll get their yards but none of these guys are going to punish defenses like Evans did.

Both Sergio Render (Phil Steele #1 guard) and Jason Worilds (Preseason ACC 1st Team) had off-season shoulder surgery that forced them to miss spring ball. They're both healthy and practicing, but worth keeping an eye on.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

GC:  Just like every other year for the Hokies, it's the offensive line. They gave up the more sacks than any other ACC team even though they had a mobile quarterback under center for most of their games. The run blocking came along by the end of last year when Tech rolled up big rushing numbers against BC and Cincinnati. Hopefully that momentum can continue into 2009 and we can get better pass blocking.

CGB:  Tyrod Taylor, our young but seasoned receivers Danny Coale, Jarrett Boykin, Dyrell Roberts, our offensive line, whoever replaces Darren Evans at running back and finally the entire offensive coaching staff Billy Hite, Curt Newsome and Bryan Stinespring need to get their act in check if we are going to make some national noise. Yes I am that frustrated with our offense over the last four seasons. The only offensive player I left off the list is TE Greg Boone because he catches balls, knocks defenders on their butt and takes snaps out of the Wild Turkey. He does it all excellently and if necessary he should be called on to gain our tough yards.

Projection:  9-3 (6-2 ACC).  The Hokies hopes for a national title are unrealistic.  They are in the group of very good but not elite ACC teams.  They'll be recognized as the best ACC team, but that's because of their schedule- they avoid FSU and Clemson (the Atlantic's two best teams), and their road games are @ Duke, @ East Carolina, @ Maryland, and @ Virginia (only one of those teams should make a bowl game).  Virginia Tech isn't significantly better than abut 4 other ACC teams, but their ACC schedule is far and away the easiest of any ACC team, with all of their tough games coming at home (except Georgia Tech).  

 

Georgia Tech Yellowjackets

Georgia Tech surprised everyone last year under new Head Coach Paul Johnson.  They have an excellent offensive attack that forces the defense to be very disciplined and defend every inch of the field.  This is a team that put up 40+ on Georgia and 30+ on a number of other good defenses.  

Will your team be better than last year? Why? Will their record reflect this? Why?

Your writers are Winfield Featherson, Bird, and Dane, of From The Rumble Seat 

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

Our team will definitely be better in all aspects offensively - QB play, running backs, wide receivers, and line play. Historically, Paul Johnson's teams always increase their production in both the passing and the running game during his second year as head coach. Our defense will have a gaping hole on the defensive line (except for standout end Derrick Morgan) but it will be greatly strengthened by a strong corps of linebackers and a veteran secondary.

Despite improvements in all positions minus the D-line, the ACC makes for a helluva conference slate alongside three SEC OOC games. It's possible that GT's record may not improve on last year's 9 wins but the team will improve by leaps and bounds. However, anything short of 9 wins would be a big disappointment for a majority of the optimistic Yellow Jacket faithful.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

First off, a majority of our injuries were minor and not season-threatening. The major set back was obviously Jaybo Shaw, our competent backup to Josh Nesbitt. He'll be succeeded by a lot of raw redshirt and true freshmen if CPJ decides to put a medical redshirt on Shaw. Roddie Jones' wrist injury set him back as far as contact drills go but it shouldn't limit his playing time and overall effectiveness. And hopefully all of our LB's will be good as gold come Jacksonville State though Kyle Jackson continues to have problems with his foot.

The best newcomer is definitely going to be Jarrard Tarrant. He had his assault charges dropped against him in February that kept him off the 2008 squad. Tarrant brings speed to the secondary and competency at punt returns - a HUGE PROBLEM for GT since Gailey's tenure. Look for Tarrant to play a key role on defense and in the field position battle.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

With Jaybo Shaw out, Tevin Washington and David Sims must prove themselves as comparable backups. This will be trial by fire as they will certainly be used in games. The kicking game, though minor in Paul Johnson's system, must stay strong. Scott Blair will probably be limited to only PAT's which will keep his leg from dying half way through the season. Various questions also surround our defensive line as we lost multiple players to the NFL.

Prediction:  8-4 (5-3 ACC).  GTech's schedule is very tough, with road games at Miami and Florida State.  9-3 would not surprise me.  

 

Miami Hurricanes

A young Miami team went 7-6 last season behind an emerging offense and a poor defense.  They then fired their offensive coordinator.  Go figure.  See the diagram above (under FSU) and look at how bad Miami's run defense was.  Allowing 5 yards per rush attempt won't win many games.  If Miami is to contend for the coastal division championship, they must shore up their run defense issues. 

On offense, Miami has new coordinator Mark Wjipple, who will run a pro-style offense with lots of passes to the tight ends and running backs, QB Jacorry Harriss, RB's Cooper and James, and a ton of talented receivers including Aldarious Johnson and LaRon Byrd.  Miami's only question on offense is their offensive line, which played poorly in 2008.  If they are better, Miami will challenge FSU and Georgia Tech for the conference's top offense (and possibly for the division).  

Unlike Virginia Tech, Miami plays both Clemson and FSU.  They also play Oklahoma.  But Miami is also very talented and if they beat the Hokies in Blacksburg, they have a shot at the division.  Prediction:  Miami will be a better team in 2009, but their record will again be 7-5 (4-4 ACC) due to a tough schedule.

For much more in-depth canes coverage, visit 7thFloorBlog.com

 

North Carolia Tarheels

North Carolina is doing a great rebuilding job under Butch Davis, who is bringing renewed energy to Chapel Hill, along with a big increase in talent.

On offense, Carolina lost all of their receivers (including two NFL guys), and their offensive line is very shaky.  They go return their quarterback in T.J. Yates and a variety of solid runners, led by Shawn Droughn.  Can they replace their lost wide receivers?  Doubtful, but if the O-Line gels quickly they could use their running game to make up the difference.  

Carolina had one of the better defenses in the nation last year, and should again excel on that side of the ball.  They boast a huge front-7 which is excellent at stopping the run, allowing the secondary to play the pass.  

Projection:  8-4 (4-4 ACC)  UNC runs their weak non-conference slate with easy, wins at home against Duke and Virginia, and taking two of:  @ GTech, FSU, @ Virginia Tech, Miami, @ Boston College, and @ NCST.  

 

Virginia

Your writer is Brendan of From Old Virginia.  Take it away, Brendan:

Will your team be better than last year?  Why?  Will their record reflect this?  Why?

I think I will be surprised if the answers to these questions aren't a unanimous yes, except for maybe from the reigning ACC champs. It's that time of year. Yes, we will be better, and it has everything to do with the offensive side of the ball. We have a new coordinator who is almost guaranteed to be an improvement because the old one couldn't have been much worse. We have two (semi-)new quarterbacks, practically a whole new set of receivers, a new playbook with a new system, and hopefully a new and improved Mikell Simpson to carry the ball.

But what's new isn't half of why I'm looking forward to seeing the offense. It has more to do with what's older, and more experienced: the offensive line. A new and inexperienced line is a surefire formula for underachieving; ours spent nearly all of last season learning to play together and gelling as a unit, and four of five starters return. There's the right mix of new blood and experience on this offense to really open some eyes this year.

The ACC has been racked hard by injuries in the off-season.  Which players did your team lose and how will they replace them if at all? On the flip side, who are the newcomers expected to step up, if any?

Oh God - this question is here just for the sake of jinxing things, I just know it. Hopefully the football gods are not listening right at this moment, but Virginia hasn't had any significant, season-ending health issues - yet. Transfers and academic losses include defensive ends Andrew Devlin (formerly a tight end) and Kevin Crawford, tight end Rod Wheeler, and safety Rico Bell. There's also two freshman offensive linemen who didn't make it to the fall: Cody Wallace and Morgan Moses.

None were expected to start this year, and several of those wouldn't even have been on the two-deep. The depth at defensive end took a major hit though, and there will be some true freshmen who have to step up. Will Hill, our lone early enrollee, will be one, and there will probably be others. Most of the above losses are losses for good - these aren't like Jameel Sewell who had to spend a year getting eligible. The exceptions are Wallace and Moses, the freshmen. Wallace is probably a longshot at best to return, but Moses will begin his prep school career shortly and Virginia fans will be following it closely because Moses is three-hundred-thirty-twelve pounds of major-league talent.

As far as newcomers go, as with any team there will be plenty of former backups moving into a starting role. But there are three freshmen expected to make a major impact. WR Tim Smith is a tremendous talent as well as a true freshman and will be on the field from Day 1. In the backfield, redshirt frosh Torrey Mack is expected to share the load at running back, and classmate Steve Greer is a projected starter at inside linebacker. If you had to name three UVA freshmen to watch out for, it's far and away those three.

Which returning player (or position group ) must step their game up in order for your team to overachieve?

I'll take this to mean, which player was a regular last year and needs to improve his game? Imaginary players are well-known to be fatal to coaching careers (original question posed was poorly phrased), and anyway we have basically an entire linebacking corps that is new to the starting gig. But new starters always need to step it up. Two players come to mind. On defense, there's DE Matt Conrath. He showed a lot of promise last year as a freshman and played very well as freshmen go. But the brand-new linebacking corps needs help from both front and back if they're going to be successful. With Clint Sintim gone, we need a pass rush threat, and Conrath is the guy everyone's looking at to consistently provide it. The defensive line needs to be huge to take pressure off the linebackers, and it starts with Conrath.

On offense, Mikell Simpson had a terrific 2007 - just ask Maryland. But he was having a really awful 2008 until it was cut short by a broken collarbone. He's now in an offense tailor-made to his talents. He's always been at his best in space, and excels when he's the target of screen passes and such. The offense will get him the ball with room to run - he must take advantage.

I expect UVA to narrowly miss out on a bowl game, going 5-7 (2-6 ACC).  If they spring an upset against TCU, Maryland, or Georgia Tech, the Cavs will be bowling.  But that also assumes they don't have any letdowns, which is probably unrealistic, so 5-7 it is.

 

Duke 

The Blue Devils lost a ton from the surprising 2008 team.  No team lost more letterman than Duke.  Duke should continue to have one of the worst offenses in the country, and will be horrible running the ball.  The defense should be slightly below average, which for Duke, is acceptable.  Prediction:  2-10 (0-8).  This is a major rebuilding year for Duke despite the recognizeable name at quarterback.  

 

General ACC

Brandon Rink-On of http://ontheb-rink.com/blog answered the questions for us from a different perspective.  Enjoy:  

Every team believes they are a little better going into the season, but who will make the most improvement from season-to-season this year in the ACC? Georgia Tech? I don't know-last season was pretty good for
them. Clemson? Well, there are just too many unknowns there. My pick is Miami. They were a lot better team than they showed(or were coached) last season and should be more impressive this season. The
Canes will be led by a nasty defense that will wreak havoc on the Coastal. And the new offensive scheme has to be better than whatever their previous OC Turner was doing(which was?).

In the record, it will not quite translate into a division title, but they will be in contention(which is more than you can say for the last few years).

Virginia Tech is an easy one with the loss of one Darren Evans and key newcomer in Ryan Williams, but another team has caught my eye in the offseason. Let's say my team is Clemson, they lose two offensive
lineman, Barry Humphries to transfer and J.K. Jay to a back injury, and have a couple guys dinged up like their only real returning WR in Jacoby Ford. The starting five on the line is pretty solid for the Tigers, but