12 Reasons To Believe 2010 Is the Year for the ACC

Alas, football season is here after a hectic offseason which featured the expansion of two major BCS conferences and the near collapse of another.

Lost in the shuffle was the fact that the ACC had another respectable year despite failing to produce a BCS bowl winner or a national title contender.

The ACC produced seven bowl teams, a solid year for any conference. So, what will make 2010 any different? Here are 12 reasons to believe this year may be a good one for the ACC.

The ACC Is Stronger from the Bottom Up

It wasn't that long ago that there was a conference not unlike the present day ACC where the Duke Blue Devils permanently resided at the bottom of the standings.

For one team to be the perpetual cellar-dweller is not that uncommon, but for Duke football, it was different. They were the worst team in all of major college football.

No longer, and the rest of the ACC has been learning that over the last two years. Coach David Cutcliffe has brought a new life to Durham, and in doing so he has brought hope to the point where even sports writers believe Duke can be bowling within a year or two.

So having the team that had been the very worst playing bowl-level football only helps to show that the conference is heading in the right direction.

Fresh Blood

With all the discussions of the alleged agent interference issues facing North Carolina's football program, the Tar Heels could be on the brink.

They are the fresh-faced media darlings of the ACC heading into 2010. Why not, what with the defense that coach Butch Davis has assembled in Chapel Hill.

If North Carolina can escape any major NCAA punishments, its defense will be as strong as any in the league. If its offense can put up some points then it will be a very difficult team for anyone.

The ACC has a shot to make some noise if the Tar Heels can knock off LSU from the highly-touted SEC in the Kickoff Classic.

Dabo Swinney's a Real Coach

Clemson has always been one of those schools in the ACC that just never seemed to live up to the potential, especially under former coach Tommy Bowden.

It is funny that in the first full year following Bowden's removal as football coach, the Tigers won their division and nearly won the ACC crown.

The number of people who previously doubted the fresh-faced Swinney may have been proven wrong. He has proven at least for one year that he can make Clemson relevant on a large scale.

A repeat performance means the ACC will be all the stronger in 2010.

Boston College Cannot Be Killed by Conventional Means

Take away the team's successful coach, leave it with no experienced quarterback, and see the team's best player sit out with cancer, and that team is done for, right?

Well it would be unless is are Boston College. This team continues to surprise year in and year out, no matter how rough you think it will be for them.

The team was not supposed to do anything last year, and it made it to a bowl game. Perhaps it is luck, but the ACC is certainly enjoying the continued success the Eagles have had.

In 2010 I wouldn't bet against the Eagles, and that is more good news for the ACC.

You Can't Stop the Triple Option; You Can Only Hope To Contain It

Every year people doubt Paul Johnson's running-oriented triple option attack, and every year he proves them wrong.

Sure Georgia Tech lost a lot of weapons, but you can bet that with an experienced quarterback in Josh Nesbitt the Jackets will be just fine.

You can also bet that since Johnson's offense is geared toward running, he has a stable of backs you may never have heard of but who will still cause opposing defenses fits.

It isn't clear if the defending ACC champions can repeat, but it is clear they will still be good enough to keep it interesting in 2010.

NC State Cannot Suffer Any More Injuries

Since Tom O'Brien arrived in Raleigh, hopes have been high that NC State would turn the corner and compete for the ACC title.

Unfortunately since O'Brien arrived in Raleigh the Wolfpack have had to suffer through injury after injury. And the injuries were not just to reserves but to key players.

If NC State can avoid the injury bug this year, and simply by law of probability you'd say they are due, it has the talent to compete.

With a talented quarterback in Russell Wilson leading the offense, the Wolfpack can score, and if their defense can find a way to stop some people, they may make some noise in 2010.

And it is always good when the ACC's heartland schools can compete.

London's Calling

New Virginia coach Mike London knows how to win on the FCS level. He did quite a bit of it at Richmond. Just ask Duke.

London will hopefully re-energize the Cavs faithful and program that had high hopes under former coach Al Groh but saw his momentum fizzle out.

Virginia has always been one of those schools that is either really good or really bad. Chances are the team should be better than last year although not real competitors for the ACC in 2010.

That being said Virginia still won't be as bad as Duke has been in past years, which is good for the conference and Wahoo fans alike.

Wake Forest Has Taught the Doubting Thomases

No matter how successful Wake Forest has been, and that includes a recent ACC Championship, it is always underestimated.

Coach Jim Grobe has to love it because it always seems to give his group of overachievers the opportunity to sneak up on some people.

While much of the ACC is now on to the Demon Deacons' winning ways, that doesn't mean the other teams are beating them anymore. As long as Grobe is at Wake he will continue to prove that smart kids can play good football too.

Feel-good stories like Wake Forest make college football interesting, and it makes the ACC another good story to watch in 2010.

The ACC Could Join the PBA

In 2009 the ACC put seven teams in bowl games. It appears 2010 could be much of the same if not better.

You figure teams like Florida State, Clemson, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Virginia Tech all have pretty solid opportunities to get to a bowl.

Throw in Boston College and Wake Forest as serious contenders while mixing in the improved possibility of Duke getting a bowl, and the ACC could have anywhere from five to nine teams going bowling.

That many teams in a 12-team conference with realistic shots at bowl eligibility can only be a good thing.

ACC Teams Winning Early Season Showdowns

The ACC hasn't fared well in past years when it comes to the early season showdowns with other national powerhouses.

This year Va. Tech plays Boise State, North Carolina plays LSU, Miami plays at Ohio State, and Duke hosts Alabama.

With the exception of Duke's, all of those games are winnable for the ACC and would only go to enhance the conference's stock on the national scene.

ACC Has Shot at Two BCS Games

With all the prospects of going to bowls this year, you'd figure that the ACC for the first time might break through and get not one but two teams in to the BCS.

That may require some doing, but hopes are high that the top-tier teams in the conference will live up to the hype.

If so you could see the ACC championship game become a very marquee game, which it has not been in the recent past. For the first time the winner could be playing for a chance to play in the BCS title game.

Florida Schools' Swagger Returns and So Do National Title Hopes

Hopes are high that two schools added to the ACC to boost football will live up to their billing.

Both Florida State and Miami are believed to be back to their former selves or at least on the right track. That means ACC titles and national title games.

Miami showed some of that early swagger last year. If it can put it all together for a complete season, it could make things happen for the conference.

Meanwhile rival and neighbor Florida State hopes that year one under new coach Jimbo Fisher will be a return to the glory days of the 1990s when Florida State regularly finished in the Top Five.