ACC Abides Awful Weekend

Heading into the first "monster Saturday" of the year, the nation's focus was on three big games: No. 2 Ohio State versus No. 12 Miami (FL), No. 17 Florida State at No. 10 Oklahoma, and No. 18 Penn State at No. 1 Alabama.

Just about six hours into the day, the focus has shifted slightly toward how poorly the ACC has performed.

If you have yet to hear, two highly ranked ACC teams have already dropped non-conference games today. Georgia Tech lost to Kansas in Lawrence to a Jayhawk team that was thoroughly embarrassed one week ago.

Maybe even more embarrassing, Virginia Tech suffered a humiliating loss to James Madison today. The Dukes played mistake-free football, upending the Hokies 21-16.

With North Carolina being the only conference team with a bye this week, several others are facing rough thrashings.

Oklahoma played host to Florida State. The Sooners were listed as 6.5-point favorites before the game. Naturally, they led 34-7 at half time with quarterback Landry Jones making a case to become the fourth straight sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. The Sooners absolutely manhandled the Seminoles, cruising to a 47-17 victory.

As for the matchup between the best of the ACC-Big Ten, Miami (FL) quarterback Jacory Harris threw four interceptions against Ohio State State in a 36-24 loss.

Harris had a solid case to be in strong consideration for the Heisman, and was looking to lead the 'Canes to victory in Columbus. But the Buckeye defense has been absolutely boiling. Miami had only scored three points with their offense until a fourth quarter touchdown pass from Harris, relying on special teams for their two touchdowns.

Boston College played Kent State earlier today, and the game initially looked dismal. The Eagles took a 6-3 lead into the locker room, playing down to the MAC doormat's ability. Boston College went on to win in an unimpressive fashion, 26-13.

As for the later games, North Carolina State is actually a three-point underdog heading into their meeting with Central Florida. The Cavaliers of Virginia are 20-point underdogs as they head out to the West Coast to take on the USC Trojans.

So there you have it. The top four teams in the ACC drop like flies in a six-hour span.