ACC Football: What We've Learned After Week 3
The opening week for the ACC was thrilling. Maryland made a spectacular goal-line stand to seal a win over Navy while North Carolina and Virginia Tech came a play away from beating nationally ranked opponents.
The reputation of the ACC was then torn to pieces in week two. After embarrassing losses to Kansas and James Madison, the nation found more than enough reasons to back up their lack of respect for the conference.
Week three, however, went more as expected, even in the minds of those who are ACC fans.
There weren’t any major upsets, maybe with the exception of N.C. State over Cincinnati. Even the games that were close ultimately went as predicted. ESPN ACC blogger Heather Dinich picked every game correctly and people who check the website regularly know how well she predicts games.
But analyzing the teams individually puts together a comprehensive image of the conference. Sadly, it's not a great one. This slideshow will take a look at a few things each ACC football team has learned about itself heading into week four and the state of the conference.
Boston College
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Coming into 2010, the Eagles looked to “surprise” in the ACC. I use quotations because they seem to do it every year.
But against two lowly opponents in Weber and Kent State, the touted defense has somewhat underwhelmed in points allowed. With tackling machines Mark Herzlich and Luke Kuechly returning on defense, it was expected that Boston College would have allowed less than 16.5 points per game.
Don’t get me wrong, that’s a great number, it just didn’t come against quality opponents. The same can be said for running back Montel Harris. He emerged as a premier back in 2009 but has really underwhelmed in 2010, only averaging a pedestrian 4.1 yards per carry.
Boston College is one of the few teams both in the ACC and the country who has yet to find out who they are. This week’s game against Virginia Tech should give us a better clue as to what type of season the Eagles will have.
Clemson
2 of 13
The Tigers aren’t ready for the big stage yet. They performed admirably against an explosive Auburn team on the road but a botched snap was too much to overcome.
After getting dominated by North Texas in time of possession, there wasn’t much optimism surrounding Clemson but they came together when it mattered. Just not enough to get the win.
Andre Ellington has stepped into the big shoes of C.J. Spiller with relative ease. Kyle Parker has overcome a somewhat shaky start to prove that staying in college was the right move. They are still looking for a standout wide receiver but there is enough talent to compensate.
Overall, Clemson looks to be one of the few ACC teams who look ready to compete on a weekly basis. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Tigers represent the Atlantic Division once again in the ACC championship game.
Duke
3 of 13
Duke has been consistently the worst football school in the ACC for the past decade. There was some quiet optimism surrounding the Blue Devils heading into 2010 and whispers of a bowl game.
But after losing a shootout to Wake Forest and getting dominated by Alabama, it appears they will be waiting at least another year to get to that elusive bowl. Sean Renfree has made a kept the offense moving but defensive woes have really put the Devils behind the eight ball.
The ACC is one of the deepest conferences this year with the four bottom teams fighting it out between each other. That doesn’t bode well for Duke, a team that can’t seem to win the close games.
There is progress being made by David Cutcliffe in Durham, it’s just been painfully slow. It wouldn’t be surprising for Duke to pull off an upset this season but looking at the season as a whole, it’s still status quo.
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Florida State
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The Seminoles have been looking to make a national resurgence for years now and this year sounded like every other. After a plain awful season on defense, FSU, with the help of Mark Stoops, actually seems to have turned a corner.
Then they went to Oklahoma. The Sooners have an excellent team this season but haven’t put together a complete game against anyone other than Florida State.
Then BYU came to Tallahassee. BYU is not the same team that beat Oklahoma to start 2009 but the win shows a lot of grit and determination by a team that has become rather undisciplined. They appear to be improving with every game and that could spell disaster for a team like Clemson.
We won’t know how well the Seminoles can really play consistently until at least the middle of the season. But if they can find a replacement for Christian Ponder, Florida State will likely return to dominance.
Georgia Tech
5 of 13
The defending ACC champions had a lot of people to prove wrong in 2010. The loss of Jonathan Dwyer, Demaryius Thomas and Derrick Morgan left a lot of questions. After losing to a Kansas team that lost to North Dakota State, the questions turned out to be valid.
The triple option hasn’t slowed down with Josh(ua) Nesbitt running it but Stephen Hill has not lived up to the hype. At all. And Al Groh has yet to make a significant impact on a defense that left a lot to be desired in 2009. And Nesbitt’s passing ability has yet to be displayed.
Yes, the Yellow Jackets beat UNC but does anyone know how good UNC really is? They don’t have an extremely easy game for the rest of the year given the improvement of Duke and Virginia and a few of tough games in Clemson, Virginia Tech and Miami.
At the moment, it looks like Georgia Tech will be battling for second place in the Coastal behind Miami. And with extra time to prepare and home-field advantage, Virginia Tech will likely be the favorites heading into Nerd Fest. Until proven otherwise, the Yellow Jackets won’t repeat in the ACC.
Maryland
6 of 13
There was a lot of skepticism in College Park given the pathetic 2-10 record in 2009. Then the Terps stalled the Navy Midshipmen on their final drive and win 17 – 14. They then went on to crush Morgan State only to come out pathetically in the first half against West Virginia.
So where does that leave Maryland? Probably somewhere in between the Navy and WVU game.
A team doesn’t go from two and ten to ten and two in a season. But Maryland has proved it belongs in the ACC and can challenge for the title if some things go their way. The Terrapins and the Wolfpack are the two big reasons why the Atlantic division race has become so intriguing.
Maryland has established themselves as a team that can’t be overlooked. But if Maryland can continue to play to the level they were at in their first two games, they will take Ralph Freidgen squarely off the hot seat and into the mix for coach of the year.
Miami
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The Hurricanes have staked their claim as the ACC’s best team. So they lost at Ohio State, they weren’t expected to. The fact that they played the second best team in the country so well is more than anyone else can say.
The defense has really stepped up and with a lethal passing game and a stable of running backs, Miami may be able to run the table in the ACC.
The only glaring problem is Jacory Harris and his inability to throw to his own team against quality defenses. He has embraced the challenge of leading the Hurricanes but until his TD – interception ratio improves, Miami won’t become a top five team.
But they could be a top ten team if everything stays status quo.
North Carolina
8 of 13
The season looked promising when the Tar Heel juniors decided to come back for their senior year. But all of their hopes came crashing down as the NCAA came to Chapel Hill.
The University of Non-Compliance hasn’t been able to recover and you can’t exactly blame them for it. LSU and Georgia Tech are solid teams despite their shortcomings and without players like Marvin Austin and Greg Little, UNC isn’t much more than Virginia or Duke. And they only lost the games by six points each.
Not that it really matters at this point but T.J. Yates has been one of the feel-good stories of the year. After taking a step back in 2009, Yates proved that he is completely capable of running the offense.
He also proved he can’t do it by himself. The rookies who didn’t expect to start for another year floundered early but they are coming together quickly as a team.
The good news is that North Carolina won’t finish last in the division, a spot likely claimed by the Blue Devils. The bad news is that they likely won’t finish higher than third and have a distinct chance of losing their coach, Butch Davis, after the NCAA investigation concludes. It will be another year before Chapel Hill can get excited about anything other than basketball.
N.C. State
9 of 13
Anyone who follows the ACC knows Russell Wilson and how talented he is. It seems that now the rest of the country is starting to recognize it.
The Wolfpack haven’t had a problem putting up points in recent years but it’s the defense that has catapulted them from cellar dweller to contender. Nate Irving was clearly missed.
There’s a wave of apprehensive optimism in Raleigh now that N.C. State is undefeated. How long it will last depends on the defense because their schedule doesn’t allow for a letdown.
They will face a big challenge against Georgia Tech and will need a disciplined defensive effort in order to leave Atlanta with a win. It will be interesting to see how the Wolfpack perform against a defense not in rebuilding mode but they have enough momentum to pull it off.
I just don't think they will. It will probably be just an above average season for N.C. State.
Virginia
10 of 13
Getting rid of Al Groh was one of the best things to happen to UVA in a long time. But it may be an awkward reunion when they play Georgia Tech.
Mike London has made a noticeable difference in the program already, they were able to start the season with a win over an FCS program. But it was their three point loss at USC that really turned some heads.
I’m not a Lane Kiffin fan and I’m not exactly sold on USC after underwhelming at Minnesota. But if the improvement shown continues throughout the year, Virginia could really make some noise in the ACC.
They have already cut into rival Virginia Tech’s recruiting and will certainly make the Commonwealth Cup more interesting than it has been. Whether or not they can be a force in the ACC this year won’t be decided until they play a tough stretch against Florida State, Georgia Tech and UNC.
Unless they go at least two of three in the aforementioned games, they are just performing above expectations.
Virginia Tech
11 of 13
The Hokies have been the most disappointing team thus far in the ACC, possibly in the country. After garnering a top ten preseason ranking and coming a third down conversion away from beating Boise State, Virginia Tech fell from their tower to lowly James Madison.
The problems lie where skeptics predicted they would, in the trenches and defensive inexperience. They have been unable to get pressure on the quarterback, open a running lane and haven’t been able to tackle in space. Until those units become consistently good, Virginia Tech won’t go anywhere.
The running backs haven’t been as prolific as anticipated but, outside of Darren Evans inability to hold onto the football, it’s not really their fault.
It was weird but it seemed the offense became better once Ryan Williams went out of the game with a hamstring injury against ECU. The likely reason why is because the coaches want to get David Wilson’s speed going on the outside which is away from the offensive line. The offense has clicked when it spreads out the defense but fails miserably otherwise.
The talent is still there and the Hokies will likely end up earning a top fifteen spot if they continue to improve. But the writers won’t put them there after losing to JMU, even if the team comes together late in the season. Just ask Michigan.
Wake Forest
12 of 13
Someone needs to tell the Demon Deacons that they have to play defense. They are currently ranked 116th out of 120 in scoring defense and they played Presbyterian to start the season.
Riley Skinner was the face of the program and now that he’s gone, there isn’t too much going on in Winston-Salem.
They have found a nice replacement in Tanner Price but it’s simply not enough. With Florida State and Georgia Tech as upcoming games, don’t expect the trend to change anytime soon.
Sure, they won a shootout against Duke at home but if Maryland and N.C. State continue playing as they have, the Deacs probably won’t be favored in any game for the rest of the season. Until the defense steps up, they have no chance.
The ACC As a Whole
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A fair amount of teams have yet to play a quality opponent so things will likely continue to change as teams play stiffer competition.
But there has been enough games to determine a few things definitively about the ACC.
1) It’s not the worst BCS conference but the Big East isn’t too far behind. There was a fair amount of hype surrounding the ACC this season but it has failed miserably on the national stage. And there aren’t many opportunities left to impress this season. The conference is close but not close enough.
2) Miami is the best until proven otherwise. They have the talent and they proved they can play with the best teams. Interceptions and/or consistency would be the likely be the problem if one happens this season.
3) N.C. State, UVA and Maryland have pleasantly surprised. UNC, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech have failed miserably. The problem is that the nation only cares about the teams who dropped out of the rankings as opposed to programs rising from obscurity.
There is the Orange Bowl. Hopefully the ACC champion won’t play the Big East champion for a repeat snooze fest of the 2008 game. By the end of the season, whoever comes out on top of the ACC will likely be able to at least hang in with top opponents.
In order to reverse these trends, the ACC needs to learn how to not embarrass itself. If the conference is going to take the next step, it needs to spend more time on winning non-conference games and getting a team into the national championship race.
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