Projections
Costal Division
1.
North Carolina
2.
Miami
3.
Georgia Tech
4.
Virginia Tech
5.
Duke
6.
Virginia
Atlantic Division
1.
Clemson
2.
Florida State
3.
Boston College
4.
Wake Forest
5.
Maryland
6.
NC State
Conference Champions: North Carolina
Team Previews
The Best
North
Carolina Tar Heels
The ACC may be the most difficult of the
conferences to project heading into the 2010 season, because they really do
have so many good teams. Miami, VT, GT,
FSU, Clemson, or this Tar Heel squad could win the conference this year and it
would not be a surprise. The reason that
I am projecting UNC to carry the title in this crowded conference is a result
of the old adage “defense wins championships.”
The bottom line is this Tar Heel defense is my highest rated in the
nation, boasting 5 players who could be off the board in the first round of the
2011 NFL draft.
On the offense, senior quarterback TJ Yates
will have the opportunity to carry this team.
He has some experience as a starter, and if he can throw just a few more
TDs and a couple fewer INTs, he should keep this offense putting up enough
points to win a lot of games. If Shaun
Draughn is healthy for the whole season, he could approach the 1000 year mark
this season, if Butch Davis uses AJ Blue in the wildcat again, this could be a
fairly effective rushing team. The
receiving corps will all be back and have a lot more game time under their belt
than at this same point last year.
Senior, Greg Little will put up another 60+ catch campaign, and if Erik
Highsmith continues to develop, Yates will have some real weapons at his
disposal. Considering that the hogs up
front will be the best o-line unit that Davis has had in his time at UNC, this
offense will be good enough for the team to win most games.
If defense truly does win championships,
the Chapel Hill faithful have to be very excited about 2010. Robert Quinn and Marvin Austin are both
projected as top 10 picks in next April’s NFL draft, and these guys will give
UNC one of the scariest fronts in college football. You will not run against this team, and if
Quinn can continue to penetrate into opposing backfields, passing will not be
any fun either. Rounding out the front
seven you find two more first round prospects in OLB Bruce Carter, and MLB Quan
Sturdivant in the mix. Bottom line is
these guys will fly all over the field and tackle anything and everything. This is bad news for opposing offenses. When
opponents are able to stay upright for long enough to look downfield, they had
better account for safety, Dunta Williams, who will be patrolling the secondary
looking to improve on his 122 tackle, 6 interception junior season. Another first round talent, this ball hawk is
a dangerous man to throw against.
As for the schedule, no team in the ACC has
it easy. The Heels open up with a tough
battle against LSU, but I think they can come away with a win in that one. Home games against Georgia Tech, Clemson, and
Virginia Tech will all test this team.
They also have to visit Miami, and FSU this year, so the team will have
to remain sharp all year, but in the end, I expect to see this team shut down
almost everyone they face, and be in the hunt all season long.
The Surprise
Duke
Blue Devils
For years Duke football has been a
forgotten entity in the heart of basketball country. Now entering his third season in Durham, head
coach David Cutliffe is poised to surprise some teams this season. No longer should opponents simply pencil in a
“W” when they see the Blue Devils on their schedule. They do however play in a very crowded Costal
Division, so wins for this team will not come easily.
Duke loses the second all time leading
passer in ACC history as Thaddeus Lewis graduated, and now they place the ball
in the hands of Sean Renfree. This kid
showed real flashes when he did play last year, but his torn ACL could result
in a slow come back for this kid. If it
does, expect the team to insert freshman Sean Schroeder, who they are very high
on. Running back Desmond Scott will be
the primary ball carrier for Duke this year, and I think he could surprise some
folks and put up some real respectable totals in 2010. Conner Vernon, Donovan Varner and Austin
Kelly make up a solid group of receivers, and should provide this team the
ability to stretch the field a bit. The
real strength of this offense will be the big boys up front. This is easily the best group of o-linemen
Cutliffe has fielded in his tenure, with seven of last year’s top eight players
returning. The group will open holes for
the backs, and provide time for the QB to find his receivers.
On the defensive side of the ball things
are a bit different. The defensive line
will not be as good as it was in either of Duke’s past two seasons. Wes Oglesby is the only returning starter on
this unit, and he is not good enough on his own to make opposing offenses have
to adjust for him. Unless one of his
line mates can step it up, this group could struggle. The linebackers have a little more game
experience than their d-line counterparts, but again, this is a unit without a
real star. Each of the three starters
can be good within the system, but none can be counted on to take over a
game. The secondary on the other hand I
believe is on an upswing. I really like
the decision to move former wideout, Johnny Williams to corner, and I think he
could have a good season this year. Matt
Daniels will be back with 12 starts under his belt at safety too, and I think
although the group lost their star in Leon Wright, they be a better unit
overall this year.
From a scheduling perspective, the Blue
Devils will have to play hard to earn some wins, but I think they are ready for
the challenge. If they can win an early
season match up against Wake Forest, they could find themselves facing Miami on
October 16th win only one loss on their record (Alabama). Unfortunately, they have to travel to
Blacksburg the next week, and then they finish the year at Boston College, home
against Georgia Tech, and then on the road against UNC. Despite a tough schedule, if Duke can
surprise Wake and beat two Costal Division opponents, they could legitimately
finish the year 7-5 and playing some post season football.
The Slip
Georgia
Tech Yellow Jackets
After winning the ACC last season, the
Yellow Jackets are going to be a good team, capable of defending that
conference crown. Unfortunately, with
the maturation of the Tar Heel defense, and the talent of other Costal Division
teams like Miami and Va Tech, I expect the Yellow Jackets to slip a bit in
2010.
Joshua Nesbitt is a do it all type of
quarterback that can beat you with his arm or his feet. If he continues to improve, especially in the
passing game, he could be a real threat to unseat Christian Ponder, Tyrod
Taylor, or Jacory Harris as the best QB in the conference. In the offensive backfield with Nesbitt will
be Anthony Allen. Although they team
lost Jonathan Dwyer to early entry last season, Allen showed flashes of
brilliance, rushing for an amazing 9.7 ypc in his 64 attempts last season. Even if that average gets cut in half in
2010, this will be a very productive backfield for Tech. As far as receivers go, Georgia Tech will be
weaker than they were a year ago.
Demaryius Thomas jumped for the NFL, and his absence will leve this team
lacking a true number one target for Nesbitt to throw to this season. It is a good thing that Paul Johnson runs a
true option offense, and they will pick up a large number of their yards on the
ground. As for the o-line, the team does
return Senior Center, Sean Bedford and he will be good. Unfortunately, he is the only proven
commodity on this line, and that could make it a bit more difficult, especially
in the early part of the season, for this team to hit their stride.
Georgia Tech will transition this year into
a 3-4 defense. Overall I like this move,
mainly because they have a stronger linebacking unit than they do a defensive
line. Georgia Tech loses defending ACC
DPOY Derrick Morgan this year, and I believe this will make them weaker up
front. The linebackers however have the
chance to become a strength of this team, ast they return Brad Jefferson and get
Kyle Jackson back from injury. These
guys should emerge as the leaders of this defense with Morgan gone, and I
expect them to make a lot of tackles in 2010.
The secondary also losses their top player from last season, but they
have added two outstanding freshmen to this unit. Once they get some game time under their belt
they will be good, but until then, I think this group will slip some from last
year too.
With a weaker defense, and some questions
at receiver and o-line, the Yellow Jackets could be ripe for the picking. As early as September, they have to hit the
road and take on a tough challenge in the Tar Heels, and then later in the year
they have to visit Clemson, Virginia Tech, and then close at UGA. With a home battle against the Hurricanes
mixed in, it will be a tough road for a title defense for the Jackets. Whereas I fully expect this team to be in
each and every game they play this year, and I envision a Jan 1st
Bowl Game for them, I do not expect them to be earning a BCS Bowl bid this
year.
Don’t Forget About
Miami
Hurricanes, Virginia Tech Hokies, Clemson Tigers, and Florida State Seminoles
As I have mentioned a few times in this
article, the ACC is really anyone’s conference.
There are a lot of really good programs this year, and that is why this
section was so difficult to write. How
could I pick just one team to tell you not to forget about.
The Miami Hurricanes for example, may be
the most talented team overall in the conference. With Jacory Harris at QB, and Leonard
Hankerson at wideout, they will have the most dynamic QB/WR combo in the
conference. Add to these guys a defense
that features DE Allen Bailey, CB Brandon Harris, FS Ray Ray Armstrong, and a
slew of fast, hard-hitting linebackers, and you have a very good team that will
win a lot of football games.
Virginia Tech also has a feature QB in
Tyrod Taylor. Another guy who can beat
you with either his arm or feet, Taylor is poised to challenge for All-ACC 1st
Team honors this season. Ryan Williams
is a very good running back, and this sophomore will be picking up both yards
and touchdowns all season long. With
their most experienced receiving corp in years, the Hokies will score a lot of
points this year. Considering that
Beamer Ball will be alive and well for its 24th straight year, you
can count on exceptional special teams play from this group too.
Clemson is another team that has some real
talent on their roster, and are my choice for repeating in the ACC
Atlantic. Kyle Parker is a talented QB
ready to make a name for himself on the national scene. Running backs Andre Ellington and Jamie
Harper make for an outstanding pair in the Clemson backfield. On the defensive side of the ball, Clemson
features two possible first rounders in next year’s draft with DE Da’Quan
Bowers, and S DeAndre McDaniel. With all
of this talent, and one of the best young coaches in college football in Dabo
Swinney, they should really make life
difficult for all of their opponents.
Finally, the FSU Seminoles look poised to
become part of the national discussion once again. The legendary Bobby Bowden has retired, but
his protégé Jimbo Fisher is not brand new to the system, and the team should
not miss a beat in transition. Although
I believe he is a bit overrated, Christian Ponder is still a quality signal
caller, and with a good QB, you will have your chances to win. Losing Jarmon Fortson will hurt this team
though, so Ponder is going to have to find a new target to rely upon. Rodney Hudson anchors the big guys up front,
and he will prove that not only is he the best true guard in the country, but
the Noles o-line is one of the best units in the entire nation too. The defense was not real good in Tallahassee
last year, but with Sophomores Greg Reid and Jacobbi McDaniel leading the way,
the future looks bright for this FSU defense.
As I mentioned, I think the ACC is the
toughest conference to call. In fact,
except for Virginia, there are no bad teams in this conference. Even schools like Maryland, NC State, and
Wake Forest will put up wins next year, especially if you look past them. Because of this it is difficult to predict
who will come out on top, but what is not hard to guess is that there will be
some great football to watch all season long in the ACC.
