BLOG: Ranking the ACC
By: Roy Philpott
The bad news for ACC fans is the league is down. Way down.
Through the first two weeks of the season the league has seen N.C. State lose to Central Florida, Virginia lose to Wyoming, North Carolina lose to East Carolina and Virginia Tech and Miami get romped on the road against LSU and Oklahoma respectively.
The good news is there is still a lot of football left to be played and the race to Jacksonville is as wide open as it ever will be. As it stands now, three teams have separated themselves from the rest of the league: Georgia Tech, Boston College and Clemson, who are all 2-0. Maryland is also undefeated but has looked average in wins over lowly Villanova and Florida International.
Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida State figure to make some noise in the league as well, but the Hokies and 'Canes each have a bad loss and Florida State needed to rally to beat UAB at home.
While it is still early and things can change drastically from week to week, here's a look at our ACC rankings through the first two weeks of the season:
1. GEORGIA TECH (2-0, 0-0)
After thumping Notre Dame by 30 points on the road, giving the ACC its lone quality out-of-conference win this year, Georgia Tech put up an eye-popping 69 points on Samford in week two. The Yellow Jackets defense is for real and the offense is led by one of the most underrated backs in the country in Tashard Choice. There's a reason why Tech is a seven point favorite over the second best team (Boston College) in the ACC this weekend - this team is good.
2. BOSTON COLLEGE (2-0, 2-0)
The Eagles are the only team in the ACC with two conference (and division) wins. Matt Ryan is the best quarterback in the league and could be the reason Boston College ends up winning the Atlantic Division. The new wide-open attack installed by Jeff Jagodzinski seems to be working as well after B.C. scored 38 and 37 points in its wins over defending conference champion Wake Forest and N.C. State.
3. CLEMSON (2-0, 1-0)
The Tigers took care of business at home against No. 19 Florida State and Louisiana-Monroe. QB Cullen Harper appears to be more consistent than last year's starter Will Proctor but the scary thing is running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller have yet to truly explode. Next up is Furman before two stiff road tests in Raleigh and Atlanta. The game of the year in the ACC could be Clemson/Georgia Tech on Sept. 29.
4. VIRGINIA TECH (1-1, 0-0)
The Hokies have looked less than impressive in a 10-point win over East Carolina and a 41-point massacre at the hands of No. 2 LSU. Questions on the offensive and defensive lines persist, as well as at quarterback where Sean Glennon looks shaky and back-up Tyrod Taylor is very young. Still, the Hokies come in No. 4 on our list because nobody else in the league has done anything else to warrant being ranked higher and the defense can still be downright nasty.
5. MIAMI (1-1, 0-0)
This is where our rankings start to get sad. Miami, the same team that lost by 38 points at Oklahoma this weekend, comes in at No. 5. We'll give Oklahoma the benefit of the doubt and assume the Sooners are a legitimate top 5 team and look at the 'Canes romp over Marshall in the season opener to say there is hope in Coral Gables. This team will find a way to win eight games this season.
6. FLORIDA STATE (1-1, 0-1)
The Seminoles will likely move up this list by the end of the year, but after trailing UAB by 14 points in the first half at home this past weekend, this team needs to show improvement in a hurry. Florida State goes out of conference this weekend to Boulder, Colo. in another semi-important out-of-conference game for the ACC.
7. MARYLAND (2-0, 0-0)
Sure, the Terps are undefeated but look at the competition - Villanova and Florida International. How many years in a row can Maryland schedule cupcakes and fail to look impressive in beating those cupcakes? Jordan Steffy may be the worst quarterback in a league that lacks talent at quarterback. Upcoming games against West Virginia, Wake Forest, Rutgers and Georgia Tech will expose just how bad this team is.
8. WAKE FOREST (0-2, 0-1)
The Deacs gave Boston College and Nebraska all they could handle before falling in the fourth quarter. Still, this looks more like a team that will play a lot of close games and lose, especially if QB Riley Skinner isn't on the field. While Wake is still a scary team to play, this will be the season Jim Grobe and company come crashing back down to reality.
9. VIRGINIA (1-1, 1-0)
Yeah, this is the team lost by 17 points to Wyoming and then "coasted" to an 11-point home win over Duke. The defense is good, but the offense is horrible. Good thing the Cavs play in the same division as North Carolina and Duke.
10. N.C. STATE (0-2, 0-1)
The Pack may not be as bad as you think, especially when you consider they turned the ball over seven times against Boston College and were still very competitive. Questions at quarterback persist and now the injuries at running back could have this team begging for mercy by the end of the season. Tom O'Brien should upset a team or two along the way, but not until the end of the season.
11. NORTH CAROLINA(1-1, 0-1)
Give Butch Davis credit, had John Bunting still been coaching in Chapel Hill the Heels would have lost to Football Subdivision power James Madison in the season opener. Instead, North Carolina won by 23. Of course, this week's loss to East Carolina is another stain for the ACC, but that's another story. QB T.J. Yates has been a pleasant surprise.
12. DUKE(0-2, 0-1)
How much longer can Ted Roof last if his team fails to win another game this year? After the Blue Devils were pounded by Connecticut 45-14, they put together a more respectable performance against Virginia. But that was Virginia.
The bad news for ACC fans is the league is down. Way down.Through the first two weeks of the season the league has seen N.C. State lose to Central Florida, Virginia lose to Wyoming, North Carolina lose to East Carolina and Virginia Tech and Miami get romped on the road against LSU and Oklahoma respectively.
The good news is there is still a lot of football left to be played and the race to Jacksonville is as wide open as it ever will be. As it stands now, three teams have separated themselves from the rest of the league: Georgia Tech, Boston College and Clemson, who are all 2-0. Maryland is also undefeated but has looked average in wins over lowly Villanova and Florida International.
Virginia Tech, Miami and Florida State figure to make some noise in the league as well, but the Hokies and 'Canes each have a bad loss and Florida State needed to rally to beat UAB at home.
While it is still early and things can change drastically from week to week, here's a look at our ACC rankings through the first two weeks of the season:
1. GEORGIA TECH (2-0, 0-0)
After thumping Notre Dame by 30 points on the road, giving the ACC its lone quality out-of-conference win this year, Georgia Tech put up an eye-popping 69 points on Samford in week two. The Yellow Jackets defense is for real and the offense is led by one of the most underrated backs in the country in Tashard Choice. There's a reason why Tech is a seven point favorite over the second best team (Boston College) in the ACC this weekend - this team is good.
2. BOSTON COLLEGE (2-0, 2-0)
The Eagles are the only team in the ACC with two conference (and division) wins. Matt Ryan is the best quarterback in the league and could be the reason Boston College ends up winning the Atlantic Division. The new wide-open attack installed by Jeff Jagodzinski seems to be working as well after B.C. scored 38 and 37 points in its wins over defending conference champion Wake Forest and N.C. State.
3. CLEMSON (2-0, 1-0)
The Tigers took care of business at home against No. 19 Florida State and Louisiana-Monroe. QB Cullen Harper appears to be more consistent than last year's starter Will Proctor but the scary thing is running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller have yet to truly explode. Next up is Furman before two stiff road tests in Raleigh and Atlanta. The game of the year in the ACC could be Clemson/Georgia Tech on Sept. 29.
4. VIRGINIA TECH (1-1, 0-0)
The Hokies have looked less than impressive in a 10-point win over East Carolina and a 41-point massacre at the hands of No. 2 LSU. Questions on the offensive and defensive lines persist, as well as at quarterback where Sean Glennon looks shaky and back-up Tyrod Taylor is very young. Still, the Hokies come in No. 4 on our list because nobody else in the league has done anything else to warrant being ranked higher and the defense can still be downright nasty.
5. MIAMI (1-1, 0-0)
This is where our rankings start to get sad. Miami, the same team that lost by 38 points at Oklahoma this weekend, comes in at No. 5. We'll give Oklahoma the benefit of the doubt and assume the Sooners are a legitimate top 5 team and look at the 'Canes romp over Marshall in the season opener to say there is hope in Coral Gables. This team will find a way to win eight games this season.
6. FLORIDA STATE (1-1, 0-1)
The Seminoles will likely move up this list by the end of the year, but after trailing UAB by 14 points in the first half at home this past weekend, this team needs to show improvement in a hurry. Florida State goes out of conference this weekend to Boulder, Colo. in another semi-important out-of-conference game for the ACC.
7. MARYLAND (2-0, 0-0)
Sure, the Terps are undefeated but look at the competition - Villanova and Florida International. How many years in a row can Maryland schedule cupcakes and fail to look impressive in beating those cupcakes? Jordan Steffy may be the worst quarterback in a league that lacks talent at quarterback. Upcoming games against West Virginia, Wake Forest, Rutgers and Georgia Tech will expose just how bad this team is.
8. WAKE FOREST (0-2, 0-1)
The Deacs gave Boston College and Nebraska all they could handle before falling in the fourth quarter. Still, this looks more like a team that will play a lot of close games and lose, especially if QB Riley Skinner isn't on the field. While Wake is still a scary team to play, this will be the season Jim Grobe and company come crashing back down to reality.
9. VIRGINIA (1-1, 1-0)
Yeah, this is the team lost by 17 points to Wyoming and then "coasted" to an 11-point home win over Duke. The defense is good, but the offense is horrible. Good thing the Cavs play in the same division as North Carolina and Duke.
10. N.C. STATE (0-2, 0-1)
The Pack may not be as bad as you think, especially when you consider they turned the ball over seven times against Boston College and were still very competitive. Questions at quarterback persist and now the injuries at running back could have this team begging for mercy by the end of the season. Tom O'Brien should upset a team or two along the way, but not until the end of the season.
11. NORTH CAROLINA(1-1, 0-1)
Give Butch Davis credit, had John Bunting still been coaching in Chapel Hill the Heels would have lost to Football Subdivision power James Madison in the season opener. Instead, North Carolina won by 23. Of course, this week's loss to East Carolina is another stain for the ACC, but that's another story. QB T.J. Yates has been a pleasant surprise.
12. DUKE(0-2, 0-1)
How much longer can Ted Roof last if his team fails to win another game this year? After the Blue Devils were pounded by Connecticut 45-14, they put together a more respectable performance against Virginia. But that was Virginia.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 11:19 AM
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