JerryBeeds
07-23-2005, 08:23 AM
July 12, 2005
Commentary: Don't buy the ACC gridiron hype
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wallace
Rivals.com
I don't know who first said that we should learn from our mistakes, but when it comes to Atlantic Coast Conference football, the national media hasn't followed that long-standing advice.
Can Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst rebound from a tough junior season?
With college football season only six weeks away, prognosticators are touting the ACC as a major player on the national scene. This just one year after the conference laid an egg in the first year following its much publicized expansion.
As many as seven conference teams – Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Clemson and Georgia Tech – have appeared in various preseason top-25 polls, while Maryland and N.C. State have been touted by more than one publication as "teams to watch."
When the announcement was made two years ago that the Hurricanes, Hokies and Eagles would be joining the league, comparisons to heavyweight conferences like the SEC and Big 12 followed. Some went as far as to anoint the "new' ACC as the premier football conference in the land.
The hype continued into the first season, but Miami and Florida State failed to live up to their usual lofty expectations, while much ballyhooed teams like Virginia, Maryland, N.C. State and Clemson were exposed for their weaknesses.
Only surprise conference champion Virginia Tech stood out in 2004, as the ACC proved to be nothing more than perfectly average in year one after expansion.
Now make no mistake: it was an exciting year on the field in the conference, with great parity and some memorable upsets, including North Carolina's shocking win against the Hurricanes and Maryland's victory against Florida State.
But it also was evident the ACC had a long way to go before being mentioned in the same category as the SEC or Big 12.
So why all the accolades heading into this season? Great question.
My answer: Don't believe the hype.
This is a conference where each team lost at least three games a year ago, and the 2005 season will open with all 12 league squads facing major question marks at the quarterback position.
The league's top returning signal callers include Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst and Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball, players who had their fans fearing a turnover on every play a year ago.
Virginia Tech is hoping Marcus Vick is the answer at QB this season.
Virginia's Marques Hagans is back, and he's elusive and exciting. The fact remains, however, that he's a 5-foot-10 converted receiver and punt returner. Favorite target Heath Miller's move to the NFL won't help either.
In Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies, lauded as a top-five team by some, will hand the reins of the offense to embattled Marcus Vick, who as a college sophomore has a rap sheet with far more activity than his player bio.
Florida State's expected starter, Wyatt Sexton, will miss the season after some well-documented off-field problems, while Miami will turn to unproven sophomore Kyle Wright.
At Maryland and N.C. State, the goal for two anemic offenses simply will be to reach double figures in points in every game, while Boston College, virtually a consensus preseason top-20 team, won't have the luxury of pummeling Big East weaklings like Rutgers and Temple anymore.
The Virginia Cavaliers have great talent, but they've yet to prove they can win the big one with Coach Al Groh at the helm and they lost badly in their major tests last season.
Wake Forest and Duke simply aren't good enough right now to contend, and it could be a long year for North Carolina coach John Bunting, as the Tar Heels will face a schedule as difficult as any team in the land.
The ACC should feature plenty of solid defensive play this fall, but when you add it all up, what do you get? Most likely mediocrity, just like last year.
The good news for ACC fans, however, is that there's enough parity in the league to make for a fun season. Don't mistake mediocrity for boring.
Picking the squads that will play in the inaugural ACC championship game is far from an easy task, although most will go with the Seminoles and the Hurricanes. But as many as eight or nine conference teams could land in Jacksonville for the Dec. 3 title tilt without too many eyebrows being raised.
And while that's a good thing for the conference, it doesn't equate to the national stature that continues to be mistakenly bestowed upon the league.
True greatness has not arrived for the ACC. Only time will tell if it ever does.
Commentary: Don't buy the ACC gridiron hype
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chris Wallace
Rivals.com
I don't know who first said that we should learn from our mistakes, but when it comes to Atlantic Coast Conference football, the national media hasn't followed that long-standing advice.
Can Clemson quarterback Charlie Whitehurst rebound from a tough junior season?
With college football season only six weeks away, prognosticators are touting the ACC as a major player on the national scene. This just one year after the conference laid an egg in the first year following its much publicized expansion.
As many as seven conference teams – Miami, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Boston College, Clemson and Georgia Tech – have appeared in various preseason top-25 polls, while Maryland and N.C. State have been touted by more than one publication as "teams to watch."
When the announcement was made two years ago that the Hurricanes, Hokies and Eagles would be joining the league, comparisons to heavyweight conferences like the SEC and Big 12 followed. Some went as far as to anoint the "new' ACC as the premier football conference in the land.
The hype continued into the first season, but Miami and Florida State failed to live up to their usual lofty expectations, while much ballyhooed teams like Virginia, Maryland, N.C. State and Clemson were exposed for their weaknesses.
Only surprise conference champion Virginia Tech stood out in 2004, as the ACC proved to be nothing more than perfectly average in year one after expansion.
Now make no mistake: it was an exciting year on the field in the conference, with great parity and some memorable upsets, including North Carolina's shocking win against the Hurricanes and Maryland's victory against Florida State.
But it also was evident the ACC had a long way to go before being mentioned in the same category as the SEC or Big 12.
So why all the accolades heading into this season? Great question.
My answer: Don't believe the hype.
This is a conference where each team lost at least three games a year ago, and the 2005 season will open with all 12 league squads facing major question marks at the quarterback position.
The league's top returning signal callers include Clemson's Charlie Whitehurst and Georgia Tech's Reggie Ball, players who had their fans fearing a turnover on every play a year ago.
Virginia Tech is hoping Marcus Vick is the answer at QB this season.
Virginia's Marques Hagans is back, and he's elusive and exciting. The fact remains, however, that he's a 5-foot-10 converted receiver and punt returner. Favorite target Heath Miller's move to the NFL won't help either.
In Blacksburg, Va., the Hokies, lauded as a top-five team by some, will hand the reins of the offense to embattled Marcus Vick, who as a college sophomore has a rap sheet with far more activity than his player bio.
Florida State's expected starter, Wyatt Sexton, will miss the season after some well-documented off-field problems, while Miami will turn to unproven sophomore Kyle Wright.
At Maryland and N.C. State, the goal for two anemic offenses simply will be to reach double figures in points in every game, while Boston College, virtually a consensus preseason top-20 team, won't have the luxury of pummeling Big East weaklings like Rutgers and Temple anymore.
The Virginia Cavaliers have great talent, but they've yet to prove they can win the big one with Coach Al Groh at the helm and they lost badly in their major tests last season.
Wake Forest and Duke simply aren't good enough right now to contend, and it could be a long year for North Carolina coach John Bunting, as the Tar Heels will face a schedule as difficult as any team in the land.
The ACC should feature plenty of solid defensive play this fall, but when you add it all up, what do you get? Most likely mediocrity, just like last year.
The good news for ACC fans, however, is that there's enough parity in the league to make for a fun season. Don't mistake mediocrity for boring.
Picking the squads that will play in the inaugural ACC championship game is far from an easy task, although most will go with the Seminoles and the Hurricanes. But as many as eight or nine conference teams could land in Jacksonville for the Dec. 3 title tilt without too many eyebrows being raised.
And while that's a good thing for the conference, it doesn't equate to the national stature that continues to be mistakenly bestowed upon the league.
True greatness has not arrived for the ACC. Only time will tell if it ever does.