ACC Atlantic: What we still don’t know
Spring practice has been over for a couple of weeks and so it’s time to take final looks at the teams in the ACC and SEC before we take our break in June. So here is our game plan for the week:
Today: ACC Atlantic
Tuesday: ACC Coastal
Wednesday: SEC East
Thursday: SEC West
Friday: Tony’s post-spring Top 25
This week we’ll just analyze the teams in alphabetical order. Before we break in June we’ll project the order of finish. If you want to debate the order of finish right now, please be my guest.
ACC ATLANTIC
BOSTON COLLEGE
Last season: 9-5, 5-3 ACC; lost to Vanderbilt 16-14 in Music City Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 7, defense 7, kickers 2.
Coach: Frank Spaziani (1st year).
What we still don’t know: Who will be the quarterback, Dominique Davis or Justin Tuggle? Both Davis, a sophomore, and Tuggle, a redshirt freshman, struggled in the spring so the competition will continue into fall camp under new offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill. Who is going to play DT? B.J. Raji was the No. 9 player taken in the 2009 NFL Draft. Ron Brace had 30 career starts. Both are gone and no one has stepped up yet. Damik Scafe (6-3, 293) and Kaleb Ramsey (6-3, 256) are the likely candidates. Frank Spaziani is a rookie head coach at the age of 62. How is that going to work out?
Opening game: Sept. 5 vs. Northeastern.
CLEMSON
Last season: 7-6, 4-4; lost to Nebraska 26-21 in Gator Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 7, defense 8, kickers 0.
Coach: Dabo Swinney, 4-3 in his second season.
What we still don’t know: Is Kyle Parker really going to be the guy at quarterback? The redshirt freshman from Jacksonville impressed a lot of people with his arm this spring and appears to have the edge over highly-regarded sophomore Willy Korn. Parker split his time between spring football and baseball, so it will be interesting to see how he responds when two-a-days arrive in August. Who will be the placekicker? Mark Buchholz made 88 consecutive extra points as Clemson’s placekicker and connected on 15 of 21 field goals last season. Redshirt freshman Spencer Benton seemed to have the edge over redshirt junior Richard Jackson but Swinney has not named a starter. Will new defensive coordinator Kevin Steele give that unit a little more toughness? The early returns say yes. If DE Ricky Sapp, who had ACL surgery in December, is ready to go in August, this could be a pretty salty bunch. We also think DE Da’Quan Bowers will be a star.
First game: Sept. 5 vs. Middle Tennessee.
FLORIDA STATE
Last season: 9-4, 5-3 ACC; beat Wisconsin 42-14 in Champs Sports Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 8, defense 5, kickers 0.
Coach: Bobby Bowden, 382-123-4 overall, 309-91-4 in 33 seasons at Florida State.
What we still don’t know: Who is going to play wide receiver? Greg Carr is gone after a very good four-year career and Preston Parker, who caught 104 passes in the past three seasons, was kicked off the team in February. Taiwan Easterling missed spring practice as he recovered from an Achilles heel injury. If Easterling is back at full strength it will probably be he and Bert Reed, who caught 23 passes last season. Redshirt senior Richard Goodman returns to the team after sitting out all of the 2008 season (broken leg). “We have talent at that position. What we don’t have is experience,” head coach Bobby Bowden said. “I think we’ll be okay there.” Can Kevin McNeal and Markus White replace Everette Brown and Neefy Moffett? Brown and Moffett combined for almost 20 sacks and 30 tackles for loss, so the short answer is no. But White is a former national JUCO player of the year and should shine as a senior.
Opening game: Sept. 7 vs. Miami.
MARYLAND
Last season: 8-5, 4-4 ACC; beat Nevada 42-35 in Humanitarian Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 6, defense 4, kickers 1.
Coach: Ralph Friedgen, 64-36 in eight season at Maryland.
What we still don’t know: Will a rebuilt offensive line give RB Da’Rel Scott a fighting chance? Scott ran for 1,133 yards in 2008, the third best effort ever for a sophomore running back at Maryland. But this season the Terps have to replace three offensive linemen who combined for 86 career starts. Can the defense improve under new coordinator Don Brown? Maryland finished ninth in the ACC in scoring defense (22.5 ppg) but gave up 100 points in its last three games. Brown, the head coach at UMass the past five seasons, has only four returning starters as he enters fall camp. “I felt very good about the progress we made on defense (during the spring),” Friedgen said. QB Chris Turner is 6-1 as a starter against teams ranked in the Top 25. But last season Maryland lost to Middle Tennessee (5-7) and Virginia (5-7). “We need for Chris to be consistent every week,” Friedgen said. Can Turner be consistent against the lower rated teams?
First game: Sept. 5 at California.
N.C. STATE
Last season: 6-7, 4-4 ACC; lost to Rutgers 29-23 in papajohns.com Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 7, defense 7, kickers 1.
Coach: Tom O’Brien, 86-59 overall, 11-14 in two seasons at N.C. State.
What we still don’t know: Can Toney Baker come all the way back? Baker rushed for 1,272 yards in 2005 and 2006 but has missed almost all of the past two seasons with injuries. But it will be hard on Baker because there are so many questions left about the offensive line. “It remains an area of concern,” O’Brien said. Will QB Russell Wilson run less? Yes, and O’Brien is going to see to it. Wilson became the first freshman in conference history be named the All-ACC quarterback last season. He recovered from a knee injury suffered in the bowl game and split time between football and baseball in the spring. “We’ve got to save his legs,” O’Brien said of Russell, who threw for 1,955 yards and ran for 388 more. Russell will enter the season having completed 249 consecutive passes without an interception. O’Brien has not ruled out the possibility that sophomore Mike Glennon will factor into the mix at quarterback. “He expects to compete for the job,” O’Brien said.
First game: Sept. 3 vs. South Carolina.
WAKE FOREST
Last season: 8-5, 4-4 ACC; beat Navy 29-19 in Eagle Bank Bowl.
Starters returning: Offense 9, defense 4, kicker 1.
Coach: Jim Grobe, 87-77-1 overall, 54-44-0 in eight years at Wake Forest.
What we still don’t know: Can the Deacons replace LB Aaron Curry, the number 4 draft choice? No, but Grobe thinks this will be the deepest group of linebackers he’s had in nine seasons at Wake Forest. What are they going to do about Sam Swank? Swank was one of the nation’s best punter/placekickers going into the 2008 season. Injuries limited his play as a senior but he will still be missed. Shane Popham, the apparent replacement, injured his knee in the last week of spring practice. But the job may fall to a true freshman, Jimmy Newman of Oxford, Ala., who some consider the top high school placekicker in the country. Who is going to be the big-play wide receiver? Senior quarterback Riley Skinner enters 2009 having completed 67.3 percent of his career passes. But with D.J. Boldin (77 catches) gone, Skinner needs a home-run threat at wide receiver to stretch the field. Wake Forest has eight proven receivers, including Devon Brown (10 catches), Jordan Williams (8 catches), Marshall Williams (25 catches). One of them has to step up.
First game: Sept. 5 vs. Baylor
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148 comments Add your comment
SpreadToption
May 11th, 2009
3:14 pm
45-42 State champs in Football 2008. Looking for Back to Back champs in 2009. maybe ugag fans would like to talk about basketball. no!!! What about baseball. Didn’t think so. Just go sit on the porch and take notes.
GO JACKETS!!! THWG
JB
May 11th, 2009
3:18 pm
Tech Basketball ???????? give us a history lesson because there’s no current news about that team.
I’ll take out baseball team thank you………….did he bring up Tech Basketball….I can hear slide rules breaking after reading that…….Don’t believe I’d brought that up Bro.
GT
May 11th, 2009
3:22 pm
You know the truth be told nobody in any league is that good any more. That causes a lot of confusion, but Southern Cal is about the only super talented team and the fat gutted boys lick their chops when USC goes down during the season escorting them as far away from the action as possible as quickly as possible so Ohio State can play a Southeastern Conference team. Florida loses to Miss. State which has got to be a weak team on anybodies schedule and never misses a beat, USC loses by one point to OU and is forgotten forever.
SpreadToption
May 11th, 2009
3:23 pm
The point is “they beat UGA in all three sports”.
JB
May 11th, 2009
3:25 pm
good year for ya’ll……..finally………
Otto
May 11th, 2009
3:36 pm
GT what are you babling about?
staff fan now
May 11th, 2009
3:40 pm
to mex dog…did that full stadium help the dogs last year in Athens on Dooley day?
And without staff and morono, the dogs will not bark very loud on “O” and does anyone know if your “D” man really changed anything?
to Huh?, Tech does not “own” that old clunker of a coach and now has a new johnson so don not claim you “own” anything!
One think has not changed….headlines about your boyz.
sidewalk74
May 11th, 2009
3:55 pm
Hey Reality Check,
CMR had the benefit of coaching against Chan Gailey 6 times. All I care about now is that CMP is 0-1 against CPJ.
Streaky yes, and GT still holds the longest streak at 8.
sidewalk74
May 11th, 2009
3:59 pm
I mean,
CMR is 0-1 against CMP.
Sorry for the typo
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:02 pm
SEC fans kill me. They act like they are the gods of college football. If the SEC is so dominant and we are talking about here and now, not what you did 10 years ago. Then why did the SEC have a losing record in the regular season against the ACC LAST SEASON?
The SEC is Florida and Bama (even though they got smoked by UTAH, yes I said UTAH) and then a rest are the middle of the pack teams right now.
After all last season an average Wake Forrest team took out the fast and rising Ole Miss team that beat all mighty Florida last year. Ga. Tech went into Athens and beat UGA. This is the same UGA team that just had the #1 pick in the NFL draft and had a running back picked in the top 15 and you still couldn’t beat Ga. Tech on your on field.
Keep barking Dogs fans but the fact is you dominated Ga. Tech under Chan Gailey. Chan Gailey is long gone and Paul Johnson in his 1st year with only 70 scholarships players AND THE YOUNGEST team in the ACC ran up and down the field on UGA like they where a bad middle school football team (which you were).
Keep living in the past and what you guys did while Gailey was at Ga. Tech. But the FACT is Paul Johnson (1), Richt (0) in head to head match-ups. You fair wheather UGA fans will be calling for Richt’s head after you lose to Ga. Tech next year.
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:10 pm
Do SEC fans want to talk about the worst team in the ACC (Duke) going into Vandy’s stadium and beating Vandy last year. The same Vandy who represented the SEC in a bowl game last year.
Probably not because that’s just more proof the SEC is an OVERRATED conference.
But please SEC fans keep telling the ACC fans how bad we are and how great you the SEC isdespite the facts the ACC’s worst team can beat a bowl bound SEC team on it’s home field.
Otto
May 11th, 2009
4:20 pm
THat same Bama team that lost to Utah destroyed an ACC Clemson. Who were the ACC wins against Ole Miss by 2 in Houston Nutts 2nd game, Miss. St., Vandy, UGA by 3.
Vandy lost twice late in the regular season and came back to beat BC with a healthier team. The SEC schedule is far more brutal than the ACC. Have fun beating up on the Mississippi teams with Houston in his 2nd year and Mullens at Miss St.
Keep living in your hopes and dreams, CPJ won once and heated the series up. Thank you for reminding the UGA players they have to show up for all 4 quarters.
ACC a joke
May 11th, 2009
4:25 pm
“The same Vandy who represented the SEC in a bowl game last year.”
Gee, and just who did that Vandy team beat in a bowl game?
Oh yeah, a team from the AIN’T COMPETITIVE CONFERENCE
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:26 pm
As bad as Tech’s basketball team was last year, and they were bad. They were still better than the pathetic UGA team. But keep talking JB. UGA has a pathetic incoming class (wow two 2 star players), while Tech has the 5th best class in the country coming in, including the #1 player in the nation. Hmmm …. I wonder what program has a brighter future?
Lets see football check, basketball check, and baseball check. Seriously can UGA beat any Tech team RIGHT NOW!!! Hey you always have your gymnastic team to fall back on.
Reality Check
May 11th, 2009
4:28 pm
Reality time again. CPJ is 1-0 versus every team that GT beat last year. This does not logically mean that GT will dominate every team that it beat last year. Weather it is Pepper Rogers, Bill Curry, George O’Leary, Chan Gailey or now CPJ, history and records since 1970 suggest that UGA will continue to dominate the series. For a couple of years GT may have success but it will not last. All GT fans hit us over the head with how smart you are, so tell me what the mathmatics say about the series since 1970?
Do not think you want to answer that one. lol.
LOL
May 11th, 2009
4:33 pm
Hey, you always have academics to fall back on….oh wait, nevermind.
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:34 pm
Great job…. Vandy you beat Boston College and there back up QB. But the fact is VANDY LOST TO DUKE!!! Let me repeat that for UGA fans because I know most of you are slowwwww. VANDY LOST TO DUKE!!! One more time, they lost to DUKE!!! Seems like UGA fans are also forgetting that you lost to Ga. Tech LAST YEAR!!! This is the same Ga. Team that played with only 70 scholarship players and was the youngest team in the ACC last year.
2008: Year one of Paul Johnson vs. Mark Richt. Paul Johnson 45, Richt 42.
Jim n Buckhead
May 11th, 2009
4:35 pm
ACC fan I agree somewhat with your break down but I would say it would come to VT and UNC…with GT contending……The jury is still out on CPJ and his offense…yeah it worked great for a half against UGA and certainly looked awesome against MS St… but it took a miracle play for you guys to beat FSU…it stuttered against one of the 1-AA schools….and of course was awful in a bowl game against a team UGA beat easily at their place…..
Huh?
May 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
“Reality time again. CPJ is 1-0 versus every team that GT beat last year. This does not logically mean that GT will dominate every team that it beat last year.”
If you have an engineering degree from the great institution of Georgia Tech that is apparently exactly what it means. You obviously live in a trailer and work the night shift at Waffle House. Carry on…
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:37 pm
Gosh, I realize I don’t know the difference between “their” and “there” but don’t hate me because
VANDY LOST TO DUKE!!! Let me repeat that for UGA fans because I know most of you are slowwwww. VANDY LOST TO DUKE!!! One more time, they lost to DUKE!!!
Otto
May 11th, 2009
4:39 pm
Cutcliff has played Vandy how many times? Vandy just came off Auburn, Miss St. and UGA in back to back to back games going into Duke and then a off week before UF. Is it really a shock. BC lost to Vandy because of a backup QB. BC lost to VANDY. COME ON LISTEN BC LOST TO VANDY. Vandy had not won a bowl in 53 YEARS. You hear that 53 years.
Reality Check Checked
May 11th, 2009
4:40 pm
Keep in mind that Georgia has every advantage you can think of over Ga. Tech. The Dawgs are the N.Y. Yankees of athletics in this state. Most unbiased pundits would agree that the team with advantages in tradition, facilities, athletics budget, alumni base and much more should win 3 times out of 4 at least.
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
4:41 pm
Who gives a crap about 1970????
It’s 2009 and in Paul Johnson’s 1st year he beat UGA who was a pre-season #1 team in the country with 70 scholarship players and the youngest team in the ACC on there on field. But keep believing it was a one-time thing. It only makes it that much sweeter when we run up and down the field on you guys this year.
Reality Check Checked
May 11th, 2009
4:47 pm
Forgot one of the biggest UGA advantages — less demanding academic requirements.
Huh?
May 11th, 2009
4:49 pm
“Keep in mind that Georgia has every advantage you can think of over Ga. Tech. The Dawgs are the N.Y. Yankees of athletics in this state. Most unbiased pundits would agree that the team with advantages in tradition, facilities, athletics budget, alumni base and much more should win 3 times out of 4 at least.”
Uh, is that supposed to be some kind of insult? We know that UGA craps all over Georgia Tech when it comes to the game of college football. This is not news. Thanks anyway though.
Gator Growl
May 11th, 2009
5:13 pm
Current bottom line: Florida, Bama, LSU would be favored over ANY ACC team if the game was being played this Saturday. Georgia and Ole Miss over most. Barring a really down year or a major upset in the SECCG, you will find the SEC champ in the NC game any givin year!
macrotech
May 11th, 2009
5:16 pm
Huh?, were are all the trophies to back up your statements? The New York Yankees?! Are you serious?! uga, i confess, is an easier team for the ‘common’ folk to identify with. Georgia is filled with people of all levels of stature, but is known throughout the country as a collection of trailor park, uneducated, cousin mating, dentally challenged rednecks…ask anyone outside the state lines. Having lived in Georgia for a number of years, I don’t buy it any more than I buy that uga students OR fans fall COMPLETELY in this catagory. Tech, the ‘nerd’ school, doesn’t appeal to ANY of these ideals. Our fan base is MUCH smaller, but not, in any way insignificant. Ours is a history rich tradition filled with ebbs and flows (like uga). We have the trophies to support this. You keep believing that the ACC is inferior to the sec….there is an ebb and flow and things appear to be flowing in our favor! You’re a dawg fan and i say more power to ya! I’m a Tech fan and I could give a flip about your thoughts regarding the ACC. My response is based on entertainment value and you DO entertain me. I thank you for that. We’ll see, in november, which team is THE team….right now, TECH IS THE TEAM! In regards to the ACC, things are looking pretty good. FLOW TECH!!!
MyWhiskeyClear
May 11th, 2009
5:30 pm
Otto, that makes sense. Maybe my verdicts on Kentucky and Vanderbilt were a little hasty, but my thoughts were that a VT, FSU or Clemson fit the “type” of SEC school a little better than those two. Biggest stadiums in the ACC, loudest fans, probably the most merchandising and out-of-state fan loyalty…and probably the most televised teams. I didn’t mean to make it sound like these three had history IN the SEC, but history as rivals to SEC teams and in the same region with fans that talk the same smack is good enough to me. GT fits that model plus their 5 very dusty SEC championships.
As a GT fan, I’d be content with your restructuring. I personally would love to see Tech back in rivalry matches with Auburn and Bama. I mean, we play them every five years or so, but it’s not what it could be. There won’t be another grudge match like Dodd vs. Bryant, but maybe Johnson vs. Saban could be interesting. We’ll see in 2011 I guess…
Now don’t get me wrong here, I think for GT to argue that this is even a good point it needs to be dominant (and I mean really…no more “co-division championships) for a good 5 years. But I figure if Texas programs came to the Big 12 as a packaged deal which included Baylor then it just seems cruel that GT was kept out of the SEC market when it’s literally surrounded by SEC programs. And money really is what turns programs around over time (OKState anyone?).
Reality sets in
May 11th, 2009
5:48 pm
In looking at reality checks handle it reminds me of when Jimmy Clausen commited to ND as a high school senior and said at a national awards banquet that he couldn’t wait to see if they could win 4 straight ncs.
Then in his freshman year as ND dropped to something like 0-4 and were getting the hell beat outta them by Mich. or someone it was late 4th qtr when the announcer brought up the statement at the banquet. As Clause walked off the field following an int he said “lLooks like reality is setting in on young Mr. Clausen”. Too funny if you dislike ND as much as I do.
macrotech
May 11th, 2009
5:49 pm
ok, huh?, i JUST noticed that you were quoting someone else on the New York Yankees thing….my bad. Whoever said it, YOU’RE not even in the same ball park with that lame analogy! GO TECH!!!
Otto
May 11th, 2009
5:50 pm
MyWhiskeyClear, No prob. CPJ vs. CMR or Saban could be very interesting. The Okie St comment could not be more true. If you search youtube Switzer said in an interview Ok St is a prgoram to watch out for.
I really don’t see any changes to the conf. structure for the SEC, ACC, or Big 12. I always enjoyed the UGA vs Clemson matchup. It would be fun to see GT back in the SEC. Unfortunately it comes down to politics and money.
SEC Overrated (What a Shock)
May 11th, 2009
5:54 pm
Jim in Buckhead
It didn’t take a miracle play for Ga. Tech to beat FSU. If Nesbitt doesn’t get hurt the game is never close to begin with. And the miracle play was made by a true freshman that laid a licking on the ball carrier, nothing lucky about hitting somebody hard.
If you think the jury is still out on Tech’s offense I don’t know what to tell you. You seem to forget the week before Tech put up 400+ rushing yards on UGA they did the same thing to Miami who was ranked #18 when we played them.
Ready or not Ga. Tech will be the best offensive team in the ACC and one of the best in the country this year. It may take a year or two for people to realize that Paul Johnson is one of the best, if not the best offensive minds in the country but you will understand it soon enough. You don’t have to believe me. Just read what his peers say about him.
Have fun trying to contain Bebe, Nesbitt, Dwyer, Jones, Wright, and Allen. UGA fans can act all confident but in 2008/2009 you are Ga. Tech’s whipping boys.
One more time .. Football check, Basketball Check, and Baseball Check. Maybe UGA can win a game of cricket against Tech.
Paul Johnson: 1
Mark Richt: 0
45-42
Paddy
May 11th, 2009
6:07 pm
Arkansas has a chance???? Have you all forgotten that no-backbone coach still lives there.
Saint Nick
May 11th, 2009
6:18 pm
GT doesn’t want to be back in the SEC!!!! They would go to the PapaJohns.com Bowl every year!!!!!
BS Patrol
May 11th, 2009
7:28 pm
Huh?
Reality Check is a doggie fan you moron!
BS Patrol
May 11th, 2009
7:33 pm
Reality Check Checked,
ga wins 3 of 5. Give Tech some credit!
BS Patrol
May 11th, 2009
7:46 pm
Gator Growl,
What I have said all along. UF & one of the other two.THE BIG TWO CONFERENCE.
BS Patrol
May 11th, 2009
7:51 pm
macrotech & Whiskey Clear,
Please, you don’t need to defend or explain yourself to the servants.
staff fan now
May 11th, 2009
7:51 pm
Some seem to forget just what a coaching change can produce….for a few years…Dooley and CMR at georgie are good examples…and now the most significant change at Tech in a few years…..Johnson. Look out dogs! And look out Always Competitive Conference!
Frozen_Gator
May 11th, 2009
10:12 pm
I just don’t see F$U being that good; their QB and wideouts will have to prove they are considerably better for me to buy it. The defense needs to do the same thing and become more creative. Just because a kid signs with f$u, it doesn’t make them worldbeaters anymore. I think the coaching staff hasn’t found the continuity they had hoped for and are a state of flux. 8-9 wins at very best.
Miles
May 12th, 2009
1:33 am
Cut to the chase. The post spring top 25 will undoubtedly have the Florida Gators on top. Am I wrong, Mr. Barnhart? Let’s hear about the new book, i.e., Larry Munson and his legacy with the Bulldogs.
UGASlobberknocker
May 12th, 2009
6:11 am
What I dont know about the ACC Atlantic is:
Who cares?
AltamahaDawg
May 12th, 2009
7:23 am
You guys cry every week and ask why that there isn’t more ACC coverage, and when there is, all you want to talk about is the Georgia game. Does that answer your question?
m=saintsimonslover
May 12th, 2009
7:27 am
What we still don’t know is if the ACC is a bona fide 1-A football conference.
Reality Check Checked
May 12th, 2009
7:33 am
I realize I’m not dealing with many Einsteins here (besides the Tech folks) so I’ll spell it out:
NY Yankees — money, influence and history gives them an edge in acquiring players each year
Dawgs (just comparing in-state, mind you) — all the advantages listed above make it much, much easier for it to sustain a high-level program vs. Tech
These are the facts, folks. Yet the Dawgs and their Wal-Mart alumni will yap on (well, before CPJ arrived, that is).
KjBO
May 12th, 2009
9:55 am
Wake Forest all the way. 2-0 vs. SEC. All the haters, sec, need to go and worry about the SEC before they rip the ACC.
Tiger
May 12th, 2009
3:10 pm
uga…you should get you facts straight. The ACC had a winning record last season against the SEC.
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