If ACC wants to get noticed, it needs to step up against SEC
National publications take notice of major conference collisions. This one followed Alabama's win over Clemson.
It’s the start of college football season. Is this when the SEC big foots everybody again? Is this when the ACC screams from the Chapel Hill-tops that the conference went 6-4 against Cyclops in the regular season last year, yet continues to get ignored because – well, what happened at the end again?
We remember the first Saturday meeting of the conferences: Alabama 34, Clemson 10.
We remember the final bowl meeting of the conferences: LSU 38, Georgia Tech 3.
Single games don’t project entire seasons. But Virginia Tech plays Alabama Saturday at the Georgia Dome, and this would be a good time for an ACC school to do more than just clear its throat.
“I don’t necessarily think the game should be painted as the ACC’s chance to save face,” said Todd Blackledge, a closer observer of both conferences but an outsider as a former Penn State quarterback living in Ohio. “But I do think the ACC is better positioned to represent the ACC in this game than it was last year.”
That said, he added: “Right now the SEC is the best league in the country, and not by just a little. I know one thing the ACC has been trumpeting is having the most teams in post-season bowl games last year. They have balance and parity. But everybody is chasing the SEC, and it’s been that way for a few years. I don’t expect it to be any different this season.”
The ACC’s expansion to include Miami and Virginia Tech in 2004 and Boston College in 2005 strengthened the conference, but not nearly to the degree most expected. The decline of the Miami and Florida State programs have prevented the annual marquee ACC championship match-up conference officials had hoped for. Certainly, expansion has had zero impact on the national title picture.
It's possible that was ACC commissioner John Swofford inside the Tiger suit at the Georgia Dome last year. (Ben Gray/bgray@ajc.com)
For perception alone, the ACC needs this game. It’s a high-profile game – yes, higher profile than Duke’s win over Vandy last year. Even Georgia Tech, for how well the program did under Paul Johnson in year one and altered perceptions with its victory at Georgia, undid some of that progress with its showing against LSU, another SEC school, in the Chick-fil-A Bowl.
We remember big games. We remember bowl games. The ACC sent 10 schools to bowls last year. That was more than any other conference. But it went only 4-6 in those games, and the bowl with the most cachet was Virginia Tech’s 20-7 yawner over Cincinnati in the Orange Bowl.
The Hokies finished with the highest ranking of any ACC school – only 15th.
The SEC was in eight bowl games. It went 6-2. Florida won another BCS title. The last three national champions and four of the last six have come from the SEC (Florida, LSU). The ACC hasn’t so much as had a team in the title game since 2000 (Florida State lost to Oklahoma).
Here’s the definition of bad timing: Miami won the national championship in 2001 and lost in the title game in 2002. But it was as a Big East school. The Hurricanes’ slide coincided with their move to the ACC in 2004 (9-3, 9-3, 7-6, 5-7, 7-6).
Tech’s Johnson often has spoken about fans and media overlooking the ACC’s competitiveness head-to-head with the SEC (6-6 including bowls last year, 9-12 in the last two). But few share his balance-of-power view.
“I think there’s some merit to what Paul is saying,” said Blackledge, a former quarterback who won a national championship at Penn State and now is an ESPN broadcaster. “But Florida has won a couple of championships. LSU has won. The SEC is playing for championships. When they’re in the post-season they do well. You come away with a feeling of their overall strength.”
Virginia Tech should be able to hang with Alabama. Meanwhile, Clemson took a safe step down. It’s opening against Middle Tennessee State.
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155 comments Add your comment
macrotech
August 30th, 2009
3:19 pm
Tis time for the ACC to step up!!! IT”S GONNA BE A GREAT SEASON!!! GO TECH!!!
merbertmoover
August 30th, 2009
3:28 pm
bama gonna smoke them hokies like my mama smokes virginia slims, know what im sayin? uga gonna dance all over them cowboys like a nun doin the tootsie roll, you know what im sayin? mmmhmmm gonna be fun! cmon saturday get here already!!!!
Let's Get It Out of the Way
August 30th, 2009
3:55 pm
((((((45-42)))))) ha ha ha
((((((38-3))))))) ha ha ha
Who is GT??
August 30th, 2009
4:26 pm
Gt and the acc are……IRRLEVANT!!
Bryan G.
August 30th, 2009
4:28 pm
I think Alabama may be getting overrated a bit coming into this year. I like Va Tech and the points. You can use that for weekend predictions this week, Jeff. Oh, and take UGA and the points. There, take the rest of the week off Jeff.
reebok
August 30th, 2009
4:37 pm
Don’t forget, the ACC has a chance to win against the SEC on Thursday nite…NC State has a good chance to beat S Carolina. That wouldn’t be nearly as good for the ACC as V-Tech beating Bama, but it would be a good start…btw, the SEC and ACC play 7 regular-season games this year, and Georgia Tech is the ACC representative in 3 of them…
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
4:46 pm
Bama will destroy Va Tech.This game will be as big a joke as Clemson last year.Remember,the ACC earned that .182 winning per in BCS games by stinking up the joint when they have to play real teams.
Terry
August 30th, 2009
4:54 pm
The ACC is every bit as good as the sec if they didn’t have UF. The acc needs a team or two to step up and represent it. Hopefully it will be GT. FSU and Miami will be back some day. There’s too much talent in that state for them to not get back on track eventually. Then all the talk will turn to how pathetic the pac and big 10 are.
Brad
August 30th, 2009
5:02 pm
Jeff
If you swapped Fsu with UF, the talking heads would be saying the ACC is the best. Like you pointed out, the games have been close. FSU has lost 5, i think, in a row to UF. If va tech wins next week and gt beats ga, and say the acc goes 5-2, but uf wins the NC again, they will still say the sec is the best cause of the gators. So the sec should be thankful they have that school. Swap fsu and uf and the acc gets all the accolades.
Old Gold
August 30th, 2009
5:13 pm
The mindset of SEC vs ACC is indeed skewed –by both fans and media. Tha ACC had done fine against the SEC for many years –but for some reason writers don’t want to express that point. Instead, they go down this road.
45ACP
August 30th, 2009
5:15 pm
Jeff why did you have to bring up Todd Blackledge.
1982 Sugar Bowl loss to Penn State after a perfect season.
The horror, the horror…
Jeff Schultz
August 30th, 2009
5:37 pm
Brian G — can you write a note that I can bring to my editors asking for the week off. That would be great.
StraightJacket
August 30th, 2009
5:39 pm
The ACC’s weakness in recent years has been one simple thing: QB play. Don’t take my word for it. Look at who the NFL drafts and you’ll see that the ACC has had plenty of talent. Unfortunately, you can’t compete for championships if you don’t have QB play. The SEC has had it; the ACC has not.
This year, the ACC has tons of QB’s back, and will be significantly better. As always, the top half of the SEC will be great, but hey … when you’re a great team and get “gimme” wins against MSU, Kentucky, and near “gimmes” with “great SEC teams” like Auburn, USC, etc,… well, …. it is easier to get prepped and rested for the “big” games when you can put your scrubs in the game in the 2nd quarter without risking injury of players or loss of the betting spread.
In contrast, the ACC is more competitive at the bottom. The Duke – Vandy thing certainly isn’t a game anybody pays attention to, but the point is that ACC teams have to show up for the weak sisters whereas LSU could have beaten MSU with their 3rd string … while wearing blindfolds.
This year, ‘Bama may beat VPI&SU, but … both teams have great defenses. I called the Bama-Clemson debacle last year because Clemson’s OL was awful. This year, VPI&SU won’t score much – if any – against ‘Bama, but ‘Bama won’t score much either. Low scoring game, but I’m not sure I’d measure the ACC & SEC based on one game. Let’s see what happens when USC plays NCSU, GT plays Ugag, MSU, and Vandy, and a few other interesting games. Yes, UF will destroy FSU, but then again: UF will destory lots of teams this year.
Look for the ACC to be better than the Big 10, the Pac 10 and on par with the Big 12 (because of MUCH better teams in the bottom half of the conference), but the Top of the SEC will outclass others … and save the reputation of their bottom feeders … who give the leaders nothing more than “scrimmage time” during the regular season.
-SJ
Tech Fan Since 1950
August 30th, 2009
5:40 pm
Admittedly, perception is reality when it comes to most sportswriters, sportscasters and certain fans. From the 1960’s until the late 1980’s I would get upset with the SEC for its scheduling. Many of the top teams within the SEC would rarely play each other on a regular basis and generally had weak out of conference schedules. Give Bama, Tennessee and Auburn credit for later scheduling Southern Cal, UCLA, etc. and give Georgia credit in recent years for facing Colorado, Arizona State, Oklahoma State, etc. The creation of the two divisions within the SEC is certainly a better format now, especially with the SEC Conference Championship game in Atlanta which has become such an attractive promotional effort for the SEC. BUT, that should not be a knock against the ACC, which top to bottom in recent years, has become a much more competitive conference. Because the ACC schools have beaten up on each other the last two years the records do not fully show the strength of the ACC. You just have to go with the facts at hand. In head to head competition during the regular season last year the ACC had a better record than the SEC. As Jeff suggests, it just seems like so much perception is based on the first games of the season and the bowl games. Now if N.C. State beats South Carolina Thursday night and Virginia Tech wiins against Bama, I hope the sportswriters and sportscasters will make note. It will not mean the ACC is better than the SEC, but it will mean the ACC is just as competitive with the SEC as it is within its own conference. At least for a weekend! Wow! College football season is just days away and folks in Atlanta are blessed to be in the center of the AC/SE conferences. Go Jackets! and all your favorite teams.
john
August 30th, 2009
5:50 pm
If UGA and GT swapped places, UGA would win the ACC every year and GT would scrape the SEC basement.
Sonny Clusters
August 30th, 2009
5:57 pm
We was reading where Georgia Tech used to be in the SEC and had a coach named Bobby Dodd and they used to beat Georgia pretty bad. They was playing in the SEC until somebody from there hurt one of their players real bad and then the coaches couldn’t get along and Bobby Dodd decided they could make more money playing independent. That was a mistake. We don’t know if they was smart or dumb back then but they seemed to be able to beat Georgia when they was in the same conference. We was thinking Clemson is a thinking man’s school. Some great journalists come out of there.
Sonny Clusters
August 30th, 2009
6:00 pm
We was asked to try and get some shrimp up to the press box again when the Braves get back in town. Jeff, could you get your old pal Sonny Clusters past security and maybe we could share some shrimp and some of that cheese they have in the press box for the sportswriters? If you can do that we can tell you some more stuff that will be bigger than that lucky underwear story you wrote.
Andy
August 30th, 2009
6:01 pm
john you are a typical delusional uga moron. you LOST last year at HOME. GT blew out your basement team. they will go 3-0 this year against the sec. and you’ll still be saying the same bs. yeah sure you’d beat fsu miami vt gt, unc every year. so damn arrogant and cocky u idiots are.
m
August 30th, 2009
6:18 pm
Georgia Tech is the only team in the country to have the confidence to schedule 3 teams from the mighty sec. Wanna bet that Tech wins all three??
And the reason is that Thanks to God and Greyhound the worst coach in the history of the free world, chan gomer gailey, is gone forever. He destroyed Tech football for 6 long years and he was propped us by websites like the Hive that tolerated his mediocrity. Anyone that ever supported or defended chan gomer gailey sucks just as bad as he does.
Paul Johnson is the new sheriff in town…and the ACC (and three from the sec) better be ready.
Geoff
August 30th, 2009
6:19 pm
Andy–All you have to do is look at the pouding uga takes from uf every year and then look at how fsu plays them. About the same. If uga were in the SEC, they would be equivalent as FSU has the past 7-8 years with a couple of ACC titles. UGA and FSU are very similar especially since MR came from FSU. When they played a few years ago, it was a close game.
Geoff
August 30th, 2009
6:28 pm
Should read if uga were in the ACC and also..pounding.
Reality
August 30th, 2009
6:29 pm
If my aunt had balls she’d be my uncle
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
6:35 pm
.182 says it all,Mountain West would clean your clock.
Worst winning per in NCAA football BCS games
YouGottaBeKiddin
August 30th, 2009
6:38 pm
Terry
August 30th, 2009
4:54 pm
The ACC is every bit as good as the sec if they didn’t have UF. The acc needs a team or two to step up and represent it. Hopefully it will be GT. FSU and Miami will be back some day. There’s too much talent in that state for them to not get back on track eventually. Then all the talk will turn to how pathetic the pac and big 10 are.
I guess that’s why you’re 2-9 in BCS bowls huh Einstein?
GM
August 30th, 2009
6:47 pm
Whatever…
Never Ever
August 30th, 2009
7:02 pm
That said, he added: “Right now the SEC is the best league in the country, and not by just a little.
What part of “not by just a little” don’t you Tech folks get?
southgadawg88
August 30th, 2009
7:05 pm
Some of you guys are a bit delusional in comparing the SEC and ACC.Look at it this way….there is not one team in the ACC that would be favored to win any division in the SEC..honestly I can’t say any team would be picked as high as third.On the other hand the SEC has at least 5 teams that would be favored to win at least one division in the ACC.That’s the difference between two leagues.The top teams in the SEC are constantly in the top 10 in recruiting and have the big time coaches to work with that talent.That gap will stay there until the ACC schools step up in recruiting. An individual game can be decided by limitless scenarios… but if you lined em up ten times the talent would win the majority.Winning games against the bottom half of any league is not much to point to as an example of strength.One day Mia and FSU will rebound and start taking back the cream of the FLA recruit crop from the Gators and if Clemson,GT,VT,NC ?…somebody…can get in the top 10 consistently the ACC will be a serious player.
pass 60% fan
August 30th, 2009
7:10 pm
test
DCTide
August 30th, 2009
7:14 pm
Saban has the mighty Crimson Tide at two deep in pretty much every position, offense & defense. Greg McElroy, or GMac as we call him, is going to break some passing records this year with an arm that has been compared to Eli and Peyton’s at their camp in LA this summer. That’s scary, especially when man-child, Julio Jones, will be his primary target. Julio can stiff arm an SEC LB and get away with it.
One word for the Alabama defense in 09: Stifling. They will probably be better than LSU’s defense under Saban in 2003’s national championship. Saban’s program is already at full stride, and he’s a master motivator, like him or not.
It’s funny that few people (especially here in UGA country) are taking BAMA seriously this year. After a beat down is placed on VA Tech at the Dome on Saturday, there will be renewed respect for the school Jeff once referred to as TCI. The Tide was three downs from beating Florida and marching to the national championship last season. Tebow won that game for UF.
Saban’s not going to let that happen again.
I just wish there was going to be another BLACKOUT this season. ROLL TIDE.
Gravy Train
August 30th, 2009
7:15 pm
Here come the long winded, no sense of reality, ACC backers. There are high school games that have more action and build up than most ACC games.
Fact: If UGA were in any other conference they would be at the top every season.
It’s simple. The best players and coaches in America come to the SEC. No other conference can compete with that. The SEC fans and rivalries are the most passionate of all the land. The SEC schools also happen to have the best looking co-eds.
Why else would ESPN/ABC sell their souls for exclusive coverage of the SEC? Because the SEC is the best of all by far, top to bottom.
Florida is so good because they are built to survive the SEC. They should thank the 11 other teams.
GeoffDawg
August 30th, 2009
7:28 pm
I like guys!
GeoffDawg
August 30th, 2009
7:28 pm
Enter your comments here
TR
August 30th, 2009
7:28 pm
Swofford inside the Tiger suit? lol…morons.
Mitch Cumstein
August 30th, 2009
7:31 pm
You star techies are pathetic. Win one out of 8 and you’re all of a sudden “as good as any SEC team”, or “take Fla out of the SEC and put ‘em in the acc and all the accolades go to the acc”. Simply moronic. Selective memory huh? Name an acc team that could catty the jock of Auburn or Tennessee or Ol’ Miss……. Bueller, any one out there?
hop
August 30th, 2009
7:32 pm
year in and year out the SEC has the most teams in the top twenty and that determines more than anything the strength of the conference and winning 3 of four national championships is not too shappy either.
wake beating vandy does not mean much either,but vandy did beat boston college which is a amazing since bc is one of acc’s major schools!
yes tech beat georgia last year so now they are 1 out of eight.
impressive!
satchelbuzz
August 30th, 2009
7:33 pm
The CFA Bowl was a lesson learned by a very young football team. Were about to take care of the issue you raise in this article,….you have all been warned.
THWG!
Mitch Cumstein
August 30th, 2009
7:35 pm
make that “carry”t he jock
Terry
August 30th, 2009
7:36 pm
The acc would be good too if they got to play the big 10 in half their bcs bowls. Sorry but you can’t say hey your conference is bad from one game each season. I like how you ignore the facts. ACC wins last year of importance. GT over UGA. Wake over Ole miss. ACC losses of importance. Bama over a sorry clempson team. Fla over FSU like they were over every sec team..oh except ole miss that Wake beat. Like I said, take out Fla and reverse them with FSU and all the talk is the acc being the best now. So thank UF dawg fans for your conf superiority. Must suck to have to do that. It’ll be fun watching the ACC get off to a 2-0 start next weeked. Then all the talk will still revolve around nat titles, which proves my point that fla makes the sec the best.
GT GRAD
August 30th, 2009
7:37 pm
SEC is obviously top heavy and the bottom half of the SEC is VERY over-rated.
If Florida was in the ACC and FSU were in the SEC, the ACC would obviously be considered the most dominant conference in America. Only ignorant people would disagree with this notion. Yes, I am saying that many of the SEC “die-hard fans” are so blind to facts that they are ignorant. By the way, the definition of ignorant is: lacking knowledge or information as to a particular subject or fact!
With Florida in the ACC, the poll voters and media would vote the remaining 11 ACC teams higher in the polls and talk about the teams like they are better than they really are (as they do each & every year with the SEC) and this would lead to so many advantages. Advantages in recruiting, poll position after losses, ability to play MUCH softer schedules (without any negative impact, because the entire conference seems better than they really are), selection in top BCS games, intimidation of lesser teams, player confidence duirng tight games, referee’s calls on the field of play, etc.
The polls and media do the exact oposite with the ACC; this is why so many ACC fans get irritated with the media coverage. There is a huge advantage if your teams are ranked in the Top 15 during the preseason. SEC teams (average of all 12) typically finish lower after the games are played while the ACC teams (average of all 12) typically finish higher after the games are played. This is why I consistently state that the SEC conference is OVER-RATED!
The ACC teams need to win more games (especially bowl games) to change the tide. It is coming, but the media is slow to admit when they are wrong and will try to inflate the SEC as they have for years. The ACC has a solid bowl record for the past 6 years prior to last year……..oh well, just one more hurdle.
If UGA was in the ACC, they would be about the same spot in the pecking order as they are in the SEC. They would probably lose more conference games because the bottom half of the ACC is better than the bottom half of the SEC. Look at the results UGA has against South Carolina, Vandy & Kentucky and you might realize I am correct!! One more point, UGA would be forced to play a tougher out-of-conference schedule to get recognized by the national media because all of the ACC teams are not over-rated like the bottom 7-8 SEC teams! (I am laughing because I sound like a freak’n broken record……..heh heh heh).
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
7:48 pm
.182
Never Ever
August 30th, 2009
7:48 pm
The only place the Tide is going is down the drain. You might be stronger than dirt but it’s a new age and Oxy-Clean has replaced you.
Just ask Billy Mays.
Jeff Schultz
August 30th, 2009
7:50 pm
DC Tide — The Alabama defense will be great again. But I’m not so sure about the offense.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
7:53 pm
Bama will crush acc’s highest ranked team.
Dawgs are going to wipe the floor with OSU’s rearends.
SEC makes a statment on the 5th.
OSU same song differant year,acc still stinks.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
7:54 pm
Billy’s dead dude
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
7:56 pm
If frogs had wings they would fly
Never Ever
August 30th, 2009
8:00 pm
ifs and buts were candy and nuts everyday would be Christmas.
We all live on Candy Cane Lane.
Get over it ACC. You KNOW and I KNOW and everybody else KNOWS the SEC is the best. It’s not even debatable. Who are you trying to convince?
Apparently yourself.
Never Ever
August 30th, 2009
8:01 pm
Oh yeah, I forgot.
RIP Billy.
GT
August 30th, 2009
8:12 pm
It is more fun to make the SEC look like God and then watch these man made statues tumble. I think Jeff just added 7 point on the Va. Tech scoreboard. Maybe Jeff needs the added readership, and he will get it as this article will certain be hung in the locker room bulletin board. Va. Tech does not play like Clemson last year, they get up for the big ones and may get bored with a NC State or one of the lesser ones. One team they played a couple of years ago took them to the barn, Southern Cal, and they open every year like that, I’m not sure Alabama has that kind of punch.
Terry
August 30th, 2009
8:19 pm
No one is saying the sec isn;t the best. Just saying the acc doesn’t get the credit it deserves. The regular season is the best way to measure a conference. Not one bowl game. Earlier this decade when gt played auburn home and away, gt won both games. Ga beat gt but ga also lost at least one of those games to auburn. If ga was in the acc, they would do about the same as fla state has this decade. You can’t argue with facts. There were 10 games in the reg season last year with the sec and acc. 5 of those games were games with teams from the top of each conf. the acc went 2-3 in those games. hardly dominance. the other games involved middle of the pack and bottom dwellers and the acc went 4-1 in those games which proves the acc middle to bottom is stronger than the sec middle to bottom. take out uf and the sec is where the acc is. it really is that simple. timing is also an issue. fsu and miami dominated cf from the late 80’s to early 2000’s. if those teams were playing like they were during that era, the acc would be looked at as the best. but that hasn’t been the case. trends emerge and then they come back. teams go through down periods and then have strong periods. ga is much better than they were in the 90’s. nebraska along with miami and fsu dominated the 90s and have stunk this decade. like i said, trends reverse. soon enough there will be another strong run by some acc teams and they will go back and forth with the sec for conf dominance. bottom line is the best football players come from the South. we can all agree on that. eventually that will show up in teams like um, fsu, gt, vt and unc. remember unc had bly and peppers and were a top 5 team in the late 90’s but had to face a tough fsu team and lost. the acc does get players. philip rivers from nc state along with torry holt. all that’s missing is a team mentioned above to have a break out season. it’s gonna happen within 2-3 years.
Terry
August 30th, 2009
8:20 pm
hop wake beat ole miss. which beat fla. get your facts right.
Terry
August 30th, 2009
8:24 pm
and duke beat vandy. bc was not a top acc program last year. for crying out loud, matt ryan came from where and play for who,,,you dunce. oh and uga struggled with vandy last year at home. only up by 7 in the 4th qtr. this isn’t knocking vandy as they weren’t a bottom 4 sec team last year. but they did lose to duke. no one in the acc loses to duke. lol
CatsFly
August 30th, 2009
8:35 pm
Where is the UNC team going? Are they senior-laden, or will they be better in 2010? When Mack Brown was at UNC, I believe they were as good as any SEC team. Am I mistaken?
TheSouth
August 30th, 2009
8:37 pm
There are no dominate teams in the ACC. If you ranked the teams from both conferences from top to bottom and they played each other, the SEC would win the most games.
For the record, an opinion is like an asshole, everybody has one.
45ACP
August 30th, 2009
8:38 pm
ACC-SEC, P-L-E-A-S-E let the season start. All this talk and we have not had a single snap. I know we are all ready for some football.
This time of year is so special. God help me I love it.
Yellow Fuzz
August 30th, 2009
8:39 pm
Can’t speak for the rest of the ACC, but I can speak for the respect Tech has received from uga these last 9 months. 45-42. Can’t wait to “pound the hound” again in November! 45-22
Willie M's Revenge
August 30th, 2009
8:45 pm
UGA would not fare well in the ACC? Let’s not let facts get in the way of the North Ave agenda… Richt vs. ACC: 11 – 1
GT: 7-1
Clemson: 2-0
VT: 1-0
FSU: 1-0
Not exactly the bottom feeders of the ACC.
45ACP
August 30th, 2009
8:49 pm
Yellow Fuzz, control yourself. The season has not started yet.
Watch a replay of last years game if you have to man.
thomas
August 30th, 2009
8:50 pm
but the puppy dogs aren’t in anoter conference suck it up take your beating and keep making excuses it takes a lame person to bark like a dog
NRBQ
August 30th, 2009
8:54 pm
Willie M:
Don’t puncture their delusions. It’s too much fun reading the 1000-word treatises in which they try and convince themselves of an alternate reality.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
8:55 pm
.182
Yes catduty,you are mistaken.N Carolina has never been “that” good,in FB anyway.Any conf in the NCAA puts out good players ever now and then,just not teams and thats what wins ball games.
Jeff
August 30th, 2009
9:00 pm
OK, ACC fan. This might be hard for all of you to follow, but see if you can manage: Florida is in the SEC! There, I said it.
Long, complicated, convoluted analysis about how the ACC would be better if Florida were not in the SEC; or, if you switched Florida with an ACC team are irrelevant. You know why? Say it with me: because Florida is in the SEC!
Try arguing something that is in some way tethered to reality. For example, I’ve heard that there’s a galactic university of massive, highly-skilled, football playing space monkeys. I’ve also heard that said space monkeys wish to join the ACC. Rumor has it that the space monkeys will tip the balance of conference power to the ACC were they to join.
GM
August 30th, 2009
9:01 pm
Good observation Willie M, point taken. However, I don’t really care which conference is better, and I’ll concede that the SEC is “better” than the ACC. I care about my team, and how they do against the teams they play, like beating UGA. I want my conference to do well, but my team winning and beating UGA last year was more important to me than comparing conference statistics. So what if the SEC is better than the ACC? It only serves to give you Dawg fans something to soothe your wounds, and Schultzie something to write about waiting for the season to start. You still lost to us irrelevant nerds from North Ave with the small stadium. You can’t hide from that fact.
Yellow Fuzz
August 30th, 2009
9:06 pm
the Fugly puppy dogs are going to start out 0-3, then win 5 and TECH is going to beat them down (pound the hound) in Atlanta and send them to the Watkinsville bowl for New Years Day.
Bank on it!
Willie M's Revenge
August 30th, 2009
9:13 pm
GM… trust me, the Tech loss still stings (no pun intended)… was arguing against early observations from others… looking forward to late November and improved tackling…
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:14 pm
Can’t do it fuzzy,those gold helmets look way to good with that blue field in the background.Besides the airs real nice in Idaho
JJ
August 30th, 2009
9:15 pm
The SEC isn’t “playing for championships” – Florida and LSU have. The rest of the SEC have not played for a championship in a long time.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:18 pm
You know I really do not dislike GT,only when they play dim Dawgs.
Don’t dislike the ACC either.Facts are just facts,ACC fallen into a deep dark hole and they can’t get up.
Dear JJ
August 30th, 2009
9:22 pm
The SEC has won 5 out of the last 10 titles – Tenn, LSU & UF. Please share with us any other conference that has matched this (3 teams) during the last decade? In 2007/08 – LSU & UGA finished 1 & 2, don’t recall anothr conf pulling this feat either. Please share your knowledge, Beano.
45ACP
August 30th, 2009
9:24 pm
Is “pound the hound” like “bop the bee”?
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:29 pm
Willie M
Nice logic. So I guess richt would do poorly in the big east since ga is 0-2 against them this decade right? Don’t try and use ga’s dominance over gt this decade as proof they would win the acc every year. especially win you have trouble beating kentucky and vandy the past 3 seasons.
Clay
August 30th, 2009
9:31 pm
One 3 point win in 8 years of trying sure has you guys fired up. It’s a shame Georgia Tech has to beg people to buy tickets and beg their (few) fans to ask retailers to carry Tech gear. Do you have any idea how big of a joke Georgia Tech is when you get no play in your own city?
UGA had the better season last year. UGA had the better record and they won their New Year’s Day bowl game. How did Tech do in their non-New Year’s Day bowl game? Yeah, not real well. UGA returns more talent and that is why the national media and the nation’s coaches have UGA ranked ahead of Tech going into this year.
I guess If I were in your shoes, I’d be all fired up over a 3 point win as well–after all, you won’t be due for another win until 2016 or so.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:33 pm
6 top 10’s (2 top 5) in the last 10 years.
Has an ACC team even come close to that in the last decade? anyone?
Dawgs and the SEC standard bearer’s (LSU,Fla) are light years ahead of anything the ACC has
Yellow Fuzz
August 30th, 2009
9:33 pm
45ACP,
Pound the hound is what Florida does to you each and every year and what Alabama did to you in the first half the first half and what TECH did to you in the 2nd half last year
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:36 pm
Vandy and Kentucky would be top tier teams in the ACC or Neverhasbeen East
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:36 pm
JJ
Well you went to 12 teams when? 91? Most conferences weren’t there til a few years later. But lets play pretend that miami and vt joined the acc when the sec expanded. well then you’d have gt’s in 90, miami in 91 and 2001, and fsu in 93 and 99.
southgadawg88
August 30th, 2009
9:37 pm
kind of like being 1-7 against UGA and 1-5 against VA make you feel?
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:37 pm
Fuzzy we do have room for improvment,I’ll give u that
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:40 pm
clay uga had the better season? huh? you were preseason number 1. i hope most dawg fans are shaking their heads at that asinine comment. plus you lost to gt. gt was predicted to win 6 games. they won 9.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:41 pm
Amazing what joining the acc can do to really good program’s.
Like steping into a hole of quicksand,slowly sinking and you can’t get out.
Willie M's Revenge
August 30th, 2009
9:42 pm
Ah, Terry, you got me… indeed UGA would be helpless in the Big East, touche. The Richt vs. ACC stat was presented to combat the argument brought about by one of your ACC buddies. I believe the statment made was “UGA would be a modern day FSU w/ 8 wins” Bottom line is… I am comfortable with where the program is and expect the 10-win seasons to continue. Hopefully, a National Championship is in the future. It is nice to know that year in and year out, Richt has placed UGA in a position to compete at the highest level.
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:42 pm
yeah vandy would have been at the top. riiiiight. they lost to duke you idiot. duke had a 30+ game losing streak in the conference. vandy hung with your dawgs in athens. sorry but the proof is not on your side. facts are facts. without florida, the sec is the acc.
Nostrildahmus
August 30th, 2009
9:47 pm
Who is that no named loser that has never played a down eating our hedges on the main page?
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:47 pm
willie…obviously ga would be there with wv the past 8 years winning the big east. it was just a way of pointing out the fact that you can’t look at one game a year and say they would win the conf every year. i think the point made that fsu and ga are very similar and IF ga was in the acc this decade, they would likely have 2-3 titles like fsu. there is something called a matchup. playing nc state when they had rivers as qb and holt as a receiver would give you fits as it did fsu. explain how gt beats auburn twice, and then gt loses to ga and auburn beats ga those years? bottom line is the acc is better than anyone gives them credit top to bottom. they just lack a big team like the sec has with fla. i would put the acc 2nd behind the sec over the past couple of years. it does mean something when you get 10 teams in bowl games.
Dear Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:47 pm
Please continue your research – that horrible Vandy team beat BC in a bowl last year. As for your SEC expansion excuse – the three teams that have won 5 titles in ten years have been in the league for QUITE a few years – UT, LSU and UF were not part of the expansion of 1991 (smart guy you are). As far as the expansion of 1991, yes SC and Ark has contirbuted SOOOO much to the SEC.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
9:48 pm
Coach J’s such a nice guy and with them being Vandy and all I think he just decided to give em a little love and slip one their way
GM
August 30th, 2009
9:49 pm
All the trash talking of the ACC just makes your loss to Tech look that much worse. The SEC is better? So what?
Terry
August 30th, 2009
9:49 pm
Willie..i don’t know fsu’s record off the top of my head, but they may have won only 8 games twice. and i think you would have an 8 win reg season in the acc once this decade if you swapped places with an acc team. like i said, it’s matchups. some teams match up better with others.
45ACP
August 30th, 2009
9:50 pm
One in a row is not a row.
Yes Tech won last year. 1 win in the last 8 years.
ONE WIN IN EIGHT YEARS!
Does that warrant trash talking?
For some desperate people I guess it does.
Bryan G.
August 30th, 2009
9:55 pm
Jeff,
Will do. You deserve the week off, big guy.
Tech sucks
August 30th, 2009
10:02 pm
lol Tech. 1 year (semi-) wonders. They are going to epic fail this year.
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
10:05 pm
I went to see GT play WVU in the Gator Bowl a couple of years ago (40 min from my house)with some friends from WV.Wore my best UGA shirt and a GT hat,talk about a contradiction,right in the middle of the WV section.I’m just glad those mountain boys didn’t chunk my neighbor and I out the ass end of the stadium.Like I said,I don’t hate GT but one game a year
jacketbacker
August 30th, 2009
10:24 pm
…and ugag still LOST to Tech!!
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
10:29 pm
I’ve been around a long time and losing to GT is like stubing a toe,it happens once ina blue moon or so.
MiamiVice
August 30th, 2009
10:47 pm
Gotta laugh at the Tech fans. They actually think a three point win over Georgia last year was a blowout. How about giving up 407 yards passing are you convieniently forgetting that? What about your 38-3 loss to LSU last year …now thats a blowout.How about your 51-7 loss to the Dawgs a few years ago…thats a blowout.How about losing eight straight games to your rival…..thats an embarrasment.Tech wins nine games and they order rings and act like they won the NC…Georgia wins ten games and the years a dissapointment…..that sums up the difference in the two programs.Come see when you grow up Tech fans….your team will lose 5-6 games this year…better get used to being humble because your gonna have to eat a lot of crow this year!
Frank Wren
August 30th, 2009
10:48 pm
Mountain West
1.000 (2-0)
Southeastern
.706 (12-5)
Pacific-10
.692 (9-4)
Big East
.545 (6-5)
WAC
.500 (1-1)
Big 12
.438 (7-9)
Big Ten
.421 (8-11)
Atlantic Coast
.182 (2-9)
Independents
.000 (0-3
Case closed !!
King Nick Saban
August 30th, 2009
10:48 pm
Bama 36 v tech 3
Man, it is great to be on top again!
Georgia Treck
August 30th, 2009
10:55 pm
Once in eight years…
GT GRAD
August 30th, 2009
10:56 pm
So many SEC fans (& most of the media pundits) claim the ACC is weak……….this makes the SEC look over-rated and somewhat pitiful when an ACC team wins against one of the SUPERPOWERFULMAGESTICTOUGHUNBEATABLESTELLAR SEC teams! The SEC looks even worse when the ACC wins more than they lose against the SEC.
It is funny when you think about it a little bit!
Bring on the games & Go GT!!
The Truth Hurts
August 30th, 2009
10:58 pm
Yes, and look how good Clemson turned out to be in the ACC! It’s not like they lost and then went on to success. Duh.
And watching GTech beat UGA’s defense like a drum….wait, in the SEC, don’t they play “defense”….you can’t quote LSU’s win at the end of the season and not quote UGA’s loss at home to GTech. There’s no transitive property in college football. This argument is inanely simple-minded and not unexpected, given the desire for page impressions.
Florida is a top two program in the country! They have the best or second best state from which to recruit and nobody will top FSU’s run of 14 years in the top 4. I’m not even an FSU fan. Was Vandy, Auburn, Mississippi St, Arkansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, or UGA really that good?? To the homers who never went to the schools…yes…but to people who have seen plenty of college football outside the south…it’s never as good as thought and never as bad as thought. It’s the nature of the cyclical beast…right now UF is at the top…that won’t last forever. They deserve credit and have earned it. But, in time, that will change, and then the rest of the columnists will be writing about another conference but suffering from a lack of page impressions.
Because the SEC is what drives ratings…in talk radio, in newspapers (or what’s left of them)…here’s hoping they stay relevant so that JIm Bob and his cousins have something to call in to Buck Belue and talk about…349 days of the year.
GT GRAD
August 30th, 2009
11:01 pm
The ONLY two thing the FRANK WREN post proves is that the SEC has solid teams at the VERY top and that the Mountain West MUST ABSOLUTELY WITHOUT A SHADOW OF ANY DOUBT be the #1 Best Conference in America!!
HA HA HA
Camden Mark
August 30th, 2009
11:12 pm
Mountain West is a stronger conf than the acc.
Their top 4 would own ya.
Ralph
August 30th, 2009
11:16 pm
Ignoring the number to get to bowl games and head to head total records in favor of just Florida, Alabama, and LSU is a typical SEC media slant.
Ignoring the FIRST ACC-SEC match-up Thursday with N.C. State favored over South Carolina is the same SEC media slant.
Yea, the SEC has some traditional powerhouses – but the ACC balance makes the CONFERENCE competitive and more fun to watch. Even Duke has a shot a bowl this year. Tech is likely to do better than the Dawgs both in conference standings and national rankings.
No die hard
August 30th, 2009
11:24 pm
Come on people, get real. I like the Jackets, but there is no comparison to the SEC. Are you kidding me? Fla, Alabama, Tenn. Auburn in their heyday. LSU, not to mention Arkansas. Old Miss. S, Carolina is always a threat to sneak up on teams and kick butt.The ACC has improved but has a way to go. We all know Tech tried to get back into the SEC before they went to the ACC. In time the ACC should get there but not yet.
Hal
August 30th, 2009
11:29 pm
Comparing the SEC to the ACC in football is apples to oranges. The institutions, the funding, the fan bases are so different. These types of articles don’t serve much of a purpose in my mind except flame baiting. The ACC has done better than most would expect against the SEC when looking at the head to head records over the last decade or so but the ACC is never going to compete against the SEC on a consistent basis. The SEC is competing against the Big12 for top spot – those are the only two leagues in the country that have the $$$ and the athletes to be the best. Big 11 has the money but not the players. ACC schools have access to players but not the big football alumni bases (only clemson, FSU, and VT come close to SEC standards and clemson is 1/2 the size of most SEC schools).
kurt wallis
August 30th, 2009
11:59 pm
IN THE LAST 11 REGULER SEASONS I SAID REGULER SEASONS SEC IS 59-70 VS. OTHER BCS SCHOOLS!!! ACC IS 129-103,WITH THE 3 NEW TEAMS COUNTING WHEN THAY WHERE IN BIG EAST. POINT HERE IS SHOWING POWER OF ACC 12 PROGRAMS. ACC WAS 14-8 LAST YEAR VS BCS. SEC WAS 6-9 VS BCS. LOOK IT UP AT FANBLOG.COM GO BACK TO 9-10-08 UNDER CUPCAKS NOT ONLY DID SEC HAVE 2nd WORST % TO BE, BUT THAY PLAYED LEAST BCS TEAMS,AND MOST AT HOME. I AIM SO TIRED OF LAZY MEDIA NOT PUTTING UP THIS DATA. HOW CAN THIS BE MISTED???? SEC IS A MYTH!!!
Sick_of_the_conf_supremacy_talk
August 31st, 2009
1:04 am
You can tell fall is near when the sportswriters (sic) breakout their reusable columns on how powerful the SEC is. The simple fact of the matter is that every year 3/4 of the conference (9 teams) leans on the accomplishments of the other 1/4 to make themselves look good. South Carolina, Kentucky, Georgia, Vandy, Ole Miss, Miss St, Arkansas, et. al. have no real achievements of their own, so they try and tout the recent success of Florida, Alabama and LSU as their own.
In the past 20 years, the ACC and SEC have played a total of 188 games. The records for the respective conferences are as follows…
ACC: 91-97 (.484)
SEC: 97-91 (.516)
That seems pretty marginal to me for a conference whose always trying to claim dominance.
ACC its gettin better
August 31st, 2009
2:07 am
Of coarse the SECOND dominates with 3 to 4 teams at the top as mentioned, but the ACC is getting better. VaTech – sure hope they do better than last years season opener losing to ECU but haven’t heard that mentioned when talking about beamer ball. All those posts about BCS record is BS. Yes since its been here the ACC has been poor but in the 90’s the ACC teams we have now were on top and in more national title hunts. The bottom line is most of us on here are uga/gt fans and well neither one of them have been in that position and gt was the last to be there. I am excited to see how these things unfold for the next 5 years. The ACC may not have a chance. Let’s face it the salary of the top 4 or 5 power house teams in the SEC would pay for all the ACC coaches. So yeah you guys will continue to be on top but the ACC is getting better. Just like in hoops, kentucky may pay for calipari and fla may win some nc, but the second doesn’t come close to acc hoops. Hey I think its great that both major sports have a dominent conference from the souteast.
By the way, gravy train, I thought your exclusive sec conference contract is with cbs, that’s who plays your big games on tv. They’re still better football than NBC…… Who the hell wants to watch the losing Irish every week. At least the SECOND schools throw a bunch of cash at their coaches and they deliver. But hey maybe notre dame will be able to stay in the top 25 by sweeping the service academies.
Not Disappointed
August 31st, 2009
5:06 am
Jeff, your blogg has alot of merit. Lets hope for a better season for Georgia Tech! Ramblin Wreck!
Camden Mark
August 31st, 2009
6:17 am
.182 PIT-A-FUL
Scooter
August 31st, 2009
6:32 am
ACC needs to get fans to their own championship game. Smaller stadiums, less fans and empty seats at the championship game create a bad perception no matter what happens on the field.
Atticus
August 31st, 2009
7:19 am
Wow, the Maggotts stepped up and are playing two more SEC teams….wow, Vandy and Miss St. Wow.
Alabama Jack
August 31st, 2009
7:19 am
Everyone knows the NFL is divided into 3 conferences – the AFC, the NFC, and the SEC – THE NFC is the oldest, the AFC is the most competitive and the SEC pays the highest.
I’ll stick to the ACC – with its college football.
» SEC links: Charleston Southern sees more than a payday John Clay’s Sidelines
August 31st, 2009
7:34 am
[...] Jeff Schultz of the AJC writes that if the ACC wants to get noticed, it better step up against the SEC. [...]
m
August 31st, 2009
7:36 am
Jeff…what a sorry, lazy pile of journalism….you are the chan gomer gailey of sportswriters.
Shouldn’t the sec have to beat the ACC to support the outlandish claims made by these sec homer gomers?
If the sec is so strong….how did they go 4-6 with the ACC last year? How did mississippi, a team that couldn’t beat wake forest, go into the gainesville the very next week and knock off floriduh?
How did lil ole Utah come into the sec mecca…and literally stomp alabamma…a team that floriduh struggled with?
How did Wyoming, one of the worst teams in the nation…go into Knoxville and beat tennerssseee?
How did a team that wasn’t even ranked preseason and that runs a high school offense with a new coach go into sanford and son stadium and beat the #1 preseason hushpuppies in front of their home crowd?
It is the sec that cannot prove this bullshiite hype that you and your cohorts keep spewing at us in the ajc.
The sec is the most overrated and overhyped conference in history.
I will make you a bet…the ACC and sec play 7 games this seasson… The ACC wins a majority…how much do you want to bet Jeffie?
Lisa
August 31st, 2009
8:02 am
The media kisses the SEC’s rear end because they have the most fans. They can’t bad mouth the SEC or they don’t get readers, viewers, etc. If head to head match ups in the regular season don’t mean anything then what does? This argument is such a joke. Big stadiums and lots of fans don’t mean a thing. What happens on the field does. The ACC can hold their own with the SEC and they actually do it with real student athletes.
Required Reading | Hard Knox Sports
August 31st, 2009
8:02 am
[...] ACC v. SEC. [AJC] [...]
ut oh FOR UGA
August 31st, 2009
8:30 am
Pickens is taking the opener pretty seriously, as Georgia legend Herschel Walker discovered this summer.
The two found themselves north of Vancouver at a weekend shindig thrown by a mutual friend.
Pickens asked Walker how Georgia viewed the opener. His response: Not very seriously. In Walker’s defense, he might not have been well-versed on the Bulldogs’ schedule.
The next day, Pickens thanked Walker for his honesty and said his observation had been relayed to Stillwater.
“What do you mean?” the 1982 Heisman winner asked.
“That’s now on the wall in the locker room,” Pickens said.
Gen Neyland
August 31st, 2009
8:33 am
Maybe Coca Cola and Domino’s could team up with the ajc and offer an ACC Crying Towel as a promotional to every ACC fan respondent to this blog…
greg
August 31st, 2009
8:43 am
Miami and Florida State will never be back to where they were. There are too many other schools in Florida that now have pretty good programs that were non existent back when Miami and Florida State dominated. Florida is the elite school in that state and will remain for a long time. That’s the only difference. Other than that the conferences are equal.
Brad in Jasper
August 31st, 2009
8:44 am
First off, as a UGA guy, let me say this whole discussion is fruitless – and that includes all of the SEC and ACC people wasting time trying to make points. It still boils down to one word – perception. Perceptions are generally useIess unless a team is trying to get the marginal ranking needed to enter a BCS game (most notably BCS title games the last few years). I wasn’t even going to blog, but I wanted to gives props to Jeff (the blogger) on the space monkeys. I don’t care who you are, that sh*t was funny, man. Let’s enjoy the season folks, and leave the useless arguments to the loops on ESPN. Best of luck to Jackets, Dawgs, and (insert your team here).
Paddy
August 31st, 2009
8:47 am
Terry….saying the ACC would be as good as the SEC if the SEC didn’t have Fla…. Thats like saying the South would have won the Civil War if it were not for that pesky Gen Sherman.
Clay
August 31st, 2009
8:49 am
No, UGA’s season last year did nto turn out as well as expected; and, yes, Tech’s year ended up better than expected. That said, UGA still had the better year. UGA won more games, they won their bowl game (which was a New Year’s Day game) and they finished higher in the polls. Yes, Tech beat UGA by 3 last year; but, UGA won for the season.
Reality Check
August 31st, 2009
9:32 am
Geoff – Thats one of the dumbest arguments i have ever heard but I guess its par for the course for a Tech fan. Are you really comparing scores? Here’s one for you. UGA beat LSU by 14, Tech beat UGA by 3, so in your logic then Tech would beat LSU by 17? Could you please tell me how the LSU – Tech game ended up?
BankerDawg
August 31st, 2009
9:40 am
Agree with Brad.
These discussions inevitably end up with someone referencing some meaningless statistic from who knows how long ago, or, my favorite, someone starts using the transitive property to determine who would have won this, or who should have won that.
Meaningless.
IMO, the SEC is clearly outperforming the ACC in the only place that really matters, and that is playing for MNCs.
Do I think the ACC does not get the respect it deserves? Probably not, because the entire league outside of the guys in Durham is pretty darn good, and extremely competitive.
Does it matter? Again, probably not, not until one or two of them begin to compete at the highest level within the BCS system, which is playing for the title.
I don’t see that happening again this year, but maybe Tech will surprise some folks. I actually wouldn’t mind that happening, because it would make the season much more interesting, and just imagine the ramifications for our game in November….
SEC, BIG12, ACC, the rest….that’s how I see it. It’s up to the ACC to change everyone’s perceptions.
VT over Bama would go a LONG way towards doing just that.
GO DAWGS!
UGASlobberknocker
August 31st, 2009
9:45 am
Yawn!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
wake me up when you are talking about real football
Helluva Engineer
August 31st, 2009
9:45 am
Clearly the ACC or any conference cannot even begin to compete with the SEC at the top at least (and I say this as a diehard Tech fan). That is a tremendous compliment to the SEC football programs, and there is no shame in claiming that because the argument could not be less ambiguous. That said, the ACC is still an exceptional conference with some loaded football teams and is probably the most balanced conference in the country. There are clearly tradeoffs, and it is a perfectly plausible argument to say that despite the fact that the ACC will not come close to play for a championship this year, it still provides us with the opportunity to watch top echelon teams compete in a league where four or five teams have valid arguments for claiming the crown. Go Jackets!
Red Neckerson
August 31st, 2009
9:46 am
That stupid fleabag still can’t spell IRRELEVANT.
Trade School Junkie
August 31st, 2009
9:49 am
These 4 games could change the perception of the SEC for 2009:
1. NCST vs USC
2. Bama vs VT
2. GA vs OKST
3. LSU vs Washington
1. NCST QB Wilson is the real deal and probably one of the best Qbs in the country. NCSt has almost everyone back from a team that played VERY WELL after Wilson was back playing after a very bad concussion in first game vs USC. Wilson is the KEY reason why NCST will represent the ACC-A in the ACC-CG.
Second, I think VT is over-rated in general, so I’ll be surprised if VT can even hang with Bama. It might be a defensive stand-off for the first half. Second half will probably be all Bama. If VT wins, it would be a HUGE PLUS for the ACC. If VT loses by 10 or less, it would still seem like a small PR “victory” to the ACC, only by comparison to the blow-out loss by Clemson.
Third, THIS IS THE BIG ONE in the BCS picture…BIG 12 vs. SEC.
OKST will SCORE BIG. Dawgs wont be able to keep up.
The fact that Barnhart has stated dawgs will have to score 30+ to win, Belue has publically implored the players to “step it up,” Richt using the 21-0 scrimmage trick for motivation, and lastly Donnan publicly backing off his previouos “OKST are pretenders” commment from last week should make it all plainly clear….dawgs will likley get blown out.
And, worst of all…from a PR standpoint, THIS is game everyone is gonna remember throughout the season. It will have HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE BCS implications for rest of the year.
Lastly, Washington, oddly enough, might just pull the shocker vs LSU.
LSU lost of veterans from last year, especially on defense. Washington has new HC Steve Sarkisian from SoCal. Sark;s mentor/teacher was Norm Chow. What that means is UW is gonna throw the ball all over the place. And LSU’s most notable weakness is their passing D. This could be a HUGE upset.
That could leave the SEC 1-3 to start the season with losses to the PAC 10, Big 12, ans the ACC.
Red Neckerson
August 31st, 2009
9:52 am
MiamiVice is a complete dumba$$.
dan
August 31st, 2009
9:55 am
SEC-Great football conference, mediocre basketball conference.
ACC-Great basketball conference, mediocre football conference.
Not really seeing what the big deal is.
dap01
August 31st, 2009
10:05 am
Who is #83 for Tech in the picture? You can tell that he was excited to play in a big time college stadium. You can blame him for being excited. He had just won a game in front of his largest crowd since high school. Not too classy though.
PTC DAWG
August 31st, 2009
10:07 am
To the GT fan that thinks they will be 3-0 in the SEC this year, with huge wins over Vandy, Miss St and UGA….name your price? I’ll take the under…
VT Beast
August 31st, 2009
10:07 am
Good luck Tide. This game is going to be a violent one. Both defenses are nasty. The offenses are suspect, but I think servicable. I will say this, everyone who keeps talking about Clemson getting smashed last year is insane. Last year Clemson was a product of the media. VT destroys Clemson every single time they play. This will not be a debacle like that one. If VT wins, it will be because out defense eats the Tide’s new QB for lunch, and our offense displays its newly found passing game. If the Tide wins, it will be because their offense is better than expected, and their defense shuts down VT’s running game. What a great game to start the season. Good luck Tide! Go Hokies!
VT Beast
August 31st, 2009
10:13 am
On conferences: The ACC will be the #1 or #2 conference this year. I accept the ACC has been a solid but not great conference in the past few years. But last year was an upswing, and I really believe this year there will be 6 teams in the top 25 by the end of the season…
ACC IS A JOKE!!
August 31st, 2009
10:15 am
10-14 last 3 years in bowls!!!! That is the measuring stick when comparing conferences.
VT Beast
August 31st, 2009
10:15 am
And by the way, there’s a reason year in and year out the ACC has the most players go to the NFL: Because they are better players, and they are smarter players.
dan
August 31st, 2009
10:16 am
Sick_of_the_conf_supremacy
UGA has won SEC Titles in 2002 and 2005 and finished 2# in the Nation in 2007.
C’mon Tech/ACC fans, be objective here. If you want to Dog UGA out for them choking last year than that’s fair. But to say they have ” no real accomplishments to speak of” is crazy talk and makes you guys look like idiots.
And why do you feel the need to depend your conference? Why not just defend your team? I’m the first to admit that the SEC sucked in basketball last year. Why can’t you ACC fans just admit that your football conference is mediocre and that your flagship sport it basketball? ACC basketball is clearly the best in the Nation just like SEC football is the best in the nation.
bud johnson
August 31st, 2009
10:17 am
What did the GT football player get on his SAT ? Drool
dan
August 31st, 2009
10:17 am
Sick_of_the_conf_supremacy
UGA has won SEC Titles in 2002 and 2005 and finished 2# in the Nation in 2007.
C’mon Tech/ACC fans, be objective here. If you want to Dog UGA out for them choking last year than that’s fair. But to say they have ” no real accomplishments to speak of” is crazy talk and makes you guys look like idiots.
And why do you feel the need to depend your conference? Why not just defend your team? I’m the first to admit that the SEC sucked in basketball last year. Why can’t you ACC fans just admit that your football conference is mediocre and that your flagship sport is basketball? ACC basketball is clearly the best in the Nation just like SEC football is the best in the nation.
VT Beast
August 31st, 2009
10:18 am
Again, I said I’m not looking at the past. Last year I knew the ACC would be average….but competitive. I wouldn’t have said the conference would be that great. But I’m just saying that this is the year. I’m not about what happened on paper in the past. I’m about the future, and there are some insane teams in the ACC this year.
bud johnson
August 31st, 2009
10:21 am
Enter your comments here
VT Beast
August 31st, 2009
10:21 am
I totally agree the SEC has the best football in the nation. No question. But this year they will be challenged by the ACC. That’s all I’m saying. Will the ACC establish itself, ever, as a top football league? Don’t know. Probably not at the level of consistency the SEC has. But there will be years, like this year, when the ACC surprises. The ACC has had down years in basketball. So it isn’t as if the ACC dominates the basketball world every single year. But their consistency in being the top conference is definitely there….just like the SEC in football,.
bud johnson
August 31st, 2009
10:26 am
for those of you who think the acc is better than the sec, keep working on it. I’ve gotta run, I’ve got to get back to planet earth.
Georgia Grad
August 31st, 2009
10:45 am
Georgia Grad
Georgia Grad
August 31st, 2009
10:46 am
To all the Techies out there. YOU sux and the ACC is irrevelant. You’re pay back is comming and you know it. The only :pound the hound; will be done by you and you’re fraternaty brothers in your own dorm rooms the nights before the game. If you think you can win one game every 8 years and smack talk. Georgia people you have another thing comming. You are irrevelant and you’re pittiful stadium is a joke to every college teams that stomps your ass inside it.
Yellow Fuzz
August 31st, 2009
10:58 am
Looks like you spent some time on that reply Georgia Grad. I could only see maybe 15 grammatical errors right off the bat. Did you by chance get your degree from georgia in Journalism?
LOL
45-42
TWO backs rushed for over 100 yards
FIVE backs rushed for over 408
TWENTY-SIX to ZERO in the 3rd quarter
15-0 your grammatical errors to mine
More Random SEC Notes And Blurbs | MrSEC.com
August 31st, 2009
11:15 am
[...] of the Gamecocks’ Thursday night opener with NC State.Jeff Schultz of The AJC writes that the ACC will have to start beating the SEC if it ever wants to get noticed in football. That means you, Virginia Tech.Now with a healthy [...]
Richt's Cafe
August 31st, 2009
11:55 am
Jeff,
Would averaged enrollment and athletic budget numbers, SEC vs. ACC, shed any light on which conference might have some off-the-field advantages over the other?
Keep up the good work!
RC
SEC Kool-Aide Server
August 31st, 2009
2:04 pm
Here comes another Ice Cold Glass of SEC Kool-Aide. Jeff, your article certainly adds to the “perception” . . . good job and I’m sure the SEC ADs appreciate the support. Not too long ago, FL State was as dominant as FL. The ACC conference did not get the perception bump that the SEC gets from FL. Just clarify what you want to say. Is it that the SEC has the best team in the country or the toughest conference. . . . two different statements. Jeff, last year, the SEC bottom ten teams were 1-15 against FL and AL. The games were not even close (reference UGA verses FL and UGA verses AL). The SEC used to claim “best conference” status because it was so tough on “any given Saturday” which should be modified considerably.
Now, the SEC is tough because it wins the “big games”. A few years ago, FL State won the big games but everyone acknowledged the “ACC” as a whole was not strong.
Yes, the ACC was 6-4 against the SEC last year and they were 6-1 against the non FL and AL teams. Nice of you to bring up Duke victory over Vandy (at Vandy by the way . . . and did you vote Vandy in the top ten last year while drinking your kool-aide? . . . somebody did). How about Wake over Ole Miss or Ga Tech over UGA (pre-season #1 . . . voted by kool-aide drinkers)? I think there is solid evidence of a transition taking place.
I guess now the criteria has changed because the circumstances have changed . . . Keep serving up the Kool-Aid, there are plenty drinkers out there buying your paper!
Hokie Jim
August 31st, 2009
5:19 pm
I’ve been a VT alum for a long time. Up until last year, Beamer’s attitude towards bowl game preparation was that those games were a reward for a job well done during the regular season, so he would make the practices light and let the kids have fun. Last year was the first time that changed. They prepared for last year’s Orange Bowl game hard and didn’t play on the beaches nearly as much. The difference between the results of that game and the year before, against Kansas, was all the proof he needed that the team needed to prepare harder. There was just a different feeling leading up the game.
I think his change in attitude came partly because he and the rest of the coaching staff got tired of losing bowl games, and they got tired of people saying Tech couldn’t win the big games. I think maybe also because conference-versus-conference rivalries have become so big of late, and so bowl games have taken on added importance. It used to be that beating the in-conference rivals like Miami was the main thing, but now, as you can see in these comments, there is just so much smack going around about which conference is best, mostly from SEC fans.
Because of that, I believe the ACC is tired of the smack and is motivated to dish some out. The gauntlet was thrown a while back, and the ACC is getting ready to pick it up, I hope.
In any event, believe this…Frank Beamer and crowd is going to lose for lack of trying. They are going to play their hearts out for both VT and the entire ACC.
Hokie Jim
August 31st, 2009
5:29 pm
Enter your comments here
Hokie Jim
August 31st, 2009
5:32 pm
My bad. Meant to say Frank Beamer and crowd isn’t going to lose for lack of trying. Hope that slip wasn’t prophetic. Definitely was pathetic.
SER
August 31st, 2009
6:35 pm
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BIGBOY
August 31st, 2009
7:31 pm
FSU has not won big since Mark Richt left.Folks on here keep talking about if FLA and FSU switched places well what about UGA,LSU,ALA?There are no teams in the ACC that are on the level of those teams.
Phil
September 1st, 2009
7:09 am
Alabama may have the best receiver in the nation….but, will the QB get time to throw him the ball? That could be the big story. I’m looking forward to a great game.