Thorn In Their Side, Football Edition

After starting off my State of the Program series yesterday, a few Virginia Tech fans mentioned how tough the Eagles have played the Hokies over the years. The Hokies aren’t alone. There are plenty of teams that just always give another trouble. A thorn in the other team’s side, if you will. It could be a perpetual underdog who always keeps it close or pulls off the upset. It could also be a team that for one reason or another simply has the best of a certain foe. There are plenty of examples in the ACC alone.

Clemson

Thorn – Georgia Tech

The Tigers have beaten the Yellow Jackets twice in their last eight tries. Both teams have enjoyed similar levels of success over that span, but the Jackets have been able to dominate the Tigers nonetheless. What’s the biggest difference between the schools since 2004? The Yellow Jackets have a conference championship. Who’d they beat to earn the title? Why, none other than Clemson in a 39-34 thriller in 2009.

Florida State

Thorn – Boston College

North Carolina gives the Eagles a run for their money, but the Eagles have had more recent success stifling the ‘Noles. Since joining the league in 2005, Boston College is 3-3 against the Seminoles, including a 2-1 mark in Tallahassee. While the Eagles have loved giving Florida State trouble, the biggest game in the series didn’t go their way. Florida State knocked Boston College from the ranks of the unbeaten in 2007, when the Eagles were ranked second in the country.

Georgia Tech

Thorn – Virginia Tech

It’s not so much that the Hokies pester the Yellow Jackets – who are 2-5 vs. the four-time ACC champions since 2004 – but that the Hokies have stood squarely in the Jackets’ way of a few Coastal Division titles. In 2008, Georgia Tech outplayed the Hokies in Blacksburg, but after Roddy Jones let a sure touchdown catch slip through his fingers, the Hokies escaped. The Hokies’ 51-7 defeat of the Jackets in 2005 is the most lopsided loss for Georgia Tech since 2002, when the hated Georgia Bulldogs won by the same score.

Miami

Thorn – Virginia 

The Cavaliers make the cut on the merits of their 48-0 win in the final game at the Orange Bowl in 2007 alone. The Wahoos are 3-4 against Miami since the Hurricanes joined the ACC, but they’ve provided some of the most embarrassing losses Miami has suffered in that span. Last season, the Cavaliers had beaten only Richmond, VMI and Eastern Michigan so far when they sucker-punched the ‘Canes in Charlottesville.

North Carolina

Thorn – NC State

Butch Davis has tried to beat the Wolfpack for the last four seasons. He’s failed each time. If it weren’t for a certain NCAA investigation, this would be of much more concern to the Tar Heel faithful. The Tar Heels have had much better success on the recruiting trail over the same time span, yet the Wolfpack have dominated on the field. Of course, like any other knock on Tar Heel football, their fans will find revenge come basketball season.

Virginia Tech

Thorn – Boston College

Dating back to their days as full-fledged members of the Big East, Boston College and Virginia Tech have had some memorable affairs. Most notably in 2007, when Matt Ryan led Boston College on two scoring drives in the final six minutes to turn a 10-0 deficit into a 14-10 win. That isn’t supposed to happen on Thursday nights in Blacksburg. The pair has met eight times since 2005, with the Hokies winning five times. Tech won consecutive league title matches against the Eagles, but the Hokies have had to earn every bit of success over the years against the boys up north.

Talkin’ football with ESPN’s Bruce Feldman

ESPN.com’s Bruce Feldman was kind enough to make his second appearance at ACC Mania this week. This time around, we talked about the biggest news in the ACC this off-season, and started to look ahead to the 2011 season. Bruce is my favorite college football writer in the business, and a great guy to boot. His books, Meat Market and Cane Mutiny, are both great reads.

Here’s what he had to say:

ACC Mania – True or false, Butch Davis will be North Carolina’s head coach in 2012? Why or why not?
Bruce Feldman – False. I am skeptical UNC can keep the head of a program when his long-time close friend and righthand man acted as a runner for an agent. Davis also presided over a program with widespread agent issues with numerous players and where you had a rogue tutor who among other things spent four figures to pay parking tickets for players. Not knowing ANY of that I think will ultimately be too tough for UNC brass to stomach and no re-consider pushing the “reset” button in the face of huge NCAA sanctions.
The program had significantly built up its talent base in Davis first four seasons, although in fairness a lot of that was due to the efforts of John Blake. Still, Davis hasnt even had a winning season in ACC play yet, and now you’re looking at a future where it’s going to be even more challenging for this program to get much traction over the next five-plus years.

AM – We’ve been so eager to proclaim the resurgence of Florida State in recent years, yet this year it seems more within reach than before. What’s your stance on the future of the Seminoles under Jimbo Fisher?

BF – I’m on the bandwagon. I have FSU in the top six this season. I’d spent some time there this spring and noted how there has been impressive buy-in at all levels. Fisher’s staff is recruiting very well and with the staff he assembled I dont see that slowing down. It also helps that Fisher took over right as their two arch-rivals, Miami and UF were about to go through their own transitions.

AM – There was a plethora of restless Hokie fans after the team’s embarrassing Orange Bowl loss to Stanford in January. Frank Beamer made changes to his coaching staff the following month. Has Virginia Tech hit a wall, or can they break through to being a more serious national championship contender?

BF – Good question. I do think its very hard for any coaching regime to go someplace it hasn’t gone in the previous decade. The energy that comes with some new assistants can be very good, but for as good as Tech has been, I’m not sure they’ll push it to an even higher level.

AM – Did Tom O’Brien do the right thing in “benching” Russell Wilson, eventually leading to his departure?

I don’t know enough about what was really going on there behind the scenes. I’m curious how the majority of the guys in the locker room really feel about Wilson and how his departure was viewed there. (Mike) Glennon will be around longer, but given how productive Wilson was, it certainly has the potential to blow up in O’Brien’s face.

OBrien’s only 25-25 in four seasons there. If the offense really struggles and the Pack goes, say 5-7, while Wilson ends up leading Wisconsin to the Big Ten title it’s only going to inflame even more State fans.

AM – Georgia Tech struggled last season after winning the 2009 ACC Championship. They clearly lacked a receiving threat was Demaryius Thomas to keep defenses honest. Was that the biggest difference last season, or have teams begun to figure out how to defend that offense?

BF — I think teams in the league have got a better sense on how to handle that scheme. It doesn’t mean it’s not a big problem, but without some of the dimensions, it makes it that much more manageable.

AM – Clemson is a sleeping giant. Excellent facilities, fan base, and recruiting grounds. Why aren’t they more successful?

I’m not sure they have the right head coach. Lots of places can be transformed from underwhelming to powerhouse if they have the right guy pushing buttons at the top, setting the right tone. In the case of Dabo, it’s never easy for a first-time head coach to have a major college job the first time around.

AM – Who makes it to the conference championship game, and who comes out on top this year?

BF — I’ll say FSU over VT.

The Morning Buzz

Alright, readers. Readership is up in the new year, and I’ve just dug a hole in my wallet for a Rivals.com subscription. I can’t make any promises, but from now on I hope to bring the morning buzz throughout the week to let you know what’s making news in the ACC.

• Miami will visit today with Marcus McDade, a 3-star pro-style quarterback prospect from Hargrave Military Academy. It seems likely that McDade will commit to the Hurricanes as soon as today and enroll in classes for the upcoming semester.
• Nolan Smith scored a career-high 33 points to guide Duke in a 85-64 home win over UAB. The Blue Devils jumped out to a 26-4 lead en route to their 14th straight victory without a loss this season.
• Virginia Tech picked up its 18th commitment in its 2011 football recruiting class, three-start tight end Darius Redman. The H.D. Woodson High School product de-committed from Virginia to choose the Hokies. He plans on enrolling for the spring semester.
• NC State topped Elon 87-72 Wednesday night. The Wolfpack got 27 minutes’ worth of action from Tracy Smith, who recently returned from injury. Smith scored 15 points and grabbed six rebounds. The ‘Pack open ACC play against Wake Forest on Saturday.
• Butch Davis has hired a new defensive line coach, according to sources close to the situation. Brian Baker comes to UNC after 15 seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Carolina Panthers. He replaces John Blake, whose connection with the NCAA’s investigation of UNC’s football program cost him his job in September.

Football weekend wrap-up: November 20

One division title was decided on Saturday, while the other saw its race whittled down to two teams.

Virginia Tech overcame a slow start to dominate Miami in the second half, winning 31-17 on the road. It was the Hokies’ ninth straight win; their longest streak since 1999.

With the Coastal Division in hand, they will face Virginia next Saturday for a chance to become the first team to run the table in the ACC since 2000.

Ryan Williams said his hamstring wouldn’t be 100 percent until he could rest it after the season. Whatever percent it is now, it’s still better than just about anyone else. Williams showed the explosiveness that made him a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate with a 142-yard, two-touchdown output.

The day kicked off with a thrilling rivalry game between North Carolina and NC State. The Wolfpack trailed 19-10 in the third quarter, but came back to win 29-25. They had to hold on late when North Carolina scored to come within two points, but a failed two-point conversion try left NC State standing.

The win moved the Wolfpack to 5-2 in ACC play, tied with Florida State for the time being.

The Seminoles edged Maryland in a tough environment, 30-16. The Terps were knocking on the door in the final minute down a touchdown, but Nick Moody intercepted a Danny O’Brien pass and returned it 96 yards for a touchdown.

Banged-up FSU quarterback Christian Ponder completed 16-of-26 passes for 170 yards and a touchdown. It was the Seminoles’ defense, however, that won the game. Mark Stoops’ unit forced four turnovers despite giving up 432 yards of total offense.

Maryland’s hopes for an improbable ACC title run were shattered with the loss, while Florida State now must hope the Terrapins can play spoiler next week against the Wolfpack. If NC State beats Maryland, the ‘Pack will play in their first ever conference championship game. If not, the Seminoles will face the Hokies on Dec. 4 in Charlotte.

Granted, there’s still a week left, but you’ve got to hand it to the Tar Heels. Despite all the turmoil, not to mention severe attrition of key players, they’ve been competitive every week. Of their five losses, three have come by six points or less. It’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, but Butch Davis was pretty darn good at keeping his team afloat despite the chaos surrounding his team.

The ACC Player of the Year appeared to be locked up a few weeks ago; and it would belong to Tyrod Taylor. Over the past three weeks, Taylor has cooled off significantly. In that span, he’s completed 35-of-67 passes (52%) with four touchdowns. He’s also only rushed for 62 yards in that time. He’s still the front-runner because of the plays he makes that don’t show up in the stat book.

Headed in the opposite direction, however, is Boston College’s Montel Harris, who continued his streak of 100-yard rushing games in the Eagles’ 17-13 win over Virginia.

Through five games, Harris averaged just 77 yards per game. Since then, he’s gained 142.6 yards per game and scored seven touchdowns. He’s the reason Boston College has won four straight games and is bowl eligible for the 13^th straight season. Linebacker Luke Kuechly may bring home more hardware this winter, but if it weren’t for Harris, the Eagles would never have been 6-5 today.

ESPN’s Bruce Feldman Talks ACC Football

The landscape of sports journalism is littered with, more or less, nerds and geeks who have a lifelong passion for whatever sport they cover.

Not so for one distinguished character in the college football sector. Bruce Feldman was an art major in college, before a part-time job covering high school sports at the Miami Herald turned him onto journalism.

Fast-forward to 2010, and Feldman is a senior college football writer for ESPN the magazine and also has a daily blog on ESPN.com Insider.

He’s the author of two books, Cane Mutiny and Meat Market: Inside the Smashmouth World of College Football Recruiting. Over the course a week earlier this summer, I read Meat Market, which Feldman wrote after spending one year with all-inclusive access to the Ole Miss coaching staff in 2006 under recruiting guru Ed Orgeron.

Feldman basically took the Hubble Telescope and pointed it at the Rebels’ program, specifically the aspect of recruiting. What it showed was a coach who gave up an addiction to alcohol for an addiction to recruiting (and Red Bull Energy Drink), while also depicting just how time-consuming, complicated, and out-of-this-world stressful recruiting in the Deep South can be.

Feldman was kind enough to speak with ACC Mania one evening last week, and he had plenty to opine about the current environment within the conference.

ACC Maniac: Between Jacory Harris, Ryan Williams, Christian Ponder and Joshua Nesbitt, who has the best shot at the Heisman Trophy?

Feldman: I’d say it’s probably Ponder over Harris. I think Ponder is more consistent. Quarterbacks always have the best shot, especially when they can put up good passing numbers. I think Nesbitt is as tough a guy as there is in college football, but I’m not a guy on that bandwagon.

I’ve seen Miami this spring, and I was really impressed by how they look. I think Ponder has been more consistent, but at this point I’d say him, but it wouldn’t shock me if Harris were in the Heisman hunt.

ACC: Do you place any value in Heisman campaigns at places like Florida State?

Feldman: Those programs are so big. I think it would help if you were the Maryland quarterback, or another school that feels like more of a mid-major level.

I’ll use Carson Palmer as an example. Palmer had been a pretty inconsistent quarterback for most of his career. People knew his name, but until his senior year, he really didn’t get cranked up. He really didn’t get mentioned as a Heisman guy until really about Halloween (in 2002). It helped that guys said he had NFL size and an NFL arm. Having the NFL Draft guru approval certainly doesn’t hurt.

I have a feeling if Boise State beats Virginia Tech and Oregon State, people may talk about Kellen Moore. But there is going to be another side that’s going to ask “how good can this guy be?” He’ll be a free agent in the NFL one day, and whatever. I don’t think that helps a Heisman candidacy, but you can spend all the money you want on posters and pins and whatever, but if your guy doesn’t win big games it’s not going to matter.

If Ponder’s team wins the ACC and plays for the BCS title, people are going to find out about his story; they’ll know. He’ll be in enough big games where he’ll be talked about on College Gameday all the time and featured in magazines. People will constantly be talking about him, and why FSU – a program that had dropped – all of a sudden is back up and look who is the reason why.

There is no elaborate Heisman campaign that got everyone fired up about Mark Ingram. It was just about playing well in big games on national TV that does it.

You don’t beat out a guy because your Heisman campaign was better orchestrated than his. It might help you win a Butkus…it’s too scrutinized

ACC: You wrote a book on recruiting; who do you think is the best recruiter in the ACC?

Feldman: I’m tempted to say Eddie Gran, The running back coach at Florida State. He pulled a lot of kids out of south Florida when he was at Auburn and Tennessee and definitely did the same when he got to FSU. I think he is a really, really good recruiter. He’s a fairly low-key guy.

(UNC defensive line coach) John Blake has a big reputation as a recruiter, too, but I just don’t know. I think Graham might be a bit of an upset, but I’ll say him.

ACC: Virginia Tech just lost two huge recruits to UNC in Landon Turner and Marquise Williams. Tech needed Williams a lot more than UNC. Also, with Mike London raising UVA’s profile in-state, Tech is losing some ground in the state quickly. Williams was from North Carolina, but Turner was from Harrisonburg. Butch Davis is doing a good job.

Feldman: He’s a good evaluator. Let’s see how this NCAA probe may impact them. One of the little side cushions of the USC hit is that I wonder how much recruits will be gunshy when they hear “NCAA probe” than they were a while back.

ACC: What is the best stadium you’ve been to in the conference?

Feldman: I’m going to sound like I’m pandering, but I’m going to say Lane Stadium. I‘ve been there for a lot of games. I don’t like heavy metal or anything like that, but even when you just start hearing Enter Sandman that whole place rocks.

Every year, ESPN has a preseason seminar where everyone that works with college football comes in. One year they were playing the open to Virginia Tech-Miami in 2005. I remember just sitting there getting goosebumps. I remember being at that game. There is something there that is great.

It’s a really scenic part of the country. I’m kind of partial to that place. I have not been to Clemson for a game and I’ve heard great things about there. Otherwise I’ve been to pretty much every place in the ACC.

There is just something at Virginia Tech that I am in to.

ACC: Are you surprised that Tom O’Brien has not had more success at NC State?

Feldman: A little, given his track record. For as much as people take shots at the league, it’s not that easy to all of a sudden (improve). He has a good quarterback. Chuck Amato recruited pretty well, and he didn’t really win either. I’m not saying NC State is as tough as Duke to win at.

In a way, at Boston College you’re little more on an island and it has its charms to it. NC State is a little trickier spot. I’m not saying you can’t win there. I didn’t go in thinking oh he’s going to turn that place into the next Virginia Tech seasons. I expected 7-5 and the occasional 8-4 season. But I thought he’d be more along the lines of what Al Groh was able to do at Virginia.

I think people underestimate BC a little bit. They always have good offensive linemen. They also recruit New Jersey very well. New Jersey football is actually very good, and that is the Eagles’ lifeblood. As long as you have a really good line and mix in some other good players, you’re going to be good. It’s always been a well-coached program. They’ve never been bad. I don’t think you all of a sudden go to a different league and just fall apart.

ACC: Who is the best coach in the ACC?

Feldman: I think a lot of people would say Jim Grobe (at Wake Forest). Paul Johnson has done a lot at Georgia Tech. Beamer has obviously elevated Virginia Tech to an unthinkable level. I’d say it’s one of those three. I feel like Grobe probably gets the most out of the least, and Beamer takes it to another level. He’s had guys on his staff for a long time, there’s a lot of loyalty there.

ACC: Not a lot of people expected Paul Johnson’s offense to succeed in the ACC. I think a lot of his success predicates on how unique it is and how different it is to prepare for. When facing it, you have to completely change everything. Do you think Tech can maintain this, and do you think the triple option could show up at more schools in the future?

Feldman: I think they can maintain it. I don’t think it’s going to show up at so many other places, because coaches coach what they know. That is such a radical departure from places like the Big 12 where there are all these variations of the spread, but are pass-happy offenses.

Johnson is a good coach. Whatever system you run, it’s about how well you execute it. I just don’t think you’re all of a sudden going to see Norm Chow say, “I’m going to become an option guy,” or Mark Whipple or Jimbo Fisher either.

I think watching what Navy has done over the few years, what they’ve done is good. I just don’t think it’s going to be widespread, it’s not a part of other coaches’ DNA right now, offensively.

ACC: Who wins the ACC this year?

Feldman: There are four schools in the mix: Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina and Florida State. The more this investigation talk starts to bubble up, it doesn’t help UNC. You worry about chemistry.

I think Virginia Tech is a proven commodity, which definitely helps them.

FSU and Miami are both similar to me. Both programs have been really good, and now are trying to get rebuilt under new leadership. They have a lot of firepower. I think Miami has more talent on defense.

I feel like it comes down to Virginia Tech having to go to Miami this year. I think that game is going to determine the best team in the league.

The five most important games for the ACC this year

In 2004, ACC Commissioner John Swofford offered up a half-century of basketball dominance as a sacrificial lamb in favor of the more financially rewarding football supreme conference. He never could have imagined that the very conference he pillaged for expansion (The Big East) would be viewed by some as a better football conference (and basketball, for that matter) today.

Whether or not you concur with opines like Brian Bennett’s (go figure, ESPN’s Big East blogger) or not, the fact that there is even a debate over whether or not the ACC is the worst of the BCS conferences is certifiably depressing.

In a league that boasts longtime powers Miami, Florida State as well as Virginia Tech, a newcomer to elite program status, the ACC should be at the forefront of college football.

Since expansion, the Hokies’ 2009 Orange Bowl win over Cincinnati (from the Big East, for what it’s worth) is the league’s only BCS bowl win since expanding – and only its second since the BCS’ inception in 1998.

Last year saw the ACC suffer embarrassing losses in the non-conference slate, as well as another group of good-but-not-great teams knock each other off week after week.

If you don’t include the Hokies, no ACC team has finished in the Associated Press’ Top 25 rankings since 2004 (the Hokies have four times). There have been 10 double-digit win totals between the teams since expansion. Compare that to the rest of the BCS conferences in that same time span:

CONFERENCE	DOUBLE-DIGIT WIN TEAMS SINCE 2004
SEC	18
BIG 12	15
BIG 10	14
PAC 10	13
ACC	10
BIG EAST*	9

*(It should be noted that in 2004 the Big East had Boston College, but had yet to add Louisville, Cincinnati, and South Florida – Louisville went 11-1 in 2004).

2010 is put up-or-shut up time for the ACC.

The Hokies have their best offense in a decade or more, Miami has its best combination of talent, experience and discipline under Randy Shannon, Florida State has a Heisman Trophy candidate at quarterback, and Butch Davis has more future Pro Bowlers on its defense than the Carolina Panthers.

ACC backers are cautiously optimistic about the upcoming season. There are some heeeeeeyuge games throughout the year, and the conference needs to make a name for itself this year or risk earning the uncontested label as biggest underachieving conference in the nation.

Here’s a look at the five most important games for the ACC this year, where the very reputation of the league will hang most treacherously in the balance.

1. Florida at Florida State, November 27

Seminole fans need not be reminded that it has been seven years since they beat the mighty Gators (that even includes once in the Ron Zook era…yikes). In the past three seasons, the ‘Noles have been outscored by a combined 90 points.

This game used to be THE one to watch on the season’s final weekend. There was Michigan-Ohio State the week before in a top-10 clash, followed by the battle for supremacy in the Sunshine state. Quite frankly, this game hasn’t been a match of true titans in a decade.

Jimbo Fisher has a lot of pressure on him to return the program to greatness, and that consists of two not-so-simple tasks: winning the ACC and beating the Gators.

Make no mistake about it, Florida still has plenty of separation in terms of overall depth and talent, but the Seminoles are closing that gap.

It’s very likely this will be Florida State’s last tune-up before the ACC Championship Game. It will also definitely be Christian Ponder’s final game in Doak Campbell Stadium, and perhaps his best chance to cement his legacy in Tallahassee and his chances at the Heisman.

If Florida State is in fact still in the hunt for a BCS bowl heading into this game, a win over Urban Meyer and one of the giants of college football would be a huge step for a conference that has no marquee wins in November or later in years.

2. Miami at Ohio State, September 11

There are a few reasons why this game is more important for the ACC than the Virginia Tech-Boise State matchup five days earlier. For one, this is a road game for Miami, not to mention beating Ohio State has more cache than beating the Broncos. Also, despite its hot start last season, a win over the Buckeyes would be the biggest in the Randy Shannon era.

There is a lot of hype surrounding Ohio State, mainly because people believe it is finally quarterback Terrelle Pryor’s time to shine. The Hurricanes have the fastest defense Pryor will see all season.

This will also be the biggest road test of any team in the ACC this season (with a slight edge over Florida State at Oklahoma the same day). The league has not fared particularly well in that department recently, and this is a golden opportunity for Miami to stamp itself as a national contender. If Florida State also knocks off the Sooners, it will be a banner day for the ACC.

3. UNC vs. LSU (in Atlanta), September 4

This game became a lot less attractive once the news of the NCAA probe in Chapel Hill broke late last week. If the Tar Heels lose a couple starters and key back-ups for the year, especially on defense, the Tigers should take this game.

However, the SEC is the league against which all others are measured, and LSU should be a top-15 team this year. The Tigers have their fair share of concerns, primarily at quarterback, where Jordan Jefferson has been wildly inconsistent the past two years.

North Carolina has come out of nowhere to become the trendy pick to win the ACC (those dreams may fade depending on the NCAA findings), and Butch Davis’ program would explode if they knocked off LSU in Atlanta. The SEC has yet to lose in this Chick-fil-A kickoff game.

If the Tar Heels lose this game, it would take quite a bit of wind out of their sails very quickly. They follow that game up with a date with Georgia Tech two weeks later, and would be staring a 0-2 start right down the nose. The league could use another 10-win-caliber team.

Right now, the ACC’s calling card is depth, but the lack of a dominant team. The Heels may not be far from becoming one.

4. Florida State at Miami, October 9

This is without a doubt the best intraconference rivalry in the ACC. Even during the pair of once-dominant programs dark ages of late, the game has provided some memorable moments. Last year’s season opener on Labor Day came down to a Christian Ponder incompletion in the end zone on the final play giving Miami the win.

There is a very good chance both teams will be hovering around the top 10 when they meet, which would give the league its first marquee conference game with national implications in who knows how long.

If by god’s grace both teams are unbeaten when this game come around, make no mistake about it – Chris, Kirk, Lee, (sigh) Desmond and (YES!) Erin will be in South Beach for College GameDay. The eyes of America will be on a prime-time ACC showdown that will all but eliminate at least one team from the national title race. As far as the winner? They just might find themselves partying like it’s 2000, in the Top 5.

5. Georgia Tech at Virginia Tech, November 4 (Thursday night)

This is one of the best-kept secretly budding rivalries in college football. Hokie fans were afraid when Jeff Jagodzinski left Boston College that they no longer had an ACC coach to despise. Paul Johnson made the transition into that role seamlessly.

Johnson drew the ire of Hokie fans when, after Virginia Tech complained to ACC officials over what they believed were illegal chop blocks in the Jackets’ win over the Hokies last year, went public saying “they didn’t complain about this last year when they won”. There was more where that came from, too.

This game will take center stage on Thursday night in Blacksburg, which is an all-too-familiar stage to college football this decade. This begins a treacherous month for the Hokies, who should enter this game with at most one loss, therefore very highly ranked.

Georgia Tech will likely be a top 25 team as well at the very least, and it’s hard to believe this won’t be a tight game.

This will be a chance for the nation to see one of the league’s fiercest rivalries, not to mention some hard-hittin, slobber-knockin’ football under the lights at Lane Stadium. As long as this game doesn’t get away from either team, and fans are still tuned in during the fourth quarter, it will be a victory for the ACC.

So what do you think? There’s plenty of room for argument; this is just one man’s list. Keep in mind, these are the game I think will have the biggest impact on the ACC – not the best games, or most important for the teams, per se. Feel free to nit-pick away in the comments.

UNC football in hot water

As most anyone who would peruse this blog knows by now, the North Carolina football team has drawn the unwanted attention of the NCAA.

The school acknowledged yesterday that NCAA officials have been on campus investigation the athletic programs. The specific sport(s) under question were not identified.

School officials were told not to comment any further, but every indication points to the football team in hot water.

It’s widely speculated that senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin is one of the players in question. Austin, who ran into trouble by being a little too loose-lipped on his Twitter account last month, deleted that account Thursday night.

Some reports say up to 13 players are under the NCAA’s microscope for possible contact with agents.

Most people  remember the Dez Bryant situation last year, when he received a career-ending suspension for lying about time spent with former NFL star Deion Sanders. Bryant was only suspended so harshly because he lied to investigators, which potentially distinguishes that situation from the current one in Chapel Hill.

Worst-case is Austin, wide receiver Greg Little and a number of other players could forfeit their remaining eligibility.

According to WRAL in Raleigh/Durham, UNC senior Kamari Daniels acknowledged he wants the matter resolved before the season begins so it does not serve as a distraction.

This has not been a great week for the Carolina football team. Last weekend, two defensive players, Michael McAdoo and Kevin Reddick lost nearly all their belongings in an apartment fire (the players themselves were unharmed).

The following day, news broke that star linebacker Quan Sturdivant had been arrested on misdemeanor marijuana possession charges.

Unless you are Tennessee, USC, or Georgia, that’s a summer’s worth of bad news for a football program.

Instead, the rain in Chapel Hill has turned into a downpour, one that could wreck the program for years. It’s too early to speculate on what the NCAA will find, but it doesn’t look good. Odds are, the Heels aren’t going to come away from this unharmed.

Less than two weeks ago, the Tar Heels landed a lauded offensive line recruit, Landon Turner, from the class of 2011. Turner has said that news of the investigations have done nothing to soften his commitment. Whether the rest of the commitments in that class share those sentiments is yet to be seen.

On June 4, ESPN rated UNC’s 2011 recruiting class as the 22nd best in the country. Since then, the Tar Heels have added seven recruits, including several four-star prospects.

Eight days ago, there was nothing but excitement and promise surrounding Butch Davis’ program.

Now, it’s all Davis and the rest of the school can do is hang on tight, hoping they don’t slip and fall.

Two thoughts 7/13/10: The next Miami QB and the impact of Quan Sturdivant’s arrest

There’s a volcano ready to erupt in college football, and it comes in the form of 7-on-7 tournaments. The concept has been around for years now, with camps hosting high schools for day-long showcases. In the past, they have mostly served as extra practice for schools that can’t otherwise officially work on football-related activities on the field during the summer.

Thanks to Nike, ESPN, and Title Sports Drink, these tournaments are the next big thing in college football recruiting, and it’s about time.

Sports Illustrated’s Andy Staples followed the South Florida Express, a travel team consisting of players from the Miami area, as they made their way on a trip to the national championship in Tuscaloosa. His five-part series covering the team concluded Tuesday, and it is well worth the read. Very eye-opening.

ESPNU also recently televised Nike’s 7ON series, showcasing teams from Miami and Dallas in the championship game.

The biggest star of the tournament circuit has clearly been Teddy Bridgewater, a Miami commitment and elite quarterback prospect in the class of 2011. He was mentioned in all five parts of Staples’ series, not to mention taking as much screen time during an ESPN football broadcast that only Jesse Palmer can relate to.

Bridgewater represents the next era in Miami football. He could frequently be seen on television brandishing the “U” symbol after completing touchdown passes, and didn’t hold anything back in the way of cockyness to Staples.

For instance, Staples wrote of Bridgewater’s experience on the campus of Florida State:

Ole Miss coaches should hope Holliman and Johnson treat other suitors the same way Miami Northwestern quarterback Teddy Bridgewater does. Bridgewater, who is committed to Miami, preaches the gospel of The U wherever he goes. He also doesn’t entertain many calls from other suitors. “I have a button on my phone that says Ignore,” Bridgewater said. “And I do use it.” When the Express visited Florida State on June 29, Bridgewater laughed when tour guides shooed Express players off the grass at Doak Campbell Stadium. “I’m going to tear up this field in a few years,” Bridgewater said.

While almost every other prospect could be seen donned head-to-toe in Nike apparel, Bridgewater could hardly ever be found without a Miami cap on his head. The demeanor of a kid that still has approximately 15 games and four dances left in high school is remarkably arrogant, but that’s why he’s heading to play for Randy Shannon.

For anyone who thinks Jacory Harris brought back the swagger to the “U”, just wait until this Bridgewater kid gets on campus.

Meanwhile, I caught most of the 7ON championship, where Bridgewater’s team, Vapor Trail, won in double overtime. I thought Bridgewater’s delivery was lazy; he tends to drop his elbow which leads to his passes floating in the air. He’s got plenty of time to fix that of course, and there are only a handful of rising high school senior quarterbacks that are have anywhere close to polished mechanics, in a good year. He did demonstrate good touch and the ability to place his throws away from defenders.

When he finally gets to Miami next fall, he’ll begin a career that I think could be one of the more polarizing we’ve seen in recent memory. In terms of notoriety, think of a cocky, showboating version of Tim Tebow.

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Quan Sturdivant, North Carolina’s leading tackler in 2009 and one of many leaders on a loaded Tar Heel defense, was arrested and charged Monday with misdemeanor possession of marijuana.

In order to save space, I’m going to skip right over the “How dumb can you be?” rant and talk about how this impact’s Butch Davis’ team.

The North Carolina coach has not announced whether he will suspend Sturdivant or not, but odds are a ban is coming. The charges are relatively light, but any run-in with drugs warrants at least one game on the bench.

That one game would be against LSU, easily the biggest game in the Carolina program in over a decade.

Sturdivant’s would-be replacement is junior Zach Brown. While Brown has a bright future ahead of him, would likely start for just about any other team in the ACC, and is stupid fast, you can not replace a three-year starter and future first round pick without a sizable drop-off in production.

It’s completely ridiculous that Sturdivant jeopardize his team’s chances against the Tigers in Atlanta. I won’t go so far as to say the Heels must win that game, but they have to put up a good fight. Their performance on opening night will dictate how the rest of the season plays out.

If Sturdivant is indeed out for the LSU game, it won’t destroy the Heels’ hopes. There’s still plenty of leadership and talent on the defense to survive. But in a game that means so much to the team, they can’t afford losing key players because of foolish mistakes away from the field.