Report — Larry Fedora hired at UNC: My thoughts

North Carolina ended all of the uncertainty Wednesday when it came to an agreement with Larry Fedora to make him its next head football coach. This according to the Winston-Salem Journal.

Fedora comes to Chapel Hill following a four-year stint at Southern Mississippi where he compiled a 33-19 record. The Golden Eagles captured the Conference USA title on Saturday when they stunned previously unbeaten Houston 49-28 in the conference championship game.

He will replace Everett Withers, who was the interim head coach for this past season after the school fired Butch Davis in late July, just days before the start of fall camp.

Fedora brings a strong offensive background with him to North Carolina. He was the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State from 2005-2007, and before that he was an offensive assistant at Florida for three seasons.

At Southern Miss, Fedora’s offenses have ranked in the top three scoring offenses in the conference each of the past three seasons. He has an outstanding track record at developing a dominant rushing game. The Golden Eagles led the league in rushing yards per game this season, and were second in the conference the two seasons prior to that. When he was at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys were among the top 10 rushing teams in the nation each of his last two seasons there.

Fedora also has a proven track record as a recruiter. His first class at Southern Miss was ranked 37th in the country by Rivals and included five-star wide receiver DeAndre Brown. Brown was named a second-team All-American in 2009 and left for the NFL after his junior season in 2010.

Fedora is a high-energy coach who maintained the consistency at Southern Miss that his predecessor, Jeff Bower, established. Only Florida, Florida State and Virginia Tech have longer active streaks of winning seasons in the FBS.

Fedora will bring a solid staff and a hard work ethic to Chapel Hill. He is a disciplinarian and will run a clean program, which is of paramount importance following the John Blake saga that has yet to be resolved by the NCAA.

But there remains the obvious question. Will he win big at North Carolina? History tells us no. He hasn’t really won big at Southern Miss until this season, but he’s extremely consistent. If North Carolina was ever going to become an elite football program, it seemed like it was going to happen on Butch Davis’ watch. Fairly or unfairly, Davis took the fall for the mess that was going on within the program on his watch.

It would be reasonable to expect Carolina to bounce around between seven and nine wins every season with Fedora at the helm. But isn’t that about all the school ever really wants anyway?

UNC, Duke appropriately meet for ACC Title

It’s been ten years since the last time Duke and North Carolina met for the ACC Tournament championship. The drought ends Sunday, when the Tar Heels and Blue Devils will meet for the third time this season after splitting the first two match-ups.

Last Saturday, the Tar Heels assembled their best performance in two years in an 81-67 win over the Devils at home. That win earned the Heels the regular season ACC Championship.

There is much more on the line this time, however.

Not only is this the rubber match for the two goliaths of the ACC, but it could very well be a battle for a number one seed in the NCAA Tournament.

North Carolina’s late-season surge put them in the conversation as a national championship contender. Duke, the preseason No. 1 team, looked out of sync for most of the final month of the season.

In the tournament, however, North Carolina has been sloppy in two narrow victories. Duke, on the other hand, has been assertive and much smoother in a pair of double-digit wins.

North Carolina never led until the final .2 seconds of its quarterfinal game with Miami, when Tyler Zeller’s lay-up beat the final horn for the 61-59 win. The Tar Heels trailed by 10 at halftime on Saturday to Clemson before storming back to win 92-87 in overtime.

Harrison Barnes gave a performance for the ages in that contest. His 40 points were an all-time tournament record for a freshman.

Barnes spent the first half of the season enduring massive criticism for a failure to live up to out-of-this-world expectations. The first freshman to ever be named preseason All-American, Barnes was timid for a majority of the year.

After Kendall Marshall took over as the Tar Heels’ point guard, Barnes’ production spiked, and he gradually grew more comfortable as the team’s go-to scorer. Against Clemson, he completely took the game over, including a 6-of-8 effort from three-point line.

For Duke, it has had to endure a majority of the season without a freshman sensation of its own. Point guard Kyrie Irving has been out since early December with torn ligaments in his toe. With Irving, the Blue Devils greatly resembled a juggernaut. In his absence, the Devils had to move senior All-American Nolan Smith to the point.

All Smith did was lead the ACC in scoring and finish second in assists en route to ACC Player of the Year honors. He willed the Devils to victory on more than a couple occasions, despite the consistent struggles of 2010 Final Four MVP Kyle Singler and the Devils’ lack of a scoring threat in the post.

Late in Duke’s 87-71 quarterfinal win over Maryland on Friday, Smith hobbled off the court with – ironically enough – a jammed toe. His status for Saturday’s semifinal game was uncertain up until warm-ups.

Smith never showed the effects of the injury in a dominant performance against Virginia Tech. He scored 10 straight points at one point in the first half and finished with 27 total in a 77-63 Duke win.

He’ll have to be at his best one more time Sunday against a North Carolina team that he’s had a high level of success against this season. He’s averaging 32 points and four assists against the Tar Heels this season.

There are three keys for North Carolina to win its 17^th ACC Championship: slow down Smith, take care of the ball, and stay out of foul trouble.

Smith is the engine of Duke’s team. If he struggles, Duke has a difficult time winning. The Heels have been uncharacteristically careless with the ball during the ACC Tournament, and they can’t afford to do the same against Duke. Through two tournament games, Carolina has 35 turnovers. Miami confused the Heels with a 2-3 zone defense, while Clemson used an ultra-aggressive half-court attack to control much of the game.

The Heels dealt with a touch of foul trouble Saturday. Leslie McDonald, who has been a key player down the stretch with his three-point shooting, picked up his fourth foul just five minutes into the second half.

Furthermore, John Henson and Tyler Zeller provide North Carolina with a decided advantage on the interior. As long as both are on the floor, Duke cannot compete on the glass.

The three keys for Duke on Sunday are: get Kyle Singler going early, slow Carolina down in transition, and at least by competitive in the paint.

Singler has struggled from the three-point line this season, a stark difference from a year ago. Barnes has been sensational defending Singler in both prior match-ups, holding him to a combined 18 points. If Singler knocks a couple of jump shots down early, he could be the difference in the game.

Clemson and Miami used two different approaches, as mentioned above, to stop the Tar Heels’ fast-paced attack. Miami raced back to its zone after every shot. Clemson, meanwhile, sent a man after every shot on offense directly to Marshall. The Tigers did not let Marshall easily take any outlet passes and advance the ball quickly up the court.

Duke must find a way to keep Marshall from getting the ball behind the Devils’ defense in the blink of an eye, as he so often does. With 15 points and 11 assists last Saturday, Marshall destroyed Duke. He can’t do that again if the Devils hope to win.

Between the Plumlee brothers and Ryan Kelly, Duke needs one of them to step up with 10-14 points at least. Whether it means by pulling UNC’s big men away from the basket with mid-range jumpers or getting to the foul line, they can’t allow Carolina to dominate the paint.

I’m hyped up to attend my first-ever Duke-UNC game Sunday, especially one with so much on the line. In an otherwise disappointing season for the ACC as a whole, the league is in for a fantastic final chapter. Tobacco Road is up for grabs again.

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.

When is make-or-break time for ACC’s contenders?

There comes a time for every college football team that defines their season. It can be a brutal non-conference slate in September or a string of games against divisional rivals that will dictate where that team will finish in the standings.

The ACC has ramped up its non-conference schedule for 2010. Combining that with the fact that as many as eight teams have a legitimate shot at making it to Charlotte for the conference title game, nobody has an easy road to glory this year.

I’ve taken a look at each of those eight teams’ schedules and circled a three or four-game stretch for each as the key to their season. Some teams have more than one monstrous stretch, while a couple lucky teams managed to find their toughest games spread throughout the year.

Boston College

Sept. 25 – Virginia Tech

Oct. 2 – Notre Dame

Oct. 9 – at NC State

Oct. 16 – at FSU

After a couple yawn-inducing tune-ups against Weber State and Kent State, the Eagles hit the meat of their schedule quickly. Head coach Frank Spaziani better have his quarterback situation straightened out by then, because the Hokies’ defense will show no mercy on whoever’s in the pocket.

Notre Dame is a pivotal rivalry game that will have plenty riding upon it. The Irish will be looking to springboard themselves to a resurgent season, while the Eagles will be looking to carry some momentum into a huge two-game Atlantic Division stretch.

The road game against the Wolfpack is tricky, and I believe to be the single most important game on the Eagles’ schedule. Right now the Atlantic appears to be Florida State’s to lose, with Clemson, NC State and Boston College vying to be the Noles’ top challenger. Whoever loses that Oct. 9 game can probably kiss its conference hopes goodbye.

If Boston College escapes Raleigh with a win, they’ll need to pull off the upset in Tallahassee, a location where the Eagles have yet to lose since joining the ACC. We’ll know a lot about both teams by the time of that game, and it could either be a signature game in the division race, or just your average mid-October matchup.

Clemson

Sept. 18 – at Auburn

Oct. 2 – Miami

Oct. 9 – at North Carolina

The Tigers won’t truly be tested until the third week of the season, when they head on down to Jordan-Hare stadium for what will be a frenetic environment. It’s a damn good thing they’ve got a couple warm-up test, too, because coach Dabo Swinney will likely have to prep new quarterback Tajh Boyd during that time.

Auburn will be the first time we’ll find out what Clemson is really all about this year. If it is indeed Boyd under center, and he struggles, it could foreshadow a long, depressing autumn in Clemson. If he somehow leads Clemson to a huge road win, it could spark the Tigers on a good run.

Two weeks later, Miami pays Clemson a visit in a rematch of last year’s 40-37 overtime thriller that went the way of the Tigers. The Hurricanes haven’t forgotten that loss, so they will bring the fire to Clemson all night long if they can. The speed of Miami’s defense will make Auburn’s look like an electric football outfit.

Finally, the trip to North Carolina will make or break Clemson’s season. It’s feasible to think the Tigers could be on a two-game losing streak heading into this affair, making it imperative that Clemson doesn’t fall to 2-3 and 0-2 in the ACC. This game will either be to save a season on the brink, or to propel the Tigers at an Atlantic Division chase.

Florida State

Oct. 9 – at Miami

Oct. 16 – Boston College

Oct. 28 – at NC State (Thurs.)

I flirted with picking the opening month of the season for the Seminoles, who travel to Oklahoma a week before taking on BYU at home. However, those games are sandwiched between lock wins against Samford and Wake Forest, and I’ll be shocked if BYU comes into Tallahassee with a true freshman quarterback and beats Christian Ponder and Co.

I picked these three games because quite honestly, it looks like a trap for Jimbo Fisher’s team. The road game with Miami is obviously huge, but Boston College’s success at Florida State has already been noted, and the Wolfpack have a good enough offense to challenge the Seminoles to an old fashioned shootout – not to mention the advantage of a Thursday night home game.

The ‘Noles schedule is not too destructive. Their three toughest contests are in three separate months. While it’s good not to face a string of giants in a row, it could also lull the Seminoles and their rookie coaching staff to sleep, and if they do, you can bet the Eagles and the ‘Pack will be waiting.

Georgia Tech

Oct. 23 – at Clemson

Nov. 4 – at Virginia Tech (Thurs.)

Nov. 13 – Miami

As you’ll see below, the end of October and month of November is the deciding stretch of the season in the Coastal Division race. Of the top four contenders in the division, only Georgia Tech and North Carolina will have already met before October 23.

The Jackets need to make sure they don’t slip up on the road to Clemson, because they could conceivably make it to November with a perfect record intact.

Assuming they have zero or one loss in the ACC heading into November, the Jackets will control their own destiny entering consecutive games against the Hokies and Hurricanes.

Virginia Tech has not stopped the rushing attack of Georgia Tech since Paul Johnson took over, and the Hokies’ seemingly unflappable mentality on Thursday nights has wilted in recent years. That said, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Georgia Tech to stop the only team in the league with a better platoon of running backs than itself.

The Miami game will be a tough end to that stretch, and could possibly be for Tech’s conference title lives. The ‘Canes still have a game with Virginia Tech the following week, so a lot will be on the line November 13 as we try to figure out just who’s going to win the Coastal.

Miami

Sept. 11 – at Ohio State

Sept. 23 – at Pittsburgh (Thurs.)

Oct. 2 – at Clemson

Oct. 9 – Florida State

Remember this? Miami wishes it didn't.

Just like a year ago, Miami can waste not afford an early-season funk. The Ohio State and Pittsburgh games could both be the biggest of the week across the country. The Buckeyes are a consensus top-five team, while Pittsburgh boasts one of the best running backs in the country (sophomore Dion Lewis) and is the preseason favorite to win the Big East.

The ‘Canes started very strong a year ago, going 3-1 against four straight ranked opponents to begin the season, which head coach Randy Shannon will definitely remind his players about to give them confidence again. This is the most talented team Miami has had since it joined the ACC, but it hasn’t proved to be the most focused one.

Inconsistency plagued the Hurricanes in 2009, and usually one poor outing led to another or two. It’s not crazy to think Miami could start the year 1-3, but they could just the same go 4-0. I’d expect about the same results as last season, where a 3-1 start would have people anointing the ‘Canes as a national title darkhorse.

North Carolina

Sept. 4 – LSU (in Atlanta)

Sept. 18 – Georgia Tech

Sept. 25 – at Rutgers

The season opener against the Tigers is the most highly anticipated Tar Heel football game in more than a decade. With a win, it could also serve as the most beneficial. Butch Davis has his Tar Heels on the brink of a special run as a program, starting with this season and his NFL look-alike defense. The Heels should eat erratic LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson for lunch, the only problem is they might get something similar in return.

Carolina has no idea if T.J. Yates can run the show this year or not, and despite the fan’s urging to start the future now with super freshman Bryn Renner, a season opening game against an SEC team is not the best play to trot a rookie out under center.

With all of the hype surrounding this Carolina football team, it could quickly evaporate if the Heels don’t show up to play in September. Georgia Tech would love nothing more than to start the Heels’ ACC season on the wrong foot and derail the hopes of their fans very quickly.

Rutgers is the sleeper team in the Big East, and a tough team to beat on the road. Ever heard of Tom Savage? If you answered no, you’ll know him soon enough. The sophomore quarterback for the Scarlet Knights is a star in the making, and his best target is a sophomore standout, too. Mohamed Sanu has the potential to be an All-American sooner rather than later. They’ll put that star-studded UNC defense to the test.

North Carolina State

Sept. 16 – Cincinnati

Sept. 25 – at Georgia Tech

Oct. 2 – Virginia Tech

Oct. 9 – Boston College

The Wolfpack are by no means the favorite to make it to Charlotte in December, but they could also surprise some people if their defense shows marked improvement. If they can emerge as a threat for the Atlantic title, they’d have to somehow make it through this four-game gauntlet alive.

Cincinnati comes to Raleigh for a Thursday night affair, but the ‘Pack will be coming off a game just five days prior. That’s not a lot of time to prepare for Bearcats’ quarterback Zach Collaros and his high-octane attack. This is not the same Cincinnati team as the past couple of years, but the Bearcats still have enough juice in the tank to make that game a high-scoring battle.

Between the next three games, the Wolfpack have to win at least one and probably two of those to have any hope of contending in the Atlantic Division. Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech pose a tough issue for a depleted NC State defense with their dominant rushing attacks. An upset between those two games is necessary.

Boston College visits Raleigh in a game that will likely eliminate one team from the Atlantic race.

It’s been a slower than expected rebuilding process for Tom O’Brien at NC State, but it does seem like he’s beginning to turn a corner. He’s running out of time, though, and this early season slate sets up for a potential catastrophe.

Virginia Tech

Nov. 4 – Georgia Tech (Thurs.)

Nov. 13 – at North Carolina

Nov. 20 – at Miami

A lot of folks are pointing to the Hokies’ season opener against Boise State at FedEx Field as the pivotal point in the year. It’s a fair assumption, given the magnitude of such early season showdowns the Hokies have played in recent memory. However, if Virginia Tech wants to play for a national title, it will have to manage the most difficult three-game stretch in the ACC this season.

The three teams in this stretch are arguably the best in the ACC, besides the Hokies. Georgia Tech comes to Blacksburg on a Thursday night, when the Hokies usually dominate. However, the visiting team has won two of the last three Thursday night games in Blacksburg. Beating the Yellow Jackets will be a difficult task to kick off the month of death for the Hokies.

North Carolina stole the game against the Hokies last season, thanks to a Ryan Williams fumble and Casey Barth last-second field goal. This year, the Hokies won’t forget the empty feeling of that night. Oddly enough, this year’s Tar Heel bunch strongly resembles the typical Virginia Tech outfit: shaky offense, speedy and ferocious defense. I like the Hokies in this game, but who knows what I’ll think when both teams have nine games under their belt.

The Miami game has a chance to be a de facto ACC semifinal game, if the two teams control their own conference destiny. It’s the Hurricanes’ final conference game, and the Hokies have downtrodden Virginia at home the following week. Neither team has a gentle path to this date, but on the outset it has the potential for a monumental showdown like the games from the early 2000’s in this series.

Crucial games across the board in baseball’s final weekend

It all comes down to this.

The ACC baseball regular season concludes on Saturday, and nobody really knows much about how things are going to end up.

No team has locked up a certain position for next week’s conference tournament, and nine teams are still eligible for the final eight spots.

The top two teams in the standings are going to battle, and two of the three teams that have already been eliminated from postseason play are meeting up, meaning that eight of the nine teams still with a chance to make the tournament are playing each other.

That should make for an interesting weekend.

Virginia (43-9, 21-6) at Miami (38-13, 19-8)

Thursday’s probable starters – UVA: Danny Hultzen (7-1, 1.98 ERA); Miami: Jason Santana (5-3, 5.86 ERA)

Friday’s probable starters – UVA: Robert Morey (8-2, 3.30 ERA); Miami: Chris Hernandez (8-2, 3.04 ERA)

Saturday’s probable staters – UVA: Cody Winiarski (5-0, 4.30 ERA); Miami: Eric Erickson (4-1, 2.52 ERA)

The Cavaliers enter Miami needing only one victory to clinch the regular season conference championship. This series pits the teams with the two best earned run averages in the league. Hultzen is the most dominant pitcher the conference has to offer, and Morey is coming off a complete game three-h

itter against North Carolina last weekend. The Cavaliers, who are ranked No. 1 in the country according to Baseball America, have a great offense top-to-bottom, led by second baseman Phil Gosselin. Gosselin is second in the league with a. 386 batting average; he has also stolen 15 bases.

There’s a very good chance Virginia will take at least one game in this series, despite playing in a tough environment on the road. The Miami fans are notoriously ruthless, but that won’t bother the Cavs, who are one of the favorites to win the national championship.

Virginia Tech (36-16, 16-11) at North Carolina (33-20, 11-16)

Thursday’s probables – VT: Justin Wright (7-3, 3.14 ERA); UNC: Matt Harvey (6-3, 2.72 ERA)

Friday’s probables – VT: Matthew Price (7-3, 4.74 ERA); UNC: Chris Munnelly (2-2, 5.06 ERA)

Saturday’s probables – VT: Jesse Hahn (5-3, 3.06 ERA); UNC: Patrick Johnson (5-3, 3.53 ERA)

This series has the most impact of any taking place this weekend in the conference. North Carolina is one game behind NC State for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament, while Virginia Tech has a chance to move up to as high as third place in the league by Saturday.

The Tar Heels’ biggest concern is the fact that the Wolfpack are playing Duke, one of the three teams with no shot at the conference tournament. The ‘Pack likely won’t lose that series, so the Heels need a sweep of the Hokies realistically to have a chance at the postseason.

Virginia Tech on the other hand, trails Miami and Georgia Tech by three games in the standings. The Hurricanes could possibly be swept by Virginia (though not likely if Virginia clinches the conference by winning the first or second game). Georgia Tech is on the road against Boston College, a team the Hokies swept at the end of April. Right on the Hokies’ heels is Clemson, which is one game back from fifth place. If Tech falters in Chapel Hill, the Tigers could jump up to fifth place – they earn the tiebreaker between the Hokies.

North Carolina is coming off an emotional series at Virginia. The Cavaliers swept the Heels in three low-scoring affairs. Two of those games ended in walk-off hits. Harvey pitches with great command and is very good at getting batters out. He can get himself out of trouble and make it look easy.

Tech catcher Steve Domecus was named co-player of the week in the ACC this past weekend for his play against Duke. Domecus had at least three hits in every game against the Blue Devils, including four RBI in an 18-8 win on Saturday.

This series is crucial to both teams entering Thursday, and depending on how other games around the league turn out, it could change the landscape of this matchup as the weekend unfolds.

Other notable games

Georgia Tech (42-10, 19-8) at Boston College (28-24, 13-14)

There’s one statistic that speaks volumes about how explosive the Georgia Tech offense is. The Yellow Jackets have hit more home runs this season than Duke, North Carolina and Maryland combined. Tech is one of the more up-and-down teams in the league, and that inconsistency will surely plague them if it carries over into the postseason. However, Boston College’s pitching is less than stellar, and it’s hard to imagine them containing the powerful Tech lineup.

Player to watch: Deck McGuire, SP Georgia Tech

McGuire is the Yellow Jackets’ ace, with a 7-3 record and a 2.91 ERA. He is a projected first-round pick in next month’s MLB draft. When he’s on the mound, it’s hard to beat Georgia Tech. He was on the hill last weekend when Tech thumped Miami 14-3.

If Miami can sweep Virginia and Tech takes all three from Boston College, the Jackets would earn the top seed in the conference tournament. A strong start to the series would be ideal, and McGuire usually does a good job of that.

Florida State (39-13, 18-9) at Clemson (34-19, 15-12)

The top two teams in the Atlantic Division (which literally means nothing) meet up with Clemson needing a sweep to take the top seed in Division B for next week’s tournament.

Both teams are right in the middle of the league in terms of offense, and Florida State has better pitching. The Seminoles are a much better team at home than on the road, and Clemson is not an easy place to get road wins.

Keep an eye on the Tigers’ Kyle Parker, who is tied for the league lead with 18 home runs. He is the heart of the Clemson lineup, and the most powerful hitter in the ACC. How he finishes the season this week and in the postseason will go a long way in determining his pro baseball draft status, which will ultimately determine whether he returns to the football field next fall.

It’s going to be a great weekend to follow ACC baseball, and it’s very possible the standings will look nothing on Saturday night like they do Thursday morning. Hopefully a weekend of exciting baseball will be a precursor to next week in Greensboro.

Five games from 2009 we won’t soon forget

2009: The Year of the Yellow Jacket.

OK, not really. There was no magical run, no breakthrough season or standout performer in the ACC last season, to be honest.

2009: The Year of Nothing Special.

The conference championship game featured two teams coming off embarrassing, shocking upset losses in the final week of the regular season. Hell, the losing team ended up taking the fifth bowl slot allotted to the conference.

It was a weaker year than most for the ACC.

Nevertheless, there were several games that provided the fans with quite a few memorable images.

Here’s a look at the five best games from the 2009 season from the ACC:

5. Georgia Tech 39, Clemson 34 (ACC Championship Game)

Georgia Tech won its first ACC title in 12 years and stamped a signature victory on coach Paul Johnson’s tenure in just its second year. Jonathan Dwyer scored on a 15-yard run with 1:20 remaining for the game-winning touchdown.

Despite the monumental victory for Johnson and his team, Clemson do-it-all running back C.J. Spiller stole the show.

The Tiger senior couldn’t help but find the end zone that night. He scored four touchdowns, setting a new school record with 20 on the season.

The game went back and forth all the way until the end. Georgia Tech held the largest lead of the game at 33-20 in the third quarter, but Clemson responded with two touchdowns early in the fourth to take the lead.

Spiller, who was hobbled with a toe injury no less, carried the ball 20 times for a ridiculous 233 yards. The Georgia Tech defense, chock full of future pros, had no answer for Spiller all night long.

After the Dwyer score, Clemson’s drive began in reverse gear. A holding penalty on the drive’s first play set the Tigers back 10 yards, and even a Kyle Parker-to-Xavier Dye 18-yard completion on third down and 20 was not enough to move the chains. Parker was brought down short of the first down marker on fourth down, and the celebration was on for the Yellow Jackets.

For anyone who had yet to get a good look at Spiller, this was their chance. The phrase “put the team on his shoulders and carried it” is used far too often, but that’s just what Spiller did this night, but it wasn’t enough to stop the thunderous and explosive rushing attack from Tech.

We should have expected such a classic, after what the teams showed us earlier in the year:

4. Georgia Tech 30, Clemson 27

So many nicknames, so little space to use them.

“The Fake Field Goal Game”

“The Comeback”

“The Almost Comeback”

“The Crying Clemson Fan Game”

Any of the above refer to Georgia Tech’s narrow victory at home on Thursday night over the Tigers.

Tech’s first offensive play resulted in an interception. It’s second play went for 82 yards and a touchdown courtesy of Anthony Allen on a perfectly executed option play.

Clemson punted on its next possession, which Jerrard Terrant returned 85 yards for a score.

If that was not enough, the Tech offense infiltrated the Tigers’ side of the field again, getting in good enough position for a field goal attempt…or a fake.

Kicker Scott Blair handled a direct snap and lofted a ball to the right sideline for Demaryius Thomas, who had inexplicably been unaccounted for by the Clemson defense in the midst a faux pas substitution.

Thomas grabbed the pass just outside the reach of two Tigers, and strode into the end zone for a 21-0 lead.

Faster than you could say “here we go again,” it was here we go again for Clemson: talented team yet not enough gumption to follow through in big games.

Georgia Tech led 24-7 at halftime.

In an unpredictable second half turnaround, freshman quarterback Kyle Parker came alive, throwing a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to draw Clemson within a field goal.

The Tigers added two field goals of their own in the early fourth quarter, and had stolen the lead away from a stunned Tech team.

In a fine display of what those in the coaching business like to label “the grit of a champion,” Tech dug in and evened the score with a Blair field goal, then won the game with another in the game’s final minute.

Georgia Tech racked up 301 yards of rushing offense on the Tigers, and the infamous fake field goal play, which conference officials admitted the following week was actually illegal, turned out to be the difference in what was almost a comeback for the ages.

3. North Carolina 20, Virginia Tech 17

The Hokies, two weeks removed from the thick of the national championship picture, loss their second consecutive game in stupefying fashion to the Tar Heels.

For the second time in three years, the seemingly invincible Thursday Night Edition of the Hokie football team had gone down in the final moments.

In 2007, it was Matt Ryan playing the role of most hated man in Blacksburg. In 2009, UNC kicker Casey Barth held the honor after his 21-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired.

The Hokies never generated any semblance of an offense against a stingy Carolina defense. It was star freshman running back Ryan Williams’ toughest game of the season. He managed to gain 96 yards on 23 carries, but it was the last of those carries that stuck with him.

Williams carried the ball around the right side of the line on third down and six when he lost control of the football. Deunta Williams recovered the ball for the Tar Heels with 2:02 remaining on the Tech 24-yard line.

It didn’t take much for the Heels’ offense to put Barth in position for the easy game-winning kick. The field was swarmed with Carolina blue as the Lane Stadium crowd sat in utter disbelief, still trying to grasp what had just unfolded.

UNC used the momentum from such a huge road victory to turn its season around. The Heels had lost three of their last four entering the Tech game, but went on to win four straight after leaving Blacksburg.

2. Miami 38, Florida State 34

The Sunshine State sure kicked off the College Football New Year with one hell of a bang, battling to a last-minute barn-burner on Labor Day. Jacory Harris placed the first installment in his month-long Heisman Trophy campaign with 386 passing yards and two touchdowns. No Miami quarterback had ever amassed as many passing yards against the ‘Noles before.

His counterpart with the tomahawk on his helmet, Christian Ponder, matched Harris’ stellar play, throwing for 294 yards and two touchdowns.

It was an aerial display that had both fan bases salivating over the prospects of a season to remember.

Neither team ended up having such good fortune throughout the year, but the first game was unforgettable among the many games in this rivalry that have been etched in college football’s mind’s eye.

Instead of a missed field goal, it was an incomplete pass from Ponder to Jarmon Fortson as time expired that sealed the Seminoles’ fate.

The game was a breakout for Harris, who won the starting job by default in the off-season when Robert Marve, whom Harris split time with under center in 2008, transferred to Purdue. He won over any critics with the destruction of the FSU defense.

It was yet another in a long line of last-second thrillers between the two schools, and this one came at a imperative time for the conference.

The ACC had been embarrassed over the weekend, including Virginia’s loss to William and Mary and Duke’s loss to Richmond. Virginia Tech had failed to upend Alabama, and the conference was hurting for something to legitimize itself.

This game provided that for the time being, although both teams, along with the league, failed to live up to expectations by the end of the year.

1. Clemson 40, Miami 37 (OT)

The Tigers avoided falling below .500 by stunning Miami on the road. Kyle Parker had perhaps his best performance of the season with 326 yards passing, three touchdowns and one interception.

The last of the three touchdown passes came in overtime, when he found Jacoby Ford on third down and 11 from the 26-yard line for the game-winning score.

The score capped off Clemson’s first road win over a top-10 opponent in eight years.

C.J. Spiller was phenomenal as always. Playing like his usual versatile self, he topped the century mark in receiving with 104 yards on six catches and a touchdown.

Neither team ever led by more than four points the entire game. There were twelve total lead changes.

It was a see-saw of a game that would never have made it to overtime if not for the usually unreliable Clemson kicker Richard Jackson’s game-tying 30-yard field goal with five seconds left in regulation.

Jacory Harris’ downslide during the second half of the season really began to gain wind with a three-interception game that kept Clemson in a game it really should not have had a chance in.

Turnovers dotted the landscape of the game; there were seven in all.

Harris would say after the game that it was his “toughest loss” since joining the program.

The win helped Clemson gain momentum towards an Atlantic Division crown, while Miami’s once promising season continued to unravel with the crushing defeat.

Are beefier schedules really better?

ESPN’s ACC football Blogger Heather Dinich noted today that teams across the board are playing much tougher, therefore more intriguing, out-of-conference games in 2010.

Mike London will coach his first game with Virginia against his former team, the Richmond Spiders of the FCS. UVA lost to FCS William and Mary in the 2009 season opener

I’m not too sure this could turn out very well for the conference.

Remember last year, when FCS opponents were knocking off teams from the ACC and the conference was the laughing stock of the nation in September?

The conference was pelted with remarks about being so weak against mediocre non-conference foes.

When the schedules get even tougher in 2010, it could spell doom for the credibility of the ACC.

Here’s a look at some of the ACC’s non-conference slate in 2010:

Miami – Ohio State/Pittsburgh

Virginia Tech – Boise State

Wake Forest – Stanford

Virginia – USC

NC State – Cincinnati

UNC – LSU/Cincinnati

Maryland – West Virginia

FSU – BYU/Oklahoma/Florida

Duke – Alabama

Clemson – Auburn/South Carolina

Boston College – Notre Dame

Georgia Tech – Georgia

The combined 2009 winning percentage of the ACC’s non-conference opponents for the upcoming season is .604, highest in the country.

If teams like Richmond, James Madison, Middle Tennessee, Baylor and William and Mary gave the ACC fits last year, it is surely a calculated risk going up against teams like the ones listed above.

Even the league’s projected ‘elite’ teams could be in deep water before they escape the season’s first month.

Of course, nobody knew when these games were scheduled that the ACC would be coming off such an embarrassing year before. Nevertheless, there is little room for error this year outside the conference for the ACC.

Twin Exit: Wears decide to transfer from UNC

Freshmen forwards Travis and David Wear have informed North Carolina coach Roy Williams they will transfer.

This decision has both a positive and negative impact on the program.

In 2010-11, the Tar Heels will now go from a team overloaded with towering post players to a team in severe need of more.

David (34) and Travis (43) Wear announced they will transfer from North Carolina.

Tyler Zeller and John Henson are the only returning post players next season.

Deon Thompson’s graduation and Ed Davis’ decision to turn pro alongside the news about the Wears leaves the Heels severely depleted inside.

As far as Henson and Zeller go, they’ll be fine; they would have started any way.

The Wears never truly impressed anyone enough to think they could be anything more than role players during their careers at Carolina.

However, this now means that Will Graves will likely have to play the power forward role at least some of the time.

More importantly, incoming superstar freshman Harrison Barnes will be thrust into the post far more than Roy Williams would like.

Carolina fans experienced last year what it was like to have a world-class talent playing out of position. Until Davis suffered a season-ending wrist injury in February, John Henson was struggling to make an impact on the wing.

When Henson replaced Davis in the post, he played much more comfortably.

Barnes is a smooth perimeter player with a frame comparable to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James at the same age. This isn’t the first time his name has been in the same sentence as those two. Having him play with his back to the basket for a large number of minutes is not what Roy Williams wants to envision.

Zeller and Henson aren’t exactly ironmen, either. It’s very likely that one or both of them will get banged up at some point during the season, and that is when the Heels will really be in a bind.

The Wears might not have been anything special inside, but at least they would have let Barnes and Graves play their natural positions.

The optimism in the transfer new for Carolina is it opens up scholarships Williams can use on the class of 2011 and 2012. Carolina was one over the limit for next year when Williams offered Doc Rivers’ son Austin for next year’s class.

Williams has taken some heat for recent recruiting classes being dominated by either post or perimeter players.

Now he has more freedom to get back to recruiting balanced classes.

The twins might be gone, but a thin 2010-11 Carolina will still be much better than the previous year’s edition.

Post-spring football wrap-up disguised as power rankings

1. Virginia Tech

The Hokies’ biggest issue coming out of spring is an injury-plagued offensive line. Two projected starters missed a majority of the spring with injury, and several others missed practices.

With an offense loaded with experience and talent at the skill positions, all Tech needs is an adequate offensive line and it should score points in bunches.

Most of the starting positions on a revamped defense have been solidified, with a few lingering question marks at free safety and defensive end. It was a productive spring for a defense replacing seven starters.

2.Miami

Quarterback Jacory Harris sat out spring practice while recovering from a thumb injury, which hurts Miami because of the lackluster fashion in which he finished last season. He will be completely healthy by the fall, but he could have used three weeks of practice to work out the kinks from the end of 2009.

The offensive line struggled in the first couple scrimmages before having its strongest performance of the spring in the spring game. Much of the talk surround the Hurricanes is their speed on the outside. Some people say this is the fastest Miami team in nearly a decade.

Miami fans might worry about their team’s defense after the final score of the spring games was 58-53. That’s a bunch of points for a shortened game. However, most people around the program aren’t putting much stock into that number, and the defense should be one of the best in the conference.

3. Georgia Tech

I refuse to put Georgia Tech any lower than this; no matter how much NFL talent it lost. Paul Johnson proved the past few years that his teams can beat anyone.

Roddy Jones and Anthony Allen will be a force in the backfield despite the loss of Jonathan Dwyer.

Josh Nesbitt will be back for his third year in Johnson’s offense, which just means he will operate it even better than before. There’s much to learn about this offense that there is always room for improvement, and having a third-year starting quarterback running the show will make Tech very tough.

4. North Carolina

The story of the spring in Chapel Hill was the uncertainty at quarterback. Incumbent starter T.J. Yates has seemingly regressed since a promising freshman season, and this might be the year he loses his job.

Bryn Renner made a favorable impression on both the coaching staff and the fan base with an exceptional spring. Renner was the talk of the spring game, completing 15 of 21 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions. His mobility inside and outside of the pocket is a huge advantage over Yates.

If the Tar Heels can settle on one quarterback – preferably the right one – and solidify the running game, the defense will win them most of their games.

The UNC defense is loaded with first-round NFL talent. No less than five players are expected to go very, very early in next year’s draft. It’s hard to imagine any team running the football with any semblance of success. The UNC-Virginia Tech game will be quite the clash.

5. Florida State

The biggest concern in Tallahassee is rebuilding a defense that ranked among the worst in the country in 2009. Mark Stoops has been brought in to fix that, and it sounds like the group made decent strides this spring.

The best news for the Seminoles is Christian Ponder looks great after suffering a season-ending shoulder injury last year. He entered spring practice facing questions about his job security, with E.J. Manuel performing well in replacement duty in 2009. It sounds like Ponder put those questions to rest and the ‘Noles expect a huge year from the senior field general.

There is a lot of unproven talent around Ponder. Two receivers had a big impact in the spring game, Rodney Smith and Bert Reed. Both had long receptions and seem ready to break out as playmakers this fall.

The uncertainty around Ponder and the work needed on defense makes me uncomfortable rating the ‘Noles any higher than this. Although if you notice, the four teams ahead of them are all from the other division. A weak Atlantic Division this year will definitely aid the Seminoles.

6. Clemson

The will-he-or-won’t-he play college football question surround quarterback Kyle Parker intensified this spring, as Parker is in the midst of a spectacular baseball season. Coach Dabo Swinney made it clear he believes Parker’s best opportunity to make millions is in the NFL, but MLB scouts surely think otherwise.

Parker completed 7-of-15 passes for 79 yards in the spring game.

It’s no secret why Swinney has been so public about his optimistic future for Parker. Parker’s backup, Tajh Boyd, disappointed most of the spring, and finished the spring game 8-of-25 passing for 132 yards.

The defense is solid, especially up front with DaQuan Bowers, who might be the best defensive end in the country in the Mario Williams mold. The secondary also had a good spring (of course that might be overstated thanks to the lack of good quarterback play), but Clemson simply has more questions than answers at this point, none more pivotal than the pending decision by Parker.

7. Boston College

Mark Herzlich’s return to the field overshadowed a spring session that was very focused on developing a lackluster offense. Last year’s starting quarterback David Shinskie entered under extreme pressure to keep his job. He battled sophomore Michael Marscovetra and freshman Chase Rettig to retain the starting spot, and by all accounts it sounds like he did just that.

Marscovetra put up more impressive numbers (13-16, 156 yards, TD) than Shinskie (6-12, 50 yards) in the spring game, but the coaching staff insists that Shinskie has a firm grip on his job right now.

The Eagles also have no running back behind starter Montel Harris that they have any confidence in. this is a problem, because the diminutive Harris will never be a 25 carry per-game guy.

The offensive line returns four starters, including Anthony Castonzo, who many people believe is the best left tackle in America.

The defense will be stout as always, despite losing several key starters. Word around Chesnut Hill is virtually 100 percent focused on the offense.

8. NC State

Just like Clemson, the Wolfpack have a huge concern surrounding their star quarterback and the baseball diamond. Russell Wilson is in the midst of a solid baseball season, but coach Tom O’Bren has insisted Wilson will return to the football field this fall. Wilson did not practice at all with the football team in the spring.

Backup quarterback and once highly touted recruit Mike Glennon had a very good spring, however. In the spring game, he completed 21 of 38 passes for 423 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception.

Before Wilson’s emergence two years ago, Glennon was supposed to be to Tom O’Brien what Philip Rivers was to Chuck Amato. Instead, Glennon is still on the bench, but with a performance like this spring’s, O’Brien might not beg Wilson to return to the team a la Dabo Swinney.

Redshirt freshman running back Travis Leggett looked very good this spring. He finished with 129 yards and 21 carries in the spring game.

Middle linebacker Nate Irving returned from a devastating car accident this spring and seems good to go for next year.

Less than half of the team’s scholarship players participated in the spring game, however, which means they are behind the pack (no pun intended…ok pun intended) in terms of grooming their young talent.

9. Maryland

The offensive line will be the strength of a unit that has very little else to boast offensively. Jamarr Robinson is as fleet-footed as they come at the quarterback position, and he’s going to have to accumulate much of the yards himself in 2010.

D.J. Adams might have taken a lead in the race for starting running back, but none of the kids at that position are very dangerous.

Defensive coordinator Don Brown said the Terps ran mostly basic schemes this spring, and with a young defense that is still trying to learn second-year coach Brown’s system, it might take a while for it to get up to speed.

10. Duke

The Blue Devils left a winter early spring practice still in search of answers at quarterback. Sean Schroeder sucked struggled in the spring game, completing only 4 of 20 passes for 23 yards. Brandon Connette was a little better; completing 8 of 19 passes for 67 yards and carrying the ball 13 times for 91 yards.

The loss of Thaddeus Lewis hurts big time, and even with coach David Cutcliffe’s prowess at developing quarterbacks, this year will be a step back for a steadily improving program.

11. Wake Forest

Skylar Jones looks like he will replace Demon Deacons’ legend Riley Skinner at quarterback. Besides Jones, there was little else to talk about from spring practice out of Winston-Salem. This will be a serious rebuilding year for coach Jim Grobe.

12. Virginia

It’s hard to figure out where to begin about how awful the Cavaliers’ spring game was. Marc Verica completed less than half of his passes, and lost all accuracy inside the red zone. He was probably outplayed by both backups, Michael Strauss and Ross Metheny. The running backs popped a run or two of more than ten yards, but there is hardly any firepower on offense.

New coach Mike London and his offensive staff have changed the scheme from last year’s spread under Gregg Brandon, but Verica simply never looked comfortable.

The defense doesn’t look very impressive either, outside of Ras-I Dowling, who may be the nation’s best cornerback. The front seven is undersized but doesn’t’ blow anyone away with its speed either. London should be able to get the defense to play over its head this year, however.

Virginia will have a very hard time scoring points, and the defense isn’t good enough to keep them in a lot of low-scoring affairs.

Mike London has the program on the right track, but he’s going to start at rock bottom.

Why Ed Davis leaving is good news for UNC

Ed Davis is a projected lottery pick in June's NBA Draft

You might think I’m crazy, but the news that Ed Davis declared for the NBA draft was better for North Carolina basketball than if Duke star Kyle Singler turned pro.

Hear me out!

This is not about Singler, but rather about Davis’ inability to help Carolina basketball thrive.

Davis constantly bogged down an offense that relies on an up-tempo offense and scoring in transition.

When Davis was in the game, he forced the Heels to slow the game down out of their comfort zone so that he could be the focal point of the offense.

Was he skilled? Of course, probably one of the most naturally gifted big man Roy Williams has had at Carolina (I said naturally, don’t scream about Hansbrough).

As much flak that went the way of Larry Drew II, he is less of a turnover machine in a full-court game.

When Davis went out with a wrist injury in mid-February, Drew was one of the more subtle benefactors. His assist-to-turnover ratio stayed virtually the same after the injury, but he was a more aggressive offensive player and his scoring went up.

The 10 percent of Carolina fans that watched the NIT will remember his late-game heroics that keyed several wins.

The players who improved the most in Davis’ absence were Tyler Zeller and John Henson.

Henson was finally able to discover his natural position was power forward. With Zeller, Davis, and Deon Thompson all taking up the playing time in the middle, Henson had to play on the wing before Davis’ injury.

Zeller and Henson formed a great tandem on the inside together. They made each other better, and had much better understanding of when to score and when to find the other for the better shot.

They aren’t the most imposing of post players, but together with Harrison Barnes, who can pretty much play anything from center to point guard, next year’s big men will fit much better with Williams’ style.

The most frustrating part about Davis as a Carolina fan was his demeanor.

It wasn’t much of a secret Davis was more concerned with boosting his NBA stock than helping Carolina win. He never seemed to be energetic about this year’s team, even when it was playing well.

The lack of respect for coach Williams, as a team was a conglomeration of attitudes, losing, and a number of other factors. Davis’ seemingly absence of concern for the program at times was a big one.

So Tar Heel Nation, believe it when I say Davis’ departure is addition by subtraction.