2010 College Football Preview: ACC

The ACC is known as the conference where national contenders play, with most league games having major implications. One or more ACC teams end up playing at the end of the season, with a league school often hoisting the national championship crystal ball after the final game.

Oh, sorry. This isn’t the ACC Basketball preview: it’s the one for ACC Football.

Yet again, the ACC season will begin with five teams nationally ranked, but expect only one or two of those teams to be in the final poll after the BCS Championship. Both divisions are wide open, but deeply unbalanced. four of the six Coastal Division teams have BCS aspirations, while the Atlantic Divisions teams will be happy just to make the ACC Championship Game and have a shot at playing in the Orange Bowl.

Virginia Tech is my pick to win the ACC this year. Here are some people to watch in the league:

Best Offensive Player: Tyrod Taylor QB-Virginia Tech. The ACC is chock full of talented QB’s. Players like Christian Ponder (FSU), Jacory Harris (MIA), Josh Nesbitt (GT), and Kyle Parker (CLEM) are all experienced signal callers. But, the best of them all is Tyrod Taylor. He has an explosive arm and the ability to pull it down and run. Combined with running backs Ryan Williams & Darren Evans, plus an experienced WR corps, expect Tech to have an offensive juggernaut this season. In fact, I’m picking Taylor to be a sleeper for the Heisman Trophy, especially if he keeps making plays like last year against Nebraska.

Best Defensive Player: Luke Kuechly MLB-Boston College. He stepped in as a freshman and led the league with 142 tackles, while being named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’ll be even more of a force with a year of experience behind him and moving to the Middle from the weak side position he played last year.

Freshman to Watch: Roderick McDowell RB-Clemson. The Tigers may have taken a loss with C.J. Spiller going to the NFL, but this guy is a strong runner and may be a better pass receiver than CJ was. He’ll start the season as the backup, but expect him to be the starter for the Tigers by the end of the season.

Coach Least Likely to be in the League in 2011: Ralph Friedgen-Maryland. I’m a Maryland grad and a huge Terps fan, but I’m not going out on a limb to say his seat is extremely warm. Two winning seasons in the last six will do that to a coach. With a new school president and AD arriving, he has to win quickly to save his job. A new QB and sketchy defense will make doing this extremely difficult.

Storyline to Watch: Jimbo Fisher- Florida State. Bobby Bowden built Florida State from nothing to national power, only to watch them fade to irrelevance in the last few years. Now Bobby is gone, but his shadow still looms over Tallahassee. How Fisher does with the players Bowden left will be worth watching. Fisher made a very good move bringing in Mark Stoops from Arizona to run his defense.

ACC Darkhorse: Boston College. Picked by many to finish last in 2009, then rocked by the cancer diagnosis of Mark Herzlich, the Eagles could have gone nowhere under Coach Frank Spaziani. Instead, they rallied to win eight games. With Herzlich returning, the Eagles will have arguably the best LB corps in college football. If 27 year old QB Dave Shinskie improves, and his OL stays healthy, combined with the weakest schedule in the league; the Eagles will make a strong push to return to the Championship Game.

Game of the Year: Virginia Tech at Miami, Nov 20. This game will mark the end of Virginia Tech’s November gauntlet, as they face Georgia Tech, UNC, and Miami consecutively. It also should settle the Coastal Division championship, as well as being a battle of rivals going all the way back to Big East days. For this game to have any national meaning, the Hokies must beat Boise State on Labor Day Night at FedEx Field. There are thousands of Tech grads living in the DC area, making this a virtual home game for Frank Beamer’s boys. If they knock off the Broncos, and get a young defense in shape, the Hokie offense should carry them into the running to play in Phoenix on January 10, 2011.