AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2005 > December > 01
Thursday, December 1, 2005
ACC vs. SEC: Which is better?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Now that the ACC is starting a league championship game, the debate is renewed about whether it’s as good as the SEC.
What do you think?
Permalink | Comments (187) | Categories: Conferences
Time for some unofficial awards
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I don’t get to vote on these things any more, so here is just one man’s opinion:
NATIONAL
Player of the Year: With all due respect to Texas’ Vince Young, it’s gotta be USC’s Reggie Bush. Bush dominates games and, unlike a quarterback, he doesn’t touch the ball on every play. He is going to be the next Gale Sayers.
Coach of the Year: What Joe Paterno did at Penn State this season was remarkable; winning a Big Ten championship at the age of 78 is an impressive accomplishment. But what George O’Leary did at Central Florida is basically unheard of. He went 0-11 in his first season at UCF and started this season 0-2. On Saturday UCF (8-3) will play for the Conference USA title in the school’s first season as a member. Now that’s coaching.
Game of the Year: Texas’ 25-22 win at Ohio State was good, but USC’s 34-31 win at Notre Dame on Oct. 15 was a game for the ages. Notre Dame did everything humanly possible to win that game but Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman winner, would not let his team lose.
SEC
Player of the Year: D.J. Shockley, QB, Georgia. And it’s not just for what he has done on the field, which is considerable. Shockley is No. 2 in the SEC in passing and total offense. But Shockley represents something more important than statistics. He represents the concept of believing in something bigger than one’s self.
Few people with his talent would have waited four years for an opportunity to become the starter. When his number was finally called, Shockley stepped up and led Georgia to the SEC championship game. It’s called character and it’s refreshing to see.
Coach of the Year: Mark Richt and Georgia were picked by everyone to finish third in the SEC East, and now the Bulldogs are back in Atlanta for the third time in four years. But Steve Spurrier led South Carolina to a 7-4 record in his first season in Columbia, beating Tennessee and Florida and almost beating Georgia. He did it with very few players who could start for an upper echelon SEC team. Now the Gamecocks may play in the Outback Bowl.
Game of the Year: On a day (Nov. 19) when there were three great games, Auburn’s 31-30 win over Georgia stood out as the very best that SEC football has to offer. Two great old rivals slugged it out for 60 minutes and then it came down to a last-second field goal.
ACC
Player of the Year: Chris Barclay of Wake Forest is a wonderful player, but you have to give the award to Virginia Tech’s Marcus Vick. The book on Virginia Tech this season was that the Hokies, who were loaded everywhere, would go as far as the rookie quarterback would take them. Let the record show that Vick is the ACC’s most efficient passer and that Virginia Tech is 10-1 and on the verge of its second straight ACC championship.
Coach of the Year: Frank Beamer deserves all the accolades coming his way, but Virginia Tech was expected to win the ACC championship. Georgia Tech played one of the toughest schedules in its history with non-conference games against Auburn and Georgia plus road games at Virginia Tech and Miami — all Top 10 teams. Georgia Tech went 2-2 in those games and finished 7-4. In a week filled with turmoil, Georgia Tech went on the road and beat Miami (14-10). That’s why Chan Gailey is the coach of the year.
Game of the Year: Miami 36, Clemson 30 in three overtimes. Just one of many close losses for Clemson this season. The Tigers had a chance to win the game in regulation but Charlie Whitehurst missed an open receiver in the end zone.
