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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
ACC Atlantic burning questions
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just a week from Sunday the ACC will host its preseason media days in Pinehurst, N.C. Before then, I want to share my five burning questions about the ACC Atlantic for 2007.
1. Will five new coaches really make a big difference at Florida State?
I think so but we’ll all be a whole lot smarter after the Seminoles open up at Clemson on Monday night, Sept. 3.
There is no question that the Seminoles will be better on offense because Florida State opened up the check book and allow Bobby Bowden to hire Jimbo Fisher as his offensive coordinator. The offense in Tallahassee has been a jumbled mess since Mark Richt left to become the head coach at Georgia in 2001.
But the folks I talk toin the Panhandle say the biggest hire Bowden made was Rick Trickett as his new offensive line coach. It’s been a long time since Florida State fielded a tough, dominant offensive line and Trickett will change that. Trust me when I tell you that Marine drill sergeants are scared of his guy. And mark this down. Florida State will again learn how to run the football and because it the Seminoles will win more games. In fact, the Seminoles will win the division.
2. Speaking of Clemson, what’s life going to be like for Tommy Bowden this season?
After Clemson beat Georgia Tech on Oct. 21 to go 7-1, Tiger fans were thinking ACC championship-at the very least. Needless to say they were not happy campers when Clemson lost four of the last five, including a gut wrenching loss to South Carolina in Death Valley and a loss to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.
A number of things are going to have to fall into place if Clemson is going to win its first ACC championship since 1991.
No. 1, the offensive line has to be rebuilt after losing four of five starters. It’s not going to do any good to have one of the best running back tandems on the planet (C.J. Spiller and James Davis) if there is no place to run.
No. 2, Clemson has to be able to throw the ball well enough to keep defenses honest, something Will Proctor could not do in the second half of last season. Alpharetta’s Cullen Harper, whose dad Jeff played on Georgia’s 1980 national championship team, managed the team well in the spring but he will be pushed by Willy Korn, the highly recruited freshman.
The defense lost Gaines Adams, a big-time DE, but will be okay.
In short, Tommy Bowden’s quality of life could really use a win over Daddy Bowden on Sept. 3. Clemson has won three of the past four against Florida State. I think this game is a toss-up.
3. Wake Forest’s ACC championship was a fluke, right? They can’t be that good again, can they?
Wrong on both counts. At the end of last season coach Jim Grobe confessed to me that he really thought 2007 was going to be the year that his Deacons might make some noise in the ACC. If a few things fall into place, Wake Forest could make another run to Jacksonville.
The offense will be better because QB Riley Skinner, the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2006, is more comfortable running the show. And it also helps that a team already good at running back welcomes the return of Duluth’s Micah Andrews, who was lost in the third game of 2006.
The potential problem comes on defense where seven starters are gone from a unit that finished No. 2 in the ACC in points allowed (15.4 ppg). LB Jon Abbate passed on his senior season to turn pro and was not drafted. He will be missed.
The schedule starts with a bang as Wake Forest opens at Boston College and then plays Nebraska — yes, Nebraska — at home. But the Deacons do not play Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech or Miami. That should help.
4. Is Tom O’Brien going to take N.C. State to a bowl in his first season?
Maybe not this season but soon. The ex-Marine is bringing a whole new level of discipline to the program after the departure of Chuck Amato. N.C. State will be a team that does not make mistakes and will not beat itself. But is there enough talent in Raleigh to win six games?
First, the Wolfpack has to find a quarterback. Daniel Evans has the bloodlines. His father, Johnny, was a great quarterback at N.C. State. But young Daniel also threw six touchdowns and 11 interceptions last season. Harrison Beck, the Nebraska transfer, may wind up there.
O’Brien’s teams run the football and N.C. State can do that with two highly underrated backs on Toney Baker and Andre Brown.
The defense will be good because Mike Archer comes in to take over as coordinator. He has a big time player in DE DeMario Pressley.
Four of the first five games are at home so the Wolfies have a shot.
5. On paper Boston College looks like a contender. Could the Eagles win this division? Shouldn’t they be getting more love?
I’ve got my doubts. Not about the talent, because it’s there. The Eagles have a veteran quarterback in Matt Ryan and two of the best backs in the ACC return in Andre Callender and L.V. Whitworth. The defense returns the front seven.
The key to BC’s season is how well these players transition to new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski and his staff. He’s been out of college football for 10 years. This is his first go-round as a head coach.
And the Eagles come out of the gate with Wake Forest, N.C. State and Georgia Tech. But here is the X-factor. BC may have caught lightning in a bottle when Jagodzinski hired Steve Logan as his offense coordinator. Logan, the former head coach at East Carolina, has one of best minds in the business.
Frank Spaziani stayed at BC when Tom O’Brien left and will be in his ninth year as defensive coordinator. Maybe there is more stability here than meets the eye. We’ll see.
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