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Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Five final questions about the ACC
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Five burning questions about the ACC that will finally get answered this weekend:
1. Will Jimmy Clausen get on the field against Georgia Tech? Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said he knows who the starter will be but won’t announce it. My pick is junior Evan Sharpley. But does Clausen, top player in the Fighting Irish recruiting class, even get a taste of the action against a good Georgia Tech defense? Brady Quinn, a first-round draft choice, had his problems with Jon Tenuta’s defense last year in Atlanta. What will a rookie like Clausen do?
2. Will Duke break its 20-game losing streak? The Blue Devils need to get that piece of business out of the way on Saturday against Connecticut because after that it looks like 11 miles of bad road. The next four games after UConn are all on the road (Virginia, Northwestern, Navy, Miami). Then it’s Wake Forest, the defending ACC champs, Virginia Tech, at Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech, at Notre Dame. If the Blue Devils don’t win Saturday, the next chance may not come until Nov. 24 against North Carolina.
3. Which Bowden is going to be unhappy late Monday night? Clemson’s Tommy Bowden has beaten his dad, Florida State’s Bobby Bowden, in three out of the last four meetings. Tommy Bowden really needs a win at home on Labor Day night on national television. It’s going to be a big test for new QB Cullen Harper of Alpharetta. Harper is going to get a lot of pressure from the Florida State front seven.
4. How will Micah Andrews play? The Wake Forest running back from Duluth missed all but three games last season with an injury. He will not get a chance to ease back into competition as Boston College returns nine starters on defense. It’s the first game for new BC coach Jeff Jagodzinksi and Wake Forest is anxious to prove that last season’s championship was not a fluke. If Andrews plays well, Wake Forest will win.
5. How intense will Miami be? The Hurricanes, who played for the national championship in 2002, are starting over under new coach Randy Shannon. Miami is also beginning its last season in the Orange Bowl. Marshall returns 14 starters from a team that went 5-7 so the Thundering Herd is not going to roll over. It will be interesting to see how well the offense plays under new coordinator Patrick Nix. The defense will be awesome.
