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DEL.ICIO.USFive 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.
Comments
By T-Bone
August 28, 2007 9:02 AM | Link to this
I agree about Clausen. Tenuta’s defense would love the chance to hassle a rookie QB. Though Sharpley may not have played much, he’s still a junior. The one I fear the most is Jones, with his ability to scramble. But Tech should win this game if they don’t make too many mistakes or let the mystique of Touchdown Jesus get to them.
By Roswell Ed
August 28, 2007 9:36 AM | Link to this
Here’s a question for you Tony.
How will Tech get butts in the stand this year?
Are they the only program to have ever reduced the number of seats they have at their stadium?
I’ve got an idea. Here are 10 great marketing ideas to get Tech fans to the game.
Bring your E-Harmony date to the game.
Pocket protector nite
Dim Sum nite
Dragon Con nite
Mac accessory nite giveaway bananza!
Come dressed as your favorite nerd nite- Jon Heder, Flounder, George McFly, Wes Durham etc
Memory Stick nite- 2 gig!!!
Take your professor to the game nite
Clip on tie nite
Broadcast the game in Klingon
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I actually dusted that one off from last year. It’s still funny.
By justasking
August 28, 2007 9:36 AM | Link to this
your little piece should be titled “Four final questions about the ACC” due to question #1 have more to do with Clausen and ND than Georgia Tech. I guess in your eyes mentionig GT was your way to validify the number of questions to be 5 about the ACC
By CV
August 28, 2007 10:45 AM | Link to this
1 has nothing to do with the ACC. How is that a “Final Question about the ACC”????By dale
August 28, 2007 10:52 AM | Link to this
Ed, what about Bring Your Parents night? I think a lot of students might go to their first game if they felt safe and secure.
By Roswell Dead
August 28, 2007 10:54 AM | Link to this
Pardon my dogmatism!
By GT Fan Jeff
August 28, 2007 12:26 PM | Link to this
The ND game reminds me of the 2005 opener at Auburn. GT has an experienced, talented defense going against an inexperienced QB. I predicted a GT victory then, and I predict a GT victory again this year. The only reason ND won last season was Gailey’s conservative play calling and Reggie Ball’s inconsistent passing. Reggie is finally gone, and, hopefully, Chan will let Bond do his job and call the plays. Go Jackets!!!
By BuzzFactor
August 28, 2007 12:32 PM | Link to this
My answers: 1 - No Clausen, unless GT kills them.
2 - Duke will beat UNC.
3 - Tommy gets the Bowdon Bowl trophy.
4 - Andrews does well enough early to compliment the passing game.
5 - I don’t think the Miami Offense will be consistent enough to win the division.
By JustMe
August 28, 2007 12:36 PM | Link to this
Wow - a lot of jealous people posting on here today. I LOVE it!
I really am looking to seeing what happens with Wake this year. They seemed to play last year with a lot of luck and efficiency…… can they keep it up?
Regarding Tech: if Tech beats ND, watch out! That game will be a huge boost to the confidence that will carry through the season. There are enough returning starters to make noise and I won’t be shocked if Tech goes undefeated. Then, the question will be: Will Tech get enough national respect to get the proper ranking it would deserve?
By yellowblood
August 28, 2007 12:53 PM | Link to this
BUZZ FACTOR: What are you,a MENSA member ? You have the rare ability to stay on topic and provide succinct one-sentence answers to the matter at hand. Where did you learn this skill ? On these UGA-Tech blogs no one does that. The UGA crowd loves to take 3 pages to make one insult. They have the word efficiency of preachers which is due to the fact that they obviously have all day and think we do too. Good grief ! I can’t wait for their first loss so we can pile on them. But then DawgNation trots out the “wait till next year” speech. Remember, there are three laws: 1. Gravity 2. UGAG always gets the best players 3. They always underachive because the teams knows they don’t have to play until their senior year, have a blast at UGA playskool, avoid injury by not playing, and sign a fat NFL contract. That’s a great gig.
By ToneDef
August 28, 2007 12:59 PM | Link to this
I want to put my two cents in, seeing how Tony B didn’t really ANSWER some of those questions above:
1…who cares. GT will smash ND in that game, and it won’t matter who’s under center. I am banking on it NOT being Clausen, though, at any point in the game. Jones should be the starter, but Sharpley will probably get the nod. 2…again, it’s Duke, it’s football, who cares. They should start a flag football club up there…better results. 3…Bobby will win in Clemson this year. The Nole o-line will be much improved, air attack is already fantastic, the D is air-tight, and Clemson just can’t do it through the air on Offense, which is the ONLY way FSU’s defense is going to give up any yardage this year…that D-line might be the best in the nation. 4…Micah Andrews might make everyone forget about Chris Barclay. The offense is set up for a fast guy who can bounce off tackles and break big runs with misdirection plays, and Andrews is just the guy to do it. They’ll win 8 or 9 games this year. 5…The ‘Canes will be very DISCIPLINED this year…intensity will be high, but not at a premium. Unless the D scores 14 points a game, though, they’ll lose 5 games this year. I’m not sold on Patrick Nix as an O Coordinator…didn’t he just finish his senior season at Auburn?!By Pawsforabreak
August 28, 2007 2:11 PM | Link to this
My 2 cents. 1. Yes GT will beat ND. ND is like FSU - Always getting too much credit! 2. Duke will beat someone this year. Who? Who knows! 3. Now why would anyone think that FSU will beat CU? CU will have a better D than last year. Although the OL lost 3.5 of 5 starters they are still very experienced and if Harper doesn’t play well, gee I guess they will have to depend on Korn. Not a bad situation at all. CU has won the last 3 out of 4. So why not again? 4. Micah might play well but, come on, WFU was a fluke last year. Look for them to be near the bottom. 5. A Miami turn-a-round in one season. I think not! VT vs CU in Jax!! Go Tigers!!
By College Football Fan
August 28, 2007 3:47 PM | Link to this
The 6th question about the ACC: Would the conference be stronger if Georgia Tech moved over to the Sunbelt Conference and the ACC added West Virginia?
By Pago Pago
August 28, 2007 4:24 PM | Link to this
Word on the street…GT Coaches will dress 20 players vs ND. The rest of the players will have to dress themselves!
By lakejs
August 28, 2007 6:35 PM | Link to this
Hey Pawsforabreak … Because Jeff Bowden is gone. “Why would any think FSU will win”…ask Vegas because they do it for a living so they must know something YOU don’t. If you seriously think this FSU offense is anything like it was before, you’re going to be sadly mistaken. FSU has the best offensive staff in the country now and practically an entire returning offense. Go ahead and get your Fire Bowden signs out..in fact you can have ours from the Jeff Bowden years. 0-1… get used to it now.
By ben
August 28, 2007 7:19 PM | Link to this
tonedef - *didn’t he just finish his senior season at Auburn?! *
is this some kind of joke i didn’t get?
By JStett33GT
August 29, 2007 12:05 AM | Link to this
Miami have fun with Patrick Nix. The worst qb coach and offensive coordinator in the land.