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Friday, May 23, 2008
Five games that will decide the ACC championship
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Can’t believe it’s Friday. Can’t believe Memorial Day weekend is here and that the SEC Spring Meetings are next week. Where has this year gone?
Yesterday we gave you five games that will decide the SEC championship. Today we’ll do the same for the ACC.
Enjoy your long weekend and please take a moment to remember who we honor with this holiday and why we honor them. And think about the coaches, including Mark Richt (Georgia), Tommy Tuberville (Auburn), Randy Shannon (Miami), Charlie Weis (Notre Dame) and Jack Siedlecki (Yale), who are making their way back from the Middle East where they visited our troops.
Have a great weekend. We’ll see you Tuesday morning from the SEC Meetings in Destin.
1. Clemson at Wake Forest, Oct. 9: This is a dangerous game for Clemson. If the Tigers beat Alabama on Aug. 30 at the Georgia Dome, they have a good chance to be 5-0 when they visit Groves Stadium on a Thursday night. Jim Grobe, whose teams have won 20 games the past two seasons, may be sneaky good again.
2. Virginia Tech at North Carolina, Sept. 20: You folks may not believe me, but this one may be for first place in the Coastal Division. North Carolina was 4-8 last season but the Tar Heels will be the most improved team in the league in the second year under Butch Davis. This will be a very good football game.
3. Clemson at Florida State, Nov. 8: There is no telling what the mood in Tallahassee will be by the time we get to Bowden Bowl X. But I just get the feeling that this game is going to be big in determining who wins the ACC Atlantic. Tommy has won four of the last five meetings against his dad. Nov. 8, by the way, will be Bobby Bowden’s 79th birthday.
4. Virginia Tech at Miami, Nov. 13: I think Miami gets out of the gate slowly because the Hurricanes are so young. But by this game Randy Shannon’s team will start to figure some things out. This will be the second straight week that Virginia Tech plays on a Thursday night.
5. Clemson at Boston College, Nov. 1: The good news for the Tigers is that they get a week off before going to Chestnut Hill. The bad news is that it might be a low-scoring game because of the cold. The Eagles lost QB Matt Ryan, the No. 3 pick in the draft, but they have seven starters from 2007 plus LB Brian Toal back on defense.
HONORABLE MENTION:
Wake Forest at Florida State, Sept. 20: The last time Wake Forest visited Doak Campbell Stadium, the Deacons handed Bobby Bowden his first home shutout (30-0) ever at Florida State.
North Carolina at Miami, Sept. 27: This will be Miami’s first ACC game in its new home at Dolphin Stadium. The Tar Heels will be coming off a difficult game with Virginia Tech, but they just might surprise the Hurricanes.
Virginia Tech at Florida State, Oct. 25: This will be the fourth road game in five weeks for the Hokies, who are at Boston College the Saturday before. There are also trips to North Carolina and Nebraska in that stretch.
Miami at Georgia Tech, Nov. 20: If Paul Johnson is still looking for his first signature win at Georgia Tech, this Thursday night in November seems like a good time to get it.
Maryland at Clemson, Sept. 27: My Maryland friends are telling me that the Terps are going to jump up and surprise some people this season. If Maryland beats California at home on Sept. 13, the Terps will be 4-0 when they go to Death Valley. If the Fridge has a surprise team, we’ll find out here.
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