DEL.ICIO.USBCS Football
Georgia Tech leads ACC championship contenders
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, November 03, 2008
Saturday typified the 2008 ACC football season.
Johnny Crawford/jcrawford@ajc.com
In his first season, Paul Johnson has Georgia Tech in contention to win the ACC.
Two games went to overtime. Another was decided with less than a minute left. The fourth was decided by six points and was, naturally, an upset.
And very little seemed to clear up in the race for the ACC’s division titles.
With four weeks left in the regular season, 11 of the league’s 12 teams are mathematically alive.
It’s not quite anybody’s ball game, but it’s pretty close.
“I’ve felt all along that we’ve just got to take care of our business and let it work out,” Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson said. “If we can finish with only two losses in the ACC, I feel good about our chances.”
Here’s a look at the eight teams with the best shot at earning a trip to Tampa for the ACC title game, with reasons why and why not each team can make it there.
Atlantic Division
Maryland (6-2, 3-1)
• Games remaining: at Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Florida State, at Boston College
• Why they’ll make it: The Terrapins are the only Atlantic team that controls their fate and can even afford to drop one game (so long as it’s not against Florida State).
Maryland plays its best against tough competition. It has won its last five games against ranked teams.
• Why they won’t: While the running game has returned to form, running back Da’Rel Scott (ACC-best 102.6 rushing yards per game) may not play Thursday against Virginia Tech with a shoulder injury.
Maryland might be the most unpredictable team in the league. The Terps beat Cal the week after losing to Middle Tennessee State and shut out Wake Forest after being shut out by Virginia. Not exactly the consistency you’d want for a team trying to run the table.
Florida State (6-2, 3-2)
•Games remaining: Clemson, Boston College, at Maryland, Florida
• Why they’ll make it: Saturday’s loss aside, the Seminoles are ranked first in total offense and defense in the league and have won four of their last five.
In a season where so many games have come down to the last minute, having the conference’s best kicker (Graham Gano, who has made 15 field goals in a row) is an asset.
• Why they won’t: Florida State coaches will have to be wary that the heart-wrenching loss to Georgia Tech does not have a carryover effect.
The Seminoles’ young offensive line has had trouble the past two weeks against tough defensive lines. They’ll face two more against Clemson and Boston College.
Wake Forest (5-3, 3-2)
• Games remaining: Virginia, at N.C. State, Boston College, Vanderbilt
• Why they’ll make it: While he’s had an up-and-down season, quarterback Riley Skinner has been down this road before, having led Wake Forest to the ACC title in 2006.
Kicker Shane Popham, subbing for injured all-ACC kicker Sam Swank, was 3-for-3 against Duke, suggesting his inconsistent play of the previous three games may be in the past.
• Why they won’t: Prior to beating Duke 33-30 in overtime Saturday, the Demon Deacons had not scored more than 17 points since the second game of the season. Given that all of Wake’s scoring drives in regulation began inside Duke territory, this would seem more like an aberration than a new trend.
Wake Forest has not delivered a dominating performance against anyone since its season opener. It isn’t easy to imagine the Deacons turning it on down the homestretch.
Coastal Division
Georgia Tech (7-2, 4-2)
• Games remaining: at North Carolina, Miami, at Georgia
• Why they’ll make it: Tech’s 288 rushing yards against Florida State suggest that its option-based attack, spearheaded by quarterback Josh Nesbitt, may be finding its form.
Most teams would likely take a 6-2 record and take their chances. At 4-2, Tech is closer to that finish line than anyone else.
• Why they won’t: The Jackets, after allowing an average of 11.6 points per game in their first seven games, have now given up 26.0 in the last two. Tech needs its secondary to get well soon.
Paul Johnson acknowledged that the team, even players who were in the lineup, is banged up. That won’t help against a rested North Carolina team Saturday.
Miami (6-3, 3-2)
• Games remaining: Virginia Tech, at Georgia Tech, N.C. State
• Why they’ll make it: With four wins in a row, including an overtime victory over Virginia in Charlottesville, the Hurricanes are the hottest team in the ACC. They have this week off before playing Virginia Tech at home in two Thursdays.
By starting 2-3, Miami has stayed below the radar. That will likely help a team loaded with underclassmen perhaps not ready to handle the burden of expectations.
• Why they won’t: The flip side of being hot is that no team has won more than three league games in a row. The Hurricanes may be ripe for a stumble.
Quarterbacks Robert Marve and Jacory Harris have led the Hurricanes this far, but have not provided consistent play.
Virginia (5-4, 3-2)
• Games remaining: at Wake Forest, Clemson, at Virginia Tech
• Why they’ll make it: If the Cavaliers run the table, they’ll own tiebreakers over North Carolina, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, which is a nice ace in the hole.
Despite a costly fumble against Miami, running back Cedric Peerman has been one of the league’s best running backs and will play two teams — Wake and Clemson — that are vulnerable against the run.
• Why they won’t: The Cavaliers finish with two of three games on the road. In the last four years, Virginia is 7-13 in road games.
Virginia has given up an average of 173.0 rushing yards in its past three games. That doesn’t bode well.
North Carolina (6-2, 2-2)
• Games remaining: Georgia Tech, at Maryland, N.C. State, Duke
• Why they’ll make it: Tech coach Paul Johnson said the Tar Heels might be the best team in the conference. So they’ve got that going for them.
Quarterback T.J. Yates, the Heels’ starter earlier this season, may be able to return from a sprained ankle for Carolina’s final four games.
• Why they won’t: Especially this year, four games left on the schedule means four games left to trip up.
Kickers Casey Barth and Jay Wooten are a pedestrian 11-of-16 on field goals. It cost them in a three-point loss to Virginia Tech, and may bite them again.
Virginia Tech (5-3, 2-2)
• Games remaining: Maryland, at Miami, Duke, Virginia
• Why they’ll make it: With wins over Georgia Tech and North Carolina and remaining games against Miami and Virginia, the Hokies are the only Coastal team that controls its fate.
Further, three of its final four games are at home, including the finale against Virginia, which has lost its last four the Hokies.
• Why they won’t: Virginia Tech may be without quarterbacks Tyrod Taylor and Sean Glennon Thursday against Maryland. Both sprained their ankles in the Oct. 25 loss to Virginia.
Regardless, the Hokies’ problems on offense go beyond quarterback. The offense is ranked 112th in Division I-A.
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