So it appears that for the second year in a row, I have projected the ACC Championship Game as a Florida State-Georgia Tech clash. Unlike last year, however, I predict that the Yellow Jackets will be hoisting the ACC Championship trophy in Jacksonville this season.
It simply comes down to the lines. Georgia Tech should dominate both the offensive and defensive trenches, enough so that Tashard Choice can rip off a few runs, allowing Taylor Bennett to pick at the Seminole secondary. Mind you, the FSU defensive front is formidable, but the Nole OL - while being much improved over the 2006 atrocity - will have its ups and downs this season.
Sure, we can all make jokes about Chan Gailey and his maddening mediocrity. Nonetheless, DC Jon Tenuta is one of the best in the business, and new OC John Bond is a name you'll be hearing a lot (in a good way) in the coming months and years. If Phil Frickin Fulmer can go 13-0 and win a national title (however far away in the rearview mirror that seems), ol' Chan can certainly clock in with an ACC title sometime, if he lets his assistants do their jobs.
Look for the Jackets to control the game and win a tight 20-14 battle over Florida State on Dec. 1.
Just delegate, sit back, and watch. I beg of you.
BOWL PICKS
Before I delve into who-goes-where for the holidays, let's review the ACC bowl pecking order, shall we? Click here, because I sure don't feel like trying to summarize the selection process in this post.
Now that that tutorial is out of the way, here's how I see things shaping out this bowl season...
1. Orange (ACC Champ vs. BCS): Georgia Tech vs. West Virginia
2. Chick-Fil-A (ACC vs. SEC): Florida State vs. South Carolina
3. Gator (ACC vs. Big XII, Big East, or Notre Dame): Virginia Tech vs. Nebraska
4. Champs Sports (ACC vs. Big Ten): Clemson vs. Iowa
5. Music City (ACC vs. SEC): Miami vs. Auburn
6. Meineke Car Care (ACC vs. Big East): Wake Forest vs. USF
7. Emerald (ACC vs. Pac 10): Boston College vs. Oregon State
8. MPC Computers (ACC vs. WAC): Virginia vs. Boise State
*Maryland, with a projected 4-4 record in the ACC (6-6 overall) will not be selected for a bowl due to having only five wins over 1-A competition (the sixth win would be over 1-AA Villanova), and due to the eight ACC bowl slots being filled by teams with better overall records.
And that about wraps it up for my month-long 2007 ACC Preview. Each team's preview, along with each division outlook, can be found under the cryptically titled "2007 ACC Preview" heading on the sidebar.
I have a feeling I'm going to look either very insightful or irretrievably stupid about four months from now. Can't wait.
2 comments:
Really? Emerald for BC? I am assuming you are giving in to the mockery that is "Bowl Tie-ins", since you can't expect BC to be the 7th team in this conference with Matt Ryan at the helm.
Hey Doug,
I guess you didn't see my BC preview or Atlantic Division Outlook. Record-wise (conference record, that is), I've got BC 9th out of 12. That doesn't mean I think BC is only the 9th best team, but I'm skeptical about Jags, and BC gets the most difficult schedule possible in the ACC this year.
Matt Ryan is a great one, but he can only do so much if BC's O-line doesn't shape up very, very quickly. Remember that Phillip Rivers only went 7-5 in his senior year at NC State, after a great season the year prior.
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