Coming Soon to John Swofford's Office Wall

*Apologies to Virginia Tech, Boston College, Clemson, and to a lesser extent Georgia Tech, who have generously managed not to mortally embarrass the conference so far this season

This Week's Blog Poll Ballot

This is my first ever Blog Poll ballot, for what it's worth. My only comment is that there is - in my opinion - a rather large chasm between the Top 7 and the rest of the bunch.

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Ohio State	25
2	Notre Dame	24
3	Louisiana State	23
4	Auburn	22
5	Southern Cal	21
6	Florida	20
7	Texas	19
8	West Virginia	18
9	Louisville	17
10	Georgia	16
11	Virginia Tech	15
12	Michigan	14
13	Nebraska	13
14	Tennessee	12
15	Boise State	11
16	Oregon	10
17	Florida State	9
18	Oklahoma	8
19	Boston College	7
20	Miami (Florida)	6
21	Clemson	5
22	Iowa	4
23	Rutgers	3
24	TCU	2
25	Missouri	1

Dropped Out: uh, no one...it's my first ballot, remember!

Games Watched: Boise State-Oregon State (2nd & 3rd Q), Virginia Tech-North Carolina, Akron-NC State (4th Q), Boston College-Clemson, Ohio State-Texas, Florida State-Troy (Sunday replay)

Week Deux Preview

Good news for the ACC, only two 1-AA opponents on tap for this week. And maybe, just maybe, the league could win both matchups.

Saturday, Sept. 9, 2006
Duke at Wake Forest, Noon ET
Nothing like a Blue Devil football game to get the juices flowing for the rest of the day. Duke's greener-than-green QBs had a somewhat difficult start against the Richmond defense, and that's not a bright sign because it won't get any easier the rest of the way. Wake looked solid, if unspectacular, against Syracuse, with the exception of RB Micah Andrews who looks like he'll make Deacon fans forget all about Chris Barclay very quickly. An easy scrimmage for the Demon Deacons, but Duke gets a moral victory in avoiding a shutout.
The Pick: Wake Forest 28, Duke 6

Virginia Tech at North Carolina, Noon ET
Under the stewardship of John "Chuckles" Bunting (click here for the Chuckles nickname origin and scroll halfway down), UNC has made a habit of pulling off games such as this after royally embarrassing the ACC in out-of-conference play. Last year's example: a 69-14 time-and-space-bending destruction at Louisville, followed a few weeks later by the inexplicable-yet-in-hindsight-cosmically-balanced upset of Boston College. Still, all Frank Beamer needs to do to throw Bunting off kilter is to ask him to pull his finger during pregame and all should be well for the Hokies. UNC's upset-to-restore-balance-to-the-universe will have to wait another day.
The Pick: Virginia Tech 30, North Carolina 17

Akron at N.C. State, Noon ET
One of those games that should scare the hell out of State fans (and Chuck Amato for that matter, if he values his employment status); Akron looked entirely and completely respectable against Penn State last week, while the Wolfpack teams of 2004 and 2005 Quantum-Leaped into last week and continued the three years and running stretch of potent defense/impotent (or is E-D the proper term here?) offense, particularly at QB. That said, the offense showed a few signs of...ummm..."interest" last week with stud RB Andre Brown, so the Pack should be safe for another week.
The Pick: N.C. State 27, Akron 14

Wyoming at Virginia, 3:30pm ET
Few folks wanted to acknowledge it in the preseason, but I and a few other brave souls recognized the oncoming carnage that will be the Virginia 2006 football season. Still, I pegged this game as a fairly comfortable Wahoo win in the preseason, but that was predicated on A) Wyoming stinking, which they do not now, at least not that badly; and B) UVA showing some sort of life in week one, which they did not. I've gone back and forth on this one all week and I've come to the conclusion that Cowboy QB Jacob Doss is going to be able to sling it all over the field against the struggling Virginia secondary, and that the football gods want to hear the name of Wyoming WR Hoost Marsh on SportsCenter, and this is the best shot for that to happen.
The Pick: Wyoming 24, Virginia 23

Samford at Georgia Tech, 3:30pm ET
I'll take a leap of faith and predict that the Yellow Jackets score more than 14 points this week, breaking their 9 1/2 month streak (OK, just 4 games, to be fair) of being held to two TDs or less despite the monster talent on offense.
The Pick: Georgia Tech 41, Samford 0

Clemson at Boston College, 3:30pm ET
This is usually the point in the season that Clemson starts laying big fat rotten eggs all over the football landscape, putting head coach Tommy Bowden on the proverbial toasty chair, and putting Tiger football out of the minds of the masses, until the inevitable last season charge that results in ginormous expectations for the following year. So....why is this year different? Two words: Rod Spence. Clemson's OC has the Tiger offense humming, yes after just one game, and yes with a new starting QB. And with the talent at WR, RB, and a seasoned O-line making it all happen, it's going to be difficult to pick against these fellas all year. Still, the host team in Saturday's contest has a say in this, and their QB actually has a whole season of experience. However, the crafty Tom O'Brien is playing the hurt/not-hurt game regarding terrific QB Matt Ryan's status, hoping to confound Bowden. BC looked less than stellar in the opener against CMU last week, and that can't do wonders for their mindset. If this were in Death Valley, I'd pick Clemson by 3 TDs. I figure Chestnut Hill is good for one touchdown on the Eagle end, so if my math is correct....
The Pick: Clemson 34, Boston College 20

Middle Tennessee State at Maryland, 6:00pm ET
Is it me or has Maryland just been in a funky daze for the last two years? I look at this game and I can't see any conceivable way that the Terps run away with this one, even though talent-wise they should. Backup QB Jordan Steffy took himself out of starting contention last week with a horrific outing against 1-AA Bill & Mary, so the Terps will sink or swim with the perennially average yet lovably erratic Sam Hollenbach. That said, underrated burly RB Lance Ball is probably good for a few earth-shaking scores, and CB Josh Wilson will likely shut down one half of the field, negating much of the Blue Raider passing attack.
The Pick: Maryland 24, Middle Tennessee State 7

Troy at Florida State, 6:00pm ET
Prediction: FSU gains more than 1 yard rushing for the game. And they get a whole lot more passing. And LB Buster Davis actually eats a Trojan RB for supper - live on the field - and throws his bones into the stands to the cheering Seminole faithful.
The Pick: Florida State 38, Troy 10

Florida A&M at Miami, 7:00pm ET
Prediction: Miami gains more than 2 yards rushing for the game. And that there will be lots of orange and green clad spectators in the stands, much to the dismay of the fashionistas on nearby South Beach.
The Pick: Miami 45, Florida A&M 3

ACC Week 1 in Review

Game-by-game, and off we go.....

Boston College 31, Central Michigan 24
For some of my major thoughts on this game, go here. To reiterate, the score doesn't bother me as much as the auto-pilot mentality the Eagles went into when up 31-10. That's somewhat understandable against that type of opponent in mid-October, but not in week one.

Virginia Tech 38, Northeastern 0
A very pleasant start for QB Sean Glennon and RB Brandon Ore, along with the predictable domination of the Hokie D and special teams. However, with "just" 374 total yards for the game and a dry spell in the 2nd quarter against a 1-AA foe, it is evident that the Hokies have a ways to go before things are back to normal in Blacksburg.

Clemson 54, Florida Atlantic 6
They pretty much hit my predicted score right on the head (I picked 45-6, damn my dyslexia) and every part of the Tiger team got into the act scoring-wise, with the special teams and defense finding the end zone in the 4th quarter. New starting QB Will Proctor had a steady debut, after getting the oh-man-where's-the-nearest-bathroom jitters out of his system.

Rutgers 21, North Carolina 16
This is the kind of loss that really tells me that the Heels are never going to get to the next level with John Bunting (perhaps the kick-ass 3-9 and 2-10 campaigns of '02 and '03 should've told me as much). The early candidate for Most Inappropriate Demeanor On The Sideline award for 2006 is Bunting, who was giggling with a few players right before QB Joe Dailey threw his game-ending pick at the Scarlet Knight 29 with 1:52 to play. With the game on the line, Knute Bunting was yukking it up with the kids. Impressive.

N.C. State 23, Appalachian State 10
A better win for the Wolfpack than most would give them credit for, as Appy State is better than about 20 1-A teams at the moment (including one right here in our little ACC). But, the Wolfpack look to be playing out the same script as last year, anemic offense (QB Marcus Stone was just 7-of-13 for 44 yards and a pick, and State lost 3 fumbles) and dominant defense (held the Mountaineers to 92 total yards).

Richmond 13, Duke 0
This one has to rank up there with UNC's 28-3 loss to Furman in 1999 as one of the all-time nadirs in recent ACC football history. We all know Duke is, well Duke. But to be shut out at home, by a good-but-not-great 1-AA team (by 1-AA standards) is woeful beyond words. Former Blue Devil coach Carl Franks, quite possibly the worst ACC skipper of the last 25 years, never delivered an atrocity like this. Ted Roof may have just killed his career Saturday afternoon.

Maryland 27, William & Mary 14
Another blah performance by an ACC school against a 1-AA foe. QB Sam Hollenbach was OK, but certainly didn't look much improved from 2005's erratic performance. More concerning for the Terps is that they managed to turn the ball over 4 times (3 to Bill, 1 to Mary) while managing to not force a single pick or fumble from the Tribe. So, out of 4 games against 1-AA foes, no ACC club could manage to break 40 points. Hmmmmm....

Wake Forest 20, Syracuse 10
Probably the best example of how the new clock rules affected a team's performance from week 1. Last year this is likely a 34-10 Wake rout, but the Deacons' 2-to-1 rush/pass ratio chewed up clock like Charlie Weis at a Golden Corral all-you-can-eat meatballs night. The loss of QB Ben Mauk for the season may not be as big an issue as many think, as backup Riley Skinner had pushed Mauk very hard for the starting job in the preseason.

Pitt 38, Virginia 13
Folks, Pitt is an OK team - probably good for 7-5 on the year - but I'm telling you, the Cavaliers are going to have a look-away-this-is-too-horrible-dear-God-make-it-stop season. There is a dearth of talent on offense like I have never seen out of UVA squad. Top that off with new offensive and defensive coordinators, and the Cavs could be hard-pressed to get to 4-8 this year (my brilliantly projected record for them in the preseason).

Notre Dame 14, Georgia Tech 10
Raise your hand if you just knew that the Irish were gonna win this one right after they pulled to within 10-7 shortly before the half. You could see it in the faces of the Jacket and Irish players, in Charile Weis and Chan Gailey, and in the stands. QB Reggie Ball continued his Chris Rix-like career (that is, he peaked in his freshman year and has had continued problems with accuracy ever since). Offensive coordinator Patrick Nix has miraculously found a way to orchestrate just 7, 10 and 10 points in each of Tech's last three games (dating back to last season, obviously) with talent like Ball, PJ Daniels/Tashard Choice at RB, and the incredible Calvin Johnson at WR. Poor Jon Tenuta's superb defensive efforts are being wasted time and again in Atlanta.

Florida State 13, Miami 10
Enough has been said about this one. You should not have to gouge your own eyes out after witnessing Monday night's contest, as so many columnists, TV and radio jabberjaws, and internet pundits apparently wish to do. When you can walk out of your 12th-ranked arch-rival's house with a 3-point triumph in front of a national TV audience, it's a damn good win. Was it a work of art? Hell frickin no. But neither was, say, Penn State's 14-10 Fiesta Bowl upset of Miami in 1986 when Vinny Testaverde threw an NCAA record 27 picks, both teams fumbled all over the place, Penn State had all of 160 yards of total offense....yet that game is gushed over as an all-time classic. But I digress. Back to FSU-Miami '06. Both offensive lines carried over their problems from last season, but it is not as catastrophic as has been portrayed. Both respective offensive schemes were as vanilla they can be - much like last year and in 2004 - with plays designed for minimal risk. The game is too important to start trotting out new sets, formations and such, as could be done with openers against directional-school-pushovers. And the defenses....my word. Incredible. The Larry Coker Death March (which is ridiculous, to say the least) has officially begun.

All in all, a rather ho-hum and somewhat disappointing opening week for the league. Nothing good can ever come of playing so many second-division opponents, as evidenced this past weekend. Shape up, ACC. You're starting to embarass yourselves here.

Media Whinefest 2006: Florida State-Miami

What is the deal with the media horde panning the FSU-Miami game these last two seasons? Outside of the obvious - atrocious offensive line play on both sides - the game was not the horrid affair you are led to believe. Yes, both rushing attacks ker-flopped; see OL comment above. Both QBs were at 50% or above pass completions. There were just two turnovers all night. There were 15 penalties in total - not great, but less than in the Notre Dame-Georgia Tech skirmish, and I have yet to find an article or column bemoaning that game as a violation of the Geneva Convention.

Sorry fourth-estate-elitists, but FSU and Miami don't owe you a pristine football game. The last two years have seen that game come down to the very end, and now all of a sudden the contest itself sucks. And is it just me, but when Miami was winning ugly, defensive football games against FSU (see 2004, 2004 Orange Bowl, 2003, 1992, 1991) it was perfectly alright and the Canes "just found a way"? But now that FSU has found ways to pull out close wins against Miami, all of a sudden the games themselves are abominations, with nary a comment on how, gee, the Seminoles actually found a way to win and that at the end of the day, that's what flippin' matters.

Sheesh. Anyway, the list of the most prominent unhappy customers. Sorry fellas, you can't those 4 hours of your life back.

ESPN's Maisel
Sportsline's Dodd
SI's Mandel

God Help ACC Offenses

If Florida State's 13-10 win at Miami - along with the ACC results for this weekend - are any indication, I expect plenty of 14-10, 17-6, 13-3 type games in the league this year. And that's fine. Great defense is just as good, if not better, than high-flying offense.

But, if those scores indicate less than 50% QB completion percentage, abnormally low rushing stats, and high turnover rates, then Houston....or Greensboro, more accurately....we have a problem.