ACC Blogger Football Preview Pt. 2 – Duke

Posted by Griffin Wong on July 25, 2011 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article

2010 Record: 3-9 (1-7)

2011 Schedule – Picks

Sept. 3 – Richmond W 28-17

Sept. 10 – Stanford L 55-20

Sept. 17 – at Boston College L 21-3

Sept. 24 – Tulane W 28-24

Oct. 1 – at Florida International W 27-21

Oct. 15 – Florida State L 42-13

Oct. 22 – Wake Forest W 24-20

Oct. 29 – Virginia Tech L 38-14

Nov. 5 – at Miami L 38-6

Nov. 12 – at Virginia L 28-10

Nov. 19 – Georgia Tech L 27-17

Nov. 26 – at North Carolina L 31-14

Key Conference Game: Wake Forest- I have the Blue Devils scoring their only ACC victory against the Demon Deacons. It’s the Battle for 11^th Place!

Toughest Game: Stanford- Thinks could get ugly when the atrocious Duke defense faces Andrew Luck and the Cardinal.

Offense:

The Blue Devils return quarterback Sean Renfree, who was wild at times, but showed he could hold his own in the ACC. Duke returns their center Brian Moore, and both tackles Kyle Hill and Perry Simmons on the offensive line. The Blue Devils also return their three most productive skill position players, running back Desmond Scott and wide receivers Conner Vernon and Donovan Varner. Duke gets a little too pass-happy sometimes, but I think with the development of Renfree, the Blue Devil offense will be relatively productive in 2011.

Key Returner:

Donovan Varner/Conner Vernon- Varner was an All-ACC first team selection in 2009, where he racked up 1,047 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns. Luckily for the Blue Devils, when defenses paid more attention to him in 2010, Conner Vernon was able to step up. The 2010 All-ACC second team selection recorded 973 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. This duo should be excellent for Duke in 2011.

Must Step Up:

Sean Renfree- Renfree was productive in the passing game in 2010, throwing for 3,131 yards and completing 61% of his passes. However, Renfree was also turnover prone throwing 17 interceptions to his 14 touchdown passes. Duke loves to throw the ball, so their success in 2011 should depend almost completely on the play of Renfree.

Defense:

Duke’s defense was ranked 113 in rushing defense, 109 in scoring defense, and 108 in passing defense and total defense. Ouch. The good news for the Blue Devils is that those numbers can really only up. The Blue Devils return safety Matt Daniels, who recorded 93 tackles in 2010. Middle linebacker Kelby Brown and nose guard Charlie Hatcher are other productive players who return for 2011.

Key Returner:

Matt Daniels- Daniels was one of the bright spots for Duke’s defense last season, where he punished receivers and running backs in the middle of the field. In addition to his 93 tackles, Daniels also recorded 6 tackles for loss and forced 3 fumbles. The senior leader will be one player defensive coordinator Jim Knowles won’t have to worry much about.

Must Step Up:

Kelby Brown- Brown had knee surgery this off-season, so he’ll have limited practice time to get ready for 2010. With such a weak group of linebackers, Brown has to become a leader both on the field and in the locker room. If Brown can play well this season, he can help the Duke defense tremendously.

Special Teams:

Kicker Will Snyderwine hit all 32 extra point attempts and made 21 of 24 field goals in 2010. A junior, Snyderwine should be even better in 2011 after two years of experience. The reliable Alex King returns as the starting punter.

Key Returner:

Will Snyderwine- Snyderwine was excellent in 2010, and there’s no reason to think he won’t be even better in 2011.

Must Step Up:

N/A

Season Outlook: 4-8 (1-7)

It looks like we’re going to see another rebuilding season in Durham, but there will be some bright spots in 2011. Quarterback Sean Renfree should be excellent this season, and I expect him to breakout in 2012. However, the Duke defense will weight them down to the bottom of the ACC this season. If Duke is going to get to a bowl game in the Cutcliffe era, the defense will need to improve.

ACC Blogger Football Preview Pt. 2 – Virginia Tech

Posted by Griffin Wong on July 24, 2011 under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article

2010 Record: 11-3 (8-0)

2011 Schedule – Picks

Sept. 3 – Appalachian State W 31-14

Sept. 10 – at East Carolina W 27-10

Sept. 17 – Arkansas State W 48-7

Sept. 24 – at Marshall W 34-14

Oct. 1 – Clemson W 27-13

Oct. 8 – Miami W 21-20

Oct. 15 – at Wake Forest W 41-3

Oct. 22 – Boston College W 20-3

Oct. 29 – at Duke W 38-14

Nov. 10 – at Georgia Tech W 35-10

Nov. 17 – North Carolina W 24-7

Nov. 26 – at Virginia W 27-20

Key Conference Game: Miami- The Hokies are clearly the team to beat in the Coastal, but I believe Miami has the firepower to pull an upset. The Hokies can get a strangle hold on the Coastal with a win over Miami.

Toughest Game: Miami- If Miami is Virginia Tech’s toughest game, you know their schedule isn’t very strong.

Offense:

The Hokies lose four year contributor Tyrod Taylor, and it will be sophomore quarterback Logan Thomas’ responsibility to lead the Hokies in 2011. Running backs Ryan Williams and Darren Evans declared for the NFL Draft, so the Hokies will be left with junior running back David Wilson. Wilson was somewhat productive in 2010, as he was the Hokies’ third leading rusher. The bright spot for the Hokies offensively comes on the offensive line, where they return four starters. With a strong offensive line, proven skill position players, and a blooming quarterback, I expect the Virginia Tech offense to be excellent this year.

Key Returner:

Blake DeChristopher- The whole offensive line, more specifically DeChristopher will be solid for the Hokies in 2010. New starting quarterback Logan Thomas has very little game experience, so the offensive line will have to be strong in pass protection. With four starters returning, I look for the Virginia Tech offensive line to be excellent in 2011.

Must Step Up:

Logan Thomas- With 7 starters returning, Thomas has the pieces around him to be successful. Thomas will have to fill the giant shoes of Tyrod Taylor, but he showed flashes of brilliance in the spring. The Virginia Tech coaching staff seems very optimistic about the development of Thomas and the great potential the Hokie offense has this season.

Defense:

Defensively, the Hokies lose six starters from the uncharacteristically mediocre 2010 unit. However, the Hokies do return a first team All-ACC corner in Jayron Hosley and a second team All-ACC linebacker Bruce Taylor. With only one starter returning, it looks like the defensive line will be the weakest part of the Hokie defense this season. With the reputation defensive coordinator Bud Foster has, I actually expect the Hokie defense to improve. You know under Foster’s tutelage the Hokies won’t be making the same mistakes they made last season.

Key Returner:

Jayron Hosley- Hosley was a beast in 2010, leading the nation in interceptions with 9. With Hosley on the outside, the Hokies all but shut down one side of the field. The 2010 first team All-ACC corner will surely be a force in 2011.

Must Step Up:

Antoine Hopkins- The Hokies lose three starting defensive linemen, so Hopkins will be the anchor and leader of the foursome. The junior defensive tackle recorded 5.5 tackles for loss and 41 tackles in 2010.

Special Teams:

Virginia Tech is known for their special teams prowess, also known as Beamer Ball. However, in the kicking department, the Hokies could be in trouble this season. Cody Journell has won the job at kicker, but the punter still has yet to be decided. Look for Conor Goulding, Scott Demler, Grant Bowden, or even wide receiver Danny Coale to be starting at punter this season.

Key Returner:

N/A

Must Step Up:

Cody Journell- Journell is a scholarship kicker and was able to win the job in the spring. Journell hasn’t played a game yet, but he should be ready to show why he earned a scholarship this season.

Season Outlook: 12-0 (8-0)

In the first time in a long time, you could say the Hokies are somewhat flying under the radar going into 2011. With the middle of the pack ACC teams improving, and the huge expectations for Florida State, some may not be expecting the Hokies to do as well as in previous years. However, Virginia Tech’s schedule is very favorable, with its toughest four games all coming at home. I don’t think Virginia Tech is one of the elite teams in the country, but if the Hokies can take care of business, they could be in the hunt for the BCS Championship Game.

2011 ACC Blogger Football Preview – ACC Champion/Full Rundown

Posted by Brandon Rink on under ACC Football | Comments are off for this article

Picking an ACC champ, the division, week by week game picks, bowl projections and more…

It’s almost here.

I’m on the road to Pinehurst, NC for the ACC Football Kickoff. Can’t wait to talk ACC pigskin with all 12 coaches and a couple players from each school (and hundreds of media).

We’ve done the countdown for picks for both divisions, and here’s the rundown…

Projected ACC Standings/Champion (Our ACC previews in the links)

Atlantic

1) Florida State Seminoles 8-0 (11-1 overall)
2) NC State Wolfpack 5-3 (8-4 overall)
3) Clemson Tigers 4-4 (7-5 overall)
4) Maryland Terrapins 3-5 (6-6 overall)
5) Boston College Eagles 3-5 (6-6 overall)
6) Wake Forest Demon Deacons 1-7 (3-9 overall)

Coastal

1) Virginia Tech Hokies 7-1 (11-1 overall)
2) North Carolina Tar Heels 6-2 (10-2 overall)
3) Miami Hurricanes 4-4 (8-4 overall)
4) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 3-5 (7-5 overall)
5) Virginia Cavaliers 2-6 (6-6 overall)
6) Duke Blue Devils 2-6 (4-8 overall)

ACC Championship Pick: Florida State over Virginia Tech 27-24

Analysis: Watched these two from the stands of the frozen tundra of Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte NC last year – and Virginia Tech outclassed the ‘Noles with another brilliant game from All-ACC QB Tyrod Taylor.

Now, the sides are a little more even QB-wise as E.J. Manuel was a late sub to start for the injured Christian Ponder in the ‘10 matchup. These are the two clear favorites in the ACC, and the way the schedule shapes up, could have even higher aspirations. We have a lot of football to go before early December, but FSU will be a little more tested going into this matchup and pull out a close one.

Griffin Wong has been doing his team by team previews on the site and here’s his final standings and ACC Champ…

Atlantic

1) Florida State 10-2 (7-1 ACC)
2) Maryland 10-2 (7-1 ACC)
3) NC State 8-4 (5-3 ACC)
4) Clemson 6-6 (4-4 ACC)
5) Boston College 7-5 (3-5 ACC)
6) Wake Forest 2-10 (0-8 ACC)

Coastal

1) Virginia Tech 12-0 (8-0 ACC)
2) Miami 9-3 (5-3 ACC)
3) UNC 8-4 (4-4 ACC)
4) GT 6-6 (3-5 ACC)
5) UVA 6-6 (2-6 ACC)
6) Duke 4-8 (1-7 ACC)

ACC Championship Pick: VT over FSU.

Analysis: I love Florida State’s talent, but I have to go with experience in this one. The Hokies have been there before, winning the ACC 3 out of the last 4 years (including a 44-33 win over Florida State last season).

Contributor J.J. Greenstein offers his divisional picks and ACC champ…

Atlantic

1. Florida State: Though they lost Christian Ponder, they’re replacing him with EJ Manuel, who has a Gator Bowl MVP and experience against three ACC teams, Oklahoma, and was 11-15 with a touchdown pass against South Carolina in last year’s Chik-Fil-A Bowl. The ‘Noles also return their top two rushers and receivers- the offense may be better than it was last year with Ponder. The ‘Noles also return a ton of talent on defense. Watch out!

2. N.C. State: Quarterback Russell Wilson has transferred to Wisconsin, and it’s time to move on. Mike Glennon will be fine for the Pack, who will have an improved offensive line and a running back group that is in much better shape going into this year than it was a year ago. With an improved defense (yes, better even with the loss of linebacker Nate Irving), especially in the secondary, which is full of upper-classmen, this team can improve on last year’s nine win season.

3. Clemson: Questions surround Tajh Boyd, who has only completed 52% of his passes in mop-up duty. They do return Andre Ellington and a talented offensive line. The defense lots quite a bit of talent, but should still be successful. As for me having them picked so low, Dabo Swinney struggles to get the best out of the talent he has on the roster, as apparent in last season’s under .500 finish

4. Maryland: The Terrapins return the ACC’s best quarterback, along with a new coach and system. It still baffles me why they let the Fridge go after a season where he was named the ACC’s Coach of the Year. The new system will set them back, along with the loss of talented wide-out Torrey Smith. They have a tough conference schedule as they must travel to Florida State and NC State and play cross-divisional games against Miami and Georgia Tech.

5. Boston College: Montel Harris returns for the Eagles, which is huge because, in my opinion, he is the most talented running back in the conference. The quarterback situation is still messy, so the Eagles will have to rely on their defense to keep them in games. I’m not sure if they can do it, with conference road games at Clemson, Virginia Tech, Maryland, and Miami. If Chase Rettig can figure things out under center, maybe the Eagles could make some noise, but with their schedule that will be tough.

6. Wake Forest: The Demon Deacons return 17 starters from last year’s team- but the defense last season was horrendous at times- as they gave up over 35 points per game. Running back Josh Harris will need to spark the offense for Wake Forest to make a bowl game. He’ll need to get into a rhythm quickly as the Deacons start their season with six of their first seven games being in-conference.

Coastal

1. Virginia Tech: Until proven otherwise, the Hokies run the ACC. While Logan Thomas is unlikely to be as productive in his first year as Tyrod Taylor was, the Hokies are just reloading and he’ll have plenty of weapons to work with this season. The defense is expected to be solid like usual for a Frank Beamer team. As long as they can get past Appalachian State and East Carolina, they could possibly make a run at going undefeated.

2. Miami: New head coach Al Golden has sparked new energy in a program that had seemed to have lost its swagger. They’ll be solid up front on both sides of the ball and have the luxury of having two quarterbacks with starting experience in Jacory Harris and Stephen Morris. The secondary may be the ‘Canes biggest weakness- and it will be tested often as they play a tough schedule that includes road games at Florida State and Virginia Tech.

3. North Carolina: Like Miami, Carolina’s strength is on the offensive and defensive lines. They also return their receiving corps in tact from last season. New quarterback Bryn Renner is untested (he’s only thrown two passes in his career) and will need to get into a rhythm for the Tar Heels to have a successful season.

4. Georgia Tech: The Jackets surprised many with their unsuccessful season following their 2009 ACC Title- wait that never happened, my bad. They must replace Josh Nesbitt and their top running back, Anthony Allen. The defense was a liability last season and should improve some this season. I don’t see this team winning more than three conference games, and I would bet Paul Johnson finds himself on the hot seat fairly soon.

5. Virginia: I’ve said many times before that Mike London will do a good job at UVa, but it’s going to take time. Their schedule looks too tough for them to pull out six wins; their three cross-divisional games are against the top three Atlantic teams from last season. They brought in a top 25 recruiting class and they’ll be where they want to be soon if they can continue doing that, but patience is a virtue right now in Charlottesville.

6. Duke: The Blue Devils’ passing game is going to put up a lot of points this season, and they’re going to need every one of them as their defense- which just lost safety Issac Blakeney for the season due to suspension. Quarterback Sean Renfree better be incredible if this team wants to make a bowl game this year under Coach David Cutcliffe.

ACC Championship Pick: Virginia Tech – Like last year, the Hokies will prevail over the Seminoles. Though, this season I look for Virginia Tech’s defense to step up and win the game. Ball control with David Wilson will make the difference in keeping the Seminoles defense on the field.

Week by week game picks (Brandon’s)

Date	Opponent	Pick
09/01/11	Western Carolina @ Georgia Tech	GT 38-13
	Wake Forest @ Syracuse	SU 20-13
09/03/11	Northwestern @ Boston College	BC 17-13
	Appalachian State @ Virginia Tech	VT 38-10
	James Madison @ North Carolina	UNC 31-17
	Troy @ Clemson	CU 41-17
	ULM @ Florida State	FSU 49-10
	Liberty @ NC State	NCSU 44-21
	William & Mary @ Virginia	UVa 31-13
	Richmond @ Duke	Duke 31-17
09/05/11	Miami @ Maryland Week One Standings Atlantic 1)       MD: 1-0 (1-0) 2)       FSU: 0-0 (1-0) 3)       BC: 0-0 (1-0) 4)       CU: 0-0 (1-0) 5)       NCSU: 0-0 (1-0) 6)       WF: 0-0 (0-1) Coastal 1)       VT: 0-0 (1-0) 2)       GT: 0-0 (1-0) 3)       UNC: 0-0 (1-0) 4)       Duke: 0-0 (1-0) 5)       UVa: 0-0 (1-0) 6)       UM: 0-1 (0-1)	MD 24-17
09/10/11	Rutgers @ North Carolina	UNC 31-20
	NC State @ Wake Forest	NCSU 17-13
	Stanford @ Duke	Stanford 41-24
	Wofford @ Clemson	CU 49-10
	Charleston Southern @ Florida State	FSU 56-10
	Boston College @ UCF	BC 19-17
	Georgia Tech @ Middle Tennessee State	GT 38-24
	Virginia @ Indiana	UVa 20-16
	Virginia Tech @ East Carolina Week Two Standings Atlantic 1)       MD: 1-0 (1-0) 2)       NCSU: 1-0 (2-0) 3)       BC: 0-0 (2-0) 4)       CU: 0-0 (2-0) 5)       FSU: 0-0 (2-0) 6)       WF: 0-1 (0-2) Coastal 1)       VT: 0-0 (2-0) 2)       GT: 0-0 (2-0) 3)       UNC: 0-0 (2-0) 4)       UVa: 0-0 (2-0) 5)       Duke: 0-0 (1-1) 6)       UM: 0-1 (0-1)	VT 31-21
09/17/11	Auburn @ Clemson	CU 24-17
	West Virginia @ Maryland	MD 27-24
	Duke @ Boston College	BC 21-17
	Kansas @ Georgia Tech	GT 24-14
	Virginia @ North Carolina	UNC 27-17
	Arkansas State @ Virginia Tech	VT 45-6
	South Alabama @ NC State	NCSU 42-17
	Gardner-Webb @ Wake Forest	WF 49-17
	Ohio State @ Miami	UM 28-21
	Oklahoma @ Florida State Week Three Standings Atlantic 1)   NCSU: 1-0 (3-0) 2)       BC: 1-0 (3-0) 3)    MD: 1-0 (2-0) 4)       CU: 0-0 (3-0) 5)       FSU: 0-0 (2-1) 6)       WF: 0-1 (1-2) Coastal 1)       UNC: 1-0 (3-0) 2)       VT: 0-0 (3-0) 3)       GT: 0-0 (3-0) 4)       UVa: 0-1 (2-1) 5)       UM: 0-1 (1-1) 6)       Duke: 0-1 (1-2)	OU 27-23
09/22/11	NC State @ Cincinnati	UC 24-21
09/24/11	Florida State @ Clemson	FSU 27-24
	Kansas State @ Miami	UM 24-21
	Massachusetts @ Boston College	BC 42-17
	North Carolina @ Georgia Tech	GT 14-10
	Southern Miss @ Virginia	UVa 27-20
	Temple @ Maryland	MD 31-17
	Tulane @ Duke	Duke 42-24
	Virginia Tech @ Marshall Through One Month Atlantic 1)   BC: 1-0 (4-0) 2)   MD: 1-0 (3-0) 3)   NCSU: 1-0 (3-1) 4)       FSU: 1-0 (3-1) 5)       CU: 0-1 (3-1) 6)       WF: 0-1 (1-2) Coastal 1)       GT: 1-0 (4-0) 2)       UNC: 1-1 (3-1) 3)       VT: 0-0 (4-0) 4)       UVa: 0-1 (3-1) 5)       UM: 0-1 (2-1) 6)       Duke: 0-1 (2-2)	VT 55-17
10/01/11	Bethune Cookman @ Miami	UM 38-10
	Clemson @ Virginia Tech	VT 31-17
	Duke @ FIU	FIU 28-27
	Georgia Tech @ NC State	NCSU 21-14
	Idaho @ Virginia	UVa 31-13
	North Carolina @ East Carolina	UNC 31-28
	Towson @ Maryland	MD 55-10
	Wake Forest @ Boston College Week Five Standings Atlantic 1)   BC: 2-0 (5-0) 2)   NCSU 2-0 (4-1) 3)   MD: 1-0 (4-0) 4)   FSU: 1-0 (3-1) 5)   CU: 0-2 (3-2) 6)   WF: 0-2 (1-3) Coastal 1)       VT: 1-0 (5-0) 2)       GT: 1-1 (4-1) 3)       UNC: 1-1 (4-1) 4)       UVa: 0-1 (4-1) 5)       UM: 0-1 (3-1) 6)       Duke: 0-1 (2-3)	BC 24-13
10/08/11	Boston College @ Clemson	CU 24-20
	C. Michigan @ NC State	NCSU 48-17
	Florida State @ Wake Forest	FSU 34-14
	Louisville @ North Carolina	UNC 27-16
	Maryland @ Georgia Tech	GT 17-14
	Miami @ Virginia Tech Week Six Standings Atlantic 1)   NCSU: 2-0 (5-1) 2)       FSU: 2-0 (4-1) 3)       BC: 2-1 (5-1) 4)       MD: 1-1 (4-1) 5)       CU: 1-2 (4-2) 6)       WF: 0-3 (1-4) Coastal 1)       VT: 2-0 (6-0) 2)       GT: 2-1 (5-1) 3)       UNC: 1-1 (5-1) 4)       UVa: 0-1 (4-1) 5)       Duke: 0-1 (2-3) 6)       UM: 0-2 (3-2)	VT 31-10
10/15/11	Clemson @ Maryland	CU 24-21
	Florida State @ Duke	FSU 38-17
	Georgia Tech @ Virginia	UVa 24-21
	Miami @ North Carolina	UNC 20-14
	Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest Week Seven Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 3-0 (5-1) 2)       NCSU: 2-0 (5-1) 3)       BC: 2-1 (5-1) 4)       CU: 2-2 (5-2) 5)       MD: 1-2 (4-2) 6)       WF: 0-4 (1-5) Coastal 1)       VT: 3-0 (7-0) 2)       UNC: 2-1 (6-1) 3)       GT: 2-2 (5-2) 4)       UVa: 1-1 (5-1) 5)       Duke: 0-2 (2-4) 6)       UM: 0-3 (3-3)	VT 38-17
10/22/11	Boston College @ Virginia Tech	VT 27-16
	Georgia Tech @ Miami	UM 24-17
	Maryland @ Florida State	FSU 24-13
	NC State @ Virginia	NCSU 21-17
	North Carolina @ Clemson	CU 28-24
	Wake Forest @ Duke Week Eight Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 4-0 (6-1) 2)       NCSU: 3-0 (6-1) 3)       CU: 3-2 (6-2) 4)       BC: 2-2 (5-2) 5)       MD: 1-3 (4-3) 6)       WF: 0-5 (1-6) Coastal 1)       VT: 4-0 (8-0) 2)       UNC: 2-2 (6-2) 3)       GT: 2-3 (5-3) 4)       UVa: 1-2: (5-2) 5)       Duke: 1-2 (3-4) 6)       UM: 1-3 (4-3)	Duke 31-28
10/27/11	Virginia @ Miami	UM 31-16
10/29/11	Boston College @ Maryland	MD 20-17
	Clemson @ Georgia Tech	GT 28-24
	NC State @ Florida State	FSU 27-17
	Virginia Tech @ Duke	VT 31-17
	Wake Forest @ North Carolina Through Two Months… Atlantic 1)       FSU: 5-0 (7-1) 2)       NCSU: 3-1 (6-2) 3)       CU: 3-3 (6-3) 4)       BC: 2-3 (5-3) 5)       MD: 2-3 (5-3) 6)       WF: 0-6 (1-7) Coastal 1)       VT: 5-0 (9-0) 2)       UNC: 3-2 (7-2) 3)       GT: 3-3 (6-3) 4)       UM: 2-3 (5-3) 5)       UVa: 1-3 (5-3) 6)       Duke: 1-3 (5-3)	UNC  28-20
11/03/11	Florida State @ Boston College	FSU 24-16
11/05/11	Duke @ Miami	UM 24-21
	North Carolina @ NC State	UNC 21-17
	Notre Dame @ Wake Forest	ND 34-17
	Virginia @ Maryland Week 10 Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 6-0 (8-1)* 2)       CU: 4-2 (7-2) 3)       NCSU: 3-2 (6-3) 4)       MD: 3-3 (6-3) 5)       BC: 2-4 (5-4) 6)       WF: 0-6 (1-8) Coastal 1)       VT: 5-0 (9-0) 2)       UNC: 4-2 (8-2) 3)       UM: 3-3 (6-3) 4)       GT: 3-3 (6-3) 5)       UVa: 1-4 (5-4) 6)       Duke: 1-4 (3-6) *Clinched Atlantic	MD 24-20
11/10/11	Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech	VT 22-17
11/12/11	Maryland vs. Notre Dame	ND 27-17
	Duke @ Virginia	UVa 28-20
	Miami @ Florida State	FSU 27-21
	NC State @ Boston College	BC 23-17
	Wake Forest @ Clemson Week 11 Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 7-0 (9-1)* 2)       CU: 4-3 (7-3) 3)       NCSU: 3-3 (6-4) 4)       MD: 3-3 (6-4) 5)       BC: 3-4 (6-4) 6)       WF: 0-7 (1-9) Coastal 1)       VT: 6-0 (10-0) 2)       UNC: 4-2 (8-2) 3)       UM: 3-4 (6-4) 4)       GT: 3-4 (6-4) 5)       UVa: 2-4 (6-4) 6)       Duke: 1-4(3-7) *Clinched Atlantic	CU 38-21
11/17/11	North Carolina @ Virginia Tech	UNC 23-21
11/19/11	Boston College @ Notre Dame	ND 24-17
	Clemson @ NC State	NCSU  28-26
	Georgia Tech @ Duke	Duke 31-28
	Maryland @ Wake Forest	WF 24-21
	Miami @ USF	UM 28-24
	Virginia @ Florida State Week 12 Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 8-0 (10-1)* 2)       NCSU: 4-3 (7-4) 3)       CU: 4-4 (7-4) 4)       BC: 3-4 (6-5) 5)       MD: 3-4 (6-5) 6)       WF: 1-7 (2-9) Coastal 1)       VT: 6-1 (10-1) 2)       UNC: 5-2 (9-2) 3)       UM: 3-4 (7-4) 4)       GT: 3-5 (6-5) 5)       UVa: 2-5 (6-5) 6)       Duke: 2-5 (4-7) *Clinched Atlantic	FSU 35-14
11/25/11	Boston College @ Miami	UM 28-23
11/26/11	Clemson @ South Carolina	SC 31-21
	Duke @ North Carolina	UNC 27-17
	Florida State @ Florida	FSU 24-20
	Georgia @ Georgia Tech	GT 28-27
	Maryland @ NC State	NCSU 24-17
	Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest	WF 27-17
	Virginia Tech @ Virginia Final Regular Season Standings Atlantic 1)       FSU: 8-0 (11-1)* 2)       NCSU: 5-3 (8-4) 3)       CU: 4-4 (7-5) 4)       MD: 3-5 (6-6) 5)       BC: 3-5 (6-6) 6)       WF: 1-7 (3-9) Coastal 1)       VT: 7-1 (11-1)# 2)       UNC: 6-2 (10-2) 3)       UM: 4-4 (8-4) 4)       GT: 3-5 (6-5) 5)       UVa: 2-6 (6-6) 6)       Duke: 2-6 (4-8) *Clinched Atlantic #Clinched Coastal	VT 27-13

—————-

Bowl Projections!

Orange: Florida State
Sugar: Virginia Tech
Chick-Fil-A: NC State
Champ Sports: UNC
Sun Bowl: Clemson
Meineke Car Care: Miami
Music City: Georgia Tech
Independence: Maryland
Military: Virginia
Emerald: Boston College

Bonus Thoughts…

1) Two BCS bowls teams for the first time in conference history. Virginia Tech and FSU might not necessarily be the best of the best, but the conference and OOC schedules are conducive to impressive final records. I don’t think either could afford a second loss in making a BCS bowl as an at-large though.

2) National champ shot? Probably not, but we’ve seen some weird stuff over the years with the BCS. Phil Steele has Bama/Oklahoma in the final, which would definitely be a scenario that would exclude the ‘Noles with a loss to OU projected. The ACC’s lack of national power over the years will work against the ‘Noles or the Hokies regardless. They’ll need to run the table for the best chance at it.

3) We ended up with 10 ACC bowl teams. Honestly, it’s not because I think the conference is going to be great – it’s more like the middle of the conference is so mediocre that they’ll all be around the six win mark.

4) More on Virginia Tech…UNC might not be where they lose (pre-ACC Championship anyways), but I don’t think they’ll go 12-0 so that’s the one that stood out to me. It’s the week after playing the physical Yellow Jackets – Virginia Tech lost at home to UNC on a Thursday in this scenario in 2009. But it could be more like last season where they won 28-21 over the Jackets and went on the road to Chapel Hill for a 26-10 win. Georgia Tech is another option for the one loss – Hokies fell 28-23 down in Atlanta in 2009. Of course, it could be fluky too like ECU or Duke or dare I say it Hokies’ fans, Virginia? Again, not 100% certain where it comes, but don’t think they’ll go 12-0.

5) I’m probably over-optimistic on OOC games. If Georgia were to go into GT and win, that knocks the Jackets down to six wins and on the edge for a bowl. Same goes for BC/UCF. If those swing the other way, the ACC could go from 10 to eight, but the quantity of teams wouldn’t be as big a deal as grabbing two BCS slots.

Your turn…