17 Responses to “Twenty Questions: ACC”

1. 

   1TN on Jun 15, 2009 at 11:32 am:

   FSU led the conference in points last year.

   Will any team emerge as a legitimate National Championship contender or will parity continue to rule?
   No. Nobody will finish with less than 1 conference loss.

   Can Duke win 7 games and make it to a bowl game?
   They lost a huge amount of lettermen.

   Will Gregg Brandon’s spread offense work at Virginia?
   Define work.

   Will Miami start the season 0-4?
   No, 2-2.

   Will Dabo exceed lofty expectations in year one?
   Yes, but they really aren’t lofty.

   Will defensive coordinators “figure out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s spread?
   Definitely not.

   Can Boston College overcome the loss of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich, departure of Dominique Davis and compete for another Atlantic Division Championship?
   Not a chance.

   Will the Hokies three-peat?
   Maybe.

   Will Butch Davis finally get North Carolina over the hump?
   What hump? They can go 5-3 in the ACC…

   Is 2009 the year the Florida State offense gets its act together?
   Led the conference in points last year. Fisher won ACC offensive coordinator of the year.

   If not do you ‘Noles really want Jimbo Fisher as your next coach?
   See above. I’d take him as coach at a major program now over every other ACC coach except for Davis. (Beamer too old, Johnson won’t run that at a major major program).

   Is Wake Forest inside the Iron Curtain? We don’t remember reading one story about them all off-season.
   Decent along the lines, veteran QB, no playmakers.

   In a league of running backs who is the best: Darren Evans, Jonathan Dwyer, C.J. Spiller or Da’Rel Scott?
   Dwyer by a big margin. Then Spiller, Evans, and Scott in that order.

   Are NC State and Russell Wilson going to live up to the hype?
   Bowl game yes, Atlantic title no. They do not play defense.

   Is Jacory Harris ready to lead Miami?
   He’ll be the starter.

   Who’s going to emerge as Clemson’s quarterback Willy Korn, Kyle Parker or dare we suggest Tajh Boyd?
   Parker.

   Can the ACC go over .500 against the SEC?
   Easily.

   Will Maryland play with consistency this year?
   Consistently awful.

   Will Tyrod Taylor excel with Sean Glennon out of the picture?
   He’ll never be even an average passer, but if he can chuck it deep and run around, he’ll be better.

   Who’s going to win the ACC?
   Clemson.

2. 

   2cgb on Jun 15, 2009 at 12:00 pm:

   Thanks for the answers TN

   FSU led the conference in points last year.

   True, but they were 22nd nationally and 51st in total offense. Also they scored well under their average against some of their better competition, 3 against Wake Forest, 15 against Florida, 17 against BC. The offenses of the late 90s and early 00s are a tough bar to compare against and future teams may never be as good as them, but they are bringing in the same level of talent but it has seemed the scheme as held them back and that’s what we were eluding to.

   Will Gregg Brandon’s spread offense work at Virginia?

   Put them in a position to win games, enough games to compete for the Coastal Championship.

   Will Dabo exceed lofty expectations in year one? Yes, but they really aren’t lofty.
   …
   Who’s going to win the ACC? Clemson.

   Much like you people are already picking Clemson as a dark-horse for the ACC. And why not, they’re loaded and have a fairly manageable schedule. I don’t think Clemson fans expect it to be a rebuilding year.

3. 

   3TN on Jun 15, 2009 at 12:10 pm:

   But they destroyed their out of conference competition in Colorado and Wisconsin, scoring a combined 80 points, which is similar to what other “elite” offenses did against those.

   Against UF, they scored 15, but who really put points on UF?

   What about the scheme has held them back? Fisher is very well regarded in offensive coaching circles. I’m curious to hear this.

   Put them in a position to win games, enough games to compete for the Coastal Championship.
   Oh heck no. UVA is on the decline. Groh isn’t landing players like he used to. I’ll predict UVA won’t have a better than .500 record in conference play for the next half decade.

4. 

   4cgb on Jun 15, 2009 at 12:45 pm:

   Fisher is very well regarded in offensive coaching circles. I’m curious to hear this.

   I meant scheme in the general sense. I wasn’t knocking Fisher’s scheme in particular just saying that FSU has always gotten great players, so that’s a constant, and only scheme has changed. Here are the numbers for his last 5 seasons (most I could find on stat sites) 2007-2008 at FSU and 2004-2006 at LSU.

   Total Offense / Scoring Offense

   2008: 51 / 22
   2007: 80 / 90
   2006: 11 / 9
   2005: 60 / 42
   2004: 38 / 41

   The numbers are slightly better than average, but he’s only had one season with a top ten scoring offense. Are you happy with the offense or do you think there is a little or lot of room for improvement?

   Oh heck no. UVA is on the decline. Groh isn’t landing players like he used to. I’ll predict UVA won’t have a better than .500 record in conference play for the next half decade.

   I agree, even when they got players they didn’t do much. Selfishly I hope Groh does at least enough to keep his job for the next couple of seasons.

5. 

   5TN on Jun 15, 2009 at 1:13 pm:

   But again, we’re using “total offense”, instead of evaluating how the team did against X competition compared with how everyone else did against that same competition.

   For instance,
   How many teams scored 30 on VTech?
   How many scored 41 on Wisconsin (1, Penn State)
   Was FSU similar in output against Colorado as those elite offenses of the Big 12?
   How many teams scored 40 on Miami?
   How many scored fewer than 21 on Florida?
   How many dropped 37 on Clemson?

   Total offense is really a poor measure in today’s day.

6. 

   6Bird on Jun 15, 2009 at 2:06 pm:

   1. I think GT’s got the best offense and VT will have the best defense. If you combine the two, you’d have a NC contender. Right now, no one’s got the pieces to make a run.
   2. No. Too many new guys on both sides of the ball.
   3. I think it’ll work as long as that CB is playing in the backfield.
   4. Yes.
   5. Dabo is gonna look like a fish out of water. I don’t see success in his future.
   6. I don’t think it’s about figuring out. It’s about allocating time to practicing for it. If you’ve got the time/personnel, then you can (ala LSU).
   7. I don’t see BC making a bowl game, do you?
   8. This is pretty likely, to me.
   9. I hope UNC loses a lot of games this year but I see them bowling.
   10. Nope.
   11. Seems like a good fit but they’ve gotta do something with that juggernaut in G-ville.
   12. Wake Forest is in Winston-Salem. Wake Forest has a small fan base that doesn’t buy papers. With the cutbacks in print media, don’t expect to see a lot of info coming from teams like Wake or Vandy or whoever for the next couple years.
   13. Jon Dwyer – power/speed.
   14. I think Wilson/State’s hopes rest on Wilson’s health. He is damn good and they’ve got a shot at the Atlantic with him healthy.
   15. Miami is gonna suck.
   16. Beats the hell outta me. Even in the Pee Dee, the hordes of Clemson-necks don’t know what’s going on in the Upstate.
   17. Yeah. What was the record last year? I know Tech was 2-0. Looking for 3-0 this year with Vandy/Miss State/uga.
   18. MD will play Chan Gailey-style ball until the Fridge leaves (e.g. winning games it shouldn’t and losing games it should).
   19. Yes, Taylor should be sick-nasty this year.
   20. Most likely VT but I’d like to see GT take it, of course.

7. 

   7Bird on Jun 15, 2009 at 2:07 pm:

   correction on #17: I wiped the bowl game debacle from my memory Tech was 2-1 against the SEC…damnit

8. 

   8joe smith on Jun 15, 2009 at 2:53 pm:

   For the smart ass who said Taylor at VT will never be a average passer, STICK AROUND CLOWN……. JUST STICK AROUND

9. 

   9Winfield Featherston on Jun 15, 2009 at 7:18 pm:

   1. Will any team emerge as a legitimate National Championship contender or will parity continue to rule?

   Unfortunately not yet.
   2. Can Duke win 7 games and make it to a bowl game?
   No. Sorry Dookies.
   3. Will Gregg Brandon’s spread offense work at Virginia?
   As long as it doesn’t work on October 24th, I hope it does work.
   4. Will Miami start the season 0-4?
   Would not be surprised…
   5. Will Dabo exceed lofty expectations in year one?
   No
   6. Will defensive coordinators “figure out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s spread?
   HELL to the NAW!

   7. Can Boston College overcome the loss of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich, departure of Dominique Davis and compete for another Atlantic Division Championship?

   Probably not. Too many teams coming back w/ less problems,holes to fill, etc.

   8. Will the Hokies three-peat?
   No. They have this big match-up in Atlanta that they need to get past.

   9. Will Butch Davis finally get North Carolina over the hump?
   7-5 record

   10. Is 2009 the year the Florida State offense gets its act together?
   Sorry TN. But no, blowing away teams like Western Carolina, Chattanooga, and Wisconsin doesn’t do anything for me. NO.

   11. If not do you ‘Noles really want Jimbo Fisher as your next coach?
   Don’t care really.

   12. Is Wake Forest inside the Iron Curtain? We don’t remember reading one story about them all off-season.
   13. In a league of running backs who is the best: Darren Evans, Jonathan Dwyer, C.J. Spiller or Da’Rel Scott?
   Jonathan ‘Diesel’ Dwyer. See F4H’s analysis vs. Evans. No one lives up to Dwyer!

   14. Are NC State and Russell Wilson going to live up to the hype?

   They could be a surprise.

   15. Is Jacory Harris ready to lead Miami?
   Ready or not here he comes.
   16. Who’s going to emerge as Clemson’s quarterback Willy Korn, Kyle Parker or dare we suggest Tajh Boyd?

   Stumped.

   17. Can the ACC go over .500 against the SEC?
   Can we? Yes. Will we? Probably not. A lot of it depends on GT (@ Miss. St. , @Vandy, vs. UGA)

   18. Will Maryland play with consistency this year?
   They will scare people, and then lose.

   19. Will Tyrod Taylor excel with Sean Glennon out of the picture?
   Get him to throw the ball and maybe.

   20. Who’s going to win the ACC?

   Winner of GT/VT…by logic that means Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets BABY!

10. 

    10TN on Jun 15, 2009 at 7:23 pm:

    10. Is 2009 the year the Florida State offense gets its act together?
    Sorry TN. But no, blowing away teams like Western Carolina, Chattanooga, and Wisconsin doesn’t do anything for me. NO.

    They scored the most points IN CONFERENCE PLAY.

11. 

    11Joe on Jun 15, 2009 at 8:35 pm:

    Did I really just see someone say “elite” in association with an offense in the Big 10+1?

12. 

    12Joe on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:27 am:

    LOL no. I misread. sheesh.

13. 

    13Thomas on Jun 16, 2009 at 11:38 am:

    Three comments:

    1) In 25 years no team has “figured out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s offenses. Can they in his 26th year? You tell me.
    2) Jonathan Dwyer is the best RB in the ACC in a long time. He is the only sophomore ever to win POY honors.
    3) Last the ACC went better than .500 against the SEC and I expect they will do it again this year.

14. 

    14cgb on Jun 16, 2009 at 1:46 pm:

    1) In 25 years no team has “figured out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s offenses. Can they in his 26th year? You tell me.

    That’s true, but LSU provided a decent blueprint. Although when GT lost they usually turned the ball a lot.

15. 

    15ACC & SEC Blogger on Jun 16, 2009 at 9:31 pm:

    1. Will any team emerge as a legitimate National Championship contender or will parity continue to rule?
    A:VT has the best chance to emerge, but I don’t think they will in the MNC race in November. GT may win the ACC, but they won’t be a serious contender.
    2. Can Duke win 7 games and make it to a bowl game?
    A: No. Cut needs one or two more years (and worse teams in the Coastal)
    3. Will Gregg Brandon’s spread offense work at Virginia?
    A: It will work for a few games surely. Until they can find a prove to teams they can run and pass out of it, they will struggle.
    4. Will Miami start the season 0-4?
    A: No. I think they win a game somewhere in that stretch. My guess is against a GT team on Thursday night coming off a game on the Thursday night the previous week. Tough to win two of those in a row.
    5. Will Dabo exceed lofty expectations in year one?
    A: What are the expectations? ACC Title? No. Division Title? No.
    6. Will defensive coordinators “figure out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s spread?
    A: No. They didn’t stop it for five straight conference championships at Ga Southern. Teams didn’t stop it at Navy. Better athletes and better execution from defenses will stop it. It won’t be DCs figuring it out.
    7. Can Boston College overcome the loss of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich, departure of Dominique Davis and compete for another Atlantic Division Championship?
    A: I beat the drum about as much as anyone outside of Chesnut Hill that BC will be good this year and not finish last in the Atlantic. It looks like a lot to overcome but they have done it before. But I don’t think they win the Atlantic again.
    8. Will the Hokies three-peat?
    A: They have a very good chance. Winning the Coastal will be tougher than winning the ACC.
    9. Will Butch Davis finally get North Carolina over the hump?
    A: By hump, do you mean Coastal Division title? No. Davis will mess up the gameday coaching in one or two games. He is much better outside of gameday.
    10. Is 2009 the year the Florida State offense gets its act together?
    A: I think FSU is definitely turning the corner. They have a returning QB who is improving each game. But most importantly they finally return a core of offensive lineman. If you want to pinpoint where FSU and Miami have gone South it is on the offensive line.
    11. If not do you ‘Noles really want Jimbo Fisher as your next coach?
    A: I think FSU can do better than Fisher. Not that he is a bad coach, but that is a top 5 job nationally when it is going.
    12. Is Wake Forest inside the Iron Curtain? We don’t remember reading one story about them all off-season.
    A: Wake just isn’t exciting (or controversial). But they win games under Grobe.
    13. In a league of running backs who is the best: Darren Evans, Jonathan Dwyer, C.J. Spiller or Da’Rel Scott?
    A: Jonathan Dwyer. He will be the feature back on a team that will finish top 3 nationally in rushing.
    14. Are NC State and Russell Wilson going to live up to the hype?
    A: I think so, if Wilson stays healthy. It was night and day for the Pack when Wilson was in there. O’Brien doesn’t get the credit he deserves as a coach either.
    15. Is Jacory Harris ready to lead Miami?
    A: Harris might be the biggest X-factor in the ACC. If he is ready, then Miami could win the ACC with the talent they have. A lot depends on how good his o-line is which will determine how good their running game is; a young QBs best friend.
    16. Who’s going to emerge as Clemson’s quarterback Willy Korn, Kyle Parker or dare we suggest Tajh Boyd?
    A: Kyle Parker had a slight lead at the end of Spring from what I read. Boyd will definitely get a look though in some packages. I think Parker ends up the starter.
    17. Can the ACC go over .500 against the SEC?
    A: It will be tough but it can be done. I think they can win 2 out of the 3 traditional rivalries again. GT plays two lesser SEC teams in Vandy and Miss State.
    18. Will Maryland play with consistency this year?
    A: No. I have the Terps finishing last in the Atlantic. But they still might make a bowl. That is how “deep” the ACC is.
    19. Will Tyrod Taylor excel with Sean Glennon out of the picture?
    A: Taylor really grew as a QB towards the end of the year and in the bowl game. VT typically does better late in the season than early.
    20. Who’s going to win the ACC?
    A: Right now, I will say Georgia Tech. But that could change tomorrow.

16. 

    16villaricanole on Jun 17, 2009 at 6:20 am:

    Will any team emerge as a legitimate National Championship contender or will parity continue to rule? No team from the ACC will be a NC contender
    Can Duke win 7 games and make it to a bowl game? Yes
    Will Gregg Brandon’s spread offense work at Virginia? No
    Will Miami start the season 0-4? No. 2-2
    Will Dabo exceed lofty expectations in year one? Clemson is Clemson, so no.
    Will defensive coordinators “figure out” how to stop Paul Johnson’s spread? Some will be able to slow them down.
    Can Boston College overcome the loss of ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich, departure of Dominique Davis and compete for another Atlantic Division Championship? No.
    Will the Hokies three-peat? More than likely, but not certainly.
    Will Butch Davis finally get North Carolina over the hump? They should be pretty good but won’t win their division.
    Is 2009 the year the Florida State offense gets its act together? As somone wrote before, they got it together last year. If the OL stays healthy they will be able to run the ball which will open up the passing game.
    If not do you ‘Noles really want Jimbo Fisher as your next coach? He wouldn’t be my first choice but he would be better than Bobby is now.
    Is Wake Forest inside the Iron Curtain? We don’t remember reading one story about them all off-season. They will be a bowl team and probably go 5-3 in the ACC.
    In a league of running backs who is the best: Darren Evans, Jonathan Dwyer, C.J. Spiller or Da’Rel Scott? Dwyer.
    Are NC State and Russell Wilson going to live up to the hype? No
    Is Jacory Harris ready to lead Miami? Maybe next year.
    Who’s going to emerge as Clemson’s quarterback Willy Korn, Kyle Parker or dare we suggest Tajh Boyd? Willy Korn.
    Can the ACC go over .500 against the SEC? No.
    Will Maryland play with consistency this year? No.
    Will Tyrod Taylor excel with Sean Glennon out of the picture? No.
    Who’s going to win the ACC? One of 3 teams. VT, GT, or FSU.

17. 

    17General on Jun 18, 2009 at 1:05 pm:

    13. Ryan Williams

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