ACC Football

Some love for ACC Football

It’s very interesting that only a month or so ago, many believed that the ACC was so beat up that they might only get 5 teams in post season play. When I looked at teams like Virginia and Clemson falling apart, I thought that this team of 12 would get less than half of the members into a bowl.

But things have changed quite a bit hasn’t it?

It’s interesting that lots of fans of other smaller conferences like to say that their teams could beat ANYBODY in the ACC or the Big East. I remember watching ESPN on their “Interactive Tuesday” games and read a lot of the comments people put about their non-BCS teams. Lots of people believe that their teams like Ball State, Tulsa or Utah could beat any team in the ACC.

This is because they claim that the ACC is very soft this year, and I saw this as well. But maybe we have misinterpreted that from “soft” to very competitive. Let me show you what I mean.

There are 9 bowls…NINE that have courted ACC teams. That is a heck of a lot of bids out of a conference of 12 teams. And as I said earlier, I thought that maybe 5 would get there. But at this very moment, as of November 13th, 2008, there are not five, but EIGHT teams now qualified for a bowl.

From the Atlantic division Florida State leads the way at 7-2, followed by Wake Forest and Maryland, both at 6-3. Boston College makes the fourth, also at 6-2, but with a tough conference record.

On the Coastal division, you have UNC on the top at 7-2, followed by Virginia Tech and Miami, both at 6-3, with Georgia Tech below them at 7-3 because of conference records. Eight teams now qualified for a bowl.

And get this…NO teams in the ACC are excluded. NONE.

The Big 12 can’t say that because they have 2 teams out of post season contention, and 7 teams currently eligible.

The Big East can’t say that because they have one team out of the post season, and only 5 currently eligible.

The Big 10 can’t say that because they have 3 teams out, and 6 teams currently eligible.

Conference USA can’t say that because they have 4 teams out, 3 currently eligible.

The MAC? Nope, they have SIX teams out, three teams in.

Mountain West? Two teams out, 4 teams in.

Pac-10? Two teams out, 5 teams in.

The great SEC? Nope, Tennessee is out and they have only 6 teams now eligible.

Sun Belt? Not hardly. Two teams out and only one has qualified.

And the WAC? Two teams out, two teams in.

So for all the critics who said the ACC was garbage, your proof is in the fact that this is the ONLY conference in Division IA (FBS) that had the MOST teams already eligible for bowl season, and at this moment has NO teams excluded. That makes this conference pretty competitive, doesn’t it?

I didn’t say it was the BEST, so don’t say something silly, I said they were the most competitive.

But here is something interesting…can they put MORE in post season? Let’s see:

Of the four teams in “limbo” we start with Virginia. The Cavaliers are currently 3-3 in ACC play and 5-5 overall. We know they have 2 games left, against Clemson at home and vs. Virginia Tech away. With wins over UNC and Georgia Tech, there is still a shot that Virginia COULD still take the division, but they need UNC to lose, and they need to beat Virginia Tech. I am not sure if the Richmond game they played earlier counts, if it does, then one win is all they need. If not, they need to win both games, which is pretty tough to do. But there IS a good chance for Virginia to qualify for a bowl if they can beat Clemson.

What of Duke? Sure they are 1-4 in conference, but 4-5 overall. With three games, they need two wins. But I gotta tell ya, I can’t see it. There might be a slight chance against Clemson, but playing in Death Valley won’t be good for Duke, and then to turn around and go TO Virginia Tech…nope. Then to end the season against currently ranked UNC could spell 3 losses in a row. But if they can steal ONE game, they might have a shot. A longshot, but still a shot.

I mentioned Clemson, they too still have a chance, even at 4-5. They too have 3 games remaining, first at home vs. Duke. Even in difficulty, I can still see Clemson beating Duke, but it is not automatic. If they can beat the Blue Devils, then they would be 5-5, needing one more win. Their last two games are against Virginia and a home stand against South Carolina. It’s not out the realm of possibility for Clemson to win 2 games, but I really don’t see it. It’s just a tough road.

And then there is NC State, who is actually the closest team to being knocked out of post season. At 3-6, any loss will finish them off. It’s actually amazing that a team that logs on so few miles the entire season can play so poorly. Have you seen their schedule?

Of their 9 games, FIVE have been home in North Carolina. Of the four away games, one was in Durham, and TWO was in South Carolina! Up to now the only time NC State has left the Carolinas was when they played Maryland. And yet, only 3 wins?

Of their last 3 games, get this…they STAY at home to play ranked Wake Forest, and then have an away game to Chapel Hill. It’s quite possible that the Wolfpack may have logged the fewest miles in the nation before their big trip to Miami to finish the season. But regardless of how you slice it, if they lose ONE game, their season is over. I see no way they can get through playing 2 ranked teams and then making a trip completely out of their comfort zone to end the season, knowing by then that it’s just a game.

So of the four teams in the ACC trying to make a bowl, mathematically there is still hope for NC State, but maybe a 1% chance to win 3 games in a row. Duke has maybe a 3% chance because they need two wins instead of 3. Clemson has maybe a 10% chance because they are playing 2 teams with a losing record, and is it possible they could beat them both. But if they cannot, the won’t beat South Carolina. And for Virginia, they need only one win (if Richmond counts) so I give them a 25% chance.

So show some love for the ACC guys, there is a slight chance that they can do something probably never done…put ALL teams in post season….ok stop laughing, I know it’s highly unlikely… but as of this moment, no other conference can say that…

Can they? I didn’t think so.