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Mixed weekend for ACC teams
September 2nd, 2008, 10:47 am · 1 Comment · posted by Brad Milner
The Atlantic Coast Conference was 7-4 in season openers this past weekend, but the two favorites laid eggs. Big ones.
My picks for the ACC title game, Virginia Tech and Clemson (my predicted champion), both ranked in the preseason poll, lost in embarassing fashion on Saturday. Virginia Tech, then ranked No. 17, traveled to East Carolina and ironically lost on a blocked punt late in the game. Clemson, then ranked No. 9, was taken apart by No. 24 Alabama 34-10 in the Georgia Dome.
Clemson’s loss is more glaring because it came in one of the ACC’s important matchups of the week. Clemson coach Tommy Bowden said last week the game would go a long way in determining how far the ACC has come to get back on top of the national scope.
Well, this set the ACC back and again painted Clemson as overrated. It’s still early, but the ACC is shaping up to be an afterthought in college football.
Recent history in the ACC is becoming what the Big East was 5 to 10 years ago. Miami ruled the roost (then left along with Boston College) and the other teams were average at best. The ACC is quickly becoming the same, with no major power to challenge in the Bowl Championship Series.
The ACC has to do something to change that image. Saturday didn’t help.
The Clemson loss to Alabama was more a function of how improved the Tide is than anything to do with the Clemson Tigers. Watching the replay of the game, Clemson played fairly well, but ran into a buzz saw in Alabama. This year’s version of the Alabama Crimson Tide is going to be one for the ages, it brings back memories of the ‘71 Alabama team (with Johnny Musso, when Bear Bryant switched to the wishbone). It’s early yet, and we really won’t know for sure until they play some of the stronger SEC opponents, but the change in attitude and fundamentals of theTide players from last year to this was just startling.