Can Jimbo Fisher and FSU live up to the hype?
The credibility of the ACC has come in question in recent years and most of that has come from the conferences lack of depth. Maybe in basketball it’s one of the deepest groupings around but in football, it simply doesn’t stack up to the SEC or the Big Ten.
This year appears to be the same. There are eight teams that have odds of 15-1 or longer, which means that this conference is really down to just a few teams. The pundits feel it’s a three-horse race between Florida State, Virginia Tech and Clemson, and the college football odds makers seem to agree.
Florida State (4/5) is again the preseason favorite. That didn’t work out so well last season as they were in the same position yet back-to-back-to-back losses to Oklahoma, Clemson and Wake Forest torpedoed that notion. The hope is that with a year of experience added, the team – which is loaded with elite talent – has learned from their mistakes.
Clemson (5/1) enters the season as the incumbent but they’ve got plenty of work to do. Not only were they throttled in record fashion (70-33) by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, they have ample replacements to make on their team. They lost three of their top four defensive linemen and five of their top seven offensive linemen.
But Clemson played 29 freshmen last season, which was tied for the most in the nation, and if they can take a step forward, this team will again be a contender.
The third team in the race is expected to be Virginia Tech (3/1), who is always in the thick of things. They also find themselves in the easier of the two divisions in the ACC and should have a breeze to making the ACC Championship Game.
The Hokies are again led by a stellar defense, which returns nine starters. Linebacker Bruce Taylor, cornerback Kyle Fuller and defensive end James Gayle are all on watch lists to be the best in the country among their respective positions. It’s going to be a Top 10 defense and if the offense can play smart and score enough points, they’ll be in contention for a BCS appearance.
There are a few dark horses in the conference, like Georgia Tech and Virginia, but those teams would need to catch a lot of breaks. Smart money says the ACC is a three-team race just as it was last season.
