2010 Atlantic Coast Conference Conference Preview

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The Atlantic Coast Conference has slowly been gaining respect in the eyes of college football fans and this season could be the year that puts them over the top. Five teams will probably be ranked in the top 25 to start the season and there are multiple teams that could legitimately make a run at the conference championship.

The most interesting division will definitely be the Coastal, where four teams have a legitimate chance emerge as champion. Defending conference champ Georgia Tech is certainly going to be a tough team to play against this fall with their powerful option running game, but a lack of a passing attack and a questionable run defense could hold them back. Media darling North Carolina is also a contender, though the agent scandal that rocked college football in late July has hit them the hardest, as stars Greg Little and Marvin Austin might miss the entire season.

That leaves reborn Miami and perpetual contender Virginia Tech to slug things out for Coastal supremacy. The Hurricanes will be the beneficiary of two seasons worth of playing underclassmen this fall, as they have one of the deepest classes of juniors in the nation. Unfortunately, they also play the toughest schedule in the entire country and attrition could be a major hindrance for ‘Da U’ to truly be ‘back’ among the elite of college football.

That means that Virginia Tech is the pick to win the Coastal Division. With a very favorable schedule and a running game that will be one of the most punishing units in the entire country, the Hokies have a great shot at opening up with a 8-0 record to start the season before facing the other major contenders in the division in November. While they’re unlikely to go undefeated, a ten or eleven win regular season is a strong possibility.

In the Atlantic Division, things are much less convoluted. Florida State and Clemson are generally considered to be the two major contenders, while Boston College is considered a darkhorse. However, the Eagles have way too many concerns about their passing game and depth at tailback to realistically knock off the Noles and Tigers and they’re much more likely to end up with 7-9 wins.

Of the two favorites, Florida State has the easier schedule and the more gifted team. While Clemson got a big boost from QB Kyle Parker’s decision to return to school over baseball, he is still the lesser of the two starting quarterbacks as FSU’s Christian Ponder is a Heisman candidate. Florida State will also get a big boost in the coaching department with the departure of Bobby Bowden’s elderly staff and I suspect that we’ll see their great talent finally live up to expectations under new coach Jimbo Fisher. To cap things off, the Noles have an easier schedule and host both BC and Clemson this season, making Florida State is the favorite to win the Atlantic Division.

And that means that the ACC comes down to a showdown between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Florida State Seminoles. Tech has a lot more big game experience as this would be their 3 rd ACC Championship in four years, so that’s a clear advantage. The Hokies also have a dominant running game and that could be the key to victory as it will keep FSU’s great attack on the sidelines. While this will undoubtedly be a close contest, Virginia Tech is the pick to win the ACC Championship thanks to a better defense and their Alabama-esque rushing game.

Read each school’s in-depth preview by clicking below!

ACC Coastal Division

• Virginia Tech (7-1)
• Miami (6-2)
• Georgia Tech (5-3)
• North Carolina (4-4)
• Duke (2-6)
• Virginia (1-7)

ACC Atlantic Division

• Florida State (6-2)
• Clemson (5-3)
• Boston College (4-4)
• North Carolina State (3-5)
• Maryland (3-5)
• Wake Forest (2-6)

Matt Baxendell is collegesports-fans.com’s college football guru. He has an opinion on every team, even lowly Western Kentucky, so feel free to email him at matt.baxendell@gmail.com if you want to talk football, comment on an article, get added to his mailing list or just feel like telling him how foolish he for thinking that WKU is in for another terrible season.