Thursday, July 16, 2009

Breaking Down The NCAA Part 3 of 12


Atlantic Coast Conference Order of Finish

Atlantic Division
1. Florida State-In what could be Bobby Bowden’s final season, the much improved Seminoles could finally compete for the ACC title for what seems like forever. QB Christian Ponder needs to step up and be a top three ACC signal caller.
2. North Carolina State-Russell Wilson is a very underrated and talented QB that has a chance to do something special. Now is the time to put it together to what seems to be a down year for the ACC Atlantic.
3. Clemson-CJ Spiller has the chance to shine for last year’s most disappointing ACC squad. The defense should be good and the offensive line improved.
4. Boston College-They lost their head coach Jeff Jagodzinski for interviewing for the NY Jets head coaching job, their QB and 9th overall pick DT BJ Raji but never count out the Eagles. They rebuilt well enough in one year to go bowling after Matt Ryan graduated so we could see them come December.
5. Wake Forest-After losing LB Aaron Curry and CB Alphonso Smith, this looks like a down year for the Demon Deacons after 3 seasons of improvement. QB Riley Skinner returns so there is hope for this season.
6. Maryland- Darrius Heyward-Bey was the surprise player taken in the first round by the speed hungry Oakland Raiders, but the Terps have more problems than replacing there speedster. RB Da’rel Scot should at least keep things interesting.

Coastal Division
1. Georgia Tech-A little of a surprise, I pick the Yellow Jackets to take the Coastal Division. QB Josh Nesbitt and RB Jonathan Dwyer have another year in the option system and can run it to perfection this year.
2. Virginia Tech-The Hokies have dominated this division for a long time, but this could be the year they drop to number two. Although they snapped the ACC’s BCS Bowl losing streak, Junior QB Tyrod Taylor and company could need another year to come out on top.
3. North Carolina-Butch Davis has this team on the upswing and has the QB to lead them to the top. TJ Yates has problems with consistency and playing big time talent, but could drop in production after the wide receiver core was decimated by the NFL Draft.
4. Miami-The slow climb back to the top starts with consistent winning to build on. After reaching the Emerald Bowl, the Hurricanes could compete within the Coastal Division in a year or two. This is a loaded division but Miami will go bowling and could put a damper on a team’s season.
5. Duke-Yeah Duke. Not in last place. This is not a joke. QB Thaddeus Lewis is a solid dependable starter in his Senior year, and DL Vince Oghobasse should be a beast on defense. A lucky break here and there and Duke could go to a Bowl game.
6. Virginia- The Cavs will be implementing the spread offense this year, but the defense led by junior CB Ras-I Dowling should keeps things respectable. The offense cannot be much worse than it was last year only averaging 16.1 points. There is a chance for bowl eligibility.

ACC Championship Game
Georgia Tech over Florida State-The Option lives on! After being cast away by Nebraska and being a thing only of military academies, Nesbitt and Dwyer could be awesome for the Yellow Jackets and lead them to a BCS Bowl game. If the passing game improves only a little bit and the defense is stingy, look for Georgia Tech to be pitching the ball on primetime.

Corbitt Gutsy Guarentee: Duke will make a bowl game. They have watered down their schedule just enough to win six games and become eligible. Thaddeus Lewis is a good talent and can lead the team. A few breaks here and there and the Blue Devils will be selling tickets for a game in December that is not coached by Coach K.

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