By Scott Burks
Every now and then, even the best make
errors in judgment. Last month I ranted over how weak my beloved
Atlantic Coast Conference was in college football. I thought that none
of the front-runners last season wanted to win their divisions (Atlantic
and Coastal) because they kept losing to inferior in-conference
opponents. I thought that the mediocrity was reflected in the records
of the best schools in the conference (Boston College had the
conference’s best overall record at 9-3). None of the ACC schools
ranked high in the AP, ESPN, and BCS polls (the highest ranked ACC team
is Georgia Tech at #15 in the BCS poll).
Well, as I said earlier, I was wrong.
Here’s the reason: the ACC has 10 teams in bowl games, by far the most
in the country. Anytime a conference has 10 bowl teams out of 12 teams,
it has to be a good football conference. Dig this: the SEC, Big 12, and
the Pac-10 do not have 10 bowl teams. The ACC teams that have played
actually looked good – even in defeat. UNC, Miami, and NC State played
well enough to win their bowl games, but didn’t make enough plays to
win. Wake Forest, Maryland, and Florida State have won their bowl
games, giving the ACC a 3-3 record in bowl games at this point.
I also like the ACC’s outlook for 2009.
Most, if not all, of the teams are young (Wake may be the only veteran
football team). The teams to beat next season will be Georgia Tech
(arguably the best team in the ACC this past season), Florida State, and UNC. Virginia Tech, UNC, Miami, NC State and Wake Forest will be in the
mix. I think that 2009 we’ll see the ACC take the next step to be among
the nation’s elite football conferences.
