Breaking down the Atlantic Coact Conference in Football for 2009

Where will the Atlantic Coast Conference teams fall in the BCS and as a conference in 2009?

• Less of a consensus in each division in 2009?
• The ACC didn't finish in the Top 13 in either final poll last year
• It's been 10 years, since the last BCS title came from ACC

Ranked teams in the AP and Coaches' preseason polls:

• #7 Virginia Tech
• #15 Georgia Tech
• Florida State at either #18 or #19
• North Carolina at either #21 or #20

Some magazines do like these ACC teams in the Top 25 preseason:

• Miami-FL
• Clemson
• Wake Forest

Teams rebuilding in 2009

• Boston College (at Notre Dame, Oct. 24Th)

Teams not quite ready for prime time in 2009?

• North Carolina State
• Maryland

Will the Atlantic Division finish this way in 2009?

1. Florida State (5-3 in '08) (21-14-2 in bowls)
2. Clemson (4-4) (15-16)
3. North Carolina State (4-4) (12-11-1)
4. Wake Forest (4-4) (6-3)
5. Boston College * (5-3) (13-7)
6. Maryland (4-4) (10-11-2)

Will the Coastal Division finish this way in 2009?

1. Virginia Tech * (5-3 in '08) (8-14)
2. Georgia Tech (5-3) (22-15)
3. North Carolina (4-4) (12-14)
4. Miami-FL (4-4) (18-14)
5. Virginia (3-5) (7-10)
6. Duke (1-7) (3-5)

* denotes 2008 team in ACC title game (source for above list)

Last BCS title winner

• 1999, Florida State

Kickoff Game of the Season

Thursday, Sept 3

South Carolina @ NC State

7:00 PM, Raleigh, N.C.

TV: ESPN

Final Look at the ACC teams, using the preseason Jeff Sagarin NCAA football ratings:

1. Virginia Tech (#9 in Sagarin ratings) - Back to back BCS bowls at Orange... young Hokies beat Cincinnati 20-7 last year and return 40 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 7 DEF starters plus punter as Hokies enter 23rd season with coach Frank Beamer at helm.


2. Florida State (#20) - Coach Bobby Bowden enters his 34Th season coming off a 42-13 win over Wisconsin in Champ Sports... 53 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 5 DEF starters, but two new kickers must emerge as Seminoles open with Miami-FL on Labor Day.


3. Clemson (#21) - Interim Dabo Swinney is new head coach and comes in with a 4-3 record, including 21-26 loss in Gator to Nebraska... 53 letterwinners, with 7 OFF and 8 DEF starters, but must replace both kickers as Tigers need to rebound from 7-6 in '08.


4. Boston College (#22) - Third new coach for Eagles in four seasons, with Frank Spaziani promoted from DC position. He enters his 13Th season at BC, with 40 letterwinners back, with 7 OFF and 7 DEF plus PK... rare BC lost in Music City in '08 14-16 to Vanderbilt.


5. Wake Forest (#30) - Looking to get back to BCS for first time in three seasons under coach Jim Grobe, entering 9Th season at Wake... 44 letterwinners back, with 9 OFF and 4 DEF plus punter. Demon Deacons are coming off 29-19 win at EagleBank over Navy.


6. Miami - FL (#36) - Unlike the others that joined Miami-FL from the Big East, the Hurricanes have yet to play in an ACC title game... coach Randy Shannon is in year 3 and returns 49 letterwinners, with 8 OFF and 7 DEF plus both kickers. Hurricanes lost 17-24 at Emerald vs. California to close out '08. Open season with at FSU, bye, vs. Georgia Tech, at Virginia Tech and hosting OU.


7. Georgia Tech (#42) - Is it the style of play of a coach Paul Johnson team that makes the Yellow Jackets a tough out and a Top 25 team? Johnson enters year 2 with 51 letterwinners, with 9 OFF and 8 DEF plus their dual PK/PT back. The Yellow Jackets didn't appear too well at Chick-fil-A losing to LSU 3-38 and likely why low on Sagarin.


8. Maryland (#45) - Coach Ralph Friedgen enters his ninth year coming off a bowl win in the Humanitarian 42-35 over Nevada... 38 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 4 DEF back plus punter... The Terps open the '09 season at California for a solid ACC-Pac Ten match up.


9. Virginia (#46) - Coach Al Groh also enters his ninth year and are looking to get back to a bowl after a 5-7 record last year... 36 letterwinners, with 5 OFF and 6 DEF back plus both kickers. Virginia opens '09 with games vs. William & Mary, TCU and @ Southern Miss. The other OOC game will be after the ACC opener at UNC, when IU comes from the Big Ten.


10. North Carolina (#52) - Are the Tar Heels the most overrated team (polls vs. Sagarin?) in the ACC and nationally, after one takes the Sagarin ratings into account. Butch Davis factor at work? Tar Heels lost Meineke Bowl in '08 30-31 to West Virginia (first bowl since '04).


11. North Carolina State (#58) - Coach Tom O'Brien enters his third year at NC State, after coming over from BC... 31 letterwinners, 7 OFF and 7 DEF back plus PK. The Wolfpack played in their first bowl, since '05, with 23-29 loss to Rutgers in Pappajohns.com.


12. Duke (#89) - Coach David Cutcliffe enters year two, after finishing 4-8 last year. Blue Devils have not gone to a bowl game, since the 1994 season... 33 letterwinners return, with 6 OFF and 5 DEF and both kickers. OOC is Richmond, @ Army, @ Kansas and North Carolina Central for Homecoming to open '09 season.

A look back at last year's statistics in the ACC.

peace