It has definitely been a rough non-conference slate for the ACC, especially against other BCS team. But I do take a couple of positives out of it. I give Clemson a lot of credit for playing Auburn so tough. Yes, I know they blew that lead, but they still played a great game. And I don’t really see many teams going to Auburn and beating them. I really wonder if Kyle Parker would have played much better had he not been so beat up in the end. He certainly gave everything he had.
Another positive I take out of it is NC State. I didn’t really know how they would come out of these first three games, but they’re 3-0, and have exceeded my expectations. I thought they would be a borderline bowl team, but now they have a legit shot at winning eight games. I have more confidence in this team because Russell Wilson seems to have found his rhythm, and it seems like the running game has sorted itself out, as Mustafa Greene appears to have emerged as the lead back. And it may end up saving Tom O’Brien’s job if they do get to a bowl.
I think I may have drank the Maryland kool aid too soon. I had them pegged to upset Wes Virginia, but now I have some concerns, namely in the passing game. Jamarr Robinson was running for his life a lot against West Virginia, and he was sacked eight times and barely completed 50% of his passes. And because they got behind, and couldn’t seem to pry the ball away from West Virginia, who had the ball for 37 minutes in that game, they weren’t able to establish their running game, which has become key for them this year.
It could be a toss up as to who has the worse defense between Wake Forest and Duke. When they met a couple of weeks ago, the final was 54-48. Duke plays Alabama last week, and gives up 62 points, while Wake went to Stanford and promptly gave up 68. Duke has a better offense, so it may not be as noticeable, but both are terrible.
It’s unfortunate that all of the attention towards North Carolina is negative. A lot of it has to do with all of the turmoil with the NCAA, but also, they are the only BCS level team without a win. But what isn’t being talked about is how good TJ Yates has looked so far. He certainly isn’t a reason that the Heels are winless. Yates has completed nearly 66% of his passes, and thrown for five touchdowns. But most importantly, Yates has thrown zero interceptions. Given the competition he has faced so far, that is a bit surprising.
If you’ve given up on football already, don’t worry. I recently have been seeing college basketball preview magazines showing up in stores, so that means something the ACC is undoubtedly good in is about to start. And I can’t wait to see how this season plays out.
