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MiamiHurricanes
Miami will play their second season in the ACC since coming from the Big East in 2004. The ‘Canes always have plenty of talent, but they will have inexperienced starters at key positions this year. The Hurricanes return 15 starters from last year’s 9-3 team, but Miami fans will see new faces at quarterback, tailback, center, wide receiver, tight end, fullback, and cornerback this season. Defensively the team’s entire defensive line returns intact, their entire core of starting linebackers will still be staring down the opposition, and three of their elite defensive backs return to smother opposing receivers. Special teams will again be a strong point for the ‘Canes as they have a strong kicking game and one of the most athletically talented rosters in the nation.
The key for the Hurricanes in 2005 will be establishing regular, effective starters at the 7 key positions which they need to fill. There is no clear-cut leader of this team, which is something that has plagued Miami in the past because they lose so many of their 2nd and 3rd year players to the NFL Draft. Talent-wise this team is above the curve, but to contend for the ACC Conference title or the National Championship they will need to improve on team cohesion and leadership.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech returns 14 starters, 8 on offense and 6 on defense, from last year’s 10-3 ACC Championship team. Skill positions like running back and wide receiver have never been a problem for the Hokies, who are deep at those places on their roster. They do have Mike Vick’s brother, Marcus Vick to fill in for ACC Player of the Year Bryan Randall, but those are some very big shoes to fill. The offensive line is also an issue and they will need to address that problem as soon as possible. Defensively, the Hokies are strong once again, putting together a superb mix of speed and power. Special teams are always a strong point for Frank Beamer coached squads and this year should be no different.
Expectations will be high for Virginia Tech in 2005. There is a ton of hype around this team, coming off of a year in which the school won the ACC Championship, had the ACC Player of the Year, and the ACC Coach of the Year. There is also the matter of Marcus Vick who, assuming he stays out of trouble off of the field, will have as high of expectations on the field as any other player in the nation. This team has as many questions as any other in the conference, but they also have a lot of talent and excellent coaching. A repeat Championship won’t be a “gimme� by any means, but expect the Hokies to be around the top of Costal Division and once again contend for the ACC crown.
Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets should be a competitive force in the ACC this season. They return 17 starters from last year’s team including one of the top rushers in the conference, P.J. Daniels, and last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The offensive line is the biggest question on the offensive side of the ball, where the Yellow Jackets will need to almost completely rebuild. Georgia Tech returns 10 starters on a defense that ranked 12th in the entire nation in yards allowed last season and is led by returning all-ACC middle linebacker Gerris Wilkinson.
With many key players returning, including starting QB and 2003 Rookie of the Year Reggie Ball, the Yellow Jackets are poised to have a very good season. They don’t have the recruiting classes or the NFL talent of the Miamis or Virginia Techs of the conference, but they do have a great defense and core of leaders returning, something that many teams in this half of the conference are lacking.
Virginia Cavaliers Virginia is coming off of another successful season ending up 8-4 overall and 5-3 in 2004 despite a tough schedule. 2005 won’t be much easier for the Cavs, who again have drawn a difficult conference schedule. They lost 7 quality starters to the NFL Draft, but return the best overall backfield in the conference. The ACC, however, is not a conference in which a team can rely solely on their rushing game and be effective. Starting QB Marques Hagans will also have to produce in 2005, and he has less quality receivers than last season, and is also going to miss the nation’s top tight-end, Heath Miller, who was lost in the off-season to the NFL. There is no shortage of talent on Virginia’s defense, but that has been the case in the past 2 or 3 years, and their talent has not translated into on-the-field success.
Virginia isn’t ready to contend for any conference titles just yet, but they could stir things up and knock off one or two of the powerhouses in the ACC. The Cavs have a solid offense, and plenty of it. Much like last season you can expect them to roll over weaker teams, but likely stumble against the defenses of Miami and Florida State. Seven or eight wins for this team is not out of the question due to a weak non-conference schedule. You will most likely see the Cavs playing in a bowl game come the post-season.
North Carolina Tarheels The Tarheels were a surprising bowl team last season. They upset Miami and nearly knocked off Virginia Tech as part of a 6 win season. UNC returns 15 starters from last year’s squad, but don’t expect them to match last year’s win total. The ‘Heels have one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the nation including games against Wisconsin, Utah, and Louisville. North Carolina must replace their leader and best player, QB Darian Durant, who accounted for the majority of UNC’s offensive production. This team is still pretty skilled athletically, but as far as pure football players go they are near the bottom in their division.
It’s going to be a long year for the UNC faithful. Last year’s success was embraced because there were really no expectations for this team. With a bowl-bid under their belt the expectations will be much higher, however the loss of talent and leadership from this team is simply too much to overcome. Looking at their schedule it is hard to imagine this team winning more than 2 or 3 games. If they somehow manage to grab 5 or 6 wins it should be considered a very successful season at UNC, just don’t count on it.
Duke Blue Devils Duke has moved past rebuilding to simply being a poor program. Academics and basketball reign at this university, and football will continue to take a backseat for a long time. The Blue Devils went 2-9 last year, which made it their 10th consecutive losing season. Last year’s team had the worst offensive production in the nation, and they’ll see little improvement with a completely rebuilt offensive line and huge question marks at many of their skill positions. If you aren’t a Duke Football fan you probably haven’t heard of many, if any, of the players on this team, and there’s a reason for it; they simply aren’t very talented.
If the Blue Devils notch any conference wins this year it will be a surprise. They are the least talented team in a very good conference. They have too many weaknesses on both sides of the ball and have a long way to go before they’ll be able to contend to be in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Sorry, Duke Fan, but there’s little chance your team has any success in 2005.
Atlantic DivisionFlorida State Seminoles
Hopes are high for the Seminoles in 2005, which marks head coach Bobby Bowden’s 30th season as the man at FSU. Last year’s 9-3 overall record and 6-2 (good enough for 2nd in the conference) ACC record would be considered a great accomplishment for just about any team, but when you’re talking about Florida State, anything less than a National Championship is always considered falling short. Offensively FSU is coming off one of their least productive seasons in a long time. Just 4 starters return on offense, but that shouldn’t be a huge concern for FSU fans, this could be just the kind of change the Seminoles need to better their offensive performance. Florida State’s defense was one of the best in nation, especially against the run where they ranked 3rd nationally. Quarterback is the biggest question for this team, which it has been for the past few seasons. Chris Rix is finally gone, which may be a blessing in disguise, for Rix had well-documented problems both on and off of the field.
This could be a very special season for the Seminoles. The FSU players would like nothing more than to notch an undefeated season for Bowden, and make his 30th season one to remember. Defensively this team is going to be one of the most feared in the nation. If they figure out their offense early in the season they’ll fast become one of the favorites to contend for the National Title. Playing in this division they have a slightly easier road to the ACC Championship than Miami or Virginia Tech, but not by much. Another 9 win season is not out of the question, but don’t be surprised if they end up even better than that, this is a very talented squad.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Last season was a bit of a disappointment for the Wolfpack, who had enjoyed Bowl births in each of head coach Chuck Amto’s previous seasons. The loss of Philip Rivers proved to be too much for the Pack, who ended the season just 5-6. Defense will be another strong point for this team in 2005 as they return 7 starters from the nation’s top-rated overall defense. Hopefully NC State can improve their offense with 7 starters returning as they finished 68th in the nation in rushing offense last season and 71st in passing.
The Pack gets a bit of a break playing in the slightly less difficult Atlantic Division of the ACC, plus they don’t have to play Virginia or Miami from the Costal Division, but they will have to fight for the second spot in this side of the division with newcomer Boston College. Their defense will keep them in games against most of their opponents, but offensively they just can’t compete with a high powered offense like Florida State.
Boston College Eagles
Boston College finished out their last year in the Big East with a couple of poor performances. They lost the outright Big East conference title, followed by a very poor showing against Syracuse in their bowl game. This season the Eagles could very well be in for a rude awakening in the more competitive and talent-rich ACC. BC returns 14 starters in all from last year’s team (7 on both sides of the ball), but with a much weaker schedule of opponents last season this team put up some pretty mediocre numbers. To contend in the ACC they are going to have to put together more of a consistent effort on offense, which may be easier said than done with new faces at quarterback as well as their #1 & #2 wide receivers. Defensively they will likely be weak against the pass once again with new faces in the secondary, which will spell nothing but trouble for this team in the pass-heavy ACC.
Boston College, unlike Miami last year, will have some growing pains coming into this talented ACC field. They open up their ACC schedule at home against Miami followed immediately by a trip to Clemson to battle the Tigers. In the long run it was probably a good move for this team to make a move to the more publicized conference, but for the Eagles in 2005 it could be a very long season. They may compete for the second or third spot in the Atlantic Division of the conference, but anything more than that would be considered miraculous.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland had high hopes for the 2004 season, but fell drastically short of their goals finishing last in the ACC and missing out on a bowl game for the first time in four years. Head Coach Ralph Friedgen has built a reputation for being able to turn things around after a team has fallen on tough times. When he first came to Maryland the Terps were in the midst of 5 consecutive losing seasons, but Friedgen stepped in to lead them to three consecutive bowl appearances. The task will be much more daunting this season, however, with a ton of question marks at key positions, most notably QB, where reportedly three inexperienced signal-callers are still slugging it out for the starting spot.
There’s definitely some hope for Maryland this season, a repeat performance from last year certainly shouldn’t be expected. Maryland is still strong on defense and special teams. This is a very young team, which means the season could either be a great accomplishment or a huge disappointment. They caught a lot of tough breaks in games that could have gone either way last season. If the ball bounces their way once or twice they could very well end up playing in a bowl game in 2005.
Clemson Tigers
Clemson got off to a slow 1-4 start last year, but played much better in the second half of the season, making the outlook for this season seem pretty bright. The Tigers return 7 offensive starters, most notably experienced quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who the Tiger’s are expecting a monster year from. Whitehurst will have his core of receivers back as well, plus the bulk of the offensive line to protect him. This defense lost some very key pieces to their puzzle. Although they return 6 players on the defensive side of the ball, Clemson still must replace their best linebacker and best corner (who also happened to be one of the best return men in the nation).
Coach Tommy Bowden believes that his team has the talent to win in the ACC, and he may be right. Bowden fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators from last season in hopes that some new faces and styles of play would better fit the talent of his Tigers. A lot has to go right for the Tigers to compete in the ACC as they have another difficult schedule, particularly early-on.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake brings plenty of experience into this season with 15 starters returning (9 on offense, 6 on defense). Whether or not these players coming back are a good thing or not remains to be seen. The Deacons were awful last season earning just a 1-7 record in the ACC and a 4-7 record overall. Wake is coming off of a terrible season offensively with a pass offense ranked near the bottom of the nation, though their rushing offense was effective at times. Mixing it up will be difficult for this team with new players at skill positions. The good news is that almost the entire offensive line is back, which should help solidify that running game again this year.
The Demon Deacons get a bit of an advantage in the early part of the season with four of their first five games being at home. The trouble is that their one road game is at Nebraska and two of the games are against very tough conference opponents. There are flashes of good in this team, they have better speed than in year’s past and more experience on the offensive line, but they are still below the curve as far as passing offense and stopping much of anything on defense. This is probably the weakest team in this half of the conference, though they may pull off an upset or two before the year is over.
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Miami will play their second season in the ACC since coming from the Big East in 2004. The ‘Canes always have plenty of talent, but they will have inexperienced starters at key positions this year. The Hurricanes return 15 starters from last year’s 9-3 team, but Miami fans will see new faces at quarterback, tailback, center, wide receiver, tight end, fullback, and cornerback this season. Defensively the team’s entire defensive line returns intact, their entire core of starting linebackers will still be staring down the opposition, and three of their elite defensive backs return to smother opposing receivers. Special teams will again be a strong point for the ‘Canes as they have a strong kicking game and one of the most athletically talented rosters in the nation.
The key for the Hurricanes in 2005 will be establishing regular, effective starters at the 7 key positions which they need to fill. There is no clear-cut leader of this team, which is something that has plagued Miami in the past because they lose so many of their 2nd and 3rd year players to the NFL Draft. Talent-wise this team is above the curve, but to contend for the ACC Conference title or the National Championship they will need to improve on team cohesion and leadership.
Virginia Tech Hokies
Virginia Tech returns 14 starters, 8 on offense and 6 on defense, from last year’s 10-3 ACC Championship team. Skill positions like running back and wide receiver have never been a problem for the Hokies, who are deep at those places on their roster. They do have Mike Vick’s brother, Marcus Vick to fill in for ACC Player of the Year Bryan Randall, but those are some very big shoes to fill. The offensive line is also an issue and they will need to address that problem as soon as possible. Defensively, the Hokies are strong once again, putting together a superb mix of speed and power. Special teams are always a strong point for Frank Beamer coached squads and this year should be no different.
Expectations will be high for Virginia Tech in 2005. There is a ton of hype around this team, coming off of a year in which the school won the ACC Championship, had the ACC Player of the Year, and the ACC Coach of the Year. There is also the matter of Marcus Vick who, assuming he stays out of trouble off of the field, will have as high of expectations on the field as any other player in the nation. This team has as many questions as any other in the conference, but they also have a lot of talent and excellent coaching. A repeat Championship won’t be a “gimme� by any means, but expect the Hokies to be around the top of Costal Division and once again contend for the ACC crown.
Georgia Tech The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets should be a competitive force in the ACC this season. They return 17 starters from last year’s team including one of the top rushers in the conference, P.J. Daniels, and last year’s ACC Rookie of the Year, wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The offensive line is the biggest question on the offensive side of the ball, where the Yellow Jackets will need to almost completely rebuild. Georgia Tech returns 10 starters on a defense that ranked 12th in the entire nation in yards allowed last season and is led by returning all-ACC middle linebacker Gerris Wilkinson.
With many key players returning, including starting QB and 2003 Rookie of the Year Reggie Ball, the Yellow Jackets are poised to have a very good season. They don’t have the recruiting classes or the NFL talent of the Miamis or Virginia Techs of the conference, but they do have a great defense and core of leaders returning, something that many teams in this half of the conference are lacking.
Virginia Cavaliers Virginia is coming off of another successful season ending up 8-4 overall and 5-3 in 2004 despite a tough schedule. 2005 won’t be much easier for the Cavs, who again have drawn a difficult conference schedule. They lost 7 quality starters to the NFL Draft, but return the best overall backfield in the conference. The ACC, however, is not a conference in which a team can rely solely on their rushing game and be effective. Starting QB Marques Hagans will also have to produce in 2005, and he has less quality receivers than last season, and is also going to miss the nation’s top tight-end, Heath Miller, who was lost in the off-season to the NFL. There is no shortage of talent on Virginia’s defense, but that has been the case in the past 2 or 3 years, and their talent has not translated into on-the-field success.
Virginia isn’t ready to contend for any conference titles just yet, but they could stir things up and knock off one or two of the powerhouses in the ACC. The Cavs have a solid offense, and plenty of it. Much like last season you can expect them to roll over weaker teams, but likely stumble against the defenses of Miami and Florida State. Seven or eight wins for this team is not out of the question due to a weak non-conference schedule. You will most likely see the Cavs playing in a bowl game come the post-season.
North Carolina Tarheels The Tarheels were a surprising bowl team last season. They upset Miami and nearly knocked off Virginia Tech as part of a 6 win season. UNC returns 15 starters from last year’s squad, but don’t expect them to match last year’s win total. The ‘Heels have one of the tougher non-conference schedules in the nation including games against Wisconsin, Utah, and Louisville. North Carolina must replace their leader and best player, QB Darian Durant, who accounted for the majority of UNC’s offensive production. This team is still pretty skilled athletically, but as far as pure football players go they are near the bottom in their division.
It’s going to be a long year for the UNC faithful. Last year’s success was embraced because there were really no expectations for this team. With a bowl-bid under their belt the expectations will be much higher, however the loss of talent and leadership from this team is simply too much to overcome. Looking at their schedule it is hard to imagine this team winning more than 2 or 3 games. If they somehow manage to grab 5 or 6 wins it should be considered a very successful season at UNC, just don’t count on it.
Duke Blue Devils Duke has moved past rebuilding to simply being a poor program. Academics and basketball reign at this university, and football will continue to take a backseat for a long time. The Blue Devils went 2-9 last year, which made it their 10th consecutive losing season. Last year’s team had the worst offensive production in the nation, and they’ll see little improvement with a completely rebuilt offensive line and huge question marks at many of their skill positions. If you aren’t a Duke Football fan you probably haven’t heard of many, if any, of the players on this team, and there’s a reason for it; they simply aren’t very talented.
If the Blue Devils notch any conference wins this year it will be a surprise. They are the least talented team in a very good conference. They have too many weaknesses on both sides of the ball and have a long way to go before they’ll be able to contend to be in the middle of the pack in the ACC. Sorry, Duke Fan, but there’s little chance your team has any success in 2005.
Atlantic DivisionFlorida State Seminoles
Hopes are high for the Seminoles in 2005, which marks head coach Bobby Bowden’s 30th season as the man at FSU. Last year’s 9-3 overall record and 6-2 (good enough for 2nd in the conference) ACC record would be considered a great accomplishment for just about any team, but when you’re talking about Florida State, anything less than a National Championship is always considered falling short. Offensively FSU is coming off one of their least productive seasons in a long time. Just 4 starters return on offense, but that shouldn’t be a huge concern for FSU fans, this could be just the kind of change the Seminoles need to better their offensive performance. Florida State’s defense was one of the best in nation, especially against the run where they ranked 3rd nationally. Quarterback is the biggest question for this team, which it has been for the past few seasons. Chris Rix is finally gone, which may be a blessing in disguise, for Rix had well-documented problems both on and off of the field.
This could be a very special season for the Seminoles. The FSU players would like nothing more than to notch an undefeated season for Bowden, and make his 30th season one to remember. Defensively this team is going to be one of the most feared in the nation. If they figure out their offense early in the season they’ll fast become one of the favorites to contend for the National Title. Playing in this division they have a slightly easier road to the ACC Championship than Miami or Virginia Tech, but not by much. Another 9 win season is not out of the question, but don’t be surprised if they end up even better than that, this is a very talented squad.
North Carolina State Wolfpack
Last season was a bit of a disappointment for the Wolfpack, who had enjoyed Bowl births in each of head coach Chuck Amto’s previous seasons. The loss of Philip Rivers proved to be too much for the Pack, who ended the season just 5-6. Defense will be another strong point for this team in 2005 as they return 7 starters from the nation’s top-rated overall defense. Hopefully NC State can improve their offense with 7 starters returning as they finished 68th in the nation in rushing offense last season and 71st in passing.
The Pack gets a bit of a break playing in the slightly less difficult Atlantic Division of the ACC, plus they don’t have to play Virginia or Miami from the Costal Division, but they will have to fight for the second spot in this side of the division with newcomer Boston College. Their defense will keep them in games against most of their opponents, but offensively they just can’t compete with a high powered offense like Florida State.
Boston College Eagles
Boston College finished out their last year in the Big East with a couple of poor performances. They lost the outright Big East conference title, followed by a very poor showing against Syracuse in their bowl game. This season the Eagles could very well be in for a rude awakening in the more competitive and talent-rich ACC. BC returns 14 starters in all from last year’s team (7 on both sides of the ball), but with a much weaker schedule of opponents last season this team put up some pretty mediocre numbers. To contend in the ACC they are going to have to put together more of a consistent effort on offense, which may be easier said than done with new faces at quarterback as well as their #1 & #2 wide receivers. Defensively they will likely be weak against the pass once again with new faces in the secondary, which will spell nothing but trouble for this team in the pass-heavy ACC.
Boston College, unlike Miami last year, will have some growing pains coming into this talented ACC field. They open up their ACC schedule at home against Miami followed immediately by a trip to Clemson to battle the Tigers. In the long run it was probably a good move for this team to make a move to the more publicized conference, but for the Eagles in 2005 it could be a very long season. They may compete for the second or third spot in the Atlantic Division of the conference, but anything more than that would be considered miraculous.
Maryland Terrapins
Maryland had high hopes for the 2004 season, but fell drastically short of their goals finishing last in the ACC and missing out on a bowl game for the first time in four years. Head Coach Ralph Friedgen has built a reputation for being able to turn things around after a team has fallen on tough times. When he first came to Maryland the Terps were in the midst of 5 consecutive losing seasons, but Friedgen stepped in to lead them to three consecutive bowl appearances. The task will be much more daunting this season, however, with a ton of question marks at key positions, most notably QB, where reportedly three inexperienced signal-callers are still slugging it out for the starting spot.
There’s definitely some hope for Maryland this season, a repeat performance from last year certainly shouldn’t be expected. Maryland is still strong on defense and special teams. This is a very young team, which means the season could either be a great accomplishment or a huge disappointment. They caught a lot of tough breaks in games that could have gone either way last season. If the ball bounces their way once or twice they could very well end up playing in a bowl game in 2005.
Clemson Tigers
Clemson got off to a slow 1-4 start last year, but played much better in the second half of the season, making the outlook for this season seem pretty bright. The Tigers return 7 offensive starters, most notably experienced quarterback Charlie Whitehurst, who the Tiger’s are expecting a monster year from. Whitehurst will have his core of receivers back as well, plus the bulk of the offensive line to protect him. This defense lost some very key pieces to their puzzle. Although they return 6 players on the defensive side of the ball, Clemson still must replace their best linebacker and best corner (who also happened to be one of the best return men in the nation).
Coach Tommy Bowden believes that his team has the talent to win in the ACC, and he may be right. Bowden fired both his offensive and defensive coordinators from last season in hopes that some new faces and styles of play would better fit the talent of his Tigers. A lot has to go right for the Tigers to compete in the ACC as they have another difficult schedule, particularly early-on.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Wake brings plenty of experience into this season with 15 starters returning (9 on offense, 6 on defense). Whether or not these players coming back are a good thing or not remains to be seen. The Deacons were awful last season earning just a 1-7 record in the ACC and a 4-7 record overall. Wake is coming off of a terrible season offensively with a pass offense ranked near the bottom of the nation, though their rushing offense was effective at times. Mixing it up will be difficult for this team with new players at skill positions. The good news is that almost the entire offensive line is back, which should help solidify that running game again this year.
The Demon Deacons get a bit of an advantage in the early part of the season with four of their first five games being at home. The trouble is that their one road game is at Nebraska and two of the games are against very tough conference opponents. There are flashes of good in this team, they have better speed than in year’s past and more experience on the offensive line, but they are still below the curve as far as passing offense and stopping much of anything on defense. This is probably the weakest team in this half of the conference, though they may pull off an upset or two before the year is over.
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