Maize
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Gridiron ACCeptance
Expanded league still isn't quite country's finest
BOB LIPPER
POINT OF VIEW
Friday, January 7, 2005
Eddie Royal (above) and the Hokies got a warm reception in their first year in the conference, winning the league title before becoming the fifth consecutive ACC champ to lose its bowl game.
The basketball league that dreams of making a splash in the college football pool where Southern Californias and Auburns swim should not discard its water wings yet. That would be the ACC, which traded its hoops birthright for a couple of helmets this year but still has a look that's more Krzyzewski than Nagurski.
It was a mixed-bag kind of season. Virginia Tech's surge to the title was a wonderful story. Virginia's Elton Brown and Heath Miller became consensus All-Americans. The Sagarin computers defined the ACC as the country's top league. But other developments and numbers weren't as uplifting.
Virginia Tech said it wanted to be a good ACC partner, for instance, and little did it know how soon it'd fall in line. By losing to Auburn in the Sugar Bowl on Monday, Tech extended to five the ACC's run of BCS setbacks. Not since Florida State's Sugar-coated sprint past the Hokies in 1999 has an ACC champion won a bowl game.
On other fronts, the ACC began the year with two teams in the top six, three others in the top 25 and designs on snaring a couple of BCS berths. It wound up with Tech 10th on the grid, three others in the top 25 and not nearly the buzz it generated when Miami and Florida State faced off in early September.
The ACC went 27-13 against nonconference opponents, but the record was inflated by six wins over I-AA programs and another seven against Temples, Akrons and Utah States. Its best nonleague win was Miami's 41-38 nail-biter over Louisville, followed by the Hurricanes' Peach Bowl romp past Florida. The bronze goes to Wake Forest for handling Boston College.
Otherwise, there were no triumphs to brag on and several downturns to lament.
Miami and FSU lost more than two games each in the same season for the first time in 20 years. FSU returned nine starters on offense and still averaged only 25.2 points its most meager output since 1981. N.C. State lost four home games and dipped to 5-6 in its first year without Philip Rivers. Clemson finished 109th nationally in total offense. U.Va. dropped three of its last four starts and allowed 128 points all told in its four losses. Maryland rang up the grand total of 56 points in its final seven games.
<a href='http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031780068698&path=%21sports%21colleges&s=1045855934926' target='_blank'>http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satel...s=1045855934926</a>
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01-07-2005 09:29 AM |
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MadDad33
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I told everyone this time last year that this was a bad move by the ACC. The teams are good and alot of them have storied histories but they will beat each other up in conference play. There is no feasiable way that all these "powerhouses" can remain that way. Some teams will remain on top but someone will have to fall into obscurity. Everyone in the ACC cant have a winning record every year. The Big East being smaller along with fired up newcomers and a few fired up old timers is in a good position. Convincing fans of this is hard but they will see soon. Miami and VT where not always superpowers, a few somebodies in the Big East will become major players in the near future.....mark my words. The Big East survived the real danger which was immediate removal from BCS status. Since it has kept it for the time being, it will be enough to allow teams to lick their wounds and rebound. ACC on the other hand has signed the fate of a few "used to bes". Who will they be is up in air, but I can see no other outcome for either conference......Opinions very.....I could be wrong!
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01-07-2005 07:26 PM |
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