(04-16-2015 09:13 PM)Hokie Mark Wrote: The one team which acts like it's afraid for the ACC to fail is Duke. They have improved dramatically in football, both on and off the field.
I like the moves I've seen at BC and Pitt, but it remains to be seen how good they will become. VT is making every effort to send Beamer out on top, IMO. GT eased up on football a little and were rewarded with wins over UGa and Miss. State. There ARE signs. Trouble is, just about everybody is competing harder these days.
Yeah, I agree it's in between. There isn't a sense of super urgency, but I think you are seeing some moves across the conference. I don't think there is ANY doubt that no matter how close or how far the ACC was to falling apart, the last realignment shook some people. I know it shook Swofford. Don't forget, whether FSU and Clemson were ever considering the Big 12, the ACC did lose Maryland, and only has FSU because of the SEC's new TV business model. I would not describe the overall attitude as complacent toward football the way I think it was 10 years ago.
A lot of positive efforts going on around the league...
FSU - Old athletic director out, finally got the indoor practice facility, seems to be on the same page as far as Jimbo getting what he needs, but not running roughshod over the athletic department. Was able to make Jimbo an elite paid head coach.
Clemson - Was willing to have the highest paid coordinators in the game.
Duke - Football program revitalized, been able to hold Cutcliff, massive upgrades to football stadium
GT - Getting the academic exceptions they need to compete
Pitt - Narduzzi was one of the hottest head coaching candidates among coordinators, can't complain about that hire on paper. Got rid of their athletic director...let's see who they land.
Louisville - Can't complain about Louisville's commitment to football, hiring back Petrino and taking on players with checkered pasts, as well as everything else they've done.
Wake - their ceiling is incredibly low...the ACC doesn't even need them to be good. But them sending Grobe packing, a legend as far as Wake football is concerned, is the furthest thing from complacent. I don't know if it was a good move...but it's definitely not a "traditional ACC" move
Then you've got a bunch of schools that are question marks right now, largely because their coaches are still question marks. The next year or too will tell the tale on whether they are all in.
Miami - Golden was an unconvincing hire for a program of that stature, and his program has been underwhelming. His retention this year was definitely questionable from a football commitment standpoint...if he's retained after another disappointing year, we've got a serious problem here. With a change at the top, we'll see where this goes.
UNC - Who the hell knows? Fedora was a legit hire at the time...results have been pretty mediocre. And has any team ever accomplished less with so much malfeasance. Cleaning up a program always comes at the cost of wins in the short term, so could be a real problem as the school cleans up a program that couldn't even win when cheating. It might be time to give up on this sleeping giant awakening any time soon.
NC State - Some good signs from Doeren, jury still out obviously. NC State's recommitment has paid off in basketball, we'll see what happens here. I will say that NC State has been more willing than most ACC schools to cut an average coach loose, and that's good, but it's just never quite worked out for them quite yet.
Syracuse - Not sure anyone believes in their heart that Shafer is the right guy. Seems overmatched in a major conference, and doesn't seem like an ACC caliber hire. Are they willing to cut him loose if he has a 5-6 win year? They booted their athletic director, who did some good things, but who seemed a bit over his head in the ACC.
Then you've got the schools with a lot to prove commitment wise...
BC - Addazio seems to be a good fit right now. Seems to be bringing some much needed intensity to the position, and trying to improve BC's "cool factor" a bit. But BC has a history of small-timing their football program, despite some success. The dumb way they fired Jagondzinski, the fact that Tom O'Brien left for at most a lateral move, and the way they rode the Spaziani train all the way down. Add to that the unnecessarily aggressive scheduling. It will take a bit for me to believe that BC is in it to win it in football.
UVA - between the scheduling and the retention of London, it's hard not to write of UVA of simply being unwilling to be a real football program. Considering their resources, this program refusing to compete is a blow to ACC football. Might be better off heading straight to Kansas level 2-win seasons and not risk messing it up by upsetting anyone else.
And finally VT -
VT - Obviously, they are in the toughest spot that a football program gets in. The basketball hire made some waves, so it's really hard to imagine VT is going to small-time the hiring of Beamer's replacement. How long they continue with Beamer if he doesn't improve, and who they hire will tell us, but it's hard not to give them the benefit of the doubt.
The way I see it, the conference can handle two, MAYBE three teams that aren't all in committed to being the best they can in football. Wake's ceiling is so low, you almost have to count them as one of those three, even if they are really trying. You've got UVA. You basically need all, or almost all of those question marks programs to show up. So there's still a long way to go, but I think if I made this list even five years ago, it would look much more depressing.