ACC Preview - CFN

[hokie4redskins]

http://cfn.scout.com/2/660049.html

Wake Forest? Really?!

Yes, the Demon Deacons were good and yes they found ways to win with timely play, a never-say-die attitude, and a fantastic offensive line that stood on its head, but let’s be honest here; if they’re winning the ACC title, the league is down.

When a league’s two power programs (Miami and Florida State) are each mediocre also-rans, most will perceive the conference won’t be quite up to snuff. While that isn’t always the case, it didn’t help last season that Clemson, everyone’s mid-season darling, collapsed, Virginia Tech’s brain went bye-bye in critical back-to-back losses to Georgia Tech and Boston College, BC lost to NC State on a last season miracle pass and to Wake Forest after dominating the entire game, and the Yellow Jackets, well, they had Reggie Ball at quarterback.

While this won’t be a big bounce-back year, it’ll certainly be interesting with the Hokies getting everyone back from the nation’s number one defense, Georgia Tech as better than it’s been in years, even with Calvin Johnson jetting early to the big league, and Maryland loaded for a good run after winning nine games. Of course, the national perception of the league all depends on how good the two Sunshine State teams are.

Miami and Florida State will always have as much talent and athleticism as anyone in the country, and now the two superpowers hope and upgrade in coaching will be the difference to get them out of the doldrums. The Hurricanes don’t need Randy Shannon to restore “Da U” attitude, they need him to coach the team better than it was in the final years under Larry Coker. The Seminoles finally acknowledged what everyone else already knew; Jeff Bowden was dragging down the offense. New offensive coordinator Jimbo Fisher is a significant upgrade, to go along with four other new assistants.

Even if the Canes and Noles are close to being national players again, the ACC still might not be back to where conference fans hoped it would be after the Big East raid of a few years ago. However, it’s going to be a terrific, wide-open season with several teams legitimately in the hunt for the title. And yeah, that might even include Wake Forest.

Team That'll Surprise
Maryland – The Terps have the All-Measurables team. Everyone can run, everyone can lift, everyone looks the part of what top football talents should look like. Literally, they’re a living, breathing Under Armor ad. If that potential turns into production, the schedule works out just well enough to pull off the Atlantic title.

Team That'll Disappoint
Wake Forest – Disappoint isn’t exactly the right word. The Demon Deacons won’t be expected to repeat as champions, and they might have a hard time even getting back to a bowl game. They somehow got it done last year with flawless special teams, the league’s most efficient passing game, and most importantly, by always, always, always winning the turnover battle. They won’t finish sixth in the nation in turnover margin again, and that’ll be the difference.

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Matt Ryan, Sr. Boston College – Ryan led the ACC in total offense last season, and now he should shine even brighter under new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who spent last year with the Green Bay Packers coaching Brett Favre. Ryan isn’t Favre, but he will be the difference maker who makes a good BC team great.

Defensive Player of the Year
LB Vince Hall, Sr. Virginia Tech – You might have to make this a co-Defensive Player of the Year award along with Hall’s running mate, Xavier Adibi. The two stars of the nation’s best defense should dominate once again leading a loaded team that’ll be the favorite to win the ACC title from the start.

5 Big-Time Players Who Deserve a Bigger Spotlight ...
1. LB Philip Wheeler, Sr. Georgia Tech
2. WR Darrius Heyward-Bey, Soph. Maryland
3. DT B.J. Raji, Sr. Boston College
4. CB Brandon Flowers, Jr. Virginia Tech
5. C Steve Justice, Sr. Wake Forest

Coach on the Hot Seat
Bobby Bowden, Florida State – While Bowden will never be fired, even if he goes 0-12, but he’s only had one ten-win season since losing the 2000 national championship to Oklahoma. Success has spoiled the fan base, and now they’re hoping for big results, or at least an ACC title, after all the new coaching changes.

5 Non-Conference Games the ACC had better take, very, very seriously
1. Florida State at Colorado, Sept. 15
2. Virginia at Wyoming, Sept. 1
3. North Carolina at East Carolina, Sept. 8
4. Wake Forest at Navy, Oct. 20
5. Central Michigan at Clemson, Oct. 20

5 Best Pro Prospects
1. DE Calais Campbell, Jr. Miami
2. OT Barry Richardson, Sr. Clemson
3. S Kenny Phillips, Jr. Miami
4. DE Andre Fluellen Florida State
5. WR Greg Carr, Jr. Florida State

5 Biggest Shoes to Fill
1. James Johnson for Calvin Johnson, WR Georgia Tech
2. Joe Birdsong or Jeff Griffin for Steve Vallos, OT Wake Forest
3. Kwam Williams for Gaines Adams, DE Clemson
4. Recardo Wright for Buster Davis, LB Florida State
5. Tom Anevski for Josh Beekman, OG Boston College

5 Bold Predictions
1. Maryland will win the Atlantic. It’ll take a tough win over Georgia Tech from the Coastal Division to help make it happen, but as long it can come up with wins over Clemson and Boston College, it should be able to weather a loss at Florida State.
2. Duke will go winless … again. Even though the young team will be better and will throw a big scare into at least two of the ACC powers, Duke will go without a win. The best chances are against Connecticut and at Navy in the non-conference schedule, and against Wake Forest and at North Carolina in league play.
3. At least one Bowden won’t be the head coach of an ACC program next year at this time. Bobby will never be forced out, but with three road games in the final four at Boston College, Virginia Tech and Florida, along with a home game against Maryland, the fans will be grouchy. Tommy has to keep Clemson in the Atlantic race until the end and can’t lose at South Carolina.
4. The most successful first new head coach will be Jeff Jagodzinski. Of the four programs starting a new era, Jagodzinski will keep Boston College among the league’s most consistently successful teams helped by QB Matt Ryan along with a solid defense.
5. Virginia will start hot, but will completely collapse over the second half of the year. Duke, North Carolina, Middle Tennessee and Connecticut will give Cavalier fans a false hope for a hot season. Over the final five games, Virginia plays at Maryland, at NC State, Wake Forest, at Miami, and Virginia Tech. It’ll lose four of the five.

What Will Happen
- Virginia Tech will beat Maryland in the ACC title game, but it’ll need help to get there after losing to Georgia Tech on November 1st.
- The Terps will win the Atlantic, but will lose to Boston College and Florida State late in the year to make it interesting. October home wins over Georgia Tech and Clemson will save the day.
- Miami will reestablish its dominance at home, but will lose on the road to Florida State, Virginia Tech and Boston College to temper an otherwise good first year for Randy Shannon.
- North Carolina and Duke will be better than their final records. The Tar Heels will be too young to make major strides right away under Butch Davis.
- Virginia will struggle just to get to 6-6. The loss of top receiver Kevin Ogletree to a season-ending knee injury will kill the Cavalier passing game.
- Wake Forest will go from ACC champion to a losing record. Three road games in the final four weeks will be too much to overcome.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I hate to say it, but the GT game scares the crap out of me

GT brings a lot of talent back and even without CJ has a pretty solid offense. It may be better without Reggie Ball

The GT offensive line was the only one that pushed around our D front 7 last year, and they all come back

[PleaseBlitz]

I hate to say it, but the GT game scares the crap out of me

GT brings a lot of talent back and even without CJ has a pretty solid offense. It may be better without Reggie Ball

The GT offensive line was the only one that pushed around our D front 7 last year, and they all come back


I agree. VT is going to be the class of the conference, but GT is going to be a tough one. Tashard Choice is a very good back, and judging based on one game, Taylor Bennett is a huge improvement over Reggie Ball.

I really think FSU is going to sneak up on people this year.....well, sneak up isnt the right word, but they'll be better than people think.

[SkinsHokieFan]

I agree. VT is going to be the class of the conference, but GT is going to be a tough one. Tashard Choice is a very good back, and judging based on one game, Taylor Bennett is a huge improvement over Reggie Ball.

I really think FSU is going to sneak up on people this year.....well, sneak up isnt the right word, but they'll be better than people think.

I think FSU will be a real good team this year also

Played a lot of young guys last year, new coaching and Weatherford has expierence

They always have the athletes

We'll see what they do, but I would not be surprised to see them finish as a top 10 team

[PleaseBlitz]

Nor would I. The addition of Fisher and Trickett is going to be huge.

[jthor99]

i think MD will be at best an 8 win team

[SkinsHokieFan]

The pressure is on now. Time to do this

http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/072307aab.html

Atlantic Division Coastal Division
1-Florida State (37) 423 1-Virginia Tech (77) 491
2-Boston College (25) 363 2-Georgia Tech (4) 367
3-Clemson (8) 332 3- Miami (2) 356
4-Wake Forest (13) 325 4-Virginia 255
5-Maryland 156 5-North Carolina 188
6-NC State 144 6-Duke 86

ACC Championship Game Winner: Virginia Tech [69 ballots]
(first place votes in division)

[Spartacus87]

I think FSU will be a real good team this year also
Played a lot of young guys last year, new coaching and Weatherford has expierence
They always have the athletes
We'll see what they do, but I would not be surprised to see them finish as a top 10 team Top 10? I doubt it. It'd be a pleasant suprise, but I doubt it.

Our defense should be one of our best in awhile, but our offense still needs work. Trickett's had some real frustrations with our offensive line guys, we have a real nasty young kid in Antwane Greenlee (could be a real dominant tackle in a few years), but otherwise Trickett's got a lot of work cut out for him. It'll take another year to really get some quality recruits in for the line and for guys to really start excelling in this new system. The offense, particularly the line, was just decaying for so long, Fisher and company pretty much are going to have to use this year to build a foundation. I don't think you'll really see a good offense at FSU for another year or two to be honest.

I think one of the biggest things that'll help improve FSU, and has gone under a lot of people's radar, is the change in the strength and conditioning coach. Todd Stroud used to play at FSU back in the 80s and worked with Chuck Amato at NC State. The guy's working really hard with Trickett and Fisher to get the offensive line in particular in shape, apparently their workouts are just leaps and bounds harder then they ever were before and it's showing in practice.

It's also huge having Fisher replacing Daryl Dickey as QB's coach, that guy was completely awful and it seemed like our QB's only regressed under him.

I think we'll contend for the ACC Title, sure, and I'd say finishing ranked between 10-20 somewhere, but this year is going to see a lot of transition with a really difficult schedule, so finishing top 10 seems out of the realistic question I think.

[mjah]

I love it. This has Maryland winning the Atlantic. The last one I saw had us dead last in the Atlantic.

Fact is, nobody knows what to expect from Maryland this year. The team caught lots of lucky breaks last year (along with a couple of unlucky ones) and finished strong, but could have had a dismal year instead if just a couple of bounces went the other way. This year the team is apparently diesel from top to bottom, but possibly without anyone to drive the truck.

We'll have to play the games and see.

[PapaDRoc]

I love it. This has Maryland winning the Atlantic. The last one I saw had us dead last in the Atlantic.

Fact is, nobody knows what to expect from Maryland this year. The team caught lots of lucky breaks last year (along with a couple of unlucky ones) and finished strong, but could have had a dismal year instead if just a couple of bounces went the other way. This year the team is apparently diesel from top to bottom, but possibly without anyone to drive the truck.

We'll have to play the games and see.
It all comes down to QB. Last I heard there was a possibility that the Terps would go with a duel QB system with Steffy/Portis. I don't see that working all too well, I'm a guy thats all for sticking with one guy but we will see what happens...

[Spartacus87]

I just actually read this preview closely, some silly things I noticed:
http://cfn.scout.com/2/660049.html
Team That'll Disappoint
Wake Forest – Disappoint isn’t exactly the right word. The Demon Deacons won’t be expected to repeat as champions, and they might have a hard time even getting back to a bowl game. They somehow got it done last year with flawless special teams, the league’s most efficient passing game, and most importantly, by always, always, always winning the turnover battle. They won’t finish sixth in the nation in turnover margin again, and that’ll be the difference. How exactly will they disappoint if they're not expected to even get back to a bowl game? What's a disappointing about setting a low bar? Dumb prediction, everyone knows they won't repeat last year, that was basically a nice little miracle run for them, and good for them to have it, but still, doesn't mean they'll disappoint this year because it won't happen again.

Offensive Player of the Year
QB Matt Ryan, Sr. Boston College – Ryan led the ACC in total offense last season, and now he should shine even brighter under new head coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who spent last year with the Green Bay Packers coaching Brett Favre. Ryan isn’t Favre, but he will be the difference maker who makes a good BC team great. And Drew Weatherford led the ACC in total offense as a freshmen and now has Jimbo Fisher leading the offense and coaching the QB's, so what?

Coach on the Hot Seat
Bobby Bowden, Florida State – While Bowden will never be fired, even if he goes 0-12, but he’s only had one ten-win season since losing the 2000 national championship to Oklahoma. Success has spoiled the fan base, and now they’re hoping for big results, or at least an ACC title, after all the new coaching changes. He's right about FSU fans being spoiled, but Bowden's never on the hot seat. He let his family ties to Jeff drag that saga out too long, but he's also the reason we got Trickett and Fisher. Kids want to play for Bobby Bowden, he's a hell of a recruiting draw. But even then, say we don't make the ACC title game, but as long as we're much more competitive than last year and show big strides in the offense, particularly the running game, anyone whining about the season will be an idiot considering how far we have to go.

5 Best Pro Prospects
4. DE Andre Fluellen Florida State
5. WR Greg Carr, Jr. Florida State Fluellen's a DT, not a DE, and I'd be surprised if he fell into the 2nd round. Greg Carr will NOT go pro yet, all he can do is run go routes and jump for the ball, he still has miles to cover about learning the WR position. That's a joke of an idea.

5 Biggest Shoes to Fill
4. Recardo Wright for Buster Davis, LB Florida State Recardo Wright? Uhhh....no. First off, Buster played the middle, which is being taken over by Geno Hayes who's just sliding over from the starting weakside spot, and Recardo Wright's 2nd on the depth chart behind Derek Nicholson on the strongside.

[Spartacus87]

Another small ACC preview from ACC Media Day, found it on Warchant:

http://floridastate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=693999

PINEHURST, N.C. – Florida State football coach Bobby Bowden doesn't put much stake in preseason polls.

"You and I know it means nothing," he said.

Yet the ACC media still feels that, despite a down year in 2006, the Seminoles are the team to beat in the Atlantic Division.

The media Monday voted FSU as the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic, giving the Seminoles 37 first-place votes. Boston College was second, gaining 25 first-place votes. Virginia Tech was the runaway favorite in the Coastal Division, earning 77 first-place votes, and in the conference title game.

Wake Forest, last year's conference champion, was picked fourth in the Atlantic behind FSU, BC and Clemson. Many of the coaches at ACC Kickoff pointed to the Demon Deacons as the primary example of how those polls aren't always accurate.

The Seminoles had to beat UCLA in the Emerald Bowl in order to avoid their first losing season since 1976. FSU finished 7-6, their lowest win total since 1986.

"Usually these things are based on what happened last year," Bowden said. "We weren't very successful last year, so I'm a bit surprised."

Bowden said he didn't have a pick to win the division.

"I hadn't even thought about it," Bowden said. "Boston College, Wake won it last year, Clemson, Tommy (Bowden) could be pretty darn tough again. I hope it's us."

2007 ACC Football Pre-Season Poll
as selected by media at the ACC Football Kickoff
Atlantic Division
1-Florida State (37) 423
2-Boston College (25) 363
3-Clemson (8) 332
4-Wake Forest (13) 325
5-Maryland 156
6-NC State 144

Coastal Division
1-Virginia Tech (77) 491
2-Georgia Tech (4) 367
3-Miami (2) 356
4-Virginia 255
5-North Carolina 188
6-Duke 86

ACC Championship Game Winner: Virginia Tech [69 ballots]
(first place votes in division)

MISTAKEN IDENTITY

Tommy Bowden admitted that being Bobby Bowden's son can cause some unique problems on the recruiting trail. When recruits get at call from "Coach Bowden," he said, they sometimes don't know right off the bat whether it's Tommy or Bobby.

That happened last season, Tommy said, when he and his dad were going after the same recruits and Tommy was communicating via text message.

"(Bobby) don't know how to text," Tommy said. "He don't text at all. So I get a text back that says 'Coach, me and such-and-such want to commit.' They're great players from Florida. And I call the recruiting coach and say, 'Hey, are these guys that good?' And he says, 'Yeah, take 'em.'

"So I text back and say, 'Are you teasing me?'" Tommy continued. "And they said, 'Wait a minute, are you Coach Bowden from Florida State?' And they committed to Florida State."

ANOTHER SUNSHINE STATE QB BATTLE

Florida State's quarterback competition between Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee isn't the only one in the state of Florida. Miami has a battle brewing between Kyle Wright and Kirby Freeman.

New Miami head coach Randy Shannon is keeping things close to the vest, maintaining that his decision on a starter won't be made until the Tuesday before Miami's opener against Marshall.

"Those guys are doing a great job this summer," Shannon said. "Just talking to the players on offense and defense, they've been watching how the quarterbacks have handled themselves. Some players have come up and said, 'Coach, we really have two quarterbacks we feel comfortable with.'"

TERRY'S COACHING COMEBACK

Tommy Bowden soon might not be the only Bowden son serving as a college head coach. He said Monday that his brother Terry wants to return to coaching.

"This is my personal opinion," Tommy Bowden said as to why. "He got actively involved in helping (Bobby Bowden) put his staff together. I think that kind of lit the fire back."

Terry Bowden led Auburn to a 47-16-1 record from 1993-98, including an 11-0 record in 1993, earning him several coach of the year honors. Bobby Bowden said he can see Terry return to the coaching ranks as well.

"I think he wants to," Bobby Bowden said. "He's kept up with it. He's got his radio show and he's broadcasting games every Saturday. I think he's pretty darn good. He's got a natural instinct."

[SkinsHokieFan]

http://www.fayobserver.com/article?id=268223
Ten things to watch for in ACC


By Sammy Batten
Staff writer
Here are 10 things fans should look out for when the 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference season begins on Sept. 1.


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RELATED

ACC runs background checks on officials
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1. Going bowling
Wake Forest won’t be as good as it was last year and N.C. State won’t be as bad. Both, however, will field bowl-eligible teams.

2. Year of the Beamer
Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer deserves more respect than he gets when it comes to picking the nation’s best college coaches. But despite needing two more wins to reach the 200 plateau for his career, Beamer is often overlooked because he hasn’t won a national title. If the Hokies can get by LSU in Baton Rouge on Sept. 8, Beamer could finally claim that elusive championship.

3. The ‘U’ is here!
Speaking of things to watch, you can check out even more ACC football games on television this year because the local Time Warner Cablevision franchise will be adding ESPNU to its lineup on August 31. The all-college sports network broadcast 13 ACC games last year that we had to miss. In addition to the games, we can also check out UNC signee Greg Little in a reality show called “Summer House’’ that pits incoming freshmen football players in a competition. Eight, 30-minute episodes show will air weekly on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. from July 31-Sept. 18 on ESPNU. Replays of “Summer House’’ are scheduled to run Wednesdays at 7 p.m. on ESPN beginning Aug. 15.

4. Turn up the volume
New N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien will raise his voice at least once this season. O’Brien speaks in a monotone that’s led more than one media type to raise the sound levels on his recorder since his arrival in Raleigh. He’s such a kind fellow that it will probably take something pretty serious to set him off. But I can’t help but wonder what he sounds like when he’s yelling.

5. Non-conference notoriety
ACC teams have one of the most demanding non-conference schedules the league has seen in some time. Here are some of the more intriguing matchups:

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame (Sept. 1)
Miami at Oklahoma (Sept. 8)
Virginia Tech at LSU (Sept. 1)
Nebraska at Wake Forest (Sept. 8)
West Virginia at Maryland (Sept. 13)
Florida State at Alabama (Sept. 29)
Louisville at N.C. State (Sept. 29)
6. Victory ride for Ted
Duke will beat somebody this year and the Blue Devils will carry Coach Ted Roof off the field on their shoulders. It’s a ride long overdue for such a gentleman who has remained positive despite one win in two years.

7. Curry rises to the top
Fayetteville’s Aaron Curry will be one of the most exciting and excitable linebackers in the ACC this season. The Wake Forest junior plays with such emotion and athleticism that you don’t want to take your eyes off him because you might miss something. Count Curry in for All-ACC honors.

8. Slow start, strong finish
North Carolina will have to endure a slow start under new head coach Butch Davis. But don’t worry UNC fans. By the end of the year the Tar Heels will not be a team anyone in the ACC wants to play.

9. Back on the run
Here’s a prediction: Wake Forest’s Micah Andrews returns from the knee injury that sidelined him during the Deacons’ improbable run to the ACC title last year to lead the league in rushing.

10. The best yet
There have been some great linebacker combos in ACC history. Lawrence Taylor and Darrell Nicholson at UNC, Ken Alexander and Derrick Brooks at Florida State, Wayne Simmons and Levon Kirkland at Clemson and the list goes on. But surpassing those duos this season will be Virginia Tech seniors Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi. Either one could have passed up his final year for big NFL money, but they decided to return. They are two big reasons the Hokies will win the ACC, and just maybe a national title.

[SkinsHokieFan]

http://www.timesdispatch.com/cva/ric/sports/colleges.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2007-07-25-0144.html
ACC proactive in checking refs
PINEHURST, N.C. -- ACC commissioner John Swofford said yesterday that his conference has performed background checks on its officials for football and men's and women's basketball since last year.

He said none of the checks resulted in removal of an official. He said his motivation for the checks, which were approved by presidents of ACC schools, was preventing problems, rather than reacting to an existing issue with ACC officials.

"There wasn't anything we saw that concerned us," he said.

The issue of officials' integrity is in the spotlight because federal investigators are looking into whether former NBA referee Tim Donaghy bet on games he officiated.

The ACC runs its checks through a private firm. The checks examine ties to gambling on college sports, credit histories and criminal and driving records. Swofford said officials must agree to the checks if they want to work in the ACC.

There are about 75 officials each for football, men's basketball and women's basketball. One-third of them are checked randomly every year. Every official will be checked at least once every four years.

Wolfpack intends to play takeaway
North Carolina State last year ranked 112th of 119 Division I-A teams in turnover margin. The Wolfpack gained 12 turnovers and lost 23.

When Tom O'Brien, a former Virginia assistant, took over as coach in the offseason, he remembered something his old boss at Virginia, George Welsh, told him: "If you want to be good at something, create a drill."

So at the end of practice during the spring, the Wolfpack practiced stripping the ball.

Athletic genes run in the family
Chris Long is accustomed to being introduced as "Howie Long's son." The day may come, Virginia's standout defensive end said Sunday, when he's introduced as "Howie Long's son and Kyle Long and Howie Long Jr.'s brother."

The elder Long, of course, is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Kyle, a rising senior at St. Anne's-Belfield School in Charlottesville, has committed to play football at Florida State. Howie Jr. is a rising junior at STAB whom U.Va. is recruiting for lacrosse.

"I might be the worst athlete in my family," Chris Long said with a laugh. "That includes my mother. She can play tennis."

Davis increases Tar Heels' tempo
Since Butch Davis took over for John Bunting as North Carolina's coach, life has changed for the Tar Heels' players. Among the changes:

"There's been a lot of emphasis on speed," said senior Joe Dailey, whom Davis moved from quarterback to wide receiver.

"Being fast in everything you do, in and out of the huddle, to the sideline, at halftime or the exchange of the ball. Doing everything fast. Moving. That just encourages enthusiasm."

Davis is accustomed to working with fast college players, having coached previously at the University of Miami.

Turnabout vs. U.Va. was Terrapins' key
The Maryland Terrapins were 3-2 when they arrived at Scott Stadium on Oct. 14 for a game against U.Va. A week earlier they'd been outscored 13-0 in the final quarter of a 27-23 loss to Georgia Tech.

"I think we felt like we blew the game against Georgia Tech," senior offensive guard Andrew Crummey recalled Sunday. "If we had blown the game against Virginia, we'd have been in a very bad situation."

The Terps' prospects looked bleak at halftime, with U.Va. ahead 20-0. But Maryland, given new life when Virginia's Emmanuel Byers muffed a punt near the goal line, rallied for a stunning 28-26 victory -- its first win in Charlottesville in 16 years.

Maryland went on to finish 9-4, its first winning season since 2003.

"You can't lose consistently and have a good program," Crummey said. -- Darryl Slater and Jeff White

[SkinsHokieFan]

http://collegefootball.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1144&CID=693960

PINEHURST, N.C. – Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer welcomes the expectations that come along with being an overwhelming favorite to win the Atlantic Coast Conference.

More than 80 percent of the media members who voted in the ACC preseason poll released Monday selected the Hokies to capture the conference title.

"All that tells me is we need to get to work," Beamer said during the ACC Media Days at the Pinehurst Resort. "People think we can be good, but if we're going to be good we need to continue to get our offensive line better, we need to stay healthy on defense and play the way we can, and we need to kick the ball well with some new kickers. We've got some things to work on."



Frank Beamer's Hokies are the preseason favorite to win the ACC.
Beamer also said he's ready for the media spotlight that will follow the Hokies all year during their first season since the tragedy of April 16, when Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho shot 32 people to death on campus before killing himself.

"There have never been more people in the country paying attention to what Virginia Tech does," Beamer said. "We're talking never in the history of Virginia Tech. At the same time, as a football team it gets back to preparing each day and taking care of the little things. The big thing is we want the Virginia Tech people to rally around this football team, and to give them something to rally around."

Sixty-nine of the 83 voters selected Virginia Tech to win the conference championship. Eight more voters picked the Hokies to lose the championship game after winning the Coastal Division title. The rest of the projected Coastal standings had, in order, Georgia Tech, Miami, Virginia, North Carolina and Duke.

Florida State was the preseason favorite to win the Atlantic Division despite going 7-6 and finishing fifth out of six teams last year. Florida State was followed in order by Boston College, Clemson, defending conference champion Wake Forest, Maryland and North Carolina State.

"I was surprised," Florida State coach Bobby Bowden said. "I really was. I was figuring after the year we had last year that they would count us out."

BEAMER ON VICK: Beamer isn't joining the chorus of critics surrounding former Hokies quarterback Michael Vick, who was indicted last week on charges of sponsoring a dogfighting operation.

Vick led Virginia Tech to an undefeated regular season in 1999 that ended with the program's only appearance in a national championship game. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has ordered the Atlanta Falcons quarterback to stay out of training camp while the league reviews the case against him.

"I know Michael Vick as a very caring, very concerned, very good person," Beamer said. "I'm going to wait until this is all said and done to change any of my thoughts or to make any other observations really."



Randy Shannon has taken the names off the back of Miami's jerseys.
NO-NAME HURRICANES: Miami coach Randy Shannon's desire to build team unity has extended to the Hurricanes' uniform designs. Miami won't be wearing names on the back of its jerseys for the first time in recent memory.

"A lot of coaches have done this, have taken names off," Shannon said. "I'm not the first coach who's done it. We're trying to build a team. Sometimes guys get so individualized because they're getting so much publicity that they forget about the team aspect. The next thing you know you've got to worry about that one little knucklehead. You've got 84 other guys trying, and this one guy's going to be a distraction. That kills a team. It kills the morale."

Shannon hasn't ruled out putting the names on the back of the jerseys in 2008, but he first wants to make sure the team is performing the way he wants on the field and in the classroom.

"It depends on how they respond to each other and get through tough times with each other, and if they have the team mentality," Shannon said.

HEALING HURRICANES: Shannon said he isn't ready to count true freshman quarterback Robert Marve and wide receiver Jermaine McKenzie out for the season.

Marve and McKenzie are both recuperating from a serious car wreck last week on Interstate 75 near Naples, Fla. Marve suffered a broken wrist, dislocated ring finger and cut on his left (non-throwing) hand. McKenzie suffered a broken neck vertebrae. Sophomore linebacker Colin McCarthy received only minor injuries.

While it's assumed both freshmen will end up redshirting this season, Shannon wants to wait before making any official announcements.

"We don't know the status of how long they're going to be out because everybody heals differently," Shannon said. "If Marve and McKenzie aren't able to make it back, I'll let you know, but right know I don't want to say these guys aren't going to make it back. Then (if) somebody comes to practice in the fourth or fifth game of the season and they're out there practicing, you'd say, 'Coach, I thought they weren't going to be ready.' ''

Shannon said both players remained in good spirits and were joking around a couple of days after the crash.

VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: As someone who came back last season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament a year earlier, Wake Forest defensive end Jeremy Thompson understands the difficulty involved in recovering from such an injury.


Associated Press

Micah Andrews may be able to return for Wake Forest's opener.
Thompson likes the progress Wake Forest tailback Micah Andrews has made thus far in his own comeback attempt. Andrews was ranked second in the ACC in rushing when he tore the ACL in his left knee in his third game of the season.

"For someone who's less than a year out of ACL surgery, he looks really good," Thompson said. "I had a (torn) ACL two years ago and at this point last year, I was kind of a step slow, but Micah looks really good. His strength is back almost 100 percent. His speed is back almost 100 percent."

Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe expects Andrews to be ready for the season opener Sept. 1 at Boston College. Grobe said Andrews has dropped about 10-15 pounds, which should make the senior even more effective.

"The whole deal with Micah is just we've got to tackle him," Grobe said. "That will scare me to death when we have our first scrimmage, but he's got to get knocked down a few times and realize he can (get knocked down) and get back up. Some guys are going to have to hit him in the legs, knock his feet out from under him and some of that kind of stuff. Once he gets a few of those shots in, I think he'll be OK."

IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY: E.J. Henderson won the 2002 Butkus Award with Maryland before moving on to the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. Maryland junior linebacker Erin Henderson continued the family tradition last year by ranking second in the ACC with 8.8 tackles per game.

The two brothers may look like similar performers on the field, but Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said they're very different off the field.

"Their personalities are total opposites," Friedgen said. "Erin is an extrovert. E.J. is an introvert. Erin wants to be in communications, wants to be in front of the camera. … E.J. would go the other way. Where they're similar is they can find the football and they can make plays. They have a great passion to play the game. And they're two wonderful kids. They really are. They're both very smart. I feel very, very fortunate to be a part of both of their lives."

FUTURE FOES?: North Carolina coach Butch Davis said the Tar Heels have sent letters and feelers out to Penn State, Oklahoma, Texas and Texas A&M about potential series in the future.

"That is something we want to look into," Davis said.

QUOTE OF THE DAY: Leave it to Bowden to offer the most amusing quote of the entire Media Days function.

Bowden's first amusing response came when he was asked about Florida State running back Antone Smith's prediction that the 77-year-old coach would last another decade.

"Does that mean alive or coaching?" Bowden asked.

[PleaseBlitz]

Randy Shannon is a genius.

[canethang 305]

Randy Shannon is a genius.

No names on jersey's, no I in team. It's cool to not only have one of the most dedicated and hard nosed former players as coach but Shannon's got the old school Cane mentality and he's going to be the one to turn it around.

I was skeptical at first but based on his actions like the jersey's and kicking all the NFL players out of the practice facility this summer that he'll have us back in the top 10 in no time.