What’s up and welcome to another edition of WKWG(it’s catching on…wait for it…)
For my ranking of the ACC 1-12, check OTB’s ACC Power Poll: Week 12.
Week 11 of ACC Games: What Knowledge We’ve Gained
We’ve had the ACC Championship pegged since Clemson beat Miami back in October and Georgia Tech kept the rushing game rolling. With the ACCCG set, we pick the game right now, project the bowls, and give insight on the week in ACC football.
ACC Champion: Clemson
Clemson is the only team in the ACC that can match-up and beat the Jackets right now–and I think they will. The Tigers’ offense has been on fire while the Clemson D has been solid in their six game winning streak where they have scored 34 points or more in each game. For Georgia Tech, they execute seamlessly and they are hard for any team to beat, but I still wonder if they can do it in the big game. Clemson has played basically a 5 game ACC Atlantic playoff to get where they are while the Jackets have coasted to their Coastal title. Neither team has a decided advantage in this game and that works in the Tigers’ favor.
Bowl Projections
Orange: Clemson
Clemson is the automatic qualifier for this one and at probably 10-3 with C.J. Spiller and co.–dangerous team for one of the non-AQs like Boise State or possibly an undefeated Cincinnati.
Chick-Fil-A: Virginia Tech
Yes, this is a third time to the ATL for the Hokies, but they are the most attractive choice here as a top 15 team with a great fanbase(though I bet they would not mind a Clemson loss in Tampa to have the Tigers fall here).
Gator: Georgia Tech
If I did not think that the CFA might not want the same ACC team from last season, I would have them in the ACC’s no. 2 bowl.
Champ Sports: North Carolina
If Miami had any fan support, they probably jump UNC here, but the Heels are hot right now and should bring a few with them.
Music City: Miami
If Tennessee/Kentucky is the SEC representative, the Music City will be fine for attendance and take Miami for interesting game.
Meineke Car Care: Florida State
FSU could be coming off a destruction at the Swamp, but a matchup with a team like West Virginia is an interesting one for the guys in Charlotte.
Emerald: Boston College
BC once again falls victim to not being all that sexy of a pick and are shipped out West to possibly play Southern Cal which could be a cool matchup for Eagles’ fans.
Hitch Routes
>I was at the Clemson-Virginia game this weekend and saw a Cavaliers’ team that is still with Groh. He appears to be gone, but his players played hard for him with nothing on the line in Death Valley Saturday. The creativity in the gameplan that led to several scores in the first half make me wonder where that was all season though.
>Florida State has the weirdest team in the ACC. They have an excellent offense no matter the QB apparently, but the defense was dominated by Maryland of all teams who is quickly approaching double digit losses this seasons.
>Virginia Tech finishing up another solid–yet unspectacular–yet still really good–and possibly top ten by the end of it– season. Does that make sense? They beat Miami for their signature win that really is not looking all that great, but still won a number of games are in in the top 15. Their dominance in the ACC since joining is remarkable and will have opportunity to notch yet another ACC win at home versus Virginia. Ryan Williams is a man among boys and has the potential to break a lot of records at Virginia Tech who has had a number a great RBs.
>The Canes keep winning in frustratingly close ways for how talented they are. Miami will finish off what could have been a more promising season against South Florida with a 9 win season and bowl berth most likely outside of the ACC’s top four bowls. The turning point in the Canes season happened against Clemson in Land Shark as they had multiple opportunities to put away the Tigers and they could not. In retrospect, Clemson is playing really well now, but Miami had that game.
>Maryland, NC State, and Duke are our hard luck losers as they all showed flashes of brilliance in their games, but could not sustain the effort for 4 quarters. From some knowledge I gained on Friday with a radio show I work with, it appears Maryland has no option but to keep Maryland with all the money they have vested in Friedgen and the whole coach-in-waiting thing they have with Franklin. You gotta hope as a Terps fan that the performance at FSU was not a fluke and they can be better next season–optimism could start with knocking off BC at home next weekend. As for NC State/Duke, they are teams trending in opposite directions as Duke is on the up-swing and NC State is left with a lot of questions. Wins for both teams could rest a couple fears for next season as Duke takes on Wake Forest on Raycom next week and NC State takes on rival UNC at noon also.
Thanks for reading! ACC Championship picks? Thoughts on the bowls? We’ve got a bunch of contests for commenters going for some sweet shirts(I’ve got my own and like it) so you’ve got an opinion, voice it here!
Tags: Florida State Seminoles, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Maryland Terrapins, North Carolina Tar Heels
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Really, you’re discounting Duke already? C’mon!
Alright, you raise a valid point. At the end of the day, it IS Duke.
Maybe I’m taking a safer route here, but I see Georgia Tech and its thus-far-nearly-perfectly-executed triple option triumphing over Clemson in the ACCCG. This puts GT in the Orange, Clemson in Chick-Fil-A (I agree that Clemson is a much more attractive pull for them than VT), and VT in Gator. I agree on your predictions and rationale for the rest of the (largely) inconsequential bowls.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Brandon Rink and Jeffrey Fann, Mark Sturgis/B. Rink. Mark Sturgis/B. Rink said: RT @onthebrinklive: My new Raycom post is up with ACC Championship/Bowl projections and other fun at http://bit.ly/8bM3yg [...]
I have to agree with you on your bowl selections but I do have some doubts about Clemson beating Georgia Tech. Clemson gave up quite a few yards on the ground to lowly Virginia last Saturday which makes me wonder what will happen against GT’s grind ‘em out offense. I have a gut feeling GT will score quickly and often meaning Clemson might well be playing catch-up ball for 4 quarters. Now, another subject: Virginia Cavaliers. Al Groh is most likely history after this season which translates to further choas for next year’s squad. It’s a shame that one of the ACC’s cornerstone schools has denigrated to near obscurity. All coaching carousels mean problems with recruiting so UVa and its fan base might as well resign themselves to the fact that the Cavaliers are in for a couple of more lean years. Conversely, it could work out for the better and UVa see immediate improvement but that is probably just wishful thinking on my part. I’m trying to keep the faith though.
Not all coaching carousels lead to recruiting problems. See, e.g., Tony Bennett. Further, it’s not as though Virginia is excelling in recruiting currently, so I’m not sure how much chaos that’s really going to cause on that front. Hopefully Virginia will be able to find a coach that is able to work with non-blue-chip recruits, and the recruits will follow from there. Given what’s happened today, I think we know who I’m getting at here.