ACC Football Media Days: 12 Burning Questions for 2010

Pinellas Park -- 

With the season barely a month away, coaches and players will convene in Greensboro for the annual ACC Media Days, July 25-26.

As we continue our “47 Days” countdown to kickoff on Bright House Sports Network and bhsn.com, here are a dozen pressing questions that may or may not be asked on Sunday and Monday—but will surely be answered this fall.

1) Will Georgia Tech repeat?

The safe bet is, “no,” for a variety of reasons. Losing Jonathan Dwyer to the NFL is significant, but not devastating. Increased competition certainly doesn’t help the Yellow Jackets’ cause—with Miami, Virginia Tech, and North Carolina all expected to challenge for the Coastal throne. Then, add in the rough road schedule, with Paul Johnson’s troops traveling to UNC, Clemson, and VaTech.

All that just to get back to the conference championship game.

2) Will a dominant force emerge, contend for national title?

Suffice it to say, they’re due—an ACC representative hasn’t played for the BCS crystal since the 2000 season.

But for a league that’s developed a reputation for cannibalizing itself with parity, 2010 sets up to be another case in point with at least four ranked ACC teams in every major preseason poll.

3) Is this the year the conference breaks through in the BCS?

I’m not much for judging conferences by bowl results because those games are stories of individual match-ups, not overall league strength.  However, some trends are just too persistent to ignore.

Like the SEC’s streak of four consecutive national championships. Or the ACC’s 1-9 mark in BCS games last decade.

It’s high time ACC earned multiple BCS invites, but between the league’s track record and the mid-major boom, that’s a tall task.

4) Is UNC a legitimate “dark horse” candidate to win it all?

If wide receiver Greg Little and defensive tackle Marvin Austin are eligible—yes. If this agent investigation costs UNC starters significant playing time, things could get dicey.

The Tar Heels have the one of the best defenses in college football, loaded with NFL talent.  Quarterback T.J. Yates’ task is akin to what Zac Lee was charged with a season ago at Nebraska—just don’t derail the train.

5) Who is the ACC’s best quarterback?

To be fair, this should be at least two questions. Because after all, how do you compare the contrasting styles of FSU’s Christian Ponder and Georgia Tech’s Josh Nesbitt?

I think Ponder, Nesbitt, Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor, and Miami’s Jacory Harris are all above-average college quarterbacks.

Forced to choose between them, I’d draft Ponder to lead my team.

6) Will the Heisman come out of the ACC?

Another category in which the league is long overdue.

Fortunately, the ACC is rich in quarterbacks and running backs—the only two positions that seemingly matter to the Heisman balloters anymore.  In addition to the four signal callers above, add running backs Ryan Williams (Soph., Virginia Tech) and Montel Harris (Jr., Boston College) to the list of preseason candidates.

7) How much will FSU’s defense improve year-to-year?

New head coach Jimbo Fisher brought Mark Stoops over from Arizona with that task in mind. His specialty is secondary play, and FSU has work to do in that area—replacing all but one starter.

The linebackers figure to be the Seminoles best defensive unit, with returners Nigel Bradham and Kendall Smith. A strong recruiting class led by highly-touted Jeff Luc, who enrolled in January, could also add depth.

But the difference has to be made up front, where the ‘Noles were dead last in the conference in rush defense and sacks in 2009.

8) Can Randy Shannon get Miami over hump?

The Hurricanes think so, or they wouldn’t have offered him a four-year extension this off-season.

There’s reason to be encouraged by the trajectory, as Miami has improved from 5-7 to 7-6 to 9-4 over the course of his tenure.

There’s also still lingering doubt, as Shannon’s teams have faded late in seasons, going 5-9 after the calendar flips to November.

9) What member will notch the biggest non-conference win?

There is no shortage of opportunity this season, as ACC members will challenge the likes of Ohio State, Boise State, LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Florida, Notre Dame.

If the Seminoles could pick off either the Sooners or the Gators, it would serve as a tremendous resume boost for the conference.  North Carolina’s neutral-site opener against LSU isn’t a bad bet, either.

However, I like Virginia Tech’s chances of taking down Boise State.

10) How many members will go bowling?

Locks: Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, Florida State, Clemson, Boston College

Looks Good: North Carolina, Wake Forest, Maryland

Long Shots: Duke, Virginia, NC State

11) Whose coaching seat is the hottest?

Ralph Friedgen is the obvious choice, as a successor has already been named at Maryland—assuming Friedgen can survive until 2011 to pass the torch.

Tom O’Brien also figures to be fidgeting at North Carolina State, with three consecutive seven-loss seasons.

12) What impact will the new ESPN contract have on the ACC reputation?

Like it or not, because of its resources and commitment to the sport, the four-letter network has a heavy hand when it comes to college football.

In addition to acquiring the rights to the BCS, ESPN has also agreed to a 12-year television deal with the ACC worth nearly $2 billion.

Need an example of how those revenues can translate into competitive advantages?  Look no farther than the SEC and Big Ten, two conferences that were ahead of the curve in this arms race.

More money and more exposure mean better facilities, better recruits, better coaches and theoretically, better football teams.  The results may not materialize this fall, but it’s only a matter of time.