ACC - Coastal Division

The Coastal Division is certainly the cream of the crop in the ACC. Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech, and Miami are three of the ACC’s best four teams (FSU in the Atlantic the other). The key will be which team’s quarterback will play well enough to overcome the tough defenses, VT ranked 1st, Miami 7th, Virginia 17th, and GT 24th. Miami and UVA hope terrible offenses don’t keep them around .500 ball. For UNC and Duke basketball season can’t get here fast enough. Who ever wins the Coastal will have a difficult time doing it. You ready…

Georgia Tech: 9-5 last year including lossing their last 3 games. They lost college football’s best player and a four year starter at QB. All signs point to a bad 2007 for the Yellow Jackets but that‘s not the case. Tech last 3 games were against UGA, Wake, & WVU and each game was decided by 3 points. Yes, Calvin Johnson opting for the pros is a huge loss for the Jackets but at the same time Reggie Ball’s departure is a huge gain. Tech hopes Taylor Bennett’s Gator Bowl success correlates into the regular season. One thing’s for sure, Bennett will not play like a chicken with its head cut off a la Reggie Ball. Tech’s ground game will shoulder most of the offensive load. Tech returns 4 starting O-Linemen, stud FB Mike Cox, and the ACC’s leading rusher in Tashard Choice. LT Andrew Gardner and Mike Cox should open plenty of holes for Choice to run through. Tech’s defense will be stout this season. Tech loses one DL, LB, and DB from last year’s 24th ranked total defense. The Yellow Jackets have a talented front seven which includes LB Phillip Wheeler. Wheeler will be considered for many post season accolades. Safeties Djay Jones and Jamal Lewis anchor a secondary that will be as good as last year’s group that only gave up 11 touchdowns, 9th best in the nation. Defensive coordinator John Tenuta will be sending blitzes like there’s no tomorrow and opposing offenses will be scramblin’ from the Ramblin’ Wreck. I’ve drank several glasses of the Georgia Tech Kool-Aid and see them going 10-2 dropping games to Miami and UGA but they win the Coastal division back to back and play FSU for the ACC title. GT plays in the FedEx Orange Bowl as ACC Champs.

Virginia Tech: Sorry USC but Virginia Tech will be America’s Team this season. I don’t see any “Angels in the Outfield” happening in Blacksburg. VT will win games because they are a top notch program not because 32 people were killed in a campus shooting so let’s stop that talk right now. VT is certainly the front runner in the ACC. The Hokie defense ranked 1st in total defense the past three seasons and it could happen again. Eight starters return including two monster linebackers. If Vince Hall and Xavier Adibi aren’t college football’s best 1-2 linebacker core they are a close 2nd to USC’s Rey Maualuga and Keith Rivers. Junior corner Brandon Flowers has the potential to be the best corner to ever put on a VT jersey. Yes better than DeAngelo Hall and Jimmy Williams. VT’s total offense ranked 99th last year and should do better in 07. Expect a heavy dose of Heisman dark horse Branden Ore this season. The Hookies have three NFL quality receivers. If Sean Glennon doesn’t get the ball to those receivers he could lose his QB job to recovering alcohol (I kid you not) Ike Whitaker. Whitaker is a 6’4” 204lb version of the Vick brothers. Last year’s O-Line was bad and haven’t improved much so look for more of the same in 07. VT has LSU early and BC, @GT, FSU, The U in four straight weeks. 10-2 they lose at LSU and at least once in that insane four week stretch probably to GT in a game that decides the Coastal division. If VT makes it through those 4 games look for them to play for a national title because a week 2 loss is better than a week 12 loss.

The U: Its been said that new head coach Randy Shannon needs to restore “Da U” attitude at Miami. I say F that. Miami’s th’U’g tradition hasn’t gone anywhere since Jerome Brown(R.I.P.) started it. What Shannon needs to do is restore “Da O” to the days of 34-0 1st half thrashings of Black Shirt defenses. Miami‘s ‘06 defense was NASTY but was completely overshadowed by the shittiness that was a Kyle Wright run offense. The defense was 14th in points allowed/game, 12th in total sacks, 5th in yards/game, and 7th in total defense and expect the same this year. The defense is lead by what might be the two best defensive players in the country. Future 1st rounder DE Calais Campbell is a freak of nature at 6’8” 282lb. Future top 10 draft pick S Kenny Phillips combines size, strength, speed, smarts, range, and rage into one making him a true Category 5 Hurricane. Phillips is just one part of a secondary that is among college football’s best. Look for DL Eric Moncur and CB Randy Phillips to break out this year. The ‘Canes have many question marks on offense with QB being the biggest. Kyle “More Wrong Than” Wright, the #1 ranked, 5 star, can’t miss QB from Cali, will start the season with clipboard in hand while he watches Kirby Freeman start at quarterback. This is Lance Leggett’s last year to live up to the hype (he was supposed be Calvin Johnson). Leggett is tall and fast but pulls a David Copperfield-esque disappearing act while on the field. Miami has put its last 4 tight ends into the NFL and they hope DajLeon Farr will be the 5th. Javarris James will continue to run people over and super prep star Graig Cooper hopes to be Miami’s version of Reggie Bush. Miami wants to leave the O.B. on a high note but going video game on the schedule will not help. Miami add Oklahoma and Texas A&M to an ACC schedule that includes GT, @FSU, @VT and @BC. Miami could realistically go 6-6. Assuming the offense ranks higher than 89th, The U goes .500 in toss-ups amassing a record of 9-3. Losses are @OU, @FSU, and @VT.

Virginia: The ACC is steadily improving and Al Groh probably won’t be allowed to have many 5-7 seasons. There is light at the end of the tunnel for the Virginia Cavaliers. Virginia started the season off horribly only winning 2of 7 but turned it around at the end winning 3 of 5. The Cavs returns 18, yes 18 starters. Virginia’s defense kept them alive last year and will do the same this year. Virginia returns every starter except for corner Marcus Hamilton from last year’s defense which ranked 17th in total defense. I know, I can’t believe it either. All-American candidate Chris Long DE will be the man for UVA this season. Howie’s boy has an explosive first step, a non-stop motor, and was unblockable at the end of 2006. Long will demand doubles so expect opposite DE Jeffrey Fitzgerald to put up good numbers. As good as Virginia is on defense they’re that bad on offense. Returning QB Jameel Sewell showed flashes last year but a wrist injury makes him a big question mark. The Cavs have no proven rusher and no quality #1 at receiver. The Cavs will depend heavily on the ACC’s best tight end core (Tom Santi, Jonathan Stupar, and John Phillips). Due in large part to the defense I like Virginia at 7-5/8-4 toss-ups against Pitt, @Mary, and Wake.

North Carolina: Football at UNC is centered around two words, BUTCH DAVIS. The Tar Heels are hoping that The Magician of Miami has still got it. Davis will build UNC as he did in Miami with SPEED. Not having much to work with Davis went recruiting and came back with the 14th best recruiting class. The class featured 12 players ranked in the top 25 at their position. The crown jewel of the class is DT Marvin Austin. The Tar Heels need help on offense. Last year’s starting QB switched positions, RB suspended indefinitely, and LG dismissed. 4 star recruit Mike Paulus is pushing TJ Yates for the starting QB position. UNC is loaded at WR. Akeem Nix was third in the ACC in yds/game as a freshman last year and Brandon Tate has speed to spare. The Tar Heels also add three high school All-Americans at WR in Greg Little, Rashad Mason, and Dwight Jones. UNC has two solid D-Linemen, one solid LB and an inexperienced but talented secondary. Stud freshmen Marvin Austin DT, Tydreke Powell DT, Da’Norris Searcy LB, and Quan Sturidivant LB can fill the holes on defense. Mentioning all the freshmen names means that it can't be good for UNC now but in 2/3 seasons watch out. At season’s end look for UNC to be 4-8 with wins against James Madison, East Carolina, Duke, and stealing one from NC St or Wake. Bold Prediction: Butch Davis uses his young talent with solid veterans to make UNC bowl eligible at 6-6.

Duke: Things that don’t go together: oil & water, student & athlete, Duke & football. You can bet the Duke football team will have no reasons to hire strippers. Good news is that Duke returns all 11 starters on offense. Bad news is that the offense scored a whopping 14.5 points/game last year. Thaddeus Lewis looked good at the end of last season and will continue to blossom into good, quality QB. Duke has a trio of receivers that can actually catch passes. The O-Line returns all 5 starters and Thaddeus Lewis will still be running for his life. Basically any offense will have to come from the legs and arm of Lewis, so pray for him. There are some things that shouldn’t be talked about and Duke’s defense is one of them. Last year Duke was 114th in scoring defense and 105th in total defense. DT Vince Oghobaase is the only BlueDevil defender I could see lining up for a real Div. A football team. Oghobaase is 6’6” 310lbs with the quickness and footwork of a defensive end. How he ended up at Duke? I don’t know. Duke is riding a 20 game losing streak and it looks like it will grow to 32 when the BlueDevils go 0-12 this year. Anything is possible so Duke could catch UCONN off guard in the season opener and I could shit gold. 0-12.