ACC Q & A with ACC SEC Blog
With the season fast approaching, and us here at Turtledroppings devoting so much of our time blogging about Terps football, we figured we needed to get a look at some of the other teams in the ACC. If you remember a while back we did a Maryland Preview Q & A with our friends at the ACC & SEC Blog. Well we figured it was time for them to return the favor to answer some of our questions heading into the season.
TD: Clemson has seemed to underachieve in these last few years, yet also seems like a program that could have gone out and gotten a big name head Coach. Is Dabo Sweeney the answer in Death Valley?
ACC&SEC I’ll start with the “time will tell” answer. Clemson needed to shake things up because they had gotten stale under Bowden; he was only going to take them so far. The quotes from the players following his firing were very telling. I can also still remember his quote with the sideline reporter before the Alabama game last year that screamed, “I am not prepared to coach this team”.
But back to Swinney, he is cheap, and proved he could win last year. When you beat South Carolina and go into Boston College and win you deserve a shot. Long term he may not be the ideal candidate but he earned the job last year.
TD: Now that Darren Evans is out at VT, is Tyrod Taylor good enough to still keep them in the National Championship hunt? Even with Evans was he good enough?
ACC&SEC: If backup Ryan Williams is as good as advertised, then Taylor may not have to do much more than last year. But you figure teams will keying on Taylor early so he has to pass better from the pocket. A big TE like Greg Boone needs to be Taylor’s security blanket. Taylor needs to focus on not losing the game for VT and let the defense and special teams win it.
TD: Miami has a killer schedule that start at FSU, host GT, at VT, and host Oklahoma. It certainly gets easier after the first week of October, but is it realistic to think they can come out of that stretch at .500? If not will they be able to put that early stretch behind them and right the ship?
ACC&SEC: It is realistic to start 2-2, but they have to beat FSU the first week. The GT game is very winnable because the Jackets will be playing back to back Thursday games. If Miami plays tough in all four and has a chance to win in the fourth quarter it could be big confidence boosters. I think the fans need to give Randy Shannon a little more time to rebuild this program. Butch Davis didn’t do it overnight either.
TD: In my mind, I kind of think GT might surprise some people this year and really threaten VT for the top spot in the Coastal. I think the running game is going to help control time and possession, but is the defense good enough to really keep GT in the top 10 all year?
ACC&SEC: I think GT will be in and out of the top 10 all year. They are good enough to beat top 10 teams, but if they play bad they can lose to top 50 teams. The offense is going to be even better this year so expect a lot of shootouts. The defense does suffer from losing three starters on the line, but the big issue is they don’t get as many reps against offenses they will face during the season as other teams.
TD: FSU, where to begin. How do you feel about vacating wins for one? Does Bobby Bowden have one last run at a National Championship left in him, and if so is this team the building blocks to that run?
ACC&SEC: The vacating wins is strictly a book keeping measure. Everyone who was at the game knows who won, but it gives rival fans something to poke fun at. It looks like this year or next year will be Bobby’s last. I don’t think they have a title run this year, but maybe next year.
TD: All I have to ask about Duke is, will they get to a bowl game this year. Is there anyone to help Thadeus Lewis? I feel like they are moving in the right direction, but they were so far down, is it possible to think they could become a middle of the road ACC team?
ACC&SEC: Duke may be the best three or four win team in the nation at the end of this year. Cutcliffe is starting to bring in more talent, but it will be a slow process. I think before his time is up there, he will have them in a couple of bowls. An ACC Title is out of reach with how strong the conference is now verus when Spurrier was there.
TD: Our good friends in NCST, seem to have the top QB in the ACC in Russell Wilson. How realistic is it to think he could lead them to the ACC Championship game.
ACC&SEC: If he plays in all 12 games then an ACC Championship Game is very realistic. But the odds are that he will not. State has a much better backup this year behind him. The Atlantic has so much parity that I expect a 5-3 conference record to win it. If you beat the right people you could very well find yourself in Tampa. But my personal pick is FSU to win the division.
TD: Is this Al Groh’ last year in UVA? What do you think he needs to do keep his job if it is not?
ACC&SEC: I think it is. Usually you get one more go around after you fire both coordinators. Especially if one of them is your son! The Cavaliers don’t have the talent to win the ACC or beat Virginia Tech. That is they key game for Groh. If he can beat VT then he stays, if he doesn’t then he is gone.
TD: Butch Davis seems to have UNC rolling with a highly rated incoming freshman class. Is there enough talent there this year to compete for the Coastal, or are they still a couple of years away? Is T.J. Yates capable of taking them to that next level, and is he 100% healthy to start the season?
ACC&SEC: UNC has the talent to win the Coastal, I am not sure they have the mental toughness and gameday coaching to do it. Yates should be ready to go to start the season. The Tar Heels were minutes away from beating Virginia Tech until Yates got hurt and Mike Paulus came in and threw the game away, literally. This team also beat Georgia Tech last year, but the losses were hard to explain. Next year is UNC’s best chance.
TD: Does Jim Grobe have another magical season in him with Riley Skinner being a senior this year? Who is going to replace all the quality defensive players Wake had last year?
ACC&SEC: It could be in the Atlantic where two games could be the difference between worst and first. The Deacons will have to be really good at getting turnovers and holding onto the ball themselves as they don’t have the talent to beat the top teams. One thing Grobe has done is build depth they have never had at Wake, so while there will be a drop off defensively, it will not be as severe as most think.
Thanks again to the ACC & SEC Blog for taking the time to answer some of our questions on some of the other teams in the conference. Be sure to check them out regularly for all the insight on the games each week.
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