Here we go with the ACC Thread, all lines of communications are open, so what do you have to say??????????

HG, haven't met you yet but good luck on your ACC Thread. Also good luck to your Canes this season. Less than 7 weeks away....Im geeked

Hey wmichskers, thanks for posting. I can't wait for the 2012 college football season to start as well, 2012 this year should be an exciting season, good luck to your Blackshirts as well!!

 

I will start with my annual predicted finish:

Atlantic Division

FSU
NC State
Clemson
WFU
Boston College
Maryland

Coastal Division

UNC
Ga. Tech
Va. Tech
Virginia
Miami
Duke

FSU over Ga. Tech in the ACC Championship game. 

A big part of this is driven by schedule.  NC State doesn't have to play Ga. Tech or Va. Tech and UNC doesn't have to play FSU or Clemson and they get two weeks to prepare for Ga. Tech (who is 5-8 in the Johhnson era when teams have two weeks to prepare for them) and Va, Tech at home.                      

I just want to say, 2 - 13. 

Aw Z_V, have more faith man.  WVU isn't going to be that exposed by the Big 12.

Not a big fan of ESPN's Heather Dinich, but she does point out something that I was opining last year as a problem for the ACC.  Rather than attach the entire link to her blog, I will just paste her section "Longevity Lacking In ACC":

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer was hired for $80,000 in 1987.

Talk about appreciation.
What Beamer has done for his alma mater has been priceless, and colleague Gene Wojciechowski captured Beamer’s value perfectly in his latest column. Beamer represents all that is good in college football and the one thing that has been missing in the ACC -- longevity.

The importance of stability to a program can’t be understated. The only coaches who downplay it are usually the ones who don’t have it. It helps in recruiting. It helps in team and staff chemistry, and it helps in basic knowledge and understanding of the system. Virginia’s Mike London will tell you how important all of those things are after just two seasons. It’s taken five years for NC State coach Tom O’Brien to build better depth through recruiting and position the program for a run at the ACC title. Should David Cutcliffe even have a time limit at Duke?

Fans often wonder why the ACC hasn’t been able to rise above mediocrity in recent years and produce a national champion. Part of that can be attributed to the turnover on the coaching staffs, particularly at the top position. It’s happened at both Florida State and Miami, testing the patience of both fan bases. North Carolina is starting from scratch this year with Larry Fedora. Boston College coach Frank Spaziani enters his fourth season with one of the hottest seats in the country.

Look at the conference as a whole, and you’ll see that entering 2012, more than half of the head coaches (seven) have been at their schools for three years or fewer. There have been five coaching changes in the past three years (at North Carolina, Maryland, Miami, Florida State and Virginia). Wake Forest and Virginia Tech are the only two programs in the league that can really boast longevity, and it’s no coincidence that Jim Grobe and Beamer are two of the nice guys in the business. Their assistants love working for them. There is a sense of loyalty that lacks at other schools.

Beamer has been able to translate that loyalty into eight straight seasons of 10 wins or more. Grobe led the Deacs to the 2006 ACC title, the school’s first league championship since 1970.

Beamer’s tenure at Virginia Tech obviously isn’t the norm, but it should serve as evidence of what stability can do for a program. Beamer couldn’t remember his salary in his first season, but he sure could remember his 2-8-1 record in his sixth. He won nine games the following season.

Some ACC schools haven’t made the best hires in recent years. The turnover is proof of that.

What Virginia Tech and Wake Forest have is unique. It’s not going to be duplicated anytime soon in the ACC. A little more of it, though, could go a long way.

Here’s a look at how long each ACC coach has been at his respective school:

Larry Fedora, North Carolina: Entering first season

Randy Edsall, Maryland: One year

Al Golden, Miami: One year

Jimbo Fisher, Florida State: Two years

Mike London, Virginia: Two years

Frank Spaziani, Boston College: Three years

Dabo Swinney, Clemson: Three years

David Cutcliffe, Duke: Four years

Paul Johnson, Georgia Tech: Four years

Tom O’Brien, NC State: Five years

Jim Grobe, Wake Forest: 11 years

Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech: 25 years

Hey, Super Gnat....thanks for the repost of Dinich's article. She makes a few pretty good points. I've always said the coaching is the defining difference between the ACC and conferences like the Big 12 and the SEC. There is no longevity in the ACC (except for Beamer, of course). I have my doubts about the talent (for lack of a better term) of the coaches, as well. I'll use my boy, Dabo Swinney, as an example. Dabo is a top-notch motivator and one hell of a recruiter (one of the best IN THE COUNTRY). As a coach? Not so much. He needs to learn to make better adjustments and do it a hell of a lot quicker. He also seems to lack a tight gameplan coming into most games. He does "get up" and get it right for the biggies (like VA Tech and Auburn last year), but he lets his team play down to "lesser" teams and he looks like an ass. In short...I LOVE his passion, salesmanship, and motivational skills, but the x's and o's leave something to be desired. But he is learning.

I think most of the ACC teams could make a nearly identical statement about their coaches.
 

Has Grobe really been around 11 years? I'm guessing this is total head coaching experience, not necessarily time at the one school.

Grobe has been at WFU for 11 years.  Prior to that he coached Ohio for 5 years.

I like Dabo as a coach.  He is young and will learn the game day coaching as he goes.  He is the best recruiter in the ACC, and one might argue in the country.  All of that talent will mask a few coaching errors, but over time, I think Clemson is going to be a force nationally if he stays. 

FSU over Ga. Tech in the ACC Championship game. 

You really think GT is going to beat VT this year and end up Coastal champions? Thanks for the vote of confidence but we have never won a game in Blacksburg. I look forward to the Battle of the Techs regardless of who wins, it is always a great game.

That was good super gnat, literally made me chuckle, but unfortunately i was posting the ACC's BCS bowl record, not my prediction for WVU's inaugural season in the B12

I didn't realize Grobe had been there so long. He is a very underrated coach. Gameday talent, as a coach, has a lot to do with being able to do a lot with a little, as the expression goes. Grobe does that very well. Wake may not often be dominant, but they damn sure are always dangerous.

I really like Dabo. He has a "kiss my ass", Danny Ford kind of vibe that you need to have in Tigertown to win. For some reason (and I'm sure some hater will jump on this thread soon enough and tell me why) Clemson has always been a very easy team to hate. I don't know why exactly, but we sure do get a lot of hate. Dabo gets it double because he is so passionate about the school and the area. I don't think Dabo is going anywhere. When (not if, IMHO) his coaching prowess catches up with his recruiting people will REALLY hate playing Clemson. Until then there will be growing pains. I, personally, will be recovering from the Orange Bowl for the next 25 years....but I bet the kids who played in it learned a hell of a lesson. 

In the rest of the ACC.....it seems like NC State is on a serious upswing (great defense). North Carolina will be tough if they can weather the scandal....ditto for Miami. FSU still seems (key word) to be the team to beat in the Atlantic (esp since we have to play them in Doake this year). VA Tech remains the favorite in the Coastal, I think. Don't be surprised if the Cavaliers notch some unusual wins.

And, as always......GO TIGERS 2011 & 2012 ACC Champs!!!    

    

 FSU still seems (key word) to be the team to beat in the Atlantic (esp since we have to play them in Doake this year).

Virginia beat them down in Doak last year. You guys will beat them in Doak this year. FSU hasn't lived up to their hype since the 90's.

That was good super gnat, literally made me chuckle, but unfortunately i was posting the ACC's BCS bowl record, not my prediction for WVU's inaugural season in the B12

When was the last time WVU went undefeated and won the National title?

Several ACC teams have done it more than once.

All in good fun ZV. 

Geneh, the only reason I am not very high on VPI this year is because they have lost so much on offense and their special teams have not been...well...special lately.  They will have a very tough defense, but I think the gimmick offenses that both the Jackets and the Heels are running now could prove to be problematic for the Hokies.  I am not convinced that VPI is going to be able to outscore a high-powered offensive team this year.  In fact, I thought about placing them behind UVA but felt that was too much of a drop.  

 

Well, we'll find out about that in Week 1.

 I think the gimmick offenses that both the Jackets and the Heels are running

What kind of offense are the Heels running?

With the hire of Larry Fedora from Southern Miss, the Heels are switching to an up-tempo spread.  During the Davis years, the Heels would run between 50-60 offensive plays a year.  Fedora wants that number to be 80+.  The Heels also have arguably the best offensive line in the ACC this year with their returning QB (who ran the spread in high school) and starting RB (who rushed for over 1,200 yards last year).  The defense is going to be a question mark, but the offense is going to be fun to watch.

When the Heels and Jackets play, the last one with the ball should win.