Today we’re debuting what will be a weekly Tuesday feature here on TerrapinTrail.com, ACC football power rankings as voted on by members of our staff.
As always comments and rational debate are encouraged.
1. Virginia Tech (Unanimous selection): Beamer Ball + the Wild Turkey formation – Darren Evans = Continued ACC dominance- Eric Detweiler
2. Florida State: Okay, the NCAA may force the Seminoles to forfeit 14 wins as punishment for an academic scandal. But rather than a distraction, I see this as motivation for the ‘Noles to get coach Bobby Bowden back atop the mount in career coaching victories, Joe Paterno be damned! – Michael Katz
3. Georgia Tech: Last season’s win over Georgia was no fluke, and Jonathan Dwyer could be a Heisman candidate by season’s end. – Jakob Engelke
4. North Carolina: Tar Heel quarterback T.J. Yates was injured in an Ultimate Frisbee game earlier this year. And coach Butch Davis expects him to hang in the pocket and take hits from large men in helmets? - Eric Detweiler
5. Clemson: Don’t laugh, but the Tigers could wind up higher. They quietly made some progress under Dabo Swinney after last year’s abysmal start and with more realistic expectations to start ‘09, Clemson could win the Atlantic Division, albeit a season later than they were supposed to. – Aaron Kraut
6. Miami: This year Randy Shannon knows Georgia Tech likes to run the ball. – Eric Detweiler
7. N.C. State: We know Tom O’Brien can coach. We know Russell Wilson can play quarterback. Other than those two factors there’s not much else to justify some of the hype (Atlantic Division champions?!?!) the Wolfpack is getting. They’re a solid seven to eight-win team. – Aaron Kraut
8. Wake Forest: Although the defense is shaky heading into the season, Riley Skinner has the most wins by a quarterback in school history. – Jakob Engelke
9. Maryland: Thanks to a strict offseason regimen, Ralph Friedgen dropped 3.5 pounds for each senior he lost off last year’s team. – Eric Detweiler
10. Boston College: Rumor: The New York Jets recently contacted new BC coach Frank Spaziani “just to be funny.” Former Eagles’ boss Jeff Jagodzinski was the only one who laughed. – Eric Detweiler
11. Virginia: As a punishment for his team’s wild incosistency in 2008, the Wahoos allowed Al Groh to stay another year. – Eric Detweiler
12. Duke: This is the year Duke is supposed to make a bowl game – just like last year and the year before and probably the year before that. Nobody’s doubting this will be the Blue Devils’ best team in a while. Still, I’ll believe it when I see it. – Aaron Kraut