Ah Christmas is just around the around the corner, and those lists for the North Pole are getting ready. What does each ACC Football team need from St. Nick and what do we need to make sure they don’t get.
Clemson Tigers
WishList: The Tigers got their Christmas wish early when OC Chad Morris resigned with Clemson. Tiger fans feared the architect of one of the ACC”s best offense might leave for a head coaching position or maybe an assistant coach position at Ohio State, but he’s coming back.
Don’t give them: Please no more stories of Clemson being Clemson, not when you are ACC Champions.
Florida State Seminoles
WishList: To turn the clock back to mid 90s when the Noles were one of the nation’s most feared teams.
Don’t give them: Anymore pre-season hype. Jimbo Fisher is moving this program in the right direction, but it won’t happen overnight. The expectations were too high this year.
North Carolina State Wolfplack
WishList: Life after Russel Wilson. This is like when you see that bike wrapped up. It looks like a bike it feels like a bike, but you just don’t know till you open it up. The Pack’s late season surge along with the play of QB Mike Glennon sure make it seems like the Wolfpack are going to be alright.
Don’t give them: Injury Riddled lineups. The Wolfpack were like a MASH unit most of this year, but hung tough to get to a bowl game.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons
WishList: Did you ever have that Christmas where you wanted something so bad, and then you got it? After that nothing else was ever as good, so Christmas was never quite the same. The Deacs won the 2006 ACC Title, and it won’t ever get better than that.
Don’t give them: A lack of respect. While the magic of 2006 repeating is a stretch, don’t ever doubt that Wake Forest can beat you.
Boston College Eagles
WishList: An elite quarterback. Chase Rettig still has time to develop, but when you 99th out the top 100 QBs in pass efficiency rating, the days of Matt Ryan are long gone.
Don’t give them: Any feel good stories about head coach Frank Spaziani. If Eagle fans could fire Spaziani themselves they would.
Maryland Terrapins
WishList: A complete do over to the 2011 season, after the game 1 win over Miami. Randy Edsall’s first year in College Park was an unmitigated disaster.
Don’t give them: Player transfer forms. As the exodus continues from Maryland, maybe those forms ought to be hidden.
Virginia Tech Hokies
WishList: A top 15 recruiting class. If the Hokies are ever to compete again for a National Tile, they need find a way to put a couple of great classes together.
Don’t give them: Doubt that they won’t compete for an ACC Title and/or win 10 games. I may knock the Hokies failure to break into elite college football’s status, but that’s only because they’ve been so consistently good.
North Carolina Tar Heels
WishList: A college basketball national title… even on a football wish list.
Don’t give them: Hope that the football team will be relevant anytime soon. Butch Davis until his departure was bringing in quality talent and Heel fans thought they were ready to be an ACC Title contender. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
WishList: A Tommie Frazier like quarterback. Frazier made the mid 90s Nebraska offenses among the most unstoppable in college football the last 20 years, and it was a thing of beauty. Josh Nesbitt was a leader but a limited passer, and Tevin Washington gives maximum effort, but is only an average runner. It would be something to see a great option QB run things at Georgia Tech.
Don’t give them: Criticism for running the triple option. It has worked and will continue to work at a BCS Level. Like any offense you just need players.
Miami Hurricanes:
WishList: The Hurricanes want to turn the clock back more than Florida State.
Don’t give them: Any reason to think they might win an ACC Title in the next 5 years. With an impending NCAA investigation, there is the possibility of program crippling sanctions. The ability to win big is still there at Miami, but it could be years away.
Virginia Cavaliers
WishList: A win over Virginia Tech. The Cavs have lost 8 straight and 12 of the last 13 games to the Hokies, with only one of the losses decided by single digits. I’ve gotten to know some of the Virginia Tech and Virginia Fans, and trust me this an intense rivalry. Virginia desperately wants to beat Virginia Tech.
Don’t give them: One hit wonder status. The Cavaliers came within one game of appearing in the ACC Title Game and winning the Coastal Division, but this isn’t just a one year fluke. With Mike London at the helm Virginia is going to continue to improve. They just happened to be a year ahead of schedule.
Duke Blue Devils
WishList: A Jared Sullinger type to play power forward. Duke’s basketball team is well coached but they are limited athletically inside, and you thought UNC fans didn’t care much about football. They are Alabama football fans compared to Duke’s football fanbase.
Don’t give them: a win over your ACC team. Losing an ACC football game to the Duke Blue Devils can pretty much ruin a season.
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