ACC Atlantic Division Pre-Season Football Roundtable – Part 1

Good evening fromall of us at All Sports Discussion.  We’re happy to have @saintwarrick,  @CUBOSCO, and@BCHysteria give their thoughts on the upcoming 2012 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football season.Please see their bios below:

• @saintwarrick: Jeff is a Florida State graduate (c/o 2000) who spreads his absurdity via Twitter, urban graffiti and airplane banners.
• @CUBOSCO: James Bostic, is a lifelong Tiger fan and 2005 graduate of Clemson currently residing in Virginia.
• @BCHysteria:  A.J Black. Boston College born and bred. Writer and editor over at a little blog called BC Interruption.  Really doesn’t have much patience for Frank Spaziani.

Now that we’ve introduced you to our blogger panelists, let’s get started with some of their thoughts in our second annual ACC Atlantic Division preseason panel!!!

Which team will win the ACC Atlantic Division?

@saintwarrick: Hate to be all homer, but I’ll take the ’Noles. They get Clemson at home, and two of their Coastal opponents — Duke and Miami — will not be threats this season. Hopefully the Noles can get over their Wake Forest yips as the Deacs visit Tallahassee, where FSU enjoys a comfortable one-game home winning streak against Wake. N.C. State will be the toughest intra-division road game, and the Noles did lose there last time around, so the Noles had better be alert.

@CUBOSCO: If Florida State does not win the Atlantic something is just plain wrong for the same reasons listed above. The schedule lines up beautifully for FSU. Clemson has won in Tallahassee once since 1989. Over the last five seasons the winner of the FSU-Clemson game has gone on to win the Atlantic, and I would expect that to be the case this fall. If the Nole defensive line is half as good as people say it is, they are likely to win the division rather comfortably. FSU needs to keep EJ Manuel healthy. If Jimbo ever finds a running back, all bets are off. Outside of the Noles doing the unthinkable it is hard not seeing them in Charlotte in December.

@BCHysteria:  Noles. They have a schedule created to win, and will cost through the conference. No questions here.

Who is the best player in the ACC Atlantic Division?

@saintwarrick: EJ Manuel still has a lot to prove, not to mention even staying healthy for 12 games. Tajh Boyd is in the right offense and will put up some Playstation numbers this year, and he’s my pick for ACC player of the year. But as for “best player,” the No. 1 choice is Sammy Watkins, a freak at his position and impossible to account for. But I think Boyd (because stats are pretty for voters and Watkins will miss his first two games) will be ACC POY.

@CUBOSCO: Sammy Watkins will avoid the sophomore slump after his two game suspension, the kid is on another level of good. He has already added himself to the list of dynamic athletes to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. While it may be difficult for him to put up the same type of numbers as last season, he is the guy on the field that will keep ACC defensive coordinators up late as they prepare for the 2012 edition of the Clemson offense.

@BCHysteria: Sammy Watkins. When he isn’t busy getting suspended for being a moron, he is easily the most talented wide receiver in the ACC since Calvin Johnson. He is a matchup nightmare, and with Tajh Boyd throwing him the ball he is going to be an impact player this season.

Who is a dark horse team that could win the ACC Atlantic Division?

@saintwarrick: The division will come down to FSU and Clemson, but N.C. State has Mike Glennon, an offensive line with three seniors and two juniors and a nice collection of running backs. I doubt the Pack will win the Atlantic, but … no one ever gets this division right. Uh oh. Welp, congrats to the ’Pack.

@CUBOSCO: N.C. State is a team that gets left out of the conversation while people talk about Florida State and Clemson. Sean Glennon returns after taking over for Russell Wilson. I am excited to see if Mustafa Green can work his way back into the good graces of the coaching staff, after sitting out last season and then having a Sammy Watkins moment of his own this spring. At corner for the Wolf Pack David Amerson is a beast. I hope the rest of the country will get a chance to see how talented he is when State takes on Tennessee. Injuries have plagued this team since Tom O’brien’s arrival in Raleigh. If they can keep the injury bug out of Raleigh they could be in the hunt in November.

@BCHysteria: Boston College. Doug Martin fixes the offense, Chase Rettig finds out the true meaning of being a college quarterback, and the defense returns to smash mouth football. Couple that with the mysterious disappearances of Mike Glennon, EJ Manuel and Tahj Boyd and I think the Eagles have a legitimate chance at winning the Atlantic.  [@HokieGuru Editor’s Note: LOL]

Final thoughts on the ACC Atlantic Division?

@saintwarrick: Florida State is the team of destiny … again. Their experience and a little bit better injury luck should bring the division title back to Tallahassee for the second time in three years. Clemson’s offense should be scary, but how fast can they adapt to Brent Venables’ new defense? N.C. State has some good pieces back,and were this any other year, might be the pick to win the division. But if they haven’t done it yet … ? Wake is the best coached team in the league, but that’s about it. BC should be spending the next five months narrowing their coaching search. If things go badly again, Maryland might join them.

@CUBOSCO: As much as I like the Clemson offense, the lack of experience will hamper this team, especially early in the season, combined with being razor thin along the defensive front, it is going to be hard for the Tigers to repeat as division champs. I feel like FSU is the blind squirrel that will finally find its nut. If not, things could be uncomfortable for Jimbo. NC State has to stay healthy, not much else to say about them. Wake is going to be a thorn in people’s side, they do all the little things very well and make teams play for 60 mins. Boston College should be better but I am afraid the horse has left the barn in Chestnut Hill and the Spaz will be looking for work at the end of the season. It is imperative NC State and Clemson win the first weekend in Atlanta. This speaks for not only the Atlantic Division but the conference as a whole. Two Atlantic Division teams have a chance to serve a beaker of shut the hell up at the end of the month. It could serve as a primer of good things to come throughout the 2012 season.

@BCHysteria: FSU is going to run away with this division, unless they start doing FSU things. I am not sold on NC State, mostly because they are coached by Tom O’Brien who loves to fall on his face when given a chance to succeed, and Clemson is Clemson. Maryland is the pits, Wake is a nice story, and I have no idea what to expect from the Eagles.

Which team will win the ACC?

@saintwarrick: Contrary to popular belief, FSU fans have pointed to 2012 as the year of fulfilled expectations, and there are no excuses left in Tallahassee’s bottomless trough of excuses. This is the year. This is the schedule. You have a senior QB, experienced backs, great receiving corps, nation’s best defensive front four … the list goes on. Win 10 games, the ACC Atlantic and grab a win in Charlotte or go home and become a basketball school.

@CUBOSCO: Florida State will face off with Virginia Tech in a rematch game in Charlotte. The game will be a bad case of deja vu for Hokie fans as they watch Florida State hoisting the trophy in December.

@BCHysteria: Florida State will win the Atlantic; Frank Beamer and his Hokies will win the Coastal.  Florida State will defeat Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship.

We thank @saintwarrick @CUBOSCO and @BCHysteria for their participation in this panel!!!

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