2009 College Football Preview: ACC

The Conference Previews Continue: ACC
Format: Returning Starters/Top Returning Players/Recruiting Class-Impact Newcomer/Quick Fact/Toughest Non-Conference Game


Altantic:
1. Florida State - It's been a while since the Seminoles have dominated the ACC but due to the lack of talent in this conference of late they have continued to be one of the top teams. With all the off field issues and scandals swirling around, there are players on the team competing in 2009. 13 starters return (8 on offense, 5 on defense). QB Christian Ponder has been making strides behind center and will only be a junior. His legs are one of his biggest assets and should help him escape trouble. All 5 offensive linemen return, however, so Ponder may not need to use his legs as much. Last year, freshman RB Jermaine Thomas burst on to the scene out of seemingly no where to ignite what had been a stagnant FSU running attack. He should only improve with his entire O-line back. Big WRs Greg Carr and Corey Surrency are lost to graduation but the Noles do bring back a few playmakers like Preston Parker. 7 starters are gone from the FSU defense but it's almost always reload not rebuild. Sophomore LB Nigel Bradham learned the ropes last season playing as a true freshman and should be ready to be the next great Florida State linebacker. He will be joined by a few others in the front 7 but 3/4 of the secondary have departed. In the case of a few other teams, losing a majority of the secondary as well as your pass rushing defensive ends may prove too costly to recover from. DE Everette Brown was one of the best sack-men in the game last season and has since taken his talent to the NFL. Rhodes scholarship winning SS Myron Rolle also left but to attend Oxford University in England for academics. The 18th ranked recruiting class of FSU brings in 2 safety's who should both compete for playing time in the secondary (Willie Downs/JaJuan Harley). This season Florida State travels to Gainesville in the annual rivalry against Florida. In addition though they also go to one of the toughest places to play in Provo, Utah vs BYU as well as welcoming in South Florida to Tallahassee.

2. North Carolina State - The Wolfpack made incredible strides last season and finished as one of the hottest in the country. True freshman QB Russell Wilson asserted himself into the starting role and never looked back. A dangerous playmaker with both his legs and arm saw him earn All-ACC honors. He is part of 8 starters back on offense, including their top 3 WRs. On defense 7 staters return, 5 of which are apart of the front 7. Ray Michel should be the leader on defense. 4-star OG Denzelle Good, part of the 39th ranked recruiting class, may be counted on to play immediately in lieu of some departures on the O-line. NC State welcomes Big East contender Pitt to Raleigh this season which should be a very good matchup. They also get South Carolina at home which is very beneficial to such a young team. Undoubtedly NC State will be a fun and exciting team to watch in 2009.

3. Boston College - Since joining the ACC in 2005 they have never won less than 9 games. It may be difficult to continue that trend this season will the loss of a quite a few key players. Head Coach Jeff Jagodzinski was fired after speaking with some NFL teams about possible jobs. 14 starters are back (7 on O, 7 on D). All-ACC OT Anthony Castonzo leads 4/5 O-linemen returning which should be the strength of the offense. Sophomore QB Dominique Davis was thrown into the fire last season when the original starter broke his collarbone; he should benefit from the experience. ACC Defensive Player of the Year LB Mark Herzlich will return for his senior season and lead the defense. He will need to play even better than last season with the loss of the starting DTs to the NFL (BJ Raji and Ron Brace). An unimpressive 81st ranked recruiting class is typical of BC who generally develops their players rather than sees them play early. One player who may need to play early though is DT Dillion Quinn. Quinn may be counted on to play as I said because of the loss of the DTs. BC should profit from their weak non-conference schedule as their only tough game should be their annual rivalry at Notre Dame.

4. Clemson - Clemson has been the trendy pick for ACC and National Titles for the past 3 or 4 seasons only to see them choke and fall into mediocrity. Despite returning 16 starters (7 on O, 9 on D), I have the Tigers 4th because of that very fact. RB CJ Spiller has returned for his senior season. Spiller is one of the most dynamic, exciting, blazing RBs in America and without having to split the load with departed senior James Davis, Spiller may make even more big plays. At the same time, however, Davis was part of the Tigers 1-2 punch at RB and QB Cullen Harper is gone as well as career leading WR Aaron Kelly. 4/5 of the O-line do return and that will help Spiller and whoever steps in at QB, which will be up for grabs. Defensively this unit should be very strong. Sophomore DE Da'Quan Bowers will continue the tradition of top-notch DE coming out of Clemson. He is part of 6/7 of the front 7 returning as well as 3/4 of the secondary comes back. The Tigers always have a ton of speed and hopefully will be able to put it to use this season. An uncharacteristic 42nd ranked recruiting class didn't produce as many big name players as usual, but 5-star QB Tahj Boyd is very athletic and should jump right into the QB battle. Along with traveling to South Carolina for the annual Textile Bowl, Clemson welcomes in "mid-major" powerhouse TCU to Death Valley. With teams like TCU, Boise State, and Utah complaining about not being considered for national championships, it's this kind of game that can be used to prove why they should be, so expect TCU to bring it all in this one.

5. Wake Forest - The Demon Deacons bring back 13 starters (9 on O, 4 on D). With 9 starters on offense coming back you may expect big things but that number can be very deceiving. QB Riley Skinner had an outstanding freshman season a few years ago but hasn't been able to get back onto that level. All 5 O-linemen return, which is a huge help, but last year's ACC receptions leader has graduated. Skinner will need to be very good for Wake to continue its recent success and bowl appearances. DT Boo Robinson will be returning to lead an extremely inexperienced defense. 3/4 of the D-line comes back but the departure of ACC Defensive Player of the Year LB Aaron Curry and the other 2 LBs as well as 3/4 of the secondary, including ACC Career Interception Leader CB Alphonso Smith, will be a massive task to overcome. 56th ranked recruiting class brings in a pair of LBs who could see some PT immediately due to the gaping holes (Justin Jackson/Daniel Mack). Wake will play an okay schedule with Baylor coming into Winston-Salem as well as what has turned into a rivalry @ Navy.

6. Maryland - The Terps only have 10 returning starters in 09. 6 of which are on offense, which will be led by RB Da'Rel Scott. Scott rushed for over 1,000 yards last season and has a nice blend of size and speed. 3 year starter QB Chris Turner will provide leadership and stability to the O. Only 2/5 of the O-line are back and the top 2 WRs are gone. The #28 recruiting class brings in 4-star OG Pete White who could earn time on the depleted line. LB Alex Wujciak will be returning from knee surgery to lead what will inevitably be a young, inexperienced defense. 6/7 of the front 7 are gone and that tends to be the heart of the D. That defense may get exposed early on whe they travel to Cal to face the Bears. Maryland also welcomes Rutgers into College Park.


Coastal:
1. Virginia Tech - Frank Beamer returns to Blackburg as one of the most seasoned coaches in the country. Junior QB Tyrod Taylor was originally supposed to be redshirted last season but the erratic play at the position forced Beamer to play his young, athetlic QB early. Taylor is part of 9 starters returning on offense, inlcuding All-ACC sophomore RB Darren Evans who turned heads his freshman season. The top 3 WRs are back as well as quarterback-turned-tight end Greg Boone. The 41st ranked recruiting class brings in the #2 overall TE Logan Thomas who may provide even more help to Taylor. 7 are back on defense that normally is one of the best units in the nation. DE Jason Worilds was All-ACC and should continue his dominance on the line. 3/4 of the secondary return but All-ACC CB Victor Harris is gone to the NFL. Virginia Tech will represent the ACC this season in their early season battle in Atlanta vs Alabama. Nebraska comes into Lane Stadium this season and the Hokies also travel to East Carolina to exact revenge for the Pirates stunning upset @ VT last season.

2. Georgia Tech - The entire option backfield returns, 9 starters overall, for Paul Johnson's offense. B-Back Jonathan Dwyer, who was All-ACC as well as led the conference in rushing, will be the work horse again. Lucas Cox and Roddy Jones also are back as the 2 A-Backs along side Dwyer. Shifty QB Josh Nesbitt will have another year of the compicated offense under his belt and should be even better. WR Demaryius Thomas is a stud on the outside despite GT relying heavily on the run. 3/5 of the O-line return to anchor the option attack. 7 are back on defense for the Ramblin Wreck. All-ACC S Morgan Burnett will anchor the secondary where all 4 starters are back. All 3 LBs also return but only 1 of the D-linemen. The 36th best recruiting class brings in DT JC Lanier who could fill a void in the middle of the D-line. The annual Georgia rivalry game has the Bulldogs coming to GT this season but the Yellow Jackets go on the road to face 2 rising SEC programs, Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.

3. North Carolina - Butch Davis has taken this program and made it a legitmate national contender. The Tar Heels returns 15 starters (6 on O, 9 on D). Davis is also one of the best recruiters in the country (#6 recruiting class). The offense loses a lot as their top 3 WRs have all departed. RB Shaun Draughn will be counted on as the workhorse and should get plenty of carries. The UNC defense will definitely be the side of the ball that wins them games. 3/4 of the secondary return, led by All-ACC CB Kendric Burney, that led the entire nation in interceptions. 6/7 of the front 7 also come back and LB Bruce Davis was a monster playing the outside spot. That 6th ranked recruiting class should provide some help at WR with 4-star Jheranie Boyd coming in. #1 DE Dante Moss also comes onto campus and should get early PT. UNC travles north to play @ UConn as well as hosting surprising mid-major East Carolina.

4. Miami - One of the youngest teams in the nation could really turn some heads if their freshmen and sophomores are able to grow up quicker than expected. 16 players are back (8 on O, 8 on D). QB Jacory Harris will lead an offense that will be very young but also extremely talented. RB Duo of Graig Cooper and Javarris James are back as well as a trio of sophomore WRs led by the uber-talented Aldarius Johnson. 3/5 of the O-line are also back and may be the only weak point. Defensively it was freshman LB Sean Spence who burst onto the scene and dominated. 5/7 of the front 7 are back as well as 3/4 of the secondary. Spence will lead one of the fastest, youngest defenses in the country. If this unit is able to avoid mistakes made by inexperience then I wouldn't be surprised to see Miami finish higher than 4th. The 24th ranked recruiting class brings in OT Jermaine Johnson who could fill in one of the vacant O-line spots. This young team will get tested very early when they travel to Norman to face one of the best teams in the country, Oklahoma. South Florida will make the trip down to South Beach as Miami hosts the Bulls.

5. Virginia - UVA has surprisingly been a pro factory as of late and that has ultimately hurt the Cavaliers losing so much talent. 14 starters are back (8 on O, 6 on D). QB Jameel Sewell is very athletic and can make plays but the top 3 WRs are gone. 4/5 of the O-line are back but the only one missing was top-10 draft pick OT Eugene Monroe. The 49th ranked recruiting class brings in OT Morgan Moses who could see PT where Monroe left. DE Matt Conrath will lead the defense where the D-line will be the strength. 3/4 LBs are gone as well as 2/4 of the secondary. Like Clemson, Virginia also hosts TCU this season and you can expect the Horned Frogs to bring their A game. UVA also travles to Southern Miss in what will be a good matchup.

6. Duke - 2nd year Head Coach David Cutcliffe has this team on the rise winning 4 games last season; that was the same amount as the 4 previous years. The only reason the Blue Devils are 6th is because they only bring back 7 total starters (4 on O, 3 on D). QB Thaddeus Lewis has been the starter since his freshman year. He is very experienced and will only get better working for a 2nd year with QB wizard Cutcliffe. 4-star RB Desmond Scott is the jewel of the 52nd ranked recruiting class and should contribute immediately. DT Vince Oghobaase is an NFL prospect who skipped the draft to return to Durham for his senior year. He will anchor what will probably be the most inexperienced defense in the country. Only 2/5 of the O-line return, 2/7 of the front 7, and 1/4 of the secondary. As if times weren't hard enough, this season will be even more challenging. A soft non-conference schedule only has Duke traveling to Kansas to take on the Jayhawks.