Seriously, is it basketball season yet?
It was an embarrassing Saturday (and Thursday) of football for the ACC. In only one weekend of football, this conference showed they are not ready for the big time. Forget being mentioned in the same breath as the SEC or the Big-12, the ACC didn’t even live up to the standards of the Subdivision. In fact, the ACC went 1-2 against the CAA conference. I don’t even know what the hell “CAA” stands for.
Combined, the ACC went a pathetic 4-6 this week. Those four wins? They were against Middle Tennessee State, Jacksonville State, Northeastern and the Citadel.
North Carolina State lost to South Carolina, 7-3
The Wolfpack, a possible sleeper in the ACC, produced only 133 total yards on 56 plays on Thursday, proving yet again…oh, what’s the point?
Duke lost to Richmond, 24-16
In front of the largest home crowd since 2001, the Blue Devils, who were actually talking about a bowl game this summer, lost to a subdivision school. Duke ran the ball for 19 yards (on 12 carries). This one wasn’t even as close as the score indicates, as Duke trailed by 15 with under three minutes left in the game.
Virginia lost to William & Mary, 24-14
So much for that new spread offense. Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell, complete 12 passes, but unfortunately three were to B.W. Webb, the 5-11, 160-pound CB for the Tribe. The final “completion” to Webb was the decider, as he returned it for a touchdown, giving his team a 12-point lead with under three minutes left on the clock.
Wake Forest lost to Baylor, 24-21
Well, at least Baylor is a Division I school. A year after beating the Bears 41-13 in Texas, the Demon Deacons were pushed around by a team that’s won 25 games over the last seven years.
Maryland lost to (12) California, 45-13 (when I stopped paying attention)
The Terps didn’t lose to the Golden Bears, they were humiliated by the Golden Bears. California treated Maryland like a subdivision tune up, dismantling them by halftime, 31-6. Remember, theTerps beat California last year in Maryland.
(7) Virginia Tech lost to (5) Alabama, 34-24
Despite the defeat, the Hokies were probably the ACC’s best team of the week, holding a 17-16 lead into the fourth quarter. Still, offensively, Virginia Tech was a joke. Yes, the Bama defense is stunningly good, but the Hokies only managed 155 total yards. I lay the blame squarely on quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s shoulders. I get it, you want to be a passing quarterback, but you’re a dual-threat QB, which means you’re suppose to pass AND run. The way to breakdown a solid D that’s playing mostly man-defense is to having a scrambling QB wrecking havoc. Taylor scrambled out only once all game (producing 14 yards). He should have been doing that all game, instead of trying to be Dan freaking Marino.
As for the wins in the league, there isn’t much to really brag about.
Boston College beat Northeastern, 54-0
If they beat Northwestern, that would be something, but the Huskies are not only a subdivision team, they’re a bad subdivision team, winning only two games all of last year.
(15) Georgia Tech beat Jacksonville State, 37-17
You know I lived in Jacksonville for a year and didn’t even know this school existed. Tech did rush for 355 yards, but only a 20-point win?
(21) North Carolina beat the Citadel, 40-3
Let’s see where we stand. Carolina whips an over-matched Citadel by 37 points. That seems impressive until you realize the last game the Citadel played, they lost to Florida by 51. BTW, what kind of school schedules their last game of the season against Florida (last year)? Thanks for playing for our school, enjoy your beating in the Swamp.That’s cold, man.
Clemson over Middle Tennessee State, 37-14
Sadly, this was the most impressive win of the week in the ACC (at least until Miami and Florida State face off). Sure the Red Raiders won only five games last year, but they did beat Maryland.