The ACC took it on the field and in the polls during week one.
Clemson was the only ACC team that lost and did not plummet in the various top 25 polls. Guess that’s because the Tigers and Georgia Bulldogs were equally inept at moving the football. Not a single offensive touchdown the entire game?
UNC dropped from No. 9 or No. 10 to 24th or 25th, depending on which poll you looked at. Virginia Tech jumped from unranked and a coach under fire to No. 19 and a new co-favorite with Miami and Virginia to win the ACC Coastal. Carolina will have to fight back in.
Sure, there were upsets and surprises all over college football, which should be expected the first week when teams are rated more for their records last year and recruits they signed over the summer.
Second-ranked Oklahoma nearly suffered one of the worst upsets in history before beating Tulane. No. 11 Oregon had to rally to slip Fresno State. UCL A, which wasn’t ranked, beat No. 16 LSU, which should not be ranked this week. No. 20 Washington lost to Montana!
Best news for the ACC was Florida State barely losing to No. 9 Notre Dame in overtime. The Seminoles need to be back in the national picture to help the league’s reputation. Georgia Tech, which got the second-most off-season hype behind Carolina, lost to Northern Illinois. Ouch! Louisville didn’t help, getting smoked by Ole Miss. And Duke, which blew out UNC-Charlotte last year, lost to the 49ers 31-28.
Oh, brother, the ACC is back to being known as a basketball conference, even though the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC are all better in both sports. When N.C. State blows out terrible South Florida, Wake Forest routs Old Dominion; BC clobbers Colgate; Pitt pummels UMass; and Virginia waxes William & Mary, there isn’t much to brag about.
Mack Brown is right that the polls shouldn’t start until midway through the season and be based on the first six or seven games. The Tar Heels weren’t the ninth- or tenth-best team in the country, and now Virginia Tech gets credit for beating a top 10er.
And in one basketball poll, Hubert Davis was the 15th best coach in the ACC. I don’t know where Hubert starts, but its’ not at the bottom of the league.
Photo via Associated Press/Karl B. DeBlaker
Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees. You can support local journalism and our mission to serve the community. Contribute today – every single dollar matters.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Comments on Chapelboro are moderated according to our Community Guidelines