ACC, you're not worthy

[War Wagon]

Good read from Jason King

ACC: You’re not worthy
By Jason King, Yahoo! Sports
Nov 15, 2008 11:37 pm EST


COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Someone is going to have a beef. A good one.

Whether it’s Utah or Ball State, TCU or Brigham Young, there’s going to be a group of football players from a non-BCS conference watching the Orange Bowl from their couch on New Year’s Day, steaming mad that an ACC team is there instead of their own.

They’ll be right, of course.

The ACC school that receives the league’s automatic berth in the Orange Bowl won’t deserve it. Not after a season in which the conference’s image has taken a hit thanks to a roster of run-of-the-mill teams, all of whom would lose – or at least struggle mightily – against the aforementioned schools from the MAC and Mountain West.

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The perfect example of the ACC’s mediocrity occurred Saturday, when 17th-ranked North Carolina became the latest league squad to wet itself when a victory would’ve all but clinched the Tar Heels a spot in the league title game Dec. 6 in Tampa, Fla.

Instead, Butch Davis’ team failed to score a second-half touchdown and missed a 28-yard field goal in a 17-15 road loss to Maryland.

“There are a lot of kids in our locker room right now that are hurting,” Davis said, “but there is still a lot to play for.”

Of course there is. You never know which team will be the next to choke.

Virginia Tech did it Thursday night, when it all but eliminated itself from the conference title race by losing 16-14 to Miami. Virginia has lost two straight after starting 3-1 in league play. Wake Forest sat atop the conference’s Atlantic Division before falling to last-place North Carolina State on Saturday. Later, No. 20 Florida State failed at home against Boston College.

Now Maryland may be the next in line to gag.

Will the Terrapins win their last two and secure a spot in the Dec. 6 title game? Or will they ruin their chances with a home loss to Florida State next week in a contest that Ralph Friedgen labeled “one of the biggest games we’ve [ever] had here.”

“Most of the other conferences, you already know who’s going to be in their championship game,” Maryland receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. “With the ACC, you don’t know who’s going to win. One week it’s one team, the next week it’s another. The ACC is exciting right now. It’s the best thing to watch on television.”

Speak for yourself, Darrius.

Saturday’s North Carolina-Maryland game might have been one of the least-exciting two-point games in recent history. Overthrown passes, errant snaps and dropped interceptions were among the foibles. Byrd Stadium had the energy of a Tupperware party as Maryland went seven consecutive possessions without a score until kicking the game-winning field goal with 1:42 remaining.

Even those in the press box couldn’t help but chuckle at the buffoonery. When someone clapped after a Maryland first down, the in-house public address announcer stressed that there was to be “no cheering in the press box.”

“How about booing?” one reporter asked. “Can we boo?”

“What about snoring?” another one asked. “Is that allowed?”

It might not be at Maryland – but it should be at the Orange Bowl, which could turn rotten if the ACC representative ends up playing a team from the Big 12.

Last year’s game saw Virginia Tech lose to a pedestrian Kansas squad that’s since been exposed thanks to a tougher schedule. But this year the opponent could end up being Texas Tech, Texas or Oklahoma. That, folks, could be ugly.

Not that an ACC guy would ever admit it.

“I don’t think the league is down,” Maryland defensive tackle Mack Frost said. “I feel we’re as good as any league out there … the SEC, the Big Ten or whoever.

“It’s just that we have more parity, more teams that can beat each other. Most people don’t understand that. They just look at how we don’t have any teams in the top 10. But it’s hard to get in the top 10 in this league because there are so many people that can beat each other.”

Actually, it’s tough to even get into the rankings. North Carolina and Florida State were the conference’s only ranked teams in last week’s Associated Press poll. Both will likely fall out this week, with Maryland standing a decent chance to break in.

The Terrapins boast the ACC’s signature win of the season – a Sept. 13 victory over Cal. But, true to ACC form, Maryland has also lost to Middle Tennessee State.

“There are a lot of schools,” Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin said after Saturday’s game, “that would love to be 7-3 right now.”

And most of them probably would be if they played in the ACC.

[Goober McTuber]

Meatgrinder II.

[Mr T]

ACC doesnt have a frontrunner but it has made for some entertaining games. I think on average games are decided by 10 points or less.

The ACC already has 8 bowl eligible teams with the other four still able to get bowl eligible. Plus the top 8 are still able to get into the championship game.

Conferences vs BCS Schools
ACC 11-6 vs BCS conferences/teams. The ACC has played every major BCS conference team and ND.
Big 10 7-7 vs BCS conferences/teams. The Big 10 didn't have a matchup with the SEC.
Big XII 7-8 vs BCS conferences/teams. The Big XII didn't have any matchups with Notre Dame
Big East 8-8 vs BCS conferences/teams. The Big East didn't have any matchups with the Pac-10
SEC 4-5 vs BCS Conferences/teams. The SEC didn't have any matchups with the Big 10 or Notre Dame.
Pac-10 5-8 vs BCS Conferences/Teams. The Pac-10 didn't play the Big East.

Wow the only conference to play ever major BCS conference and have a winning record. Such a surprise you wont hear that on Gameday or CFB Live.

We will find out a lot about the ACC when Clemson plays SC, FSU plays the gaytors, and GT plays UGA.

I agree. The ACC probably doesnt deserve a BCS game unless it makes it to the Top 15 at least. Should be a rule.

[War Wagon]

ACC 11-6 vs BCS conferences/teams. The ACC has played every major BCS conference team and ND.

Big XII 7-8 vs BCS conferences/teams. The Big XII didn't have any matchups with Notre Dame.

Games involving Baylor, ATM, Ioway State, Kansas State, and Colorado don't count. None of them will have a shot at a Bowl, much less a BCS bowl. So what's the record then, stat guy?

And what's with Notre Dame qualifier? Who gives a fuck if you played ND?

The ACC probably doesnt deserve a BCS game unless it makes it to the Top 15 at least. Should be a rule.

At least you got that right.

[TheChief]

ACC 11-6 vs BCS conferences/teams. The ACC has played every major BCS conference team and ND.

Big XII 7-8 vs BCS conferences/teams. The Big XII didn't have any matchups with Notre Dame.

Games involving Baylor, ATM, Ioway State, Kansas State, and Colorado don't count. None of them will have a shot at a Bowl, much less a BCS bowl. So what's the record then, stat guy?

And what's with Notre Dame qualifier? Who gives a fuck if you played ND?

The ACC probably doesnt deserve a BCS game unless it makes it to the Top 15 at least. Should be a rule.

At least you got that right.

Wait a second..your point is to bring attention to the mediocre shit conference that is the ACC this year...yet you try to tell T that he can't count the shit Big 12 teams that got their ass handed to them by that same shit ass worthless ACC conference? Not sure I follow your logic?

[War Wagon]

Simple, Chief...

the XII has half a tier of shit teams, the ACC one entire tier of shit teams. :wink:

[TheChief]

Simple, Chief...

the XII has half a tier of shit teams, the ACC one entire tier of shit teams. :wink:

This is true! Doesn't help your point...but it is true! Acc is hard to watch this year. Especially after last Saturday watching Boston College dominate FSU.

[Screw_Michigan]

Mr. T is right on. I've been watching the All-Cunt Conference regularly this year and some of the best games I've seen have been out of the league: FSU-Miami and ND-UNC just to name a few. Although Wake-MD wasn't exactly a close game, it was pretty damn exciting to watch. Might not be any dominant programs, but they've all been pretty good games to watch, for the most part.

[War Wagon]

Hey - the ACC is still better than the fuckless Pac1 for fuck's sakes! :D

Now there's a vote of confidence.

Can we send U$C to the Orange Bowl instead?

[campinfool]

I don't get the ACC. Adding Va Tech, BC, and Miami seemd like a sure way to build a kick ass conference, but then everyone took a nose dive. They may suck this year, but the saem things have been said about the Big East and they fared pretty well in recent bowl seasons. You never know.

[Screw_Michigan]

I don't get the ACC. Adding Va Tech, BC, and Miami seemd like a sure way to build a kick ass conference, but then everyone took a nose dive. They may suck this year, but the saem things have been said about the Big East and they fared pretty well in recent bowl seasons. You never know.

They sold out and fucked with conference karma, that's why they fucking suck as a whole now. I said it in 04, if they would have just been patient, they would have had a pretty damn decent league. But all Shalala and the rest of the tards could see was $$$ dancing in their dreams. They all thought it would be FSU-Miami in the ACC title game and they would be smoking blunts rolled in $100 bills. Good for those cocksuckers.

[Mr T]

I don't get the ACC. Adding Va Tech, BC, and Miami seemd like a sure way to build a kick ass conference, but then everyone took a nose dive. They may suck this year, but the saem things have been said about the Big East and they fared pretty well in recent bowl seasons. You never know.

Shit coaching. Pretty much

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"You cant count wins over certain teams, mind you that those wins were from ACC bottom dwellers over other conference's bottom dwellers."



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