ACC Preview

The addition of Boston College to the ACC in 2005 only enhances its position as the strongest and deepest conference in college football. This type of depth can serve as a detriment though for its elite teams hoping to compete for the BCS title. Such was the case in 2004, when Virginia Tech won the league with a 7-1 mark. The task of emerging from the league schedule unscathed is highly difficult considering the strength of schedule within, making it tough to stay atop of the BCS standings with unbeaten teams from weaker conferences like the Pac 10 and Big East. Now granted, Tech dropped an earlier non-conference clash to USC, but essentially it was the NC State loss that ended its national championship hopes. The problem becomes even greater in 2005, as the now 12-team league qualifies to host a conference championship game, thus adding yet another difficult game on the schedule. On the flip side of the argument, any team that CAN distance itself and run the table in this conference gains a near automatic berth in the BCS title game in any given year.

Preseason indicators offer no evidence that any particular team is ready to trump the rest of the ACC in 2005. Each team faces its own concerns, with Florida State having recent QB problems, the Hokies losing team MVP and conference player of the year Bryan Randall, and Miami having to reload from massive departures to the NFL once again. Elsewhere, Boston College, Georgia Tech, Maryland, NC State, North Carolina, and Virginia all appear to be teams on that second tier this upcoming season. However, just a bit of luck can help land this group in the same territory Tech found itself in 2004. On the coaching front, the ACC is the only league to maintain full stability, as each school’s respective coach is back. The biggest change to affect the conference in 2005 will be the addition of Boston College, and the splitting into two divisions, the Atlantic, and Coastal. Look for Florida State and Miami to represent their respective divisions in the inaugural ACC title game in Jacksonville on December 3rd.

Here is a look at a potential “Play Onâ€Â