Miami is one of the most fearsome programs in college football. Sure they have been down of late and there are some questions surrounding future penalties but everyone in college football knows that if, and when, they get things going again they will be a force to be reckoned with.
Former coach Butch Davis did a great job bringing talent to Chapel Hill but he never won enough to justify putting the program in some sticky situations. Last year the program moved on with new coach Larry Fedora and had a very solid 8-4 season.
Pittsburgh is one of two new teams to the ACC this seasonand the timing isn’t great for this once proud program as they are coming off a mediocre season and will be breaking in a new QB.
Virginia Tech really struggled last season, a year where it seemed very little went as planned. The 7-6 season marked the first time the Hokies did not win 10 or more games since joining the ACC all the way back in 2004.
The Virginia Cavaliers have not made the kind of progress expected since promising coach Mike London took over. After an initial 4-8 season the Cavs jumped to 8-5 but then dropped back to 4-8 last season.
2013-14 Preview (ACC) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Georgia Tech is always one of the hardests teams to play against because you just don’t see too much of their style. With their ground heavy attack they can just maul you if you are not prepared and they are generally solid enough in the other phases of the game to get the victory.
It wasn’t all that long ago that Syracuse was a pretty darn good program, led by players like Donovan McNabb and coaches like Dick MacPherson they more than held their own in the early days of the Big East.
But when they fell, they fell hard and it was difficult to put the pieces back together again.
The Clemson Tigers should definitely be considered among a handful of teams capable of winning the national championship this final season of the BCS. They have a very good base of talent, a schedule that is challenging enough to put them in the equation and seem to have found the ability not to fall completely apart when you least expect, the way a number of Clemson teams have done in the past.
Florida State might be back. They made it to the Orange Bowl last season and took care of upstart Northern Illinois behind a fast and punishing defense that reminded us of Bobby Bowden’s best teams.
2013-14 Preview (ACC) Maryland Terrapins
The start of the Randy Edsall era at Maryland has been less than stellar. Not sure why but the program got tired of coach Ralph Friedgen even though he won there as much as any previous coach they ever had, probably more, including 9 wins in his last season – a number they have fallen short of the last two season, combined.
NC State is hoping a new coach can get them out of mediocrity and hopefully bridge the gap that is growing between them and those folks in Chapel Hill lately. The guy they chose is Dave Doeren who came to Northern Illinois and didn’t screw up what others had built there.
The Buffalo Bulls went 2-8 in 2010. They went 3-9 in 2011. In 2012, the Bulls went 4-8. The team has slowly been getting better, and expectations are definitely higher for the 2013 season. Jeff Quinn will have his most talented team since he has been here.
Kent State had a special season last year, but they’ll have to do it in 2013 without Darell Hazell who is now the head coach at Purdue. Hazell did an amazing job turning around this Kent State program, and losing him will almost certainly hurt this team.
Ball State used to be a perennial doormat in football, but that is no longer the case. The Cardinals put together a very good season in 2012. Ball State has been winning by outscoring its opponents. If they are going to take that next step toward a MAC title, they’ll have to be better on defense.
Western Kentucky made a ton of progress under head coach Willie Taggart, but Taggart took the head position at South Florida during the offseason. Western Kentucky decided they wanted to hire a big name, and they brought in Bobby Petrino to be their new coach.
The Eagles have fallen. From 1999 through 2010 they won at least 7 games every season but they have won just a total of 6 the last two seasons combined.
