By CAULTON TUDOR, Staff Writer
This ACC football season will give us everything except a partridge in a pear tree -- two divisions, 12 teams, a championship game, not-so-instant replays, trips to New England, a bowl berth in San Francisco and a running back named J. Survival Ross of Boston College.
What more could you ask? Well, here are the answers to 10 pressing questions about the season.
1 Can an ACC team win the national championship?
No, and here's why: mediocre quarterbacking. In fact, the ACC will be lucky to have a top-five team in the final polls.
2 How long will Bobby Bowden coach?
Until Florida State changes its nickname from the Seminoles to the Fightin' Semicolons.
"He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he'd retire, he really wouldn't," said son Tommy, the Clemson coach.
Besides, Pops may be older than the printed word, but he still feels as young as the next BCS formula.
"When you like what you're doing, why in the world would you stop doing what you're doing?" he said.
3 Will N.C. State have a winning season?
Uh, yes.
File this score: 90-20. That will be the Wolfpack's combined margin of victory in its non-conference games against Eastern Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss. If State had scheduled Northwestern, the Pack could change its nickname to the "Conquerin' Compasses."
Throw in a 4-4 or 5-3 conference record, and we might be talking the southern-fried Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
4 Will North Carolina have a winning season?
Uh, no.
File this score: 80-50. That will be the Tar Heels' combined deficit in non-conference games against Wisconsin, Utah and Louisville. If UNC had scheduled Iowa or Iowa State, the Heels could be called "Prairie Home Companions."
Throw in a 3-5 ACC record, and we might be talking Carlyle Cup.
5 Whatever became of the once-great Ralph Friedgen?
The Maryland coach has been kidnapped and held for ransom by bad quarterbacks.
6 Who will be the first ACC player selected in the 2006 NFL draft?
A defensive end, but which one? It could be N.C. State junior Mario Williams, Boston College senior Mathias Kiwanuka or Virginia Tech senior Darryl Tapp. And don't forget Georgia Tech senior Eric Henderson, Miami senior Thomas Carroll, Wolfpack senior Manny Lawson and Virginia senior Brennan Schmidt.
The ACC is loaded at defensive end this season.
The guess here is Super Mario, despite State coach Chuck Amato's warning that "people said Philip Rivers would go after his junior season, and Torry Holt."
7 How long can Wake Forest keep head coach Jim Grobe?
At least until sophomore linebacker Jon Abbate's eligibility has ended.
"I asked him about that, and he said he'll be at Wake for me," Abbate said.
Then again, Abbate may be tempted to head to the NFL before his senior season.
In 10 years as a head coach, Grobe has had only four winning seasons, and his overall record is a modest 55-58-1. But he's 22-25 at Wake -- the mark of an overachiever -- and he'll be at a bigger program before Bobby Bowden retires.
8 Is Marcus Vick the next Michael Vick?
Was Chris Rix the second coming of Chris Weinke? Has Jeff Bowden become the next Bobby Bowden? Was New Coke as good as Coke?
Marcus will be good, not great. Michael was great, not good. The more appropriate question is whether Marcus can play as well as Bryan Randall.
Virginia Tech fans can always bask in the optimism of head coach Frank Beamer. "The only difference I can tell is that one [Michael] was left-handed and the other is right-handed," Beamer said.
9 Who will emerge as North Carolina's top rusher?
Wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock will race for 371 yards -- all on end-arounds -- to edge a small posse of interchangeable tailbacks who will combine for 366 yards on 359 carries. Once called "Tailback U.," Carolina should be known in 2005 as "Tailback Who?"
10 Will former high school all-star quarterback Greg Paulus ever play football at Duke?
He will when Shelden Williams starts at inside linebacker. Paulus signed a basketball scholarship with the Blue Devils, and he won't stray far from Mike Krzyzewski's reach.
Duke tight end Andy Roland said he and his teammates would welcome the help but that the team would be fine at QB with or without Paulus. Hmm.
North Carolina quarterback Matt Baker, who kept up with Paulus' achievements at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., said Paulus ought to give football a shot.
"I like basketball, but football's the best sport there is," Baker said.
Not at Duke, Matt.
This ACC football season will give us everything except a partridge in a pear tree -- two divisions, 12 teams, a championship game, not-so-instant replays, trips to New England, a bowl berth in San Francisco and a running back named J. Survival Ross of Boston College.
What more could you ask? Well, here are the answers to 10 pressing questions about the season.
1 Can an ACC team win the national championship?
No, and here's why: mediocre quarterbacking. In fact, the ACC will be lucky to have a top-five team in the final polls.
2 How long will Bobby Bowden coach?
Until Florida State changes its nickname from the Seminoles to the Fightin' Semicolons.
"He wouldn't know what to do with himself if he'd retire, he really wouldn't," said son Tommy, the Clemson coach.
Besides, Pops may be older than the printed word, but he still feels as young as the next BCS formula.
"When you like what you're doing, why in the world would you stop doing what you're doing?" he said.
3 Will N.C. State have a winning season?
Uh, yes.
File this score: 90-20. That will be the Wolfpack's combined margin of victory in its non-conference games against Eastern Kentucky, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss. If State had scheduled Northwestern, the Pack could change its nickname to the "Conquerin' Compasses."
Throw in a 4-4 or 5-3 conference record, and we might be talking the southern-fried Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
4 Will North Carolina have a winning season?
Uh, no.
File this score: 80-50. That will be the Tar Heels' combined deficit in non-conference games against Wisconsin, Utah and Louisville. If UNC had scheduled Iowa or Iowa State, the Heels could be called "Prairie Home Companions."
Throw in a 3-5 ACC record, and we might be talking Carlyle Cup.
5 Whatever became of the once-great Ralph Friedgen?
The Maryland coach has been kidnapped and held for ransom by bad quarterbacks.
6 Who will be the first ACC player selected in the 2006 NFL draft?
A defensive end, but which one? It could be N.C. State junior Mario Williams, Boston College senior Mathias Kiwanuka or Virginia Tech senior Darryl Tapp. And don't forget Georgia Tech senior Eric Henderson, Miami senior Thomas Carroll, Wolfpack senior Manny Lawson and Virginia senior Brennan Schmidt.
The ACC is loaded at defensive end this season.
The guess here is Super Mario, despite State coach Chuck Amato's warning that "people said Philip Rivers would go after his junior season, and Torry Holt."
7 How long can Wake Forest keep head coach Jim Grobe?
At least until sophomore linebacker Jon Abbate's eligibility has ended.
"I asked him about that, and he said he'll be at Wake for me," Abbate said.
Then again, Abbate may be tempted to head to the NFL before his senior season.
In 10 years as a head coach, Grobe has had only four winning seasons, and his overall record is a modest 55-58-1. But he's 22-25 at Wake -- the mark of an overachiever -- and he'll be at a bigger program before Bobby Bowden retires.
8 Is Marcus Vick the next Michael Vick?
Was Chris Rix the second coming of Chris Weinke? Has Jeff Bowden become the next Bobby Bowden? Was New Coke as good as Coke?
Marcus will be good, not great. Michael was great, not good. The more appropriate question is whether Marcus can play as well as Bryan Randall.
Virginia Tech fans can always bask in the optimism of head coach Frank Beamer. "The only difference I can tell is that one [Michael] was left-handed and the other is right-handed," Beamer said.
9 Who will emerge as North Carolina's top rusher?
Wide receiver Jarwarski Pollock will race for 371 yards -- all on end-arounds -- to edge a small posse of interchangeable tailbacks who will combine for 366 yards on 359 carries. Once called "Tailback U.," Carolina should be known in 2005 as "Tailback Who?"
10 Will former high school all-star quarterback Greg Paulus ever play football at Duke?
He will when Shelden Williams starts at inside linebacker. Paulus signed a basketball scholarship with the Blue Devils, and he won't stray far from Mike Krzyzewski's reach.
Duke tight end Andy Roland said he and his teammates would welcome the help but that the team would be fine at QB with or without Paulus. Hmm.
North Carolina quarterback Matt Baker, who kept up with Paulus' achievements at Christian Brothers Academy in Syracuse, N.Y., said Paulus ought to give football a shot.
"I like basketball, but football's the best sport there is," Baker said.
Not at Duke, Matt.
