2007 ACC Conference Preview by Marc Lawrence Now that former Big East members Boston College, Miami Florida and Virginia Tech have settled comfortably into the ACC, the conference has stamped itself “major league” on both football and basketball fronts. The ultimate stamp of approval, however, will come when a member of the ACC member makes it to the BCS title game. Will 2007 be the year? Here is one handicapper’s take on the ACC for 2007. Returning quarterbacks and starters are listed alongside each team’s name. Be sure to check out the rest of my 2007 Conference Previews updated throughout the summer. Enjoy... Boston College: QB, 7 Off, 9 Def Win and done. That was the message left in the dust following last year’s record-setting season by the Eagles. Gone is head coach Tom O’Brien, who bolted for greener pastures at NC State. New head honcho is Jeff Jagodzonski, offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers the last two seasons and an offensive assistant with the Falcons for two years (when Atlanta led the NFL in rushing). Jago will look to open up the offense behind 1st team all-ACC QB Matt Ryan, who is 14-4 as a starter. In addition to Ryan, this year’s club is loaded with 25 seniors, all looking to rewrite the record set by last year’s seniors, the winningest class in school history. Play on Boston College as an underdog vs. Notre Dame. Clemson: 4 Off, 7 Def For the longest while, it appeared to be Tommy Bowden’s best team ever. Heading into Halloween weekend they were sitting pretty at 7-1 with the only loss in overtime at Boston College, while out-gaining every opponent in every game. And then the thud came as the Tigers hit the wall. Clemson dropped out of the BCS picture faster than all the Anna Nicole Smith daddy-wannabe’s after the DNA reports were confirmed. When the results were in they finished worse than the 2005 edition, despite putting up better stats. Now they’ll tackle eight bowlers, hosting four teams that won 10-plus games last year. Thank goodness for James Davis and C.J. Spiller: the best RB tandem in the nation. Play on Clemson vs. Boston College. Duke: QB, 11 Off, 5 Def Riding a 20-game losing streak, and with only 3 wins in its last 53 conference games, it’s understandable the lacrosse team gets more ink than Ted Roof’s troops. And with Coach K emblazoned all throughout Durham, being the football coach at Duke is certainly no easy task. With wins disappearing at a rate faster than male pattern baldness, it’s time for Roof to reach for the Propecia as an immediate u-turn is in order. In follicle-talk, zero wins is the equivalent of total hairlessness. Four road games in a row in September will likely have the likeable coach pulling out what locks he has left. Nonetheless, we think Mr. Clean will be a moneymaker in ’07. Play on Duke vs. Wake Forest. Florida State: QB, 6 Off, 8 Def Quick Quiz: name the junior QB in college football that leads the nation with 5,374 passing yards? Astounding Answer: much maligned FSU signal-caller Drew Weatherford. And word out of spring camp is that his job may be in peril with Xavier Lee lurking in the shadows. Fortunately for them they have junior WR De’Cody Fagg as a go-to target. More importantly, with wins in a serious decline mode, 77-year old Bobby Bowden was forced to hire five new assistants, including new OC Jimbo Fisher and former NC State mentor Chuck Amato. They’ll need to pump new life into this tiring program. Play against Florida State as a favorite vs. Miami FL (key off back-to-back wins). Georgia Tech: 7 Off, 8 Def Better than the previous year, the Yellow Jackets were busy bees at 9-2 heading into their final game of the regular season before bottoming out at 9-5 in 2006. It was really no surprise given the fact the Techsters are now on a 6-11-1 ATS skein in their final three games of the season since 2001. To their credit, though, they are one of only six schools entering this season on a 10 straight bowl game streak. Gone is four-year starting QB Reggie Ball, which may actually prove to be addition by subtraction. The schedule makes them even-money to extend a 12-year streak of finishing .500 or better in conference play, the longest active streak in the ACC. Play against Georgia Tech as favorites vs. Georgia. Maryland: 7 Off, 6 Def The Terps were the epitome of a squad on a mission last year when they rebounded from a pair of five-win seasons the previous two years to a bowl winning nine-win team. They were also the first team to defeat both Florida State and Miami Florida in the same season since 1985. Incredibly, they accomplished the feat despite falling 70 YPG on offense and 10 YPG on defense while winning the stats in only two games. The biggest loss is QB Sam Hollenbach, who tossed for more than 5,000 yards in his career. Two-year backup Jordan Steffy steps in. Bottom line is we’ll be looking to fade the Fridge on the heels of the aforementioned inside-out winning season. Play against Maryland as favorites vs. Florida International. Miami Florida: QB, 9 Off, 8 Def Last year, the UM team overhaul included six new coaches. It wasn’t enough to save the job of Larry Coker, who leaves in favor of former DC Randy Shannon. “This is my dream job. It always has been,” says Shannon. He brings five new assistants aboard, including a former head coach, a former UM & NFL star linebacker and three recruiting coordinators at previous schools. Know this: last year’s rush defense was the best ever in school history and Shannon’s defense has finished in the Top 10 five of the last six years (only LSU matches that figure) and while eight games were decided by a touchdown or less last year, the most ever in school history. Hurricane warning is in effect. Play on Miami FL as underdogs vs. Virginia Tech. North Carolina: QB, 6 Off, 4 Def As likeable as he was, and as pro-Tarheel as a person could possibly be, John Bunting is out job-hunting these days. To be sure, a 27-45 record over a six-year span set the table for his demise. Enter Butch Davis, ex-Cleveland Browns and Miami Hurricanes headman. Davis was offered an extraordinary amount of loot to help make UNC competitive once again. What we know for sure about Davis is his magic number: 21. In his days at Miami, the Canes were 1-18 ATS in games in which they scored less than 21 points; 36-10 ATS when they tallied 21 or more. It won’t happen overnight, but the Heels will soon be hitting blackjack more often than not. Play on North Carolina vs. Wake Forest. NC State: QB, 8 Off, 5 Def In the year of the coaching carousel change, the Wolfpack came up huge when they heisted Tom O’Brien away from Boston College. He won more games (75-45) in his ten years with the Eagles than any coach in BC history. Just as importantly he brings along former LSU head coach Mike Archer as his defensive coordinator, putting a team that has allowed an average 279 YPG defensively the last three years in good hands. A seven game home slate is attractive. Five road games against five bowl teams are not. It’s been nine years since O’Brien watched a bowl game from his family room. He’s not a remote control kind of guy, he’s a winner! Play on NC State as underdogs vs. Clemson (key off a loss). Virginia: QB, 9 Off, 10 Def The Cavs certainly felt the immediate impact of having to replace three new coordinators and ten key starters last season. However, it’s a whole new world this year as Virginia reports the fewest amount of starters lost since the late 1960’s. They’ll be led by sophomore 6’3” - 220 lbs. QB Jameel Sewell who set every freshmen passing record at Virginia last year. On the other side of the ball, 6’4” 285 lbs. DE Chris Long (an Outland Trophy and All American candidate) anchors a defense that improved 45 YPG last season. A good start will be critical considering four of their final six games will be on the road, including visits to three bowlers. Play against Virginia vs. Miami FL. Virginia Tech: QB, 8 Off, 8 Def Immediately following the darkest of all days in Blacksburg this spring, head coach Frank Beamer took a deep breath and exhaled as he struggled for words. “My mission right now is that we’re not going to let one person come in here and destroy what happens here every day. We will not. We absolutely will not. We cannot.” The black armbands worn this season by the Hokies will not only serve as a remembrance of the lives lost on that tragic day (4/16) but also as an inspiration to move forward in a positive manner. And they couldn’t be doing so under a better leader than Beamer, the ultimate coaching machine. Watch him as he begins to repaint the scenery. Play on Virginia Tech as underdogs vs. LSU. Wake Forest: QB, 8 Off, 5 Def The classic test of a loser-turned-good will certainly be put to the test in 2007 with the Demon Deacons. They became the nation’s most improved team in 2006, going from 4-7 to 11-3. As a result they won their first ACC title since 1970; won a game in Florida for the first time since 1959; and landed in the Orange Bowl. All pretty neat stuff for a team picked to finish last in its conference, eh? Returning QB Riley Skinner, a second-team all-ACC performer, will be put to the test as he loses his top two wide receivers. And now, for the first time in many a moon, the revenge bulls-eye will be squarely on the Demons. Gulp. Play against Wake Forest vs. Boston College. Remember to get Marc Lawrence’s Guaranteed College Football Winners this year right here at Vegas Experts, where you only pay after you win! And don’t forget to check out the rest of Marc’s 2007 Conference Previews, with free College Football Picks on nearly every team!