Although ESPN dimwitties can’t figure it out, Virginia Tech now holds the top spot in the coastal.  Sure its a five-way tie, with that whole pile of teams having three in-conference losses, but the Hokies win the tie-breaks.  I won’t break everything down for you (try here and here if you are interested), but if the Hokies beat Duke tomorrow and UVgay (216 anyone?) next week, they will roll onto the ACC Championship game in Tampa.

A blessing or a curse?
I don’t know if its really a good thing that the team goes to the ACC Championship game.  There are disaster scenarios I can play out in my head.  But can it really be a bad thing for the program to play for the ACC title again?  No, but it might be a bad thing for the conference.  Is VT really the best team in the coastal?  I seriously doubt it.

Lucky for the Hokies, that doesn’t come into the tie-breaker scenarios.

Disaster Scenario 1
The Hokies can’t handle the pressure and lose to either Duke or UVA…I feel guilty even mentioning it…

Disaster Scenario 2
Hokies go to Tampa and get blown out by someone…unlikely that they will get blown out, but they certainly will have a chance to lose.

Disaster Scenario 3
Hokies win in Tampa and go to the Orange bowl…and have to play against a good SEC or Big 12 South team and get rocked.

Miracle Scenario 1
Hokies beat UVA knocking them out of bowl eligibility (because they lose to Clem this weekend) and advance to Tampa.

Miracle Scenario 2
VT pulls a draw of Maryland or Wake for the ACC Championship game.  Of course, no game in the ACC is a given, but the fighting gobblers have a much better shot against one of these teams instead of FSU or BC.

Miracle Scenario 3
Virginia Tech wins the ACC Championship game and advances to the Orange Bowl…where they could face a crappy Big Least team like Cincinnati and dominate.  Weren’t they on the schedule a couple years ago as a cupcake?  Yeah, they’re probably better, but I’ll take a Big East team over a good SEC or Big 12 team any day.

Surely every preseason article mentioning Hokies that you read will mention the holes that Virginia Tech needs to fill for the 2008 season.  Clearly there are questions at tailback, wide receiver, and a couple spots on defense that need a solid player to step up.  However, since all of the other articles speak of holes, I’m taking the opposite stance.

Questions that don’t need answered:

Quarterback
Everyone thinks there is a question to be answered here.  If you spend you day browsing college football blogs, as I do, you’ll find an array of thoughts claiming we’ll only use Glennon this year and redshirt Tyrod Taylor to save his eligibility for an extra year, or that Tyrod Taylor has been pronounced the starter.  None of these rumors is true as of yet.

Beamer said he would prefer to just use one quarterback, but that he is keeping an open mind heading into fall practice.  Clearly the two QB shuffling system that we used the last several games of the regular season proved functional and even exceptional at times (see Tyrod Taylor, FSU, 2007 - 3rd and 31).  But Beamer is approaching this the right way, so the fans need to sit down and let him choose what is best for the team.

I expect we’ll see both Glennon and Tyrod Taylor getting playing time at the beginning of the season.  Perhaps they’ll do the two play dance like they did last season; perhaps they’ll alternate series; or perhaps the coaches will even wait to see who is on their game on a particular day.  Whatever the decision, I expect we’ll only have one primary quarterback by the end of the season.  You already know my vote, but I’ll be happy as long as the team is functioning—tandem or not.

There is no question at quarterback.  We have two experienced quarterbacks better than most in the ACC; we are the envy of quite a few teams I’d imagine.

Offensive Line
There is always shuffling among positions in the trenches, but this year we have something to smile about.  For the first time in a long time, we might actually have a pretty decent Oline.  With four starters returning from a line that was firing on all cylinders at the end of last season, we should do right well.

Only time will tell if we can get a solid two deep on the line.  It would be nice to have several capable backups to give our guys breathers/replace an injured fellow.

Defensive Line
Last year Dline wasn’t as solid as years past, but with Hall and Adibi filling the gaps there really wasn’t a problem.  I expect the defensive line to improve significantly this year over a line that was still better than average in 2007.  Bud Foster…nuf said.

Shutdown Corner
Macho looked like a beast in the spring game, so I can’t wait to see him in the practices, scrimmages, and games coming up.  He was great in 2007 and the only thing that will change is that he’ll be better.  By passing up the draft, I know he’s coming to play.  This is his year to terrorize the star offensive players in the ACC, make a name for himself, and move himself into the first round on the draft board.

That’s certainly not everything, but its most of the key spots.  There is talent at every position, but there might not be much experience yet.  As with every team, every year we need some guys to step in and fill some holes.  How well and quickly they do will determine whether we go 8-4 or 11-1 (I’m not telling which is the loss I expect).

Oh yeah, and something about Kam Chancellor knocking a guy cold on the field in 2008.

Certainly the Coastal division is not getting the credit for having solid teams like the Atlantic side.  Why?  I don’t know; why did ESPN love Matt Ryan for no particular reason (19 ints and a passer rating of 5th in the ACC).

The Coastal is in a rebuilding year, but so is the Atlantic.  The Coastal is breaking in new coaches, but so is the Atlantic.  The divisions are 2-2 for the ACC title since the expansion (Go Hokies).  So why does the media project this gap?  It really doesn’t make sense and, in fact, doesn’t really exist.

Teamwise

Miami
Miami is busy collecting their 5 star freshmen and deciding which, of the thousands, will get playing time this season.  Look for Miami to be in the running for the Championship game.  They’re still a year or two away from prime, but that doesn’t mean that they’re a year or two away from being ACC Champs.  If they come together, they have a legitimate shot.

Georgia Tech
The media frowns on Georgia Tech with its new fangled option offense.  How will it work against BCS schools?  You idiots, when He who shall not be named implemented the system at Navy they actually played BCS schools….duh.  Did it work out for Navy?  Well, they almost didn’t suck for a little while and then someone bought their coach.  GT needs to hold on to the football this season and they’ll pull down some wins.  Unless they take everyone by surprise, their odds aren’t good.

North Carolina
Not a shot.  Do you hear me?  Not a shot.  I’m not saying they won’t be better, but they’re still not good enough, not deep enough. They may even pull the upset against Virginia Tech since they get us early in the season and have proven they can hang with us.  However, they can’t win enough big games in the ACC to have a chance to go to Tampa.

Prediction

Virginia Tech.  Need I say more?

Odds
(to get there, not to win)

Duke 100:1
UVA 35:1
UNC 20:1
GT 15:1
“U” 10:1
VT 2:1

It’s a nice wish to try to look at the schedule and see all W’s, but a better goal is to defend the ACC title.  Preseason hype and predictions are drooling over Clemson, just like last year and the year before…Besides, who am I to say they’re not good enough to win the conference?  …just an outspoken fan who happens to have a popular outlet for my opinions.  But, mark it down Clemson will not win the 2008 ACC Championship game.  I have my doubts that they’ll actually even make it to Tampa.

Turmoil in the Atlantic

Who do I pick from the Atlantic division then?  Well, I have a tempting thought leaning toward Florida State.  I know, I know, rebuilding, suspensions, and turmoil surround Tallahassee, but I just figure that its motivation. 

According to popular opinion, FSU only has to leave the state of Florida three times all season (and strangely enough, that could include the ACC Championship game and Orange bowl if the chips fall for them).  That’s a pretty wild occurrence for any BCS team.

Look at all the positive arguments for FSU.
Quarterback controversy – left with Xavier Lee to the NFL Draft
Running Back – returns
Leading Receivers – return
Defense – a lot of returning starters

Well, I was going to pick FSU until I read an article the other day detailing all of the holes the team has to fill this year, particularly on the offensive line.  The story is the same at Clemson, unless these O-lines can shape up, these teams can’t win the ACC.

That leaves who? Wake? Georgia Tech? BC?

It’s hard to tell what will happen.  Most preseason reports claim that the Atlantic division is so strong that anyone can win it.  I beg to differ.  I believe the problem is that there aren’t two key teams that plan to fight it out for the chance to go to Tampa.  It’s not that all the teams are so good that you can’t pick one; it’s that none of them are good enough to lock down the mid-packers and rise to the occasion.

I tried to go through and make results predictions, but in the Atlantic its just too messy (you’re getting odds instead).  There will be a big pile of 8-4s and 7-5s sitting atop the standings.  Whichever team can come together and get that extra ACC win will get to visit Tampa.

Odds
(to get there, not to win)

BC – 12:1
Clem – 9:1
Wake – 6:1
FSU – 5:1
Mary – 20:1
NCST – 50:1