College Football Preview

Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)

Boston College:
The Eagles won 11 games in the first year of the post-Tom O'Brien era and then lost two players who wound up in the first 17 picks of the NFL draft. They now face the 2008 season with unproven players manning the quarterback and tailback positions on offense, but with a defense that should be as good as any in the ACC and with a front seven that could be one of the best in the country. Jeff Jagodzinski, entering his second year, has, according to indications, recruited well in his two classes and those players will blend into the mix.

Clemson:
Clemson looks to be the favorite in the Atlantic Division race and in fact should get a lot of support for the conference championship with 15 of 22 starters returning from a team that went 9-4 last year. The Tigers have a collection of skill players on offense that are among the league's best. The defense is thin at linebacker but still returns eight starters. The schedule is favorable early with four of their first five games at home and the opener against Alabama at a neutral site (Atlanta), but later the Tigers must face Wake Forest on the road and then Boston College and Florida State in back-to-back road games.

Duke:
Duke could be in a position to win as many as four games this fall. The Blue Devils start the year with four home games, all of which look winnable, including the conference opener against Virginia on Sept. 27. But they must avoid the kind of game-losing plays they have become accustomed to and come up with an offense that won't make mistakes to put them in a hole and also will stay on the field long enough to take the pressure off the defense.

Florida State:
The schedule is manageable. That's the good news. For the first time in seven years, the Seminoles are not opening a season against a conference rival like Miami or Clemson, or a specially arranged game in a preseason classic. In contrast, they get Western Carolina and UT-Chattanooga in successive home Saturdays in early September. That should buffer the void of so many front-line players serving suspensions. The first three games will be in Doak Campbell Stadium. The fourth game will be against Colorado in Jacksonville, less than three hours away. The Seminoles only have to leave the state of Florida three times. If the offense can mesh better and the Seminoles can shore up problems on defense, then the schedule provides room for a few more wins than 2007.

Georgia Tech:
Georgia Tech faces many questions with the transition to the new coaching staff, not to mention the loss of 16 starters, including both specialists. The Yellow Jackets, who were a disappointing 7-6 last season and 4-4 in the ACC in 2007 after winning the Coastal Division title in 2006, also have two early road conference games (Boston College, Virginia Tech) that could put them in an early hole in the division race. The advantage they will have is that not many opposing defenses in the conference have had to face the kind of run-oriented, spread offense new coach Paul Johnson employs.

Maryland:
The Terrapins will be looking for more consistency after a 2007 season that saw big wins coupled with frustrating losses. Maryland made a lot of key mistakes a year ago that cost it games, and as a result has made over both its offensive and defensive schemes. The team is a darkhorse in the ACC race, and has the talent to make some noise, but on offense, the big key will be getting the ball in the hands of its playmakers, like Darrius Heyward-Bey and Da'Rel Scott. Defensively, the performance of the line will be critical, as the linebacking corps is dangerous when given room to operate, but the inexperienced secondary will need some protection, particularly in the early part of the season.

Miami:
Miami has considerable rebuilding to do up front on both sides of the ball. The Hurricanes have three experienced tackles in returning on offense, but DE Eric Moncour and LB Colin McCarthy are the only starters back in the defensive front seven. Couple that with an inexperienced quarterback, and it's difficult to see the Hurricanes making a major step up in the won-lost department in 2008. The early schedule is daunting with trips to Florida and Texas A&M among the first three games. Still, if the Hurricanes can survive the early going, they could be a factor in what looks to be a weakened Coastal Division in the ACC race.

North Carolina:
North Carolina welcomes back 18 starters on the offensive and defensive units of a team that was only 4-8 last season but had six losses by a touchdown or less. With defending Coastal Division favorite Virginia Tech facing some rebuilding and Miami and Georgia Tech unknown quantities, the Tar Heels could make a serious run for a berth in the ACC championship game. The Heels get Virginia Tech, Boston College, Georgia Tech and North Carolina State at home and don't play Atlantic Division favorites Clemson, Florida State or Wake Forest in the regular season.

North Carolina State:
State's at least a year or two away from being an ACC contender, and the focus in 2008 is getting bowl-eligible again and making some tangible progress in its development. A lot of the pieces may be in place, but there are significant position battles to be fought nearly everywhere on the roster, with little being settled in the spring drills. If nothing else, it should be an entertaining fall in Raleigh as the depth chart crunch sorts itself out, but finding a quarterback remains the primary concern of both the fan base and coaching staff.

Virginia:
Only 10 starters return from last year's 9-4 club that had six wins by five points or less, and no quarterback emerged from the pack as the frontrunner at quarterback. The bright spots are at running back and receiver on offense and linebacker on defense.

Virginia Tech:
There figures to be a drop in their defense with the loss of people like Chris Ellis, Xavier Adibi, Vince Hall and Brandon Flowers, but the Hokies seem to have a knack for finding more than capable replacements. Over one four-game stretch that could determine their division fate, the Hokies have three road trips against Boston College, Florida State and Miami with a home game against Maryland thrown in.

Wake Forest:
QB Riley Skinner gives the Deacons a two-year starter at the position, and TB Josh Adams gives them a breakaway threat in the running game. The loss of Chris DeGeare to academic problems makes the offensive line thinner than expected. Joe Birdsong and Jeff Griffin, who each started six games at tackle in 2007, and RG Barrett McMillin are the only returning starters up front. The Deacons also are looking for receiver help after losing Kenneth Moore. Senior WR Chip Brinkman, who started the last nine games, had 27 catches last season.