The first week of the college football season can involve several different types of games- home games against FCS schools with big payouts, some tough head-to-head intra-conference competition to prove to the pollsters that this team is the real deal, and the most intriguing scenario- neutral site games with top-notch Big Five conferences playing head-to-head. As I looked at the ACC’s performance, it hit me that this was like some weird science experiment left on a lab table for future consideration. Ranking the ACC this week, not discounting the Labor Day game with a no win/lose situation, will be difficult.
How The ACC Fared in Week #1
Florida State, with their repeat mentality, didn’t exactly allow me to punch their ticket to the playoffs. In fact, the exact opposite came from my Saturday night pleasure. FSU is vulnerable and only a miracle cartwheel fumble and touchdown exploit covering 35 seconds put the Seminoles into the winners’ circle. B.J. Walsh for Oklahoma State inspired me with his grit and determination to lead his team, moreso than Famous Jameis did most of the night. The Cowboys certainly won a moral victory over a heavy favorite, and the Seminoles should use this as a wake-up call. Those gaudy stats won’t mean much as the season winds down. This is only one win under the hood for this Tallahassee bunch!
Meanwhile in Georgia, it was a battle “between the hedges” as they say down in Athens. Clemson derailed the Bulldogs’ season last year in the friendly confines of Death Valley, so naturally Georgia wanted to return the favor to begin this campaign. What we didn’t realize is that some Gurley man would pound the pigskin 104 yards on a kickoff return and propel the Bulldogs to victory. Gurley’s four touchdowns and Georgia’s 31 unanswered points got him into the Heisman conversation quickly. Clemson playing two quarterbacks may have opened up a large can of worms for the media and could force head coach Dabo Swinney’s hand before the Tigers are ready. That vaunted Tigers’ defense we heard so much about will get some major heat for the next few weeks. Brent Venables didn’t have an answer to the ground pounding that Gurley presented, and they have another big test at Florida State in week four.
Louisville and Miami renewed acquaintances from last year’s bowl game, as the Hurricanes went to Louisville to welcome the Cardinals into the ACC family. The result… well, either Bobby Petrino is a genius or Miami is middle-of-the-pack material. Monday night in Kentucky was all labor for Miami and a well-conceived plan for the Cardinals. The concerns of having a new/old coach and no Teddy Bridgewater were soon washed away in the glow of the Cardinals’ first ACC victory. Just like in last year’s bowl game, Miami looked tired in the fourth quarter
Kudos to reigning FCS champions North Dakota State for their win over Big 12 Iowa State! These are the types of victories that will become few and far between moving forward into future seasons. I get confused when teams brag about their long opening day winning streaks over the likes of Elon, Liberty, Villanova, and Delaware. Now I am left trying to analyze who might be the good running backs and awesome quarterbacks that came out of the Pittsburgh 62-0 shellacking of Delaware, or the 52-13 pasting that Duke laid on Elon. Yes, it is another win for the ACC, but it holds no relevance in the standings or polls moving forward. These practice games give the teams another week to hone their positions, but it won’t allow me to bump Virginia Tech into the top 25 just because William & Mary got obliterated in Blacksburg. It was nice to see North Carolina State subdue newcomer Georgia Southern (who, you’ll remember, beat Florida last year), but it took 58 and a half minutes for the Wolfpack to finally take the lead for the first time.
Fill in the game from last Thursday where Louisiana-Monroe subdued Wake Forest and you can readily see why the ACC should be concerned going forward. The bottom of the ACC might be the weakest of the 5 power conferences! My surprise of the weekend, however, might have been Virginia playing so tough against UCLA. The Bruins can’t (and shouldn’t) be very happy with their lack of offensive output against the Cavaliers, who kept it close and covered the large point spread easily. Hopefully the ACC has more to offer in the coming weeks.
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