After eight weeks of NCAA football, there have been surprises in the rankings. Teams have been on the rise and some have fallen out of the top 25. One surprise in particular is how much the Atlantic Coast Conference has improved compared to how its teams have fared in recent years. It is commonplace to see Florida State and Virginia Tech finish as the top two teams in the division. They are usually inserted into the FBS top 25 national rankings, but this year there are four legitimate national championship threats in the conference.
Let’s start with Florida State. They are currently ranked No. 3 in the nation, according to the BCS. They made a very big statement last weekend when they blew out formerly #3-ranked Clemson on the road 51-14. Redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston is playing superb right now. He has thrown for 20 touchdowns and only three interceptions this season.
The Miami Hurricanes are in second place in the conference and are ranked seventh in the nation. Quarterback Stephen Morris, who has thrown for an impressive 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns, leads them. However, he has thrown eight interceptions. He can improve in that area. Other leaders on the Hurricanes include running backs Duke Johnson and Dallas Crawford. Johnson, the team’s rushing leader, has ran for 655 yards, and Crawford has nine touchdowns. The team’s biggest accomplishment this season is not only being undefeated at a 6-0 record but defeating the No. 12-ranked Florida Gators in September. In order to rise five spots to be selected to play in the championship game, they will most likely have to defeat No. 3 Florida State in Tallahassee and No. 14 Virginia Tech at home. Winning at Florida State on the road will be a difficult task.
The Clemson Tigers currently stand as the third-place team in the ACC. After losing by a big margin to Florida State a week ago, their ranking dropped from No. 3 to No. 9 overall. They still have a team that is capable of making it to the national championship. If they win their final five games, they may have a chance to be selected by the FBS as a top two team. However, their only ranked opponent remaining on the schedule is against No. 21 South Carolina. Even if things do not turn out as hoped, the Tigers have a lot to be proud about.
Senior Quarterback Tajh Boyd has been stellar, throwing for 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and 1,939 passing yards. Defensive end Vic Beasley leads the nation with nine sacks. Their biggest moment of the season came in week one of the 2013 season, when they defeated the No. 5-ranked Georgia Bulldogs in their home opener 38-35.
The Virginia Tech Hokies currently sit in fourth place in the ACC. Many contend that Virginia Tech has a somewhat easy schedule and are beating bad teams, but nonetheless wins are wins. Teams that win games get rewarded, plain and simple. The Hokies have had a history of success, and they are continuing the trend this year with a 6-3 record and a 3-2 record inside of the ACC. Their defense is ranked fifth in the nation in points allowed, giving up only 15 points a game. They have two tough games remaining. First, they play at No. 7 Miami on Nov. 9. Second, they play Maryland who is 5-3 at home.
In addition to the four championship contenders, the Duke Blue Devils have an impressive 6-2 record, the Maryland Terrapins and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 5-3, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have a 4-4 record and the Pittsburgh Panthers are 4-3. Nine out of 14 ACC teams have records above .500.
The ACC is certainly on the rise and is finally being recognized as a football conference in addition to a basketball one. The fact that three teams are ranked inside the top 10 means that there is a good chance that not only will there be a team representing the ACC in the championship game, but there could be a champion coming out of the conference.
Greg Praver can be reached at gregory.praver@spartans.ut.edu.