2012 Predictions: ACC

Hello again.

I'm expecting a wide open season this year. My preview will begin with predicting the ACC, and we'll run down each conference before the season starts on August 30th, along with bowl projections and how my ratings will break down the predictions. Today, we begin with the ACC.

* - Team is ineligible for the postseason. We'll be seeing this quite a bit.

Same top three in the Atlantic as last year. Florida State wins the tiebreaker due to having the better overall record, if I read the ACC tiebreakers correctly.

BC - End of the line for Spaz. Step back on defense and a moribund offense.

Clemson - Always a hard team to trust. I don’t think their defense was as bad as the 70 points they gave up at the end of last season, but I think they played over their heads during their undefeated start last year.

Duke - Ghastly road schedule and they draw the top two teams from the Atlantic division.

Florida State - They’re back, right? Difficult trips to Raleigh and Blacksburg loom, the latter on a Thursday night at Lane Stadium. Yikes.

Georgia Tech - The usual ho-hum 8-win regular season Better than Chan Gailey’s ho-hum 6-win regular seasons.

Maryland - A team lacking identity and cohesion right now. 25 transfers will do that. Edsall and Locksley seems like oil and water to me. A desperate hire.

Miami (FL) - Al Golden can squeeze 6 wins out of this team. It’s better than what he had at Temple and the ACC is not that difficult. Late October-early November is rough though, and will the motivation continue to be there with no bowl possible?

North Carolina - Defense will take a step back while the offense will put up numbers once the scheme becomes familiar. I predict Fedora will be a bigger success than Butch Davis ever was here.

Virginia, NC State and Wake Forest are essentially the same, well-coached, nonde-script team that could win anywhere from 6-9 games.

Virginia Tech - Last year I picked them to go undefeated in the regular season due to their soft schedule and wasn’t far off. A trip to Clemson seems like it will go wrong for them this year. Another year where they will flatter to deceive and come up empty during the postseason.

Florida State will win the rematch in the conference championship game over Virginia Tech.