Is This Guy Serious?

Mark Schlabach of ESPN.com recently reported on the decline of the ACC football conference since taking in the Big East's big three: VTech, Miami, and BC. While the Big East has certainly replenished itself with the likes of Louisville and the powerful running attack of West Virginia, lets be honest here, Mark, there is not much left after that. Big East proponents will argue that the Rutgers program, too, has developed into somewhat of a national force in recent years. Not so. Two good years does not make a program, especially when Rutgers has been playing a notoriously easy schedule just to get into the top 25. Making a run at the BCS becomes slightly less legitimate when the only top 25 teams you play are West Virginia and Lousiville, with the balance of the schedule including only UNC, South Florida, Navy, UConn, Cincinnati, and Howard in 2006, and a nearly identical schedule in 2005. 2007, you ask? Oh yeah, real tough home opener against Buffalo, guys. What, Holy Cross wasn't available? Rutgers did make a decent run and got some media pub, but on a national level they would get absolutely dominated in almost every other conference, even by the Pac-10. So, this aside has led me to the conclusion that Mark Shlabach knows d%ck about college football. Now, onto my real gripe with Schlabach article.

Instead of talking down to the ACC merely because Florida St. and Miami can't recruit quaterbacks, how 'bout sending some props to the ACC for its underrated depth? First, Wake Forest won the league last year. Second, even though the 'Deacons return a ton of starters on both sides of the ball in '07, they are still going get dominated this Saturday at the Heights. BC is a force this year. Even with an extremely difficult schedule (Wake, NC State, Ga. Tech, Army, UMass, Bowling Green, Notre Dame, VTech, FSU, Maryland, Clemson, and Miami - I challenge anyone out there to find a tougher finish than those last 6 games), expect the Eagles to play in the ACC championship game. Further, while I predict complete domination of Notre Dame, the last five teams could all be in the top 25 by the midpoint of season. BC's answer to all of this? Matt Ryan, a crazy linebacker core, and two running backs who each averaged almost five yards per carry last year. A pre-season all ACC selection, Ryan threw for almost 3,000 yards last year on a bum ankle. If he stays healthy, he is a legitimate Heisman candidate. With the great prevent defenses of T.O.B. in the rearview mirror, expect BC to win games convincingly this year. And contrary to what Mr. Shlabach may think, the rise of BC and Wake is good for the ACC and college football. These teams are legit and this year will prove it. Miami and FSU may not dominate other ACC teams like they used to, but if they did, what would the conference look like? I think it would look a lot like the Big East - two dominant teams, and one overrated team who makes a run every couple of years (See Rutgers).