2. Wake Forest
Coach: Jim Grobe
2007: 9-4 (5-3), Won Meineke Car Care Bowl
Head of the Class – This is a team built on solid defense. Ignore the offense for right now, this team returns nine starters on the defense and that should be enough right there to keep them in the hunt not only the division title, but another ACC title. Alphonso Smith should be one of the top defensive backs in college football, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had 10 or more interceptions.

Underachievers – Hey, offense, wake up. Actually, this season is Riley Skinner’s last, and I think the experience should help him to settle in and push for another post-season honor. Together with Josh Adams at running back, the pair should add enough numbers on the board to outscore the little that the defense will let up.

Academic Suspension – This is the theme of the ACC Atlantic: the offensive line looks weak. While it should not be as big an issue as it is with Clemson who is built on running, it is still a concern. Again, it is the defense that is Wake’s strength, but the weak line could affect that side of the ball also by only producing short series.

3. Maryland
Coach: Ralph Friedgen
2007: 6-7 (3-5), Lost Emerald Bowl
Head of the Class – Maryland has the most experience on offense of what I think will be the top three teams. They return a huge strong offensive line and that should be enough to improve already. Add a terribly weak schedule and the Terps could actually come out ahead in the league (getting the feeling that this is still wide open?).

Underachievers – The defense could be a big question with only five returning starters, but that is still a group with a lot of experience. The biggest holes are in the defensive backfield, but given the running bent of the ACC and the loss of some of the more experienced receivers and quarterbacks, I think Maryland has enough ramp up time to get their new starters ready to play.

Academic Suspension – Who schedules for Maryland? Delaware, Middle Tennessee State and Eastern Michigan in the non-conference? You want to maybe put a challenge in there? They do play Cal, but the other three games make it look as if a Big Ten team were putting their schedule together. Even if Maryland surprises in the ACC, the weak non-conference slate could kill any high ranking they could hope to achieve.

4. Florida State
Coach: Bobby Bowden
2007: 7-6 (4-4), Lost Music City Bowl
Head of the Class – The team returns 15 starters from last season, including eight on defense which should be a huge start for Florida State. The team replaces only a single man on the line, at linebacker and in the defensive backfield. Look for the defense to be the strength which will be huge for the Seminoles given that the offense has been troublesome for the last few years.

Underachievers – Drew Weatherford is back again, which may not be a good thing. There is always a chance that his senior season will be a jump up in production, sort of like the free agent year in most pro sports. This time Weatherford will be trying to take his game to the pros. I am not sold yet.

Academic Suspension – The offensive line is really inexperienced. The two returning starters are only sophomores and Rodney Hudson, one of the returnees, changes position to the all important left tackle. This is not a good sign for a team that already struggles in its offensive game. Lucky for Florida State, they have two 1-AA games to get things together before Wake Forest comes to town.

5. Boston College
Coach: Jeff Jagodzinski
2007: 11-3 (6-3), Won Champs Sports Bowl
Head of the Class – The offensive line is the strength of the returning starters, though that isn’t saying much (only 10 total starters back). Whomever is back behind center after the loss of Matt Ryan will at least have a little time to figure out what to do with the ball.

Underachievers – It looks like Chris Crane will be taking over for Matt Ryan at quarterback. He has taken all of 40 snaps in his career. He is no Matt Ryan though. The entire quarterback troupe will have a lot of learning to do and fast because…

Academic Suspension – The schedule for Boston College is not easy. Non-conference games against Kent State, Central Florida and Notre Dame are not simple wins, especially without your star QB. Clemson comes to Boston College, but the team goes on the road to Florida State and Wake Forest. It will be a long second season for Jagodzinski, but he might see a glimpse of a bowl at the end of the year if things break the Eagles’ way
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6. North Carolina State
Coach: Tom O’Brien
2007: 5-7 (3-5)
Head of the Class – It is year number two of the Tom O’Brien experience so that should help the play of the Wolfpack. That is about all the good news there is for this team.

Underachievers – How fast can the new guys learn? NC State returns only 10 starters and lost almost half the team to graduation. O’Brien can work some miracles, but this would be a tough task for even Jesus to come through with some upbeat news.

Academic Suspension – It is hard to rip on a team for scheduling tough, except that this was not the year to have the schedule that the Wolfpack put together. South Floirda, at South Carolina and one of the top C-USA teams, East Carolina, all make this a tough row to hoe for O’Brien and his young squad. Start looking forward to 2009 now.

Coastal Division

1. North Carolina
Coach: Butch Davis
2007: 4-8 (3-5)
Head of the Class – What’s not to like? The team returns 18 starters, they are in the second year of the Davis system, and they get Virginia Tech at home. The team should be improved just by getting older, and there is a big drop in a number of teams in the division. The ACC has a record of sending a surprise team to the Championship game each season, so why not the Tar Heels?

Underachievers – We will know everything about North Carolina’s season by the end of September. They miss out on Clemson in the regular season, so there is no looming giant in the conference late in the schedule (sorry, Duke). But September is the gantlet, with a trip to Rutgers, a visit from Virginia Tech and a visit to Miami. Go 2-1 in those three with the loss not coming against Virginia Tech and this team rolls to the division title.

Academic Suspension – I don’t like taking the Tar Heels at number one in the division, which is about my only complaint. The team struggled on both sides of the ball last year, and a year of improvement might not be enough. However, the rest of the division is also not improving, so this might be the best of the available.

2. Virginia Tech
Coach: Frank Beamer
2007: 11-3 (8-1), Lost Orange Bowl
Head of the Class – The best quarterback in the conference is Sean Taylor, er, Tyrod Glennon. Ok, so Virginia Tech has a quarterback controversy, but together Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor are the best quarterback in the ACC. Glennon will get the majority of the snaps, but expect Taylor to be used like Tebow was when he was a freshman. Near the end of the season, I wouldn’t be surprised if Taylor gets more time under center as he moves to the featured arm.

Underachievers – Glennon and Taylor can’t win the games themselves, and the running core and receivers are all a little green around the edges. That means trouble scoring, and that could lead to even more issues because…

Academic Suspension – Where is the defense? It is risky to put a Beamer team on notice for their defense, but I think we all remember how exposed they looked against LSU last season. Now take away the experience they had then, and bring in seven new starters. Yeah, not pretty, but better than what comes after them.

3. Miami
Coach: Randy Shannon
2007: 5-7 (2-6)
Head of the Class – Here is where the entire bottom of the conference gets murky. But Miami has the edge in defense, which could give them enough to squeak out a few wins against the weak offenses out there. They do draw Florida (ouch), but outside of that, the non-conference slate looks fairly winnable with the defense clicking. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hurricanes can get a bloated-looking eight wins.

Underachievers – The quarterback continues to be an issue for the Hurricanes. They haven’t been able to get stability there for the last 5 years, and with four freshmen lining up for the job, it doesn’t look to get very clear this season. The best thing the QB can do is to not make mistakes, which freshmen are prone to do. Someone has to emerge for even a third place finish here.

Academic Suspension – And that should translate into another anemic offense from Miami. I don’t know what happened in South Florida to the super-teams that used to stalk the field. It will be up to the rag tag bunch to put together just enough to outscore what the defense can provide. I will take that chance, but not with a great deal of certainty.

4. Virginia
Coach: Al Groh
2007: 9-4 (6-2), Lost Gator Bowl
Head of the Class – Virginia returns three of the four starters at linebacker in its 3-4 defense. Expect those four to get a workout and have their names called quite a bit on Saturday. Last season was a success through close wins, achieved through defense. If the linebackers can anchor the fairly inexperienced squad, they should do just fine.

Underachievers – Eugene Monroe is a force on the offensive line, but the rest of the line looks like a really question mark. In the ACC, someone has to win, so maybe the unit can come through, especially when some of the defenses look like swiss cheese. But this will be a tough struggle with three new faces beginning every game.

Academic Suspension – The front three are all new on defensive side, one of the primary reasons that the linebackers will be busy. If teams can run all over the Cavaliers, there might not be hope for even a fourth place finish. But again, the lines in the ACC are not the greatest in the world. Look for some interesting series on D.

5. Georgia Tech
Coach: Paul Johnson
2007: 7-6 (4-4), Lost Humanitarian Bowl
Head of the Class – Paul Johnson likes to win, and he does win. Navy was one of the best offenses and most exciting teams to follow over the past few years under Johnson. If he can bring that excitement to Georgia Tech, there is no telling the havoc that the Yellow Jackets can cause in the ACC.

Underachievers – The transition to Johnson’s offense will not be easy, and it will require the offense having a lot more speed. Georgia Tech is already faster than Navy could ever be, but the bigs on the line will need to move faster. I have no doubt that Andrew Gardner can after a 1st Team ACC honor last year, but dragging along the rest of the squad might be difficult.

Academic Suspension – At Virginia Tech, at Clemson, at Georgia, at North Carolina – Need any more proof that the best Georgia Tech might dream about is eight wins? Oh yeah, don’t forget Mississippi State, so make it seven. If the team comes around quickly, they will be a shock to a lot of ACC teams, and that might be enough to get them bowling again. It will be extremely close.

6. Duke
Coach: David Cutcliffe
2007: 1-11 (0-8)
Head of the Class – At least when Duke struggles, they have the law on their side. A judge ruled that Duke is pretty much terrible in a dispute between Louisville and the Blue Devils over a cancelled football game. But even Duke has a bright spot and that is ten returning defensive starters. Say what you will about how bad Duke is, but an experienced defense can do you wonders. I don’t know if it will be enough to get to four wins, but it is enough to win maybe two.

Underachievers – The offense needs some kind of rhythm and Cutcliffe should be able to provide them a plan to get some. I understand that new systems take time to learn, but anything would be an improvement over Duke last season. Anyone recall the first half of the Duke – Notre Dame game? Yeah, that should be proof enough, and that was late in the season. Cutcliffe, go to work.

Academic Suspension – This is Duke. Again, a judge said they are terrible. It is basically law at this point. The worst part of the whole thing? Northwestern and Vanderbilt, the misfits of their own leagues, will beat them this season.

Bold Prediction:
I think North Carolina winning the Coastal division should be bold enough, but how about another.

• One of the duo at tailback at Clemson ends up on stage in New York for the Heisman.


• Miami will get shut out twice this season.


• Maryland will end the season ranked.

Top Games:

• Virginia Tech at North Carolina – winner takes the Coastal division.


• Clemson at Florida State, Clemson at Wake Forest, heck, how about every Clemson game with the twisted focus on when the whole thing will fall apart for Bowden this year.

Ben Miraski writes for MRISports.com and is a featured blogger on FanIQ. His ACC and Big XII previews appears weekly on Blogcritics.org as part of their NCAA Tailgate. Readers can contact Ben at bmiraski@mrisports.com