The College Football Pre-Season Hype Begins

Let’s Kick College Football Off!

College Football season begins this weekend for me. Sunday the ACC Football Kickoff begins and the College Football pre-season hype goes full speed. I am heading over to Reynolds Plantation in Georgia, which is hosting the ACC media event to get my share of coach speak and over used clichés. I’m sure they all going to play as a team and take it one game at a time, blah, blah, blah. Same ole’ well, you know what I mean.

This is an interesting year for the ACC because 5 years after expanding the league really hasn’t made an impression on the national scene. The ACC finds itself 5th or 6th when the BCS leagues are ranked. I don’t think I have all the answers but here are a few issues the ACC has.

Weak Group of Field Generals

One is that the ACC doesn’t have a headliner in football’s glamour position, quarterback this year since Matt Ryan has moved on to the Atlanta Falcons. Name one returning starter at quarterback that gets you going……. Yeah, took me a while to. Riley Skinner of Wake Forest comes to mind. Skinner won an ACC Championship two years ago plus he is a great leader and proven winner but Skinner doesn’t have the NFL scouts salivating. Virginia Tech’s Sean Glennon was up and down last year. Yes Glennon was the MVP in the ACC Championship Game leading the Hokies to the title, then went in the tank in the Orange Bowl vs Kansas.

Sunshine State Slump

Second is the Florida schools have not lived up to the billing. Since the ACC became a dozen teams, Florida State and Miami have become at best mediocre. The Seminoles and Hurricanes were supposed to carry on with their elite status and carry the flag for the ACC in the BCS Bowl games including the title game. What’s happened is a sunshine state slump. FSU has been trying to figure out a succession plan when Bobby Bowden retires, and they finally have that figured out. Miami has just become a mess toward the end of the Larry Coker era and now appeared to have righted the ship with the Sheriff, Randy Shannon, in control.

Where’s The Carolina Teams

3rd, the Carolina schools need to step up. Clemson looks to do that this year so now North Carolina and NC State need to follow suit. The Tar Heels and the Wolfpack are the cornerstone schools of the ACC and for the league to move up the BCS food chain, they need to win consistently. They have the coaching. You won’t find head coaches with better track records than Butch Davis and Tom O’Brien. They also have booster money, great facilities and renovated stadiums. There doesn’t seem to be any excuses anymore for the Heels and the Pack to not start winning games.

Check out onlinesportsguys.blogspot.com as we begin our college football coverage. I will post reports throughout the week from the ACC Football Kickoff.

That’s it, I’m spent.