Atlantic Coast Atlantic
What else can you say about the race for the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship? This conference was absolutely brutal from top to bottom. No team had fewer than three losses by the end of the season. The teams were so tightly packed in the standings that the tiebreaking scenarios were numerous. It wasn’t in just one division either. Both divisions had at least three teams with legitimate chances to win the division going into the final week of the season. It was what college football is all about, as each game was vitally important to the conference race.
So who will prevail this year? That Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division is one in that there is no clear favorite tow in the thing. Last season, Boston College was the survivor. The Eagles went on to represent the division in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game. They didn’t have enough left in the end to secure the automatic BCS bid, however, as they lost to Virginia Tech for the conference championship. This year Florida State might be the favorite, but this is sure to be a race that will once again go down to the end.
Boston College has been very consistent for years. Almost every year they are going to beat Notre Dame, especially if the Irish are highly ranked. They are also likely going to win their bowl game. Until last season, Boston College had won eight straight bowl games. That all ended on a late field goal by Vanderbilt in the Music City Bowl. With one swing of the kicker’s foot Boston College’s bowl streak was over and Vanderbilt had its first bowl win in more than half a century. That means there is not a Boston College Eagle belt with a Music City Bowl champs logo
Clemson has long been one of those programs that seems like it should be better than it actually is. Last year they had a mediocre 7-6 record, but they did have some highlights. They did defeat Atlantic Division champ Boston College and in state rival South Carolina, but they needed two wins over 1-AA programs in order to qualify for a bowl game. Once again, the season was a disappointment for a team that has often underachieved. They lost their bowl game to Nebraska and they will have to use a Clemson Tiger belt to hold up their pants to prevent further shame.
Florida State saw their 2008 season have many ups and downs. The Seminoles won a road game over archrival Miami, finished with nine wins, and won the Champs Sports Bowl over Wisconsin. They didn’t even need to rely on a field goal to beat Miami, as the history of Wide Rights and Wide lefts in that series is legendary. Florida State already had the lead at the end of that game, so it did not have to come down to a game winning kick. Maybe if it does in the future a Florida State Seminole belt wills straighten the ball through the uprights
North Carolina State had a pretty good year in 2008. Many experts expected the Wolfpack to be one of the worst teams in the ACC. Instead, they shocked the conference by contending for the Atlantic Division crown. They even had a win over a surging Miami team late in the year, but lost the Papajohns.com Bowl to a talented Rutgers squad. That means a North Carolina State Wolfpack belt for bowl championships will have to wait one more year.
Then there is Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are one of those teams that always does more with less. They are the smallest BCS Conference school in the country, but head coach Jim Grobe guided them to a surprising Conference championship a few years ago. That meant a berth in the prestigious Orange Bowl, but they unfortunately lost to Louisville in that game. Wake Forest is no longer thought of as a basketball school and the alma mater of Tim Duncan because of that season. They are a legitimate contender every year because of their coach and improved recruiting.Their recent success on the football field means that the Wake Forest Demon Deacon belt stands for success.
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