Tuesday, July 24, 2007

The Daily Roundup: Tuesday's ACC Football Kickoff Part II

The BEST ACC Sports Coverage!!!
PHOTO: Despite what the media thinks, we believe Wake may surprise the field, again.

Getting your mind right:

Fresh faces in the ACC: "4 teams will break in head coaches in '07 season
Introductions were necessary Monday as football coaches met with reporters at the ACC's media kickoff at the Pinehurst Resort."

Andrew Jones of the ACC Insider - High Expectations: Miami, FSU looking to raise the bar in ACC football: "Lean times along the college football landscape are defined quite differently at places like Miami and Florida State than at most schools."

Neil Amato of the Wilmington Star - Hokies hope football will help their school heal: "It's hard for any of us to get past Page 2, even three months later."

Caulton Tudor of the Raleigh News and Observer: "NBA referee scandal a red flag for the ACC : There are 102 people on the ACC's football officiating roster and about 70 on the league's list of basketball refs. "

Media picks Seminoles to top ACC: "After last season, Bobby Bowden finally has a valid reason not to put much stock in the annual media poll that predicts which teams will be favored to win the Atlantic Coast Conference... " Ehhh....we'll see. And on the other side of the conference....

ACC Notebook: Hokies draw top spot in media poll: "Virginia Tech is more than the sentimental favorite to win the ACC title this season."

Vick Will Not Report: "The NFL announces Monday that it will prohibit quarterback Michael Vick from reporting to training camp with the Falcons this week."


More Than a Crash Course: "The Urban Youth Racing School, located at the IDEA Public Charter School in the District, tries to address the lack of racing opportunities for young African Americans."


The conference headlines:
Wake Forest
: "League's reputation questioned as former dynasties become mediocre. Defending ACC champion Wake Forest is picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic Division. "

Demon Deacons coach emphasizing focus »

Wake-up call: "With apologies to Mike Myers, Linda Richman and "Coffee Talk" . . . I'll give you a topic: Wake Forest winning the ACC's football championship last year was either good for the league or bad for the league. Discuss." Good for Wake Forest, and that's about all that matters.


Miami
Canes to remain nameless: "Here's a stunner for Canes fans who like their stars flaunted: First-year coach Randy Shannon has stripped the names from the back of this season's uniforms in an effort to continue his "team-first'' theme. Hurricanes individuals? Hurricanes preening? Not a chance."

Discipline, accountability strong parts of new UM coach's doctrine : "The days of running laps as punishment are gone."

From the Eye on the U Blog:
Get over there!!!


Florida State
Bowden surprised by poll: "After last season, Bobby Bowden finally has a valid reason not to put much stock in the annual media poll that predicts which teams will be favored to win the Atlantic Coast Conference football championship."
Florida State's Bowden back in the spotlight: "The sense of humor is still evident, the wisdom of 41 years of being a head coach evident in remarks that can disarm the most critical of crowds."

Bowden expects more from QBs: "Memo to Florida State quarterbacks Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee: Youthful mistakes no longer cut you any slack. Coach Bobby Bowden raised the bar Monday, saying the redshirt juniors have been in the program long enough to be more efficient."

Rebuilding the Seminoles' 'mystique': "Andre Fluellen understood just how serious things had turned when he couldn't get off Duke's field. Playing out the clock with a four-touchdown lead, Florida State's defensive plug kept lining up across from center and kept pounding into the middle of the Blue Devils' blocking scheme. "

Has the mystique left Tallahassee? : "The Florida State swagger might be gone, as was a trip a season ago to a coveted bowl game and a familiar spot within the Top 25, but the Seminoles' rivals speak of FSU these days as if it's an old bully they're afraid to anger."

Bowden, Smith enshrined in College Hall: "Florida State coach Bobby Bowden doesn't believe college football players have changed a lot since his first head coaching job in 1959. The parents have, though."

Seminoles' small-town coach lives in the big-time: "The curiosity, it seems, borders on unanimous. Ask those who have played under or spent time alongside Bobby Bowden during his half-century in coaching, and the burning question they get from fans is almost always the same."


Virginia Tech
Media pick VT as champs: "If the media members who cover ACC football are correct, Virginia Tech will win the ACC title this season. The bad news for the Hokies: History shows that the media are notoriously poor prognosticators."

Chins Up: Hokies sad, but ready to play :"Virginia Tech won the expansion sweepstakes against long odds three years ago, and now Virginia Tech represents the face of ACC football.The face has a tear in one eye, still grieving for the 32 innocent victims of a student murderer's April shooting spree. The other eye focuses on the future, on the prospects for communal healing and the perpetual common goal of football glory.An occasional smile reflects optimism and renewal, the Hokie spirit."




Clemson
Football Poll accuracy worries Tigers: "ACC voters predict Clemson to finish third with Bowden’s future in jeopardy. On one hand, coach Tommy Bowden found solace in the fact Wake Forest won the ACC title last year after being predicted to finish last in its division."

Bowden banks on new changes to fix offense: "CLEMSON’S DREAMS OF football grandeur disappeared in a finish to forget last season, and fans grumbled. They grumbled loudly. They waited in ambush at IPTAY club meetings for coach Tommy Bowden and lobbed poisonous questions his way."

Tigers pick up two more commitments: "Wide receiver Brandon Ford (6-foot-4, 207 pounds) of Hanahan committed Monday afternoon to Clemson. “I want to be an engineer and I fit right in to their school football wise and academic wise,” Ford said. “They are usually loaded with running backs, but they don’t really have a lot of receivers like South Carolina.”"


Georgia Tech
THE TOP CHOICE : "Tashard Choice is as talkative as Calvin Johnson was quiet. Mr. College Football thinks the former will succeed the latter as the best offensive player in the ACC. "



Maryland

Get over there!!!


North Carolina State

O'Brien says Pack could surprise: "Last summer, while he was still football coach at Boston College, Tom O'Brien picked Wake Forest as the league's sleeper. He was proven right when the Demon Deacons won the ACC Championship Game."

O'Brien's glad Wolfpack faces Eagles early: "At a hospitality event at the ACC's Football Kickoff on Sunday night, N.C. State football coach Tom O'Brien snacked on appetizers while he mingled with the masses. "

Whitley picks Hokies over Wolfpack: "E.J. Whitley, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound defensive back at Matthews Butler, announced Monday that he would accept a football scholarship to attend Virginia Tech."




North Carolina
New coaches must aim high: "Asked how he decides which gold ring to showcase daily, North Carolina’s Butch Davis quickly slid his left hand to cover the bulky Super Bowl gem on his right one."

North Carolina is planning football-stadium upgrades : "Davis says the $100 million project could begin in 18 months."

Plan to expand Kenan excites UNC's Davis: "North Carolina football coach Butch Davis said Monday the school is hoping to begin a $100 million renovation of Kenan Stadium within the next 18 months."

Davis: Kenan Stadium ready for renovations : "Butch Davis and North Carolina athletics director Dick Baddour discussed possible facility upgrades before Davis was hired as UNC's head football coach in November. "

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posted by Ed at Tuesday, July 24, 2007