ACC PREVIEW

College football season is truly just around the corner and this man could not be happier. Kids are reporting to camp, prognosticators are making their prognostications and Miami students are already failing classes and it’s only August!

Over the next few weeks we of the Church of Keith Jackson will be bringing you our conference-by-conference previews, and many apologies to you lesser conferences but we’re going to keep these MAJOR conference previews, sorry MAC-WEST. So without further ado let’s start at the top of the alphabet, the ACC.

The Atlantic Coast Conference, once the bastion of college football talent has slipped in the past few years. With once powerhouse schools like Miami and Florida State in the midst of transitions the door is wide open for other schools to make noise.

CONTENDER: Clemson Tigers

The sexy pick to win the ACC this year. The Tigers return their two-headed monster at running back. Senior James Davis is expected to build upon his great season last year (1,064 yards rushing, 10 TDs) while continuing to split carries with C.J. Spiller (three 100-plus rushing yard games in 2007). Plus senior QB Cullen Harper will only improve, especially if he hopes to continue his career in the NFL next year, Cullen last year threw 26 touchdowns compared to only 6 INTs.

Offensively the Tigers look great but it’s on the defensive side, usually Clemson’s strong suit, that will be the big question mark in Pickens County. Senior linebacker Cortney Vincent was dismissed from the team for unspecified team rules violations (gee, isn’t that always the case?) and will be playing for a D-II school this season. Add to that Clemson safety DeAndre McDaniel was arrested about a month ago for assaulting his girlfriend:

Too soon maybe? Still this is a defence, which as a team, allowed opponents to score more than 20 points only three times last season. Despite losing outstanding defensive lineman Phillip Merling to the NFL the Tigers should be the class of the ACC thanks to a potent combination of stingy defence and a strong running game.

DARK HORSE: Florida State Seminoles

100% a total homer pick, but a guy can wish can’t he? Sure the Seminoles finished a paltry 7-6 last year, misses a bowl game, lost the only promising player on their roster for good (De’Cody Fagg-led team in receiving TDs in 2007) and generally had a clusterf**k at the quarterback position BUT that doesn’t mean that the ‘Noles can’t turn it around in 08! Hey, they’re still coached by Bobby Bowden!

Dag Gummit boys we’re going 13-0 this year!

In all reality FSU have a relatively easy first half, with their toughest game before Halloween most likely being either Wake Forest at home on September 30th or hosting Virginia Tech on October 25th.

The ‘Noles had their best success last year when they cycled QBs Drew Weatherford and Xavier Lee. We’ll see how coach Bowden decides to play it but Florida State’s MO will probably not change; expect a steady dose of speed from defensive ends Neefy Moffett and Evertette Brown and on the offensive side of the ball high-flying receiver Greg Carr (10 TD, 19.1 ypc in 2007) will look to make an impact.

Sure I may sound optimistic but watch the video and tell me you don’t agree:

BIG 10 preview coming next week. In the meantime stay out of jail all you ACC fans!

This past week EA Sports released their annual ode to NCAA football, the inventivley named NCAA Football 2009 (where do they come up with these names?). Like every year that EA Sports puts out these games the public was clamoring with anticipation to see which athlete would grace the cover. Before we get down to brass tax let's take a look at some previous years...

2008: Jared Zabransky, Boise State, QB
Heisman? No
Pros: Orchastrated one of the biggest upsets in modern college football in the Fiesta Bowl vs. Oklahoma
Cons: His teammate that proposed to his cheerleader girlfriend should have taken the cover. Honorable mention has got to go to Troy Smith and Ted Ginn Jr. from Ohio State as well as Brady Quinn from Notre Dame

2007: Reggie Bush, USC, RB
Heisman? Yup
Pros: Allowed Reggie to buy his family a nice new house as well as buying himself and his whole entourage brand new cars...at least that's what he told the investigation committee
Cons: Obviously Vince Young should have been on the cover that year but I heard he got lost on the way to the photo shoot even though he had written directions

2006: Desmond Howard, Michigan, WR & PR
Heisman? Hell yeah
Pros: Obviously the prophetic and iconic image of Howard's End Zone celebration after a punt return touchdown vs Ohio State got him on the cover the year that EA featured "Race to the Heisman" in the game
Cons: None really, I mean it's tought to argue putting one of the greatest collegiate athletes on the cover...although Adrian Peterson's freshman year should have put him in the running for the cover

2005: Larry Fitzgerald, Pittsburgh, WR
Heisman? nope
Pros: Fitty, as he is sometimes known to others, loves crackers and I love that he loves crackers. And I guess catching 34 touchdowns in 26 college games doesn't hurt
Cons: Like I said he didn't win the Heisman that year, Josh Smith of Oklahoma did (yeah really), but really this is a good choice

2004: Carson Palmer, USC, QB
Heisman? Yessir
Pros: Palmer, being the 1st USC Trojan to win the Heisman since Marcus Allen, was pretty much a sure bet to make the cover
Cons: LSU won the BCS that year and the whole team should have been on the cover. Some of the names from that team? JaMarcus Russell, Joseph Addai, Michael Clayton, Devery Henderson, Dwayne Bowe, Marcus Spears, Randall Gay...that's a football team

2003: Joey Harrington, Oregon, QB
Heisman? nope
Pros: Um, well...hmmm, no sorry I got nothing
Cons: Where do we begin? Fans in Detroit and Atlanta know all about Mr. Harrington. I guess EA Sports would have done better if they put Joey's Irish cousin Pedraig on the cover instead.

2002: Chris Weinke, Florida State, QB
Heisman? Absolutley
Pros: Played for God's team a.k.a The Florida State Seminoles, won the Heisman and got to the National Championship game...but let's forget the unfortunate matter of FSU only putting up 2 points in that game
Cons: Dude was 28 when he was a senior. Guy was like Paul Blake in Necessary Roughness...great flick by the way, especially if you're a fan of Sinbad.

So that brings us up to date. This year EA decided to throw us a curveball and have different covers for every platform, lets give em the old once over...

Xbox 360: Darren McFadden, Arkansas, RB
stats: 1830 yards rushing, 16 TDs, 0 Heismans

Playstation 3: Matt Ryan, Boston College, QB
stats: 4507 yards passing, 31 TDs, 0 Heismans

Playstation 2: DeSean Jackson, California, WR
stats: 65 catches, 762 yards, 6 TDs, 0 Heismans

PSP: Owen Schmitt, West Virginia, FB
stats: kind of tough with a full back but...106 knockdown blocks and 17 touchdown-resulting blocks but 0 Heismans

Wii: Sparty the Spartan, Michigan State, Mascot
stats: countless number of laughs, 0 Heismans

and so there you have it. You may have even learned something today, but probably not. Just to thank the readers and to not be accused of false advertising here are your Erin Andrews pics...

GET AWAY FROM HER TEBOW!!!!! SHE'S MINE!

Conference previews coming in a few weeks.