Current ACC Rankings: One to Twelve

The ACC (and college football) season is halfway over. Here are how I see the teams as far as ranking, from one to twelve.

1. Virginia Tech

Hard to argue with anyone else getting the top spot. VT's only loss is to Alabama, currently ranked second in the country. VT has good talent and great coaching and is the clear favorite at this point.

2. Georgia Tech

This is unfair to Miami because they beat Georgia Tech head to head. However, that was Georgia Tech's third game in 13 days and they were tired. I also think that GT will have the better record, in the conference, at the end of the year.

3. Miami

They probably should be number two. Jacory Harris is having a great year leading this team and they have athletes. The win over Oklahoma was huge and should give this team confidence for the rest of the year.

4. Wake Forest

After the top 3, it gets really tough. Wake lost to Boston College but has had two nice wins over NC State and Maryland since and is in control over their destiny and a win over Clemson this Saturday would really give them control. Grobe's teams are so consistent it is maddening.

5. Boston College

The Eagles are TERRIBLE, and I mean TERRIBLE on offense. They have had two weeks where at halftime they had less than 10 yards of offense. However, the defense is pretty good and is keeping them in most games. The Eagles sit at 2-2 in the conference and currently deserve the top 5. It can change quickly though.

6. Clemson

They are here because I don't know who else to put. Clemson is doing its usual fall underachieving routine and are at 2-3 but do have the talent to win games, as well as the schedule (playing in the Atlantic division).

7. Virginia

Here comes Al Groh. Every year in September it is his last year and by Thanksgiving he has his job back. While this still may be his last year, the Cavs have gotten two impressive wins in a row, especially last week thumping Indiana 47-7. Who knows with this team.

8. Florida State

Things are amiss in Tallahassee. Them being ranked eighth is more of an indictment on the conference than anything. They do have the impressive BYU win and still have some talent somewhere in that program.

9. Duke

I would have put Duke eighth but I still can't wrap my head around them being able to beat Florida St. Maybe they could. Their win over NCSU was really impressive and if their offense keeps playing at that high of a level then they will be in every game for the rest of the year (especially considering the teams ranked below them have been terrible on offense).

10. NC State

NC State looked as though they were turning the corner after the Pitt win and ready for a big year. The last two losses to Wake and especially Duke have been big setbacks. They still win games with Wilson at quarterback but they have to figure out how to defend the pass and tackle.

11. North Carolina

They can't score. Not even against Georgia Southern last week. The defense (which is good) had to score for them. UNC, unless they can figure out how to put points on the board, will struggle in every game they have the rest of the year.

12. Maryland

They almost lost to a FCS team, lost to Middle Tennessee St. for the second straight year, and got hammered by Rutgers and California. They somehow beat Clemson but have been bad in every other game this year. They haven't shown me (other than the Clemson game) they can consistently play an entire game.

ACC Football Recruiting Update - Miami

Miami has recruited well under Randy Shannon, and this year (so far) is no different. Same system for all the recruiting updates (first star rating is rivals, second is scout)

Louis Nix (DT) 4*/4*
Malcolm Bunche (OL) 4*/3*
Todd Chandler (DT) 4*/4*
Tavadis Glenn (DT/OT) 4*/3*
Javarie Johnson (LB) 4*/4*
Tyrone Cornelius (LB) 3*/3*
Jeremy Davis (WR/DB) 3*/3*
Darion Hall (RB) 3*/3*
Shane McDermott (OL) 3*/3*
Kevin Nelson (LB) 3*/3*
Kacy Rodgers (DB) 3*/3*
Johnathan Feliciano (OL) 3*/3*
Stephen Morris (QB) 3*/3*
Maurice Hagens (RB/FB) 3*/3*
Andrew Tallman (DE/OT) 3*/3*
Clive Walford (TE) 3*/3*
Raheam Buxton (DB) NR/3*

*NR=not yet rated

Miami, like Virginia Tech, has put together a solid (if not spectacular) class. They are currently ranked number 20 in the 2010 team rankings. Again, like Virginia Tech, they are in the running for a few big time prospects (#1 MLB Jeff Luc, #1 S Matt Elam). If "The U" can land a few of these types of guys they should have another top 5 to 10 class. Things are looking up in Coral Gables.

ACC Football Recruiting Update - Virginia Tech

Here is just a little recruiting update for ACC football teams, starting with Virginia Tech. As you know, the best way to start winning games on the field is to get better players into the program. This list will show each teams current commitments, their position, and what star rating they have (the first star rating is rivals.com, and the second is from scout.com).

VIRGINIA TECH

Zack McCray (DE) 4*/4*
Nick Acree (DT/OT) 4*/4*
Mark Shuman OT) 4*/4*
Chase Williams (LB) 3*/3*
Caleb Farris (OL) 3*/3*
Derrick Hopkins (DT) 3*/3*
Matt Arkema (OL) 3*/3*
Ricardo Young (QB) 3*/3*
Jerome Lewis (DE/TE) 3*/3*
Tahrick Peak (LB) 3*/3*
Kyle Fuller (CB) 3*/3*
Mark Leal (QB) 3*/3*
Brian Laiti (LB/S) 3*/3*
Detrick Bonner (CB) 3*/3*
Justin Taylor (DE) 3*/3*
E.J. Smiling (WR) 2*/3*
Dominique Patterson (ATH/LB) 3*/2*
Nick Dew (CB/S) 3*/2*
De'Antre Rhodes (DT) 3*/2*
Theron Norman (CB/S) 3*/2*

Virginia Tech has lined up a really solid class so far. They are currently ranked 25th nationally in team rankings by scout.com and are pursuing a few more elite type prospects. If they are able to land a few of those this will be one of Virginia Tech's best classes in the past few years.

The ACC is TERRIBLE!!

What has happened to ACC football???? It has almost become laughable. The conference has just fallen apart honestly. There are only two teams really playing to their potential, Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech (and maybe Boston College).

Clemson is a joke. All the talent that they have on the field at any given time and they can't win a game. They lost to a Maryland team today that most considered horrible this year. Swinney is doing NOTHING to establish any credibility with the fan base; especially in a year where the ACC is wide open.

Florida St. is pitiful. If there is one team with more total talent than Clemson it is FSU, and they are even worse! After losing to a backup QB led South Florida team on their home field they go to Boston College and lose to a mediocre BC team (even though they are winning games).

For all that "great young" talent that UNC has, they are doing nothing. They beat some dogs to begin the year, they have looked horrible the past two weeks, and incredibly bad today. Losing to UVA (who lost to WILLIAM AND MARY) at home is downright pitiful, and even more so only scoring three points. Can Butch Davis coach a lick? Seriously?

NC State has had one quality win (Pitt) and a couple of close losses. Losing to Wake when Wake is in a rebuliding mode doesn't look great. Wilson is still probably the best quarterback in the ACC and will win the Wolfpack some games. They were predicted to be a seven or eight win team, and that is probably what they will be. Can't complain too much about them at this time.

Virginia has turned into a joke. This used to be the second best team in the ACC. Al Groh has lost this program, and even though they won today they are not any good at all.

Maryland is also a joke. They won today as well but are not good at all and have a ton of work to do just to get back to respectability after making back to back Orange bowls in 2002 and 2003.

Duke is Duke. While they are one of the few teams this year that is probably improving, obviously they are still a bunch of players away from being able to compete on a weekly basis.

Miami is still up in the air. I think they are better, but they are still nowhere close to being "The U" of the 1980s and 1990s. Can't complain about them too much overall though.

Georgia Tech, VT, and BC to a lesser extent are the only teams really living up to their potential on any sort of a consistent basis. Thank goodness for these teams because without them the ACC would be one of the worst two or three conferences in college football.