College Teams with Most NFL Products

I heard this talked about on a local sports radio program the other day and it really sheds some light on the current state of the ACC. This, to me, is the biggest reason the ACC is behind some of the other top football conferences in national credibility and significance. Below is a list of the top programs in terms of producing NFL talent:

1. Miami (FL) - 46
2. Ohio State - 44
3. Florida St. - 41
4. Georgia - 37
5. Tennessee - 36
5. Michigan - 36
7. LSU - 32
7. Texas - 32
9. Florida - 31
10. Auburn - 30

The ACC only has two programs in the top 10 in terms of NFL talent and both of those have many players that have been there a while. FSU and Miami have always produced players with great speed and just really good football players. However, no one else in the ACC even comes close. The other thing to notice: There are 5 SEC teams on the list (just in the top 10). It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the best talent wins football games and the ACC has not had that elite talent. If the ACC wants to be one of the best or the best football conference in America, they need to get better players.

I am watching the South Carolina vs. Ole Miss game right now and tell me how many teams in the ACC could be SC. Not many. And South Carolina is somewhere between the 5-7 range in the SEC.

Virginia Tech always seems to be one more great player away of competing for national championships. Clemson always seems to have great talent at the skill positions but often complain about their offensive line play. Virginia produces some NFL talent but obviously not enough. Georgia Tech is the same way and their program will obviously trend differently now with the new offensive system. Duke and Wake Forest are never going to produce a ton of NFL talent and have to find other ways to win. Maryland is pretty much in that same boat (along with Boston College). The North Carolina state schools (UNC and NCSU) have to recruit better along the east and south as there are simply not enough good high school football players in North Carolina to go around.

The best way to get more talent is to win games on the field, and with the exception of Virginia Tech, ACC programs have not been doing that consistently enough recently. Gotta have the horses.

Better Week for the ACC (almost much better)

Week two for the ACC went better than opening week. Only one ACC team lost (two if you count Clemson losing to conference foe Georgia Tech). The only reason this cannot be counted as much better is because there were a few teams that had games that were much closer than they should have been.

POSITIVES

1. Two ACC teams put on another great show on Thursday night as Georgia Tech and Clemson played a great game with GT pulling out a three point win. It was exciting throughout, especially after GT's initial surge. Clemson did not give up after getting down early and the game turned out to be another good showcase game for the conference.

2. There were quite a few teams that played much better than week one. Duke went from losing to Richmond and really not doing much to beating Army, and beating them fairly convincingly at least (35-19). NC State bounced back, albeit against a much less talented Murray State team, destroying them in every aspect of the game, winning 65-7. Virginia Tech played great against a decent Marshall team, winning 52-10. The 52 is a great sign for the Hokies because they have struggled to muster offense in almost every game the past few years. Wake Forest bounced back after an opening loss to Baylor by beating a solid Stanford team 24-17. Riley Skinner was back to his old self, taking care of the ball and limiting mistakes. Boston College played well again, defeating Kent St. 34-7.

3. The ACC only lost one game against conference foes, definitely the biggest positive. The loss was Virginia to TCU. Virginia is not supposed to be good and TCU is a ranked team.

NEGATIVES

1. FSU absolutely laid an egg. For the ACC to regain national prominence and respectability FSU has to be a powerhouse. To barely beat an average FCS team (Jacksonville St.) 19-9 and need a fourth quarter comeback to do it is simply embarressing. FSU fans are really questioning Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher, Mickey Andrews and the direction of the program and who can really blame them? Teams go through lulls but a team like Florida St. should not have an almost ten year run like this.

2. Maryland barely beat Colonial Athletic Association foe James Madison (38-35 in OT). Maryland is a lower level ACC team this year but should have the talent to handle most FCS teams. Ralph Friedgen needs to turn this program around or he could be looking for a job next fall.

3. Virginia, a team with respectable football tradition, is awful. It wasn't long ago that UVA was competing with Florida St. on national television and was probably the second best team in the ACC. Al Groh will most likely be looking for a job next fall as well.

The ACC restored a little bit of their repuation this weekend with a 9-1 record against other leagues. A lot of these games were games where the ACC team was favored but a 9-1 record looks tons better than the 4-6 from a week ago. The ACC still needs a national championship contender to really get back on the map but this weekend certainly did not hurt.

ACC Needs Better Week Two

The ACC did not get off to a good start in the 2009 football season last weekend, only winning one game as a conference against a FBS opponent and going 0-2 against the Colonial Athletic Association (thanks UVA and Duke). This weekend is huge for ACC football as they look to try and get some decent wins against out of conference competition. The ACC did have a nice lift the past two games, with FSU and Miami as well as Georgia Tech and Clemson putting on nice shows on national television. However, there are two things a conference is usually measured upon. One, if your conference has a national title contender it helps because they are constantly in the national spotlight and it just makes the conference "feel" tougher as a team that could win it all is playing week and week out. Two, how your conference does against the other major conferences. The ACC got off to a horrible start and needs to improve this weekend.

NORTH CAROLINA vs. Connecticut

UNC looked fine last week beating up on the Citadel, but this will be a much tougher test. UCONN is always well coached and will be looking for revenge after losing lat year. if UNC can run the football they will win the game as they can let their defense do the rest.

Pick: UNC 27 UCONN 20

WAKE FOREST vs. Stanford

Wake was beaten last seek by Baylor 24-21 and this game is huge for their chances at bowl eligibility. This also would be a nice win for the ACC as Wake is projected to finish in about the same spot that Stanford is in the Pac-10. Stanford has a good passing attack behind freshman QB Andrew Luck. If Wake can pressure him, they have a good shot.

Pick: Wake 28, Stanford 24

DUKE vs. Army

Duke was one of the two biggest disappointments of the first weekend losing to FCS Richmond. Duke desperately needs this win for team morale as well as to keep any interest from the fanbase. If Duke loses this game and starts 0-2 with losses to Richmond and Army, Duke administration will not need to hire a cleaning crew after the next home game because no one will be there.

PICK: Duke 30, Army 20

VIRGINIA TECH vs. Marshall

Virginia Tech played OK in their opener, falling to Alabama 34-24. It wasn't quite as close as the score indicated, but VT did not get destroyed as Clemson did one year ago. This would be another huge blow to the conference's reputation should VT, projected to win the ACC, lose to Marshall. Marshall has a nice team and could pull an upset if VT comes in and tries to sleepwalk through this game.

PICK: Virginia Tech 28, Marshall 17

BOSTON COLLEGE vs. Kent State

BC should have another easy win here to open their season 2-0. Kent St. will be tougher than Northeastern was a week ago though.

PICK: BC 38, Kent St. 20

VIRGINIA vs. TCU

Virginia was the laughing stock of the ACC a week ago losing to William and Mary. That loss will most likely be one that costs Al Groh his job at the end of the year. He could do a lot today to save it if he could pull the upset on a top 20 ranked team. It is not going to happen though.

PICK: Virginia 14, TCU 35

FLORIDA STATE vs. Jacksonville St.

Florida State came up just short in their opener against Miami. This game should be easy enough for the Seminoles. The only way they have any trouble is if they are not over losing last week and come out and just go through the motions. Jacksonville St. does have former LSU QB Ryan Perrilloux, who was a top 2 QB in his high school senior class.

PICK: FSU 48, Jacksonville St. 10

MARYLAND vs. James Madison

Maryland took a beating last week against Cal (52-10). Hopefully they will rebound this week against a Colonial Athletic Association team. James Madison is a decent team and Maryland will have to play pretty well to get a win here.

PICK: Maryland 27, James Madison 17

NORTH CAROLINA STATE vs. Murray State

NC State looked bad in their opener offensively against South Carolina, scoring only 3 and gaining only 133 yards of total offense. They will look to take out their frustrations on Murray St. as this will probably be a game where State fans will get to see more of Mike Glennon. This SHOULD be an easy win for the Wolfpack but you never know with ACC football.

PICK: NC State 40, Murray St. 13

wow ACC

What a weekend of college football! I am so glad there is some quality sports to watch on TV now. The summer drags on, especially when you are a Cincinnati Reds fan. While this was a great weekend with college football starting back up, the ACC took another nation wide respectability hit as the conference got off to a horrible start. Two ACC teams lost to 1-AA teams (now FCS) and no ACC team won any game of note.

NC STATE 3, SOUTH CAROLINA 7

In an offensive shootout, the Wolfpack came up just short. State was able to muster 133 yards of offense and one whole field goal. In a nationally televised game with football fans from all over the country watching just because football was finally back, the ACC laid its first egg of the weekend in a game that any halfway decent team would have beat SC as they played poorly as well.

WAKE FOREST 21, BAYLOR 24

Another chance for the ACC to get at least something of a statement win over a BIG XII team and another loss. Wake played horribly for most of the game, as it really was not as close as the score indicated. Usually reliable QB Riley Skinner threw three picks and Wake could not contain Baylor QB Robert Griffin. Wake is supposed to be a middle of the road ACC team as is Baylor in the BIG XII and the Big 12 proved superior again.

UNC, BOSTON COLLEGE, and GEORGIA TECH all won their games by scores of 40-6, 54-0, and 37-17 respectively, but they were all against I-AA opponents. While these are obviously not marquee wins, at least these teams did their jobs and won openers against overmatched opponents.

DUKE 16, RICHMOND 24

Richmond is the defending FCS national champion and did return 16 starters, but this still should have been a win for the Blue Devils. The only bright spot for Duke was QB Thad Lewis, who threw for 350 yards and 2 TDs. Duke was awful on special teams, couldn't stop the run consistently at all, and could muster no running game of their own against a team they should have been bigger, faster, and stronger than (only 19 rushing yards). Any time a BCS conference has a team that loses to a FCS team it is a serious blow to the conference.

VIRGINIA 14, WILLIAM & MARY 27

This was by far the worst game of the weekend for the ACC. William and Mary is not even considered to be a good FCS team and was not predicted to have a good year in their own division. Virginia, while not supposed to have a good year, is still an ACC Division I-A football team and should NEVER NEVER NEVER lose to an FCS team, especially not one that probably won't even make the playoffs in their own division. Horrible loss for UVA as well as the ACC (and it really wasn't even all that close!) This is the type of game that will probably cost Al Groh his job.

CLEMSON 37, MID TENN. ST. 14

I wouldn't even write anything about this game as this was an easy opener for the Tigers, but unfortunately Clemson was the only team to beat another I-A football team this weekend. That is really pathetic when you read that statement (the ACC had more losses against FCS teams than it did wins against FBS teams). Even though Clemson won fairly easily, they still have a dicey quarterback situation and need to get that ironed out before ACC play rolls around (or maybe not when you look at the rest of the conference). At least the ACC got one win.

VIRGINIA TECH 24, ALABAMA 34

This game was not as close as the score. Alabama had 3x as many yards as Va. Tech and really controlled the game for the most part. Virginia Tech did play hard and Beamer always has his team prepared, but they were no match athletically for a quality SEC team. The ACC desperately needed this win or at least a great game and we did not even come close. Anyone watching that game could tell quickly who was the more superior team.

The ACC went 4-6 (CAL beat Maryland by 50 points in the other ACC game) on opening weekend and had two horrible losses and no quality wins. For a conference desperate for credibility this weekend was a disaster and the exact opposite of what the conference was looking for. Hopefully the rest of the year will be much better than this weekend or it won't be long before ACC fans will be asking, "how much longer until basketball season?"

ACC Football Preview #5: Wake Forest

I am an idiot. I know I am. Every year everyone, including me, picks Wake Forest to have an average year, finish about 4th or 5th in the division and maybe make a bowl game. Every year Wake Forest has good to great years and threatens to make the ACC Championship game. So this pick for them to be fifth in the Atlantic division and maybe make a bowl game is probably ridiculous.

OFFENSE

QBs: There is really nothing to write about here. Riley Skinner seems like he has been the QB at Wake for about a decade, as if this were an NFL franchise. He is extremely consistent, rarely makes the big mistake, and occasionally can win you a game as well. In his senior year I predict another good year for him, especially with Josh Adams back and fully healthy this year at the running back position to take some of the pressure off Skinner. Skinner does lose both of his top wide receiver targets from a year ago which could be a concern butalmost everyone else is back and Skinner simply usually finds a way in Grobe's system and I see no reason for that to be any different this season.

RBs: Wake has had some really good backs recently. Chris Barclay left as the all time leading rusher at Wake in 2006. Josh Adams had a great rookie year in 2007, nearly rushing for 1000 yards. Wake's running game was expected to be really good last year as Adams was back and considered one of the top backs in the ACC. Unfortunately he was injured for much of the year and could only play in spurts. Brandon Pendergrass filled in as the lead back last year after all of Adams' injuries and did a respectable job, leading the team with 528 and 5 TDs. This year should be a better year for the Deacons running game. Adams is back and fully healthy and had a great spring and fall camp. Pendergrass will provide a great 1-2 punch and the entire offensive line returns for them to run behind. A look for a potentially very big step up for the Wake Forest running game in 2o09.

WRs: Wake Forest had a very experienced receiving corps in 2008 and it was consistent. Some of the big play potential had graduated the year before (Kenny Moore) but the receivers still were consistent targets for Riley Skinner. The receivers are also used to run the ball in Grobe's offense and usually are successful when doing that. This year they lose their two starting receivers from a year ago (DJ Boldin and Chip Brinkman). This group will be less experienced but has some younger talent because Grobe does such a great job recruiting and redshirting players. Wake never seems to be very young at any position. This group probably will be slightly down from the year before, but not very much.

OL: Grobe usually does a good job of building solid offensive lines with which to run the ball in all of the creative ways that they do. Last year was a bit of an abberation from Wake as the offensive line was at times inconsistent, mostly due to their lack of experience. They had to replace four guys who had started multiple years and moved on in 2007. This year will be much different. The entire starting offensive line returns from last year and will be much more experienced. If they stay healthy this could be one of, if not the, best offensive line of the Grobe era which is saying something.

DEFENSE

DL: Grobe has played multiple defenses during his tenure at Wake, always trying to put a set on the field that plays to his defense personnel strengths of a given year. This year they might play five DL as this will be the strongest unit of their defense, which has lost a ton due to gradation this year. Three of the four starters from a year ago return and two of them will be seniors. DT Boo Robinson will get some votes for all-ACC. This will Wake's most experienced defensive front in quite a while and will have to carry the load if Wake is going to stop anybody becuase the rest of the defensive units will be replacing some serious talent.

LBs: uh-oh. Wake Forest, under Grobe, has been great at redshirting players and always having experience at every position. Not this year at linebacker. Gone are all three starters from a year ago (which just happened to be their top 3 tacklers as well). The major loss is LB Aaron Curry. He was simply a beast which is why he was a top 5 NFL pick in last April's NFL draft. He led the team in tackles with 105 with 13.5 of those being for loss. He made it very easy and covered a ton of field for the Deacons. They also lose number two tackler from last year in Stanley Arnoux who was a fourth round draft choice. The new linebackers will be upperclasmen (two juniors and a senior) and that may help some but this unit will obviously be much weaker than last year.

DBs: This unit will also be hurt this year by the departure of their top corner, maybe in school history, in Alphonso Smith. He left Wake last fall as the ACC's all-time interception leader and really shut down half the field for the Deacons most Saturdays. He was a second round draft choice in the NFL draft. They return one starter (CB Brandon Ghee) but other than that they will be breaking in three new starters this fall. They will, unlike the LBs, be young as well. The probable new starters will be two sophomores and one redshirt freshman. This unit will obviously be down a notch or two (like the LBs) with the loss of their top guy and two other starters.

OVERALL

Wake Forest, like I said earlier, always seems to surpass expectations under Grobe. This year will be tough to do that, especially defensively. They lose seven starters from a year ago, two of which that were the best in school history at their positions. They have the talent and experience on offense to score some more points this year and they will need to as the defense could be much worse. Wake will probably make a bowl game winning six or seven games but I do not see them getting past that mark this year.

ACC Football Preview #4: Boston College

Boston College has been solid if not spectacular every year for about the last decade. Tom O'Brien (now at NCSU) did a great job building a program with remarkable consistency. When he left, Jeff Jagodzinski took over and people predicted a drop-off. It did not happen however as they made the ACC Championship game both years under "Jags". He was forced out this offseason when he interviewed for an NFL job and told if he did that he would be fired. He is now the OC for the Tampa Bay Bucs and their new staff. Their great OC Steve Logan resigned after Jags left. Now Frank Sapziani takes over who has been the BC defensive coordinator the last 13 seasons.

OFFENSE

QBs: Everyone now knows the name Matt Ryan. He graduated two years ago as the school's third all-time passer and lit it up last year as a rookie for the Atlanta Falcons. Last year a huge dropoff was predicted in this position (obviously). While there was a dropoff, it was not as big as expected because Chris Crane came in, along with Dominique Davis, did a decent enough job to at least lead their team back to the ACC Championship game. Their numbers were way down but they managed the games well enough. This year Crane is gone and Davis returns. He can only improve with another years' experience but he will be in a new system with a new OC and have to learn a new set of plays. I predict a small increase in production.

RBs: Boston College has had a decent running game almost every year because they usually have quality o-line play. However, they have not had a 1000 yard rusher since 2003. That is mainly due to the fact that they had a couple of decent backs who split carries fairly easily. Last year looked to be a loss in the backfield as they lost their top 2 guys from the year before and did not have a lot returning. However, they got great production out of true frosh Montel Harris who finished with 900 yds. and 5 TDs. This year he returns for his sophomore year along with sophomore Josh Haden, who was highly touted out of high school. I predict for them to have more production running the football and for Harris to break the 1000 yard barrier for the Eagles.

WRs: Last year was a tough year for the receivers at BC because of inconsistent QB play at times. The leading receiver was Brandon Robinson with only 646 yds. and 3 TDs. This year he is gone but they do return two guys with starting experience in Justin Jarvis and Rich Gunnell. They are both seniors and should have decent years but there is usually a reason they haven't seen a ton of significant time before their senior years and that is because they usually don't have elite level talent. Losing Robinson hurts and I predict a slight dropoff in production this year from the receivers especially with the less than ideal situation at QB.

OL: BC was known for producing great OLs throughout O'Brien's tenure and most of those guys continued to play well under Jags. This should be another good year along the offensive front barring injuries as four starters return from the year before. This unit not only has experience but also has talent. Some people think Anthony Castonzo could be an all-time great by the time he is done. This should be a very bright spot for the Eagles this fall and should be their best overall offensive line in the past few years.

DEFENSE

DL: The Eagles DL last year was one of, if not the best DL in the ACC a year ago. Raji and Brace formed a formidable duo at both stopping the run and rushing the passer. This year they lose both of these guys (Raji a first round draft choice and Brace a second rounder). They do have three guys coming back that have had starting experience but will have a dip in production from last year losing those two top guys.

LBs: It was thought that this year would be a great year for the BC linebacking corps. They were returning Mark Herzlich who most think is the best LB in the ACC. They also were getting back Mike McLaughin, who had to sit out last year with an injury. Unfortuantely they received horrible news in the offseason that Herzlich had developed a rare cancer in his knees and his football career may be over (probably the least of his worries however). While football doesn't matter and his health is the first priority, it does seriously hurt the BC linebackers this fall. Losing a guy of his caliber is impossible to replace and they will probably use a couple of guys to try and fill some of the gap. McLaughin will be back and is a good player but BC will no longer have one of the best LB corps in the ACC as most thought.

DBs: BC looked as if it should have taken a dropoff in pass defense last year as they lost their first team All-American safety from the year before as well as one other starter but surprisingly had a better year than the year before. They allowed only 9 TD passes compared to 26 INTs. This was probably, at least partly, due to the great DL that provided a consistent pass rush and run stop that allowed a lot of long down and distances. Having a great D coordinator also helps. This year they have three starters returning from the year before and this should be another good secondary. However, they will have to do a better job of covering as they will not have near as much help from the front 7 as last year.

OVERALL

BC made a good hire in retaining Frank Spaziani and promoting him to head coach. This at least allows for some continuity within the program as he will now be the third head coach in the last four years. He has brought in his own staffof Gary Tranquill as OC (lots of experience) and Bill McGovern as DC (LB coach at BC the past 9 years). They have 14 starters returning which is nice but I don't see this as the same team of the past few years. They will win enough games to make a bowl but while Spaziani may be a slight upgrade at HC, I think both coordinators from last year were better. BC will probably win 7 or 8 games but will not be a major player in the ACC race this year.

ACC Football Preview #3: NC State

NC State is in their third year under Tom O'Brien and are starting to see the fruits of their patience under O'Brien. This certainly looks to be their best team during this three year tenure and one that could compete, with a couple of breaks, for the ACC Atlantic division title.

OFFENSE

QBs: Since Philip Rivers, NCSU has been plagued by mediocre quarterback play. It appeared that was going to be the case last year as well as Russell Wilson was not impressive in the opener, got knocked out of the game, and missed parts of the next few with injuries. At mid season however, Wilson started to light it up and finished the year as the best quarterback in the ACC. He won Offensive rookie of the year as a redshirt freshman with an amazing 17-1 TD/INT ratio. He threw for 1955 yards and ran for 388 more. The most impressive thing about Wilson, besides his amazing arm strength, are his great intelligence and instincts. He never throws interceptions forcing passes (many times throwing the ball out of bounds if nothing is there) and can make plays and keep plays alive with his legs. If he stays healthy he will be my pick for ACC POY and should have a great sophomore season. His athleticism and intelligence are a dangerous combination. Mike Glennon will back Wilson up and was a top 3 QB recruit coming out of high school 2 years ago. If Wilson does get banged up (which is likely with the style he plays) NCSU fans should feel much more confident with Glennon in the back-up role, especially if he lives up to his high school hype.

RBs: NC State is looking to build a solid running game year in and year out as O'Brien is known for developing great offensive lines which allow you to run the ball. Last year the running game showed promise at times but was hampered by injuries (as it seemed every unit was last year). Andre Brown led with 767 yds. and 7 TDs and he is now in the NFL. Jamelle Eugene returns and was #2 last year with 442. Adding improvement to the backfield will be rFr Brandon Barnes, a top 10 high school recruit a year ago. He boasts great speed. Curtis Underwood also has impressed. Toney Baker also returns as a sixth year senior who has battled injuries much of his career after being a decorated high school recruit. If he can produce at a relatively high level to go with Eugene and Barnes, NCSU could have a very good year running the football.

WR: NC State had a speedy receiving corps a year ago but a very young one that was plagued with drop passes. Owen Spencer returns and is a great deep threat (22.3 yds. per catch last year) but he struggled the most with dropped passes a year ago. If this is corrected he could be primed for a big year. Jarvis Williams also returns and was the #2 receiver a year ago with 432 and 4 TDs. TJ Graham is another speedster that, with improved route running skills, could be a great third option. George Bryan is a wonderful TE prospect entering his sophomore season and gives Wilson another solid, reliable option to distribute the ball to. This unit should be much better this season with another year of experience for them as well as Russell Wilson.

OL: This is what O'Brien has always been known for. He almost always has a very good OL that produces NFL talent. He has done a lot of mix and match and position switching to get the right personnel along the OL in his first 2 years and this year looks like it could be the year where the OL breaks out. They return 3 starters from last years unit and the two new guys will both most likely be seniors. This unit should continue to improve under O'Brien from a year ago and they will have another year of experience. This will be an "old" offensive line with four seniors and one junior most likely starting.

DEFENSE:

DL: NC State has had some great defensive linemen come through the program recently (Mario Williams, Manny Lawson, Tank Tyler, DeMario Pressley). All of those guys now play on Sundays. Last years DL was inconsistent at times and pretty good at others. This unit was banged up for much of the year as well which did not help. This year they return three starters in Willie Young, Alan-Michael Cash, and Shea McKeen. Young is explosive and a great playmaker while DT Cash is their most consistent DL and a solid down to down guy. This will undoubtedly be the best DL since O'Brien's arrival and if Young has a consistent year he could be a first or second round pick next NFL draft.

LB: This was a concern last year for the Wolfpack but ended up being a strength. Nate Irving had a great year and was spectacular at times, setting the school record for INTS for an LB with four. Ray Michel led the team in tackles with 85. This year all three starters would have been returning (basically with Dwayne Maddox playing a big role last year and starting this year) but unfortunately Irving was hurt in a car accident over the summer and probably won't play this season. However, NC State will get help from Terrell Manning, a top 15 LB recruit from last year that redshirted due to injury. If he lives up to his billing NC State should have a very good LB corps but the probable loss of Irving is huge.

CB: When O'Brien took over the defensive backfield switched from a predominately man scheme to more zone. This obviously led to some difficulty with adjustments and NC State struggled at times against the pass last year. This unit also had injury issues last year. This year should be a better year for the secondary as five guys who started games last year return and all have another year of experience. I look for at least some improvement over a year ago.

OVERALL

NC State should be a much improved team on the field and record wise this coming season. O'Brien is a great head coach that gets the most out of his teams and his teams rarely beat themselves. Wilson is a potential star and should provide consistent point production. The defense will miss Irving but still should be better overall than a year ago where some games sputtered at times.

NC State has a tough schedule, both in conference and out, but I see this team at least getting 7 wins, possibly 8, with a bowl game to come. If Wilson is healthy all season and the OL and RBs stay healthy this team could definitely get to nine wins. I really like Wilson's game management skills and think he is the best QB in the ACC. Any time you have the best QB in your conference you are going to have a chance to win a lot of games. Like I said, with a couple of breaks and an upset somewhere along the way, I can see NC State being a prime contender in the Atlantic division race.