ACC Best of the Blogs: Week 11

BOSTON COLLEGE

BC All Access: Boston College-Victoria's Secret Dispute
"Victoria Secret has deals with many major colleges to produce school clothing, and I think BC would be missing a big opportunity if they chose not to allow Victoria Secret to sell Boston College clothing. Some colleges actually have their school names on Victoria Secret underwear, but BC didn't allow this, so I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. The clothes are actually a big hit, plenty of girls around campus can be seen sporting the sweats."

BC Interruption: Oddsmakers: Eagles vs. 'Noles and the Division Race
"Jeff: Oh I hope the answer to this is 0%. I hope Jags never sends the field goal unit out there on Saturday except if time is expiring at the end of the first half and we have the ball in Florida State territory. Also, if we are tied at the end of regulation I wouldn't mind attempting a field goal. Unfortunately though, after Aponavicius missed the first field goal on Saturday against Notre Dame, Jags sent him back out there two more times so it seems as though Jags is set on attempting these field goals against my wishes. So on Saturday I imagine there will be one or two field goal attempts but the chances of BC making one out of only one or two attempts on the road in prime time I'm going to say are slim. 20%."

Eagle in Atlanta: The Raji Tackle
"This play is slowly taking on legendary status for BC fans and ND haters alike. I don't want to spark the whole recruiting rankings debate again, but let's all agree that sometimes the experts get it wrong (Raji was a 2-star, Olsen a 4-star)."

CLEMSON

Block-C: Is this what Clemson is telling recruits?
"I guess, if it’s not true, it’s at least a smart tactic. Coaching turnover scares recruits, as our massive drop in committed recruits would attest."

Sporting Gnomes: Thoughts on hiring the new HC
"Fourth and finally, beware the coordinators of strong programs. I’m thinking of Will Muschamp here. I’ve heard great things about his personality, but I have honestly heard zero about his qualifications. He was at LSU from ‘01-’04, Auburn from ‘06-’07, and now he’s at Texas. He’s been a part of winning teams, but how well can we back out his contribution? For all I know, he’s good at finding jobs where there is so much talent that it’s almost impossible to fail."

FLORIDA STATE

Chant Rant: Will it be the punch heard around the college football world?
"Put yourself in the same situation (based on what we've heard so far). You're out with some of your best buddies. Guys you also work with and share a strong bond. Suddenly one of them gets jumped. Would you really just stand by and watch the mayhem?"

Scalp 'em: Food For Thought: Last Year’s BC Game
"FSU beat then #2 Boston College… with none other than… Drew Weatherford at QB, who was 29-45 for 354 yards with 2 TDs and no INTs. I’m just sayin’."

Tomahawk Nation: The Seminole Report Card: FSU 41, Clemson 27
"Clemson had 1 play over 40 yards (44), 5 of 20+, and 16 plays of 10+ yards. That's not good. They did abandon the run as the game wore on: 24 first half runs, 12 second half runs. Clemson had 73 plays to work with, largely because of FSU's 2 huge special teams miscues, which immediately gave CU 12 more plays."

GEORGIA TECH

The Legacy x4: GT Ballin' Names
"2. I-Perfection Harris - How can you top that? Maybe with his brother's name of I-Finesse? Harris ended up at Kent State but that first name is pretty epic."

MARYLAND

Turtle Waxing: Hiding Portis
"I've been critical of the token use of QB Josh Portis at times this season but in thinking about the loss to Virginia Tech I'm not sure why he wasn't used on a few plays. The Hokies were shutting down the running game and Da'Rel Scott was clearly not the same player from before his shoulder got reinjured against N.C. State so it would have made sense to put a dual threat in the backfield. Portis could even be used in the backfield with Chris Turner as that could cause some serious confusion to the opposing defense. Alternating him in at quarterback, running back or slot receiver could make his athletic skills much more dangerous, especially if the offense utilized some pre-snap shifts. Portis is of limited utility because he can't seem to read defenses or totally grasp the playbook but in limited circumstances he could be effective."

MIAMI

All Canes: Sam Shields: On The Mend
"Shannon and staff have gotten immediate impact out of true freshman and after some early growing pains, these Canes are in the midst of a four-game win streak. While Miami is reliant on a slew of rookies, Shields proves that coaches haven't given up on some of the older talent."

NORTH CAROLINA

Carolina March: Ah, the Angst of Being a UNC Football Coach
"There certainly are reasons why Tennessee would be an attractive proposition for Davis. The Vols play in the Southeastern Conference, which is superior to the Atlantic Coast Conference in football. And at Tennessee, the football program is No. 1 on campus. Davis will always be No. 2 at North Carolina - or 1-A at best - behind Roy Williams and his basketball powerhouse."

Tar Heel Fan: Explain this one to me
"The is an actual answer to this quandry is if you could compare the pace of ticket sales up until now. Why is that important? Because no one knew football would conflict with basketball until the game time was announced 10 days ago. If there was a sudden downturn in ticket sales once folks realized basketball and football would be playing at the same time, then there is merit to the argument. If however the sales have held steady or if UNC is actually outperfoming Wake and NCSU in sales over the past 10 days then the argument is poppycock."

Tareye/Buckheel Tampa? You must be crazy
"Could this be the dawn of a dominant ACC program? Virginia Tech, Florida State and Miami have regressed a tad, opening the door for new powers in a more balanced conference. If Butch Davis stays for the long haul, the Heels look to become a perennial power with the recruiting and coaching here."

NC STATE

Section Six: Watch me jumpstart
"The Blue Devils did what it appears they've generally done all season--chip away slowly but surely. Nothing disastrous, but nothing spectacular, either. They put together three double-digit-play drives, but only one netted them points. That's how it went for Duke, which was methodical but couldn't quite produce the big plays in the big spots."

StateFans Nation: Wilson Stakes Claim; Wake up this weekend
"Wilson has performed better than almost anyone could have dreamed this season and has therefore promised to make the quarterback competition with freshman Mike Glennon interesting to watch in the future. (What a nice ‘problem’ to have)."

Yet Another...: A look at the Wake game, relatively speaking
"The question will be can State's offense, that looked so good in the first half against Duke, have similar success against a very stout Wake defense. The disparity in the rankings seem to suggest no, but the one chink in the Deacon armor may be their pass defense. And with Russell Wilson continuing to improve each week passing the football, State may have opportunities passing the ball downfield."

VIRGINIA

From Old Virginia: The dreaded vote of confidence
"So I believe Littlepage when he says Groh will coach the team next year. Believing Littlepage shouldn't be a yes or no proposition, but unfortunately, such is the nature of pronouncements like this. ADs and GMs all too frequently fire the coach anyway. But this means a couple things. One, Littlepage seems like a frequent guest at practices. I don't know how much Littlepage, or ADs in general, hang out at practice. I'll bet old-ass Bill Martin over at Michigan doesn't do it much. But it doesn't seem like an ideal situation for a coach's job security. Two, unless we go to a bowl next year, get ready for obsessive flight-tracking and all the other trappings of insanity that go with the words "coaching search." "

Good Ol' Blog: Evaluating Virginia’s championship chances
"Thus, by my unscientific gut-feeling estimation (the best kind), Virginia will be heading to Blacksburg with a trip to the ACC Championship game on the line — with the winner of that game getting the ticket. Just like last year. And, right now, I’ve got Virginia losing that battle. Just like last year."

VIRGINIA TECH

Beer Control Offense: Week 11 Thoughts
"Cody Grimm did not make the top 3, but that lil guy lights dudes up weekly. At 5' nothing, he must be angry all the time. You know the Fridge must hate losing to Beamer but even worse they get their asses handed to them physically every time they play. Only in 2005 when big Jared Gaither decleated Adibi can I remember a big hit laid by a Terp. You know those 3 cats were getting oohed and ahhhed when they watched film the next day."

College Game Balls: Miami is the Dirty Scum you Scrape off Your Shoe
"We are less than 24 hours away from Virginia Tech at Miami. This matchup has lost its national appeal, but for the Hokies and Hurricanes pride and the ACC Coastal are on the line. The bottom line is this, Hokies hate Hurricanes and Hurricanes hate Hokies."

Tailgate Fever: Sometimes Life Gets In The Way
"101 Proof. Oh hell yes. The Wild Turkey offense is a brilliant idea. And it only took the Offensive Coordinator three seasons of watching it succeed elsewhere before implementing it in our offense. Greg Boone is a badass. And there is no reason he shouldn't play more from this position. The Tyrod-Glennon double injury is precisely why you don't move Cory Holt to WR, oh by the way. Considering he never played a significant down at WR, you have to ask yourself....what is wrong with our coaching staff? Justin Hamilton, Chris Clifton, Ike Whitaker, Cory Holt...it is an endless list. Just keep the backups at their appropriate position. We might need them someday."

Tech Sideline: David Wilson is Underrated
"But I watch Wilson run, and I see something that makes me believe he’s going to be really good. I don’t like to put any undue pressure on a football recruit, but I have to do my job as well. I think Wilson is every bit as good a prospect as Logan Thomas, and I think there’s a decent chance he could end up with a 5-star rating before it’s all said and done."

Tech SuperFans: Game Preview vs. Miami
"So what's the key to adding another notch in the W-column for Virginia Tech? Miami seems to have a fairly developed offense, but it seems to hinge primarily on their number one's at the passing game and rushing game. Once you get past them on the depth chart, the number two and number three players don't contribute so much to the offense produced by the team. If the Hokie defense can shut down Miami's stars, they'll probably contain the Miami offense. If Marve successfully gets the ball in the hands of Cooper and Johnson routinely, Miami will put up some big points."

VT Fan: Hokies Men’s and Women’s Soccer Teams Tale of Two Stories
"But like many of the other ‘olympic’ sports, the Hokie soccer teams are benefiting tremendously from being in the ACC. Both programs are sleeping giants that are on their way to being consistent top performers. For example, the women’s team went 2-0 against UVa this year (the men lost 2-1), and they days of the UVa powerhouse dominating the soccer rivalry between the schools in both men’s and women’s is over."