How they will finish:
Atlantic Division:
1. Florida State (Returning: 8 offensive starters, 8 defensive starters) - Although former quarterback Christian Ponder has left for the NFL, Florida State is confident in junior EJ Manuel. Manuel has played in fourteen games and has been fairly successful. Luckily for Manuel, he will have a large amount of help as FSU returns not only their starting running back but also four wide receivers with over 30 receptions. On the defensive side of the ball, the front four return three starters losing only Markus White while the secondary comes back fully in tact. The weak link on the defense is the linebackers who will be very young this season.
Key ACC Games: vs. Maryland, @ Boston College
2. Maryland (Returning: 7 offensive starters, 7 defensive starters) - There is one reason why Maryland is ranked so high in the Atlantic Division, quarterback Danny O'Brien. O'Brien threw for 22 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions last season. However, he threw three picks against Clemson and two against FSU, and had poor completion percentages against Duke (35%) and Miami (32%). Maryland's season rests on the hope that their young quarterback will improve in his sophomore year and make up for the loss of running back Da'Rel Scott and top wide out Torrey Smith. The return of 4 of the 5 offensive linemen should make O'Brien's sophomore year at least a little easier. On defense, Maryland returns 3 of 4 starters up front, but they were weak off of the ends last year and will need that to improve. Like FSU, the biggest question mark for Maryland's D is the linebackers as both outside linebackers have left and must be replaced. If the linebackers can get up to speed quickly the defense may not see much of a drop off from last season.
Key ACC Games: Opening weekend vs. Miami, @FSU
3. Boston College - (Returning: 7 offensive starters, 4 defensive starters) The offense rests in the hands of Sophomore quarterback Chase Rettig, who filled in the second half of the season after Dave Shinskie was benched due to poor play. Rettig will be looking for a more successfully consistent season after a very up and down freshman campaign. Rettig will have major help as the ACC's best running back Montel Harris is back along with many of the Eagles' top receivers. Colin Larmond, who was Boston College's best receiver in 2009, will be back after a knee injury that caused him to miss the entire 2010 season. With his help, the Eagles will have a more productive offense. While the offense got better during the off season the defense lost a large number of important pieces including three out of four linemen and defensive backs. The strength of the defense lies in the linebackers where the Eagles' return the nations leading tackler in Luke Kuechly. If the young defense can mature quickly it could be a good year for Boston College.
Key ACC Games: @ Virginia Tech, @ Maryland
4. Clemson (Returners: 8 offensive starters, 5 defensive starters) - Running back Andre Ellington will have to step up this year as fellow running back Jamie Harper won't be around to help carry the load. Andre Ellington's performance is even more crucial with the departure of quarterback Kyle Parker who will be replaced by dual threat Tajh Boyd. Although Boyd was a heralded recruit, there have been murmurs coming from Clemson's camp that he isn't where he needs to be in terms of development. Luckily for Boyd, his entire receiving corps as well as 4 of the 5 offensive linemen are back. However, it will be Boyd's progress that will determine how strong the Clemson offense will be. On Defense, the Tigers lose defensive end Da'Quan Bowers as well as five other defensive starters. The key for the Tiger defense will be finding solid linemen to replace Bowers and guiding the inexperienced secondary through their growing pains.
Key ACC Games: (4 games in a row) vs FSU, @VT, BC, @ Maryland
5. North Carolina State (Returners: 6 Offensive starters, 8 Defensive starters) - The departure of Russel Wilson killed any chance that NCSU had at competing for their division. Quarterback Mike Glennon assumes the position and although he has a strong arm, he lacks the running ability that made Wilson so deadly. In addition, the Wolfpack must replace their two leading receivers who combined for a total of 112 receptions and the line only returns two starters. All in all it looks like it may be a long season for the Wolfpack offense. On the defensive side of the ball, the Pack needs to replace 2 linemen, and a linebacker. They will also need to sure up a secondary that was only mediocre last year. If the defense can step up that would lift a good deal of the burden off of the offense's shoulders.
Key ACC Games: @ FSU, @ BC
6. Wake Forest (Returners: 8 offensive starters, 7 defensive starters)- Quarterback Tanner Price will need to step up if Wake wants to move out of the Atlantic division cellar. He needs to improve on his arm strength and dramatically improve his touchdown to interception ratio which was a paltry 7 to 8. With four of five linemen returning Price should become more comfortable under center, but he also loses a key target in Devon Brown. On defense the deacons are adopting a 3-4 scheme. The move creates a situation where the line all of a sudden has become very deep while addition of an extra linebacker makes that corp fairly weak. With a poor linebackers in the middle Wake could face another long year of not being able to stop the run. The secondary is also weak with decent safeties, but poor corners.
Key ACC Games: vs. NCSU, @Duke
Coastal Division
1. Virginia Tech (Returners: 7 offensive starters, 5 defensive starters) - Virginia Tech benefits this year from an easy schedule and a division that looks as though it will have a down year. The offense will be handed over to former tight end converted quarterback Logan Thomas. Although Thomas is an impressive physical specimen (Cam Newton-esque), it is unclear what kind of a leader or thrower Thomas will become. The good news for Thomas is that he loses no wide receivers, but the bad news is that the Hokies top two running backs will not be returning leaving a huge gap in the offense. On defense, Virginia Tech loses six starters including three linemen. Luckily, they open up with 4 out of conference cupcakes including Appalachian State, Arkansas State, East Carolina, and Marshall which should allow both the offense and defense to gain real game experience against opponents they should handle.
Key ACC Games: vs. Clemson, vs. Miami
2. Miami (Returners: 7 offensive starters, 7 defensive starters) - Under first-year head coach Al Golden, the Canes look to turn the corner and begin a new. The question is whether they will completely start over by scrapping senior quarterback Jacory Harris for Sophomore Stephen Morris. If Golden can get his quarterback playing at a high level it should be a fairly productive year for the Canes offense even after losing their leading rusher Damien Berry who is replaced by Lamar Miller (646yds on 108 carries). On defense, Miami should improve against the run with three seniors returning at linebacker. Improvement in this area is key for the Canes defense which ranked 84th nationally against the run last season.
Key ACC Games: @ Virginia Tech, @ FSU
3. North Carolina (Returners: 6 offensive starters, 6 defensive starters) - After Miami there is a huge drop off in the Coastal Division. UNC returns a loaded D-line but after that there are just a slew of questions. Bryn Reaner takes over at quarterback but with his top receiver suspended and two starters gone from an offensive line that gave up the 2nd most sacks in the ACC, it is yet to be seen how effective he will be. On defense the line will have to make up for the defensive backfield which loses 3 starters and had a rather poor season last year. North Carolina benefits primarily from an ACC schedule that is not as tough as those ranked lower than UNC. (They don't play FSU, Boston College, or Maryland.)
Key ACC Games: Miami, @ Virginia Tech
4. Duke (Returners: 8 offensive starters, 6 defensive starters) - Duke has one of the best passing attacks in the nation ranking 22nd nationally last year. With quarterback Sean Renfree and leading wide receivers Donovan Varner and Conner Vernon coming back it should be even better this year. If Duke can put together even just an average running game (they only averaged 110 yards enough to finish ranked 104th in rushing offense last season), the Blue Devil's could have a stellar offense. The defense has gone through another schematic overhaul with Duke's 3rd coordinator in as many years. If Duke even mildly improves on defense which ranked 109th in points against last season, I believe they could have a huge season in Durham (by Duke standards).
Key ACC Games: @ Boston College, vs. Georgia Tech
5. Virginia (Returners: 8 offensive starters, 9 defensive starters) - The big question in UVA's camp this year is who will play quarterback? There are currently four guys who all have a chance at the position. Sophomore's Micheal Rocco and Ross Metheny may have the upper hand with a year in the system but at this point the battle appears to be a toss up between all four. To make matters worse for whoever the new QB is the fact that the Cavaliers' leading running back and wide receiver are gone. On defense, the Cavs lose only two starters. However, the defense was only mediocre last season and will need to improve if UVA wants to get out of the bottom of this division.
Key ACC Games: @ UNC, vs. Duke
6. Georgia Tech (Returners: 6 offensive starters, 5 defensive starters) - Tevin Washington takes over at quarterback for long time Jacket's starter Joshua Nesbitt. Washington comes in with a number of question marks, the most prevalent being whether or not he can throw the ball accurately. Although Georgia Tech runs an option offense, they do need a quarterback that can throw accurately to keep the defense honest and right now it is unclear whether Washington will be able to produce. Another concern for the Jacket offense is replacing 3 of the 5 offensive linemen. For an option team losing three linemen is a huge blow for the offense which I expect to be pretty lackluster this year. On Defense, the D-line returns in tact, but they happened to be one of the worst in the league last year (11th in sacks and tackles for loss). The rest of the defense is extremely inexperienced which adds up to a rather poor defense for the 2011 season.
Players to Watch:
1. EJ Manuel - Maybe the most electric player in the ACC. This dual-threat QB is where Florida State is resting their 2011 hopes. He is also a Heisman darkhorse.
2. Logan Thomas - Thomas should be extremely entertaining to watch. Like Manuel, Thomas is a dual-threat QB who runs more like a Cam Newton than a Tyrod Taylor. If Thomas has a strong showing this season Virginia Tech has a great chance to exceed ten wins.
3. Luke Kuechly - I had to throw at least one defensive player into the mix and Boston College's linebacker Luke Kuechly is one of the best in the league. He led the nation in tackles last season and is literally all over the field. It is hard to find someone who goes sideline to sideline as well as Kuechly.