 ACC info. 2006 2 of 2
MARYLAND
We love the positive spin an athletic department can put on things. To quote, “This group of Terps is in much better shape than one would think of a team coming off a pair of seasons without a bowl game.” In SID-talk that means they suffered back-to-back losing years. Always the Big Man On Campus (for obvious reasons), head coach Ralph Friedgen returns a bevy of starters from last year’s squad. Included is Sam Hollenbach, his gun slinging quarterback. Joining him in the backfield will be lance Ball and Josh Allen, an exceptional tandem. Also back is everyone of last year’s starting defensive linemen. The cupboard’s full and, like McDonald’s, the Fridge is lovin’ it.
PLAY ON: as dog vs. Clemson (11/4)
MIAMI FLORIDA
How alarming is it for a team of this pedigree to lose three games back-to-back years? SIX new assistant coaches says it all. Included in the list of newcomers are two former college head coaches, a former NFL assistant head coach and a former NFL defensive coordinator. It appears Larry Coker is taking his job serious these days. Through it all the Hurricanes remain the winningest team this decade in Division 1-A football. That’s why they’ve resided in the AP Top 25 poll 104 consecutive weeks, the longest in the nation. They are also 148-0 in games in which they score more than 30 points. Batten down the shutters – Hurricane Larry is on the loose.
PLAY ON: vs. Georgia Tech (10/28)
NORTH CAROLINA
You have to like John Bunting. He’s a player’s coach who puts his all into everything for the program. “ I have to fight back the tears every time. But that’s the way I am. I love this place. I couldn’t be happier being back here after all these years,” says the Tar Heels head coach and former alum. Last year’s effort fell one game short of becoming bowl-eligible despite an improvement of nearly 100 yards on the defensive end. Hopefully new QB Joe Dailey (former Nebraska starter) will spark the offense. That and some Blood, Sweat and Tears should do the trick.
PLAY ON: as dog vs. Virginia Tech (9/9)
N.C. State's Chuck Amato could be on the hot seat this year. (AP Images)
NORTH CAROLINA STATE It’s understandable that head coach-Chuck is a ‘motto’ man. When he took over this program in 2000 his motto was FINISH. Every year there after it became a new maxim. From 2001-05 it was, FULL SPEED AHEAD, STEP UP, CUT IT LOOSE, DISCIPLINE and TRUST. We’re guessing 2006 it will be CASH, an acronym meaning Chuck Amato Saved His ass last year. A 2-4 start, coupled with a 1-4 finish in 2004, had the boo-birds chanting loudly demanding his resignation at mid-season last year. A 5-1 finish was like CASH to the motto-man. A schedule that finds only two losing teams on the menu this year may find him at the ATM machine.
PLAY AGAINST: as favorite vs. Southern Mississippi (9/16)
VIRGINIA
Three new coordinators, plus the loss of 10 starters, has Virginia feeling less than cavalier about their prospects in 2006. “We have a significant rebuilding job in front of us. We’ve had some pretty huge losses in four areas,” cries head coach Al Groh. The biggest loss of all was All-American OL D’Brickashaw Ferguson, a 1st round pick in this year’s NFL draft. Also departing are QB Marques Hagans, a two-year starter, and RB Wali Lundy, the ACC’s all-time touchdown leader. The good news is they open the season against only one bowl team in their first eight games. The bummer is four straight bowlers to conclude the year, one of them in a very nasty mood.
PLAY AGAINST: vs. Florida State - *KEY - (11/4)
VIRGINIA TECH
Sure, they lost three offensive linemen (and a former starter from the same unit) and new QB coach Mike O’Cain is in quest of a new signal-caller, but don’t shed a tear for the Hokies. They are one of only four teams to have made it to 13 straight bowl games and they’re commandeered by the ACC’s Coach of the Year the past two seasons. Twice as many home games (8) as road outs practically insures a 14th consecutive post-season performance. Of particular interest will be the Hokies visit to South Beach, where they’ll look to avenge their only loss of the season last year. We’ll be there, and so should you.
PLAY ON: as dog vs. Miami Florida (11/4)
WAKE FOREST
Normally when a team is scheduled to square off against five foes who have each won a bowl game the previous year a coach would cringe. That won’t be the case this year, at least as far as Jim Grobe is concerned. That’s because he is ecstatic having 48 lettermen back, including 18 starters – plus two reserves with starting experience. A hideously easy opening schedule finds their first five games against losing teams with a combined W-L record of 11-46 last year. The remaining seven games are all against foes who won five or more games last season. It’s like they like to say in the southern hills - get on ‘em, early.
PLAY ON: vs. Connecticut (9/16) | 
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