ACC Football

Jul 7, 2006

ACC Review: Duke Blue Devils

Since 1988, Duke football has had two wining seasons, with the most recent coming in 1994 when the Blue Devils went 8-4. During this 18-year span of time, six head football coaches have come and gone. Not exactly a prescription for stability.

Posted at 02:56 pm by rydercupgolf
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Ranking the ACC football stadiums

From the nation's best conference on the field (SEC), to this year's sleeper conference (Pac-10), to the burgeoning giant (ACC), we continue ranking the most intimidating stadiums in the BCS nation. The little hoops conference has turned into a mighty fine football league, standing up to big brother SEC in the south (look, it's a Southern league, not an Atlantic league) and winning some head-to-head battles. That said, the ACC can't touch the SEC when it comes to stadium inhospitality. Some nice places, yes. Less than half are intimidating. The list:

1. Florida State: Doak Campbell Stadium has come a long way from its erector set days of the early 1990s. Just another in a long line of reasons to love Bobby. The bowled structure keeps the noise in, and -- I never thought I'd say this -- its fans are just as obnoxious and overbearing and overwhelming as rival Florida's. And that's a compliment.

2. Clemson: The best part about Memorial Stadium? Other than the deafening and disturbing atmosphere, it's the only thing in that beautiful college town. One road in, one road out -- and the stadium is a beacon standing tall in the middle of it all. The top three stadiums in the ACC are as good as any top three in any other league.

3. Virginia Tech: The Hokies run on the field to Metallica's "Enter Sandman", and I swear, even the 70-year-olds are jumping up and down in unison with the students (think Cameron Crazies). It also helps that Tech has been pretty darn good the last 15 years.

4. Miami: There's no better place for a big game at night. There's just something special about the fans, the atmosphere, the idea that something big is going to happen, the reality that you may not make it home alive after the game. The problem: too many times, the OB is half full -- which is a shame considering the success of the program.

5. Georgia Tech: One of the more underrated places in the nation. This is what makes Bobby Dodd Stadium special: it's sunk in the middle of downtown Atlanta, and the noise is trapped with nowhere to go but around and around and around. The place is good for at least one upset a year.

6. North Carolina: When Mack Brown had it going in the mid 1990s, Kenan Stadium was hopping. Thanks to Mack, UNC has some of the best facilities in the nation. Thanks to Mack bolting for Texas, UNC hasn't been the same since.

7. Virginia: It's a beautiful place, isn't it? I said, it's a beautiful place, isn't it?

8. NC State: The transformation from where this place used to be (a dump), to where it is now (a mini palace) is amazing. The problem, like many ACC venues, is keeping it full.

9. Maryland: I like Byrd Stadium, I really do. But it's a wide-open facility (no real bowl structure) and the noise escapes.

10. Boston College: Picturesque Chesnut Hill is a fabulous place to visit, and Alumni Stadium fits perfectly. But it's far from intimidating.

11. Wake Forest: Thank God for Duke. Jim Grobe deserves better.

12. Duke: Like there was any doubt which stadium was last on this list.

Posted at 02:56 pm by rydercupgolf
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ACC football coaches get little regard on Web list

The lull between the end of college basketball and the start of college football often seems to take eons in these parts.

Major League baseball is a wonderful filler, and for those of us that grew up on the game, it frequently brings us back to our youth.

This is college sports country, however, and fortunately the cavernous divide between the end of March Madness to the depth-chart shuffling of August was filled with N.C. State's chaotic search for a basketball coach, the Hurricanes' Stanley Cup run and North Carolina's entertaining trek to the final game of the College World Series.

But it's now July, and college football is just around the bend.

Of the many rankings one can find online, one listing four ACC coaches among the worst 10 in the nation was particularly interesting.

A list on SI.com, the Web version of Sports Illustrated, rated N.C. State's Chuck Amato as the worst in the nation and referred to him as "Chuck 'Red Shoes' Amato."

It's easy to take pot shots at a man many Wolfpack fans describe as a "clown" because of his attire and disposition. But five bowl games in six years hardly is the reflection of the worst coach in the nation.

Could Amato be in trouble if State fails to go at least 6-6 this season? No doubt. The program has taken a dive the last two seasons, and one can argue State failed to live up to expectations, even with Philip Rivers.

Perhaps Amato is overrated by diehard State fans, but he's not the worst coach in the nation. That notion is just plain silly.

It wasn't surprising to see John Bunting's name on the list, even though many UNC supporters believe their sixth-year coach has the program steered in the right direction.

Bunting managed to escape the bottom five; he's in the "others considered for worst" list.

The Tar Heels have suffered plenty of embarrassments during his reign, played in just two bowls and haven't won more than seven games in a regular season. Carolina, however, has no excuses for its mediocrity and occasional humiliation on the gridiron.

But, Bunting has made strides, hired a respected staff and progress is projected by many. Like Amato, this is a key year for him.

Georgia Tech's Chan Gailey is rated the third worst coach in the nation.

Gailey won't get much respect in this corner, but his four Tech teams each have won seven games. The Yellow Jackets have been maddeningly inconsistent under Gailey, and he commonly makes head-scratching decisions during games. Would he be recommended here for a vacancy? Unlikely. But he's hardly No. 117 out of 119.

Virginia's Al Groh was listed as one of five coaches considered for the bottom five.

Like Gailey, Groh makes numerous puzzling in-game decisions. He can recruit and runs a pro-like outfit, which makes sense considering his vast NFL experience, including a stint as New York Jets head coach.

Virginia, though, has routinely underachieved under Groh, despite four straight winning seasons, twice grabbing eight victories, and Groh's unlikable demeanor has rubbed the media and fans the wrong way.

In actuality, none of this means anything. But it's certainly fun to whet the whistle thinking about college football, even if it means dabbling in a little controversy.

Posted at 02:55 pm by rydercupgolf
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