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Many of the questions surrounding
the Boston College Eagles are about injured
linebacker Brian Toal. His injury is taking
more time to heal than they originally anticipated,
but he expects to be in the lineup come August
31st against Central Michigan. Toal becomes
the most crucial element of B.C.’s defense
which lost 2 starting linebackers and All-American
D-end Mathias Kiwanuka to graduation. Toal is
also a weapon on the offensive side of the ball
as he is the Eagles’ short yardage man.
He rushed for a team high 6 TD’s last
season on just 23 carries. Having him at 100%
health will be imperative if the Eagles want
to stay atop the Atlantic division.
Can the Seminoles ever be the high-powered
rushing team they once were when Warrick Dunn
used to tear up the turf? The good news is in
2006 that their pair of explosive backs, Booker
and Smith, return and are capable of putting
up big numbers if the O-line which was hampered
by injuries a season ago remains healthy. The
bad news is that last season FSU averaged an
ACC low 94 rushing yards per game, the lowest
total by an FSU team since 1947. If the ‘noles
are looking to once again rule the top of the
ACC, they’ll have to regain their running
attack.
With the return of all five starting offensive
lineup, tailbacks Davis and Merriweather, and
receiver Stuckey and Kelly, the Clemson Tigers
appear to be stacked on the offensive side of
the ball. However, it takes a QB to run the
show and pull all the talent together and it
is still yet to be seen if Proctor can fill
the shoes of Charlie Whitehurst. We’ll
find out soon enough as the Tigers go on the
road to face B.C. and FSU in weeks 2 and 3.
What will the N.C. State Wolfpack do without
Mario Williams and Manny Lawson creating havok
in the backfield of the opposition? Not much.
It is highly unlikely that they will be able
to match their 3-5 conference showing of a season
ago as they lost too much on the defensive side
of the ball as linebacker Steven Tulloch and
tackle John McCargo followed Williams to the
NFL early. Things aren’t looking so good
for the pack n ‘06.
Maryland’s losses at major skill positions
will keep them from making a push for the Atlantic
Division title. With Melendez, Walker, Fenner,
and Davis combining for 160 receptions and over
2,300 yards, the Terrapins new core of receivers
will have a lot of “catching” up
to do. Weatherly and Heyward-Bey will likely
take over 2 of the spots. Watch for a surprising
season from Heyward-Bey as he might be the fastest
player in the country.
How can Jim Grobe wake up Wake Forest? Perhaps,
they will be able to improve on last seasons
3-5 mark in the tight Atlantic Division if Micah
Andrews, who was the 7th best rusher in the
ACC last season averaging 62.1 rushing yards
per game, can become a superstar in 2006. He
should up his average by at least 20 yards per
game this season. But we have to remember that
he’s replacing the 2005 ACC Player of
the Year in Chris Barclay. Those are not easy
shoes to fill and ultimately I can’t see
the Demon Deacons getting out of the cellar
in the Atlantic.
ACC College Football Preview:
Coastal Division
We’ll start our look
at the ACC Coastal Division with last season’s
leader on the board, Virginia Tech, who finished
7-1 in conference play. Beamer has announced
that Sean Glennon is the number 1 starting QB
for now, but the big question remains if he’ll
be able to fill Marcus Vick’s shoes. Holt
and Whitaker, who are 2 and 3 on the depth chart,
currently, are more athletic and could be better
fits behind a suspect offensive line. One would
like to think that having a better attitude
at the QB position would be a positive change
for this team and it would allow the Hokies
to repeat as conference champs, but we can’t
doubt Vick’s talent and I think we’ll
see this season that they’ll miss him.
Miami had another disappointing
year by their standards in 2005 with a 6-2 conference
record. They are hoping that new offensive coordinator
Rich Olsen will help revitalize an offense which
had its lowest scoring season since 1997 in
2005. Tailback Tyrone Moss, and receivers Ryan
Moore and Darnell Jenkins return and are talented
enough to make a lot of big plays for the ‘canes
this season. Look for Miami to leapfrog Virginia
Tech for the number spot in the ACC Coastal
Division.
Many experts thing the
Yellow Jackets could be a surprise contender
for an ACC title because of 4-year starting
QB Reggie Ball. Let’s face it though,
these experts are fishing. Although Ball has
tons of potential, at some point we must face
the facts. He has thrown 37 TD passes in his
career, but his 41 INT’s overshadows them.
He just isn’t able to manage an offense
and make the smart plays it takes to be successful.
Sure, he will make some spectacular plays scrambling
and making throws on the run, but he will make
more costly mistakes once again this season
keeping the Jackets out of the hunt.
Much like the Miami Hurricanes,
the North Carolina Tarheels also saw the need
to bring in a new offensive coordinator in Frank
Cignetti. He’ll have his work cut out
for him as the Tarheels don’t have a clear
favorite to take over the starting QB position
and they scored just 19 TD’s in 11 games
last season. John Dailey, a QB transfer from
Nebraska who started 11 games for the Huskers
in 2004 could surprise some people in the ACC
this season.
The Virginia Cavaliers
might as well pack it in this season as they
are not off to a good start. Several players
have been involved in legal problems and 3 defensive
starters were kicked off the team for undisclosed
reasons prior to spring practice. The Cavaliers
will also feature 3 new coaches in 2006, an
offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator
and special teams coach. There’s just
too much going on at Virginia to really focus
on football. The Cavs will be lucky to win a
game.
Will the 0-8 Duke Blue
Devils reach the top of the ACC in 2006? If
you think this question is legit, you must be
a hopeful youth Blue Devils die hard. Duke has
only won 3 conference games in the last 6 seasons
and they will be playing far too many young,
inexperienced guys this year to make any major
gains. This puzzle won’t be put together
any time soon. My suggestion is to get Coach
K to coach the football team.
FOR College TEAM PREVIEWS for
2006 CLICK the link BELOW...
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2006
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Jimmy Boyd is a documented member of The Professional
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