To write about what’s going on in the ACC without beginning with the big news Monday out of Blacksburg would be like: “Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”
On Monday evening, Virginia Tech officially announced the hiring of former Penn State coach James Franklin as its new head football coach.
Franklin is a home-run hire for the Hokies, just weeks after his collapse and firing from Penn State.
Franklin is very capable of bringing Virginia Tech back to relevance.
However, in today’s climate of college football, it’s simply impossible to know for sure how any coach will fare at all but a few schools.
LSU thought hiring away Brian Kelly from Notre Dame was a sure bet.
As of this writing, Kelly is unemployed, having been fired by the Tigers earlier this season. Kelly was 34-14 in Baton Rouge, and it wasn’t good enough.
Franklin was an astounding 104-45 over 11-plus seasons at Penn State.
The rub with Nittany Lion fans was that Franklin’s record against Top 25 opponents was a dismal 4-21.
That’s a fair criticism.
Until Monday, Franklin was also among the ranks of the unemployed.
Tech fans should be pleased; on paper, Franklin seems to be the perfect candidate.
Although he hasn’t won major games, at least not consistently, Franklin is a program builder. He accomplished this at Vanderbilt, Penn State, and Virginia Tech believes he can do the same in Blacksburg.
Stay tuned.
Is ACC Football becoming relevant?
The top of the ACC standings has four teams with one loss each.
Funny, none of those four teams are Clemson, Florida State or Miami.
This puts the ACC in a dilemma.
Are the suits in Charlotte disappointed that the three big dogs have been major disappointments, or are they actually happy to see the programs at the top of the league benefiting from significant investments in football?
I’m sure it’s both.
For the first time, the ACC actually has depth.
Aside from the four one-loss teams, Miami and Duke, both 4-2 in conference play, still have a shot at making an ACC Championship Game appearance.
Schools that have committed to greater investments in football are seeing the benefits, and so is the ACC.
The conference still hopes to see two schools in the College Football Playoff, just like last year when Clemson and SMU made CFP appearances.
Virginia, which became a major player in the NIL and transfer portal last offseason, climbed as high as No. 12 in the AP poll earlier this season.
“It’s gotten to that point where if you don’t (invest) you don’t have a chance,” Cavaliers coach Tony Elliott said.
Seems like most coaches in the ACC would agree with that.
Georgia Tech survived while Virginia thrived
Georgia Tech survived a massive scare from one-win Boston College on Saturday.
The Yellow Jackets overcame a double-digit deficit (11) in the fourth quarter to down BC, 36-34.
GT won the game with a game-winning field goal as time expired.
Virginia, meanwhile, went to Durham and dismantled the Blue Devils, 34-17.
UVA took the opening drive downfield for a touchdown and never looked back.
The Cavaliers gained over 500 yards of total offense, with a powerful running game led by J’Mari Taylor, who rushed for 133 yards and scored twice.
ACC Power Rankings
- Virginia
- Georgia Tech
- SMU
- Miami
- Wake Forest
- Duke
- Clemson
- Pitt
- Louisville
- Cal
- Florida State
- NC State
- North Carolina
- Virginia Tech
- Stanford
- Syracuse
- Boston College
Support AFP
Share
