Last year the ACC Atlantic was as congested as Boston rush hour with all six teams finishing with a game of each other. Boston College ended up in the ACC Championship where it lost to Virginia Tech and eventually lost its first bowl game in nine years. The Eagles may take a fall this season but it looks as though it might be another tight race as any one of five teams has a shot at the division as there is no clear runaway winner. Florida St. is the only team ranked on the AP Preseason poll and surprisingly, Wake forest received no votes which I think is absurd.
Florida State Seminoles 9-4 SU, 6-4-1 ATS, 7-4 O/U
Summary: Florida St.’s return to glory seems to be getting closer. The Seminoles finished with nine wins last season for the first time since 2004 and that included a very solid bowl win over Wisconsin by 29 points. They home to carry that over into this season and it had better work as they will be playing a brutal schedule this season. The offense brings back eight starters including junior quarterback Christian Ponder who was very average last season. The offensive line is back as well as a stout running game so that should help him settle in. The defense regained its toughness last season but only five starters are back this season. In his last season before retirement, defensive coordinator Mickey Andrews will get the most out of his unit.
Schedule: The schedule will determine how far along Florida St. really is in its comeback attempt. Every opponent it faces in the ACC went to a bowl game last season and three of its four non-conference opponents also made it to the postseason. The Seminoles have to play three Atlantic road games and none are easy. They also have to travel to BYU and Florida so the entire slate is extremely tough.
Bottom Line: It looks as though every other team in the Atlantic Division is taking a small step back so the Seminoles get the top spot by default. I think they deserve it anyway as talent-wise, no one is in the same class. It all depends on how focused they are because that has been an issue in the past, as have the off-the-field incidents that have taken place. With this schedule, matching the nine wins from 2008 will be tough.
Betting Forecast: Florida St. was above .500 against the number for the first time since 2003. The Seminoles are a very public team so that winning likely won’t continue.
Wake Forest Demon Deacons 8-5 SU, 6-6 ATS, 5-7 O/U
Summary: Head coach Jim Grobe has done an amazing job in turning around the Wake Forest football program. He inherited a 2-9 team in 2001 and put together a winning season in his first year at the helm and over the last three years, the Deacons have won a combined 28 games. This season will be a challenging one as the defense does not look as strong as it has been in the past as only four starters are back on the unit. Offensively, Wake Forest finished 101st in the nation last season but nine starters are back including four-year starting quarterback Riley Skinner so it should improve immensely. The Deacons are getting no respect once again as they received no votes in the AP Preseason poll which is amazing to me. They have a shot at another Atlantic Division title.
