QB pictures may come into focus
ACC football media days begin
The kickoff of media days for the Football Bowl Subdivision marks the tipping point for the start of the regular season. It’s all downhill from here.
Clemson will dominate the conversation when the Atlantic Coast Conference meets Wednesday and Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Tigers are the undisputed class of the league and perhaps the best team in college football — not much has changed.
1. Who can beat Clemson?
Here’s the elephant in the room for every team but Clemson: Who is capable of ending the Tigers’ run atop the conference? Good luck. The safest bet, relatively speaking, is Miami (Fla.), although the Hurricanes need to address the quarterback situation. Florida State has a new coach, Willie Taggart, but it’s hard to envision a scenario in which he has the Seminoles in College Football Playoff contention in his first season.
Louisville? Not likely. North Carolina State has a fantastic quarterback, Ryan Finley, and enough skill talent to rank among the league’s best offenses. The defense is worrisome. Virginia Tech’s defense must be rebuilt. Boston College is a good team, just not one equipped to vault to the top of the Atlantic Division.
2. The Seminoles’ expectations
Here’s a question Taggart will need to answer: What about Western Kentucky, South Florida and Oregon prepared you for Florida State? It’s an interesting question. At those stops, particularly the first two, he developed a reputation as a builder, someone who took time to get things rolling rather than a quick-fix architect. FSU is a different animal.
3. Considering Virginia Tech
The good news comes on offense, where Justin Fuente and the Hokies return enough talent and experience to remain a factor in the Coastal Division race. Keep an eye on sophomore quarterback Josh Jackson, who must be more consistent but has the skill set to develop into a multiple-time all-conference pick. Now, the defense. It’s a teardown job for Bud Foster, and the longtime defensive coordinator’s presence does reduce the fears about the drasti- cally rebuilt cast. The numbers are thin: Tech lost nine significant contributors from its unit, including first-round picks in Tremaine and Terrell Edmunds.
4. Rosier under pressure
The national consensus about Miami has the Hurricanes as title contenders if, and only if, quarterback Malik Rosier improves his game as a senior. Rosier is under significant pressure to deliver. He’s in no real danger of losing his grasp on the starting job before the start of the season, although all bets are off come September. Rosier’s development has a potential trickledown effect not just in the conference but across the entire Football Bowl Subdivision.
5. Clemson’s QB competition
There’s a pessimistic way to look at the Tigers’ competition between senior Kelly Bryant, the incumbent starter, and true freshman Trevor Lawrence. That line goes: How can Clemson be a contender if the rookie gets the job? But the optimistic, glass-half-full take thinks otherwise. It’s a good thing if Bryant fends off Lawrence, since it suggests he’s grown since the end of his first year as the starter. And if Lawrence grabs the job? Then he’s so good that Dabo Swinney chose to put a senior on the bench. Either way, Clemson remains the ACC’s team to beat.