subject: What we learned in the ACC [print this page] It's on the reboundIt's on the rebound. Florida State, Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech were all able to rebound from disappointing performances last week. The Seminoles showed much needed improvement on defense in the win nfl jersey over BYU, the Hokies prevailed without Ryan Williams in the second half of a win against ECU and the Yellow Jackets were able to hold on in Chapel Hill for the win against UNC. While all three of these teams fell short in nonconference games, they proved on Saturday they haven't given up, and the conference race is still attainable.
NC State should be taken seriously. The Wolfpack had plenty of questions heading into the season with no starting experience at running back, four new starters on the defensive line and a young secondary with three true freshmen on the three-deep. The Pack took a step forward with its road win against UCF last week, but became a more serious contender in the Atlantic Division by its performance in Thursday night's win over Cincinnati.
So should Clemson. The Tigers put together the league's best mlb jerseys performance against a ranked team, and they did it on the road. It was hardly a mistake-free performance, but there were enough encouraging signs on both sides of the ball that the Tigers looked capable of defending their Atlantic Division title.
The ACC is still waiting for its marquee win. The conference is 0-for-9 against opponents ranked in the Top 25, including four lost opportunities this past weekend. With most of the best opportunities behind it, the ACC likely will have to wait until the rivalry games (Florida, South Carolina, Georgia) in November for another chance to make a national statement.
UNC's offense is good enough to win this year -- just not alone. The performance against LSU wasn't a fluke: The Tar Heels' offense really is better this year, and quarterback T.J. Yates is probably one of the most improved players at his position in the country. But the players around him are also better, too. North Carolina just can't seem to overcome the missing starters on defense. The roles have reversed from a year ago, when the defense was carrying the team, but the loss to Georgia Tech has UNC in an all-too familiar position in the Coastal Division standings.
Boise State can win with style. But is that going to be enough to impress voters and computers? The Broncos easily handled Wyoming, scoring 37 straight points en route to the 51-6 rout in Laramie. But as we have so often heard, this game is simply one of many against "cupcakes" ahead for the Broncos. There are reasons to believe this schedule could prove to be more difficult than people realize. Oregon State is next, and several WAC teams have shown signs of life -- Hawaii looked good in its first two games; Fresno State and Nevada are playing extremely well; and Utah State is much improved. These teams don't stack up to the SEC, but they aren't pushovers, either. Just ask California.
Temple is living up to the nfl jerseypreseason expectations -- so far. You may not have thought that after the struggles in the first two games of the season, in which the Owls needed a field goal to win it at the end of regulation against Villanova and in overtime against Central Michigan. They had been outgained through the first two weeks of the season. Connecticut outgained them, too, but the Owls put together a dominating fourth quarter to come from behind and win 30-16. Temple is 3-0 for the first time since 1979. The win was its first against a team from an automatic qualifying conference since beating Syracuse in 2004 -- when Temple was still in the Big East. Now comes a big litmus test to see how the Owls truly stack up -- they hit the road to take on Penn State in Week 4.
