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The Coastal Division of the ACC is representing the conference well, as two teams are currently ranked in the Top 25. It's going to be a real battle between Virginia Tech, Miami (FL), and Georgia Tech to see who will ultimately reach the conference championship game in Tampa Bay.
As for the Atlantic Division? Well, it's just an utter mess.
Florida State's season is already in shambles, as they are 0-3 in the conference while legendary coach Bobby Bowden is slowly being showed the door. Clemson has already dropped two games including an inexplicable 24-21 loss to Maryland in which the Tigers missed three field goals. Boston College got demolished by national title contender Virginia Tech last weekend, and N.C. State just fell to Duke. Yes, Duke.
The only true contender in the Atlantic Division at this time is Wake Forest (4-2, 2-1 ACC). Senior quarterback Riley Skinner threw a career-high four touchdowns when the Demon Deacons defeated Maryland 42-32 in Winston-Salem last weekend. The Terps defense simply fell asleep at the wheel, allowing the Deacs 35 points in the first half alone. Clemson fans must have been scratching their heads at this result.
This Saturday's homecoming contest will pit Maryland (2-4, 1-1 ACC) against rival Virginia (2-3, 1-0 ACC) in what be a key game for two teams who need this game if they have any chance of righting the ship. The Terps' chances to salvage their season and earn a bowl bid is fading at the halfway point of the schedule. After dropping games to Middle Tennessee State and Rutgers, the opponents only get harder from here on out. The same goes for UVA. The Cavaliers, who started the season horrifically by falling to William & Mary at home, are coming off a strong performance against Indiana, crushing the Hoosiers by 40 points, continuing head coach Al Groh's habit of having terrible September games and bouncing back in October.
It was around this time last year that the Hoos, coming off similar early-season struggles, shutout a Maryland team that had just taken down California and Clemson in previous weeks. UVA went on a little run after that, but then fell short in November when it counted most and missed a bowl berth by one game.
If the Terps want to avoid staying home for the holidays, they'll need to forget their defensive performance against Wake and recall how well they played against Clemson instead. The return of left tackle Bruce Campbell will also allow Maryland's otherwise flimsy offensive line to give quarterback Chris Turner a few more seconds to get rid of the ball. The offense took a considerable nosedive once Campbell went down with a knee injury against Clemson two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, Virginia running back Mikell Simpson, who made a name for himself at Maryland's last homecoming game against the Hoos back in 2007, suffered a neck injury Indiana last Saturday and will be a game time decision. Simpson ran for four touchdowns against the Hoosiers, yet Groh questionably continued to play him in the fourth quarter until he was carted off the field.
Prediction: 30-27 Virginia. Virginia quarterback Jameel Sewell is not Riley Skinner, but his mobility adds another dimension to his game and might be a concern for the Maryland defense. Virginia's offensive line is also more polished than the Terps, so if Simpson sees the field, expect him to gain significant yardage on the ground.
Speaking of running: Maryland needs to get their running game going again, but with the absence of star running back Da'Rel Scott (broken wrist) and a young offensive line, Turner will have to rely not only on his receivers and tight ends, but also on himself with keeper plays. I'll give the Cavs the nod here simply because they're coming off two straight wins, while the Terps could not defend the pass for the life of them last weekend. It's going to be an ugly game, perhaps even Browns-Bills ugly.
Saturday's game takes place at Byrd Stadium in College Park. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm and will be televised on ESPNU. Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased through the Terrapin Ticket Office.
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