Monday, September 7, 2009

John's Monday Washington Post Article...

Here is my new column for the Washington Post today.....

Here we go again.

As in here we go with another fall of hearing the spinners from the Atlantic Coast Conference tell us how balanced the league is. Sure, the ACC is balanced -- apparently no one (again) is really any good.

Oh, sure, Virginia Tech played respectably in losing to Alabama. The Hokies may very well be the class of the league again and can play in the Orange Bowl against someone like Cincinnati or Rutgers in a game watched by dozens.

For all the preseason hype about all the returning quarterbacks and how this was going to be the year the ACC became important again -- although when exactly was the ACC important nationally outside of Tallahassee? -- it took exactly one week for the league to once again be exposed for what it truly is: a basketball league. Except for the fact that, outside of Chapel Hill, it hasn't been much of a basketball league since the now infamous football expansion of 2005.

Click here for the rest of the article: ACC Football Leads the Nation in Irrelevance

5 comments:

Jeremy Stoll said...

John--
When you mention Duke beating Richmond a year ago, are you referring to the 13-0 Richmond victory in 2006?

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure the Big East deserves to be painted with the same brush that you're using to coat the ACC. In the past few years the Big East BCS team has beaten teams from the SEC and Big 12 and ACC.

I understand that misery loves company, but...

Unknown said...

The ACC...almost as irrelevant as Feinstein's column. Outside of the fact that you clearly did not watch the VT game (as that could have easily gone the other way without the return fumbles), it is fair to mention senior Bama fans were shaking my hand on the way out saying that was one of the best games they have ever watched. You're going to dump on the Hokies because they accepted a tough challenge with their first game? Also, those were some pretty hard knocks on VT's schedule considering they play another ranked out of conference opponent in two weeks. Albeit there were some bad ACC losses this weekend from the bottom of the barrel, I remain convinced the GT/UNC/Miami contingent is strong. Look at the rankings for the recruiting classes UNC is pulling in. And the "ill-fated merger"? You honestly think the situation for ACC football would be better without Matt Ryan's performances at Boston College? I see your next article bashes the Pirates chances of ever coming out of the gutter. Anyone else you'd like to kick while their down?

I know you aren't an optimist, but please give the ACC a chance (past week one). Or at least if VT smacks around #20 Nebraska in two weeks (for the second year in a row), a little shout-out?

I will concede that UVA is an embarrassment and should be removed from the conference.

Big East Fan from above...VT stomped out your best team last year. Don't know where your false sense of pride comes from.

wvbuckeye said...

Sir, well written about the ACC, however I do see FSU and Miami taking over the conference like we always expected them too. Not this year but maybe next.

Now, how can you say that the Big East has not done anything lately? Seriously, you do remember WVU beating up Georgia in the 05 Sugar Bowl (in their own back yard at that), Louisville beating the ACC champion in the 06 Orange Bowl, then WV again trouncing a great OU team the the 08 Fiesta Bowl. The BE was the only conference to win three straight BCS games.

Quit taking the SEC and B-12 gatorade, get out of the fog and notice the other good teams around the country.

Anonymous said...

Just please give us a playoff and end the BCS! It is ruining College Football. The D1AA teams are getting better at every position and the playoffs have worked well for them.

My beloved ECU Pirates are automatically disqualified from a title shot not because of the play on the field, but the money changers blocking them. We either hope to get a BCS bid, whither in Conf USA, or go the INDY route and risk staying at home with an 8-3 record.

The ACC is a joke and it is time for serious reform in college football. Level the playing field and give us a playoff and March Madness will seem small in comparison.