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Friedlander: 5 questions to ponder before kickoff of Week 2 in ACC football
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Social media has taken great delight in dunking on Florida State and Clemson over their combined 0-3 start to the new season.
The criticism is richly deserved.
It’s hard to argue that you’re too good to be in the ACC, sue the conference to leave, and then fall flat on your face once the season starts and not expect to be put on blast.
Karma has been especially cruel to the Seminoles.
By far the more vocal and belligerent of the Grant of Rights Protesters, FSU’s start is especially embarrassing because of who they’ve played. Losing consecutive conference games to Georgia Tech and Boston College with the heart of their schedule still to play, Mike Norvell’s team has been all but mathematically eliminated from defending its ACC championship.
At least the Noles have the week off to regroup and consult their lawyers on who to blame for their stunning fall.
The Tigers can at least lay some of their blame on their Week 1 opponent. Georgia has lost only twice in the past 3 seasons — both times to Alabama in the SEC Championship — and has put similar beatdowns on plenty of other teams.
Including a few in the SEC.
But that only puts added pressure on this week’s home opener against Appalachian State, an opponent that has upsetting power conference opponents on their home field in its DNA.
It’s 1 of 14 games involving conference teams this week, including 2 ACC clashes. As we count down the moments until kickoff, here are 5 questions to think about and consider.
5. Why is Wake Forest-Virginia so important?
Let’s not go crazy. Even though the winner will be off to an unbeaten start in the ACC, neither has any realistic hope of competing for the conference title. Or even a spot in the championship game. But that doesn’t lessen the importance of this matchup. Both need to win this game to have any hope of getting the 6 wins necessary for bowl eligibility. It has the potential to be an entertaining matchup with both offenses showing promise against FCS opponents in last week’s openers. A better ground attack and the home-field advantage should give Wake a slight edge. But with a much more challenging conference schedule ahead of it, there might be more pressure, too.
4. Was Virginia Tech’s loss to Vanderbilt a wakeup call or an ominous sign?
The Hokies were the ACC’s biggest disappointment in Week 1, losing as a double-digit favorite to SEC bottom-feeder Vanderbilt. And yet there’s a plausible possibility that the Commodores are simply better than everyone expected. And that quarterback Diego Pavia is more than just “a poor man’s Trace McSorley,” as Brent Pry called him. But even if both are the case, there was still at least 1 troubling aspect of the overtime loss. It’s the meltdown Tech suffered after battling back to take its first lead with just under 2 minutes remaining in regulation. How the Hokies bounce back Saturday against Marshall, especially on defense, will go a long way toward determining their chances for being a factor once their conference schedule begins at Miami on Sept. 27.
3. What should UNC expect from Conner Harrell?
Mack Brown has expressed confidence in Harrell now that he’s been forced into the starting role because of Max Johnson’s season-ending injury. But the play-calling once the sophomore entered last week’s game at Minnesota didn’t exactly exude that. Maybe that was just the product of a game plan geared toward Johnson. We’ll get a better idea Saturday against Charlotte.
It will be interesting to see if Brown and offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey turn Harrell loose like they did in last year’s Duke’s Mayo Bowl now that he’s had a full week to practice with the starters. This game and the 2 that follow against NC Central and Old Dominion will essentially be an audition for Harrell to prove he’s capable of leading the Tar Heels moving forward. Or whether they’ll have to turn to another transfer, Jacolby Criswell, as a last resort.
2. Who has a better shot at taking down an SEC opponent, NC State or Cal?
The ACC had a chance to go 2-1 in its 3 head-to-head matchups against SEC opponents last week. Virginia Tech’s loss at Vanderbilt prevented that from happening. With 2 more games this week, the goal is to at least gain a split. That won’t be easy, as NC State (against Tennessee in Charlotte) and Cal (at Auburn) are more than a touchdown underdog, according to FanDuel sportsbook. The Wolfpack figure to have the better shot, provided their offense picks up on the momentum it gained from a 21-point 4th quarter against Western Carolina and their defense has an answer for Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava. But don’t count out the Bears. It took a late touchdown for Auburn to escape with a 14-10 victory in Berkeley last year in a game that saw Cal hold Tigers’ quarterback Payton Thorne to 94 passing yards with 3 sacks.
1. What does Clemson need to show against Appalachian State?
The Tigers need to do more than just win. They need to do it convincingly enough to dismiss last week’s beatdown as being more about Georgia than them. The list of objectives starts with a more aggressive game plan from offensive coordinator Garrett Riley. One that includes taking some downfield shots and getting wide receivers other than Antonio Williams involved. Embattled quarterback Cade Klubnik needs to get the ball out faster and be more accurate with his throws. The offensive line has to be more physical and the running game needs to average more than 2 yards per carry. And they can’t afford to take the Mountaineers lightly. App State gave UNC fits last season, taking the Tar Heels to double overtime in Chapel Hill. Style points count in this one.
A close win against a non-power conference foe will only fuel the vultures circling above Death Valley.
Award-winning columnist Brett Friedlander has covered the ACC and college basketball since the 1980s.
