David Hale's ACC Mailbag
One team from the bottom half of the preseason poll who will contend for their division's title.
@DavidHaleESPN: Based on our latest power rankings (which, by the way, will be updated next week), the bottom half would include: Duke, Georgia Tech, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest, Boston College and Wake Forest. I think we can safely eliminate the Atlantic Division teams because the top half of that division is just too good. So that leaves us with Duke, Georgia Tech and Virginia. Of that group, I'd lean toward the Yellow Jackets. They have a star at QB in
Justin Thomas, they're due for a regression to the mean when it comes to injuries, they have a lot of young talent that got playing time last season, and Paul Johnson seems to do his best work when the outsiders are doubting him the most. Having said that, I'd expect Virginia to be improved this year, and Duke may be the biggest wild card in the ACC.