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Thoughts on the 2009 ACC Season
Zach Bigalke:
Hello again everyone, and welcome back to another edition of the Tailgater. We’re going to try something a little different this
week... I’m going to lead off in the anchor chair for our initial
thoughts on everything that transpired in the ACC during the 2009 season.
Then I’m going to hand the reins over to our regular lead, John
Mitchell, as we break down each of the twelve teams individually. With me
as always are John and Matt Strobl, the triumvirate as strong as ever...
John Mitchell:
Trying out a new schedule because I was a bit busy this week, and stayed
busy so far this weekend. Anybody have a car for sale?
Matt Strobl:
Being in the heart of ACC country, I can say with conviction that
this league failed to impress me in 2009.
I wish it weren’t so, but it is.
Bigalke: A
lot of people came into the season with high hopes for the ACC. The
conference ended the season with a 3-4 bowl record. What
is your perception of this conference’s strength relative to the other
BCS conferences after 2009?
Strobl: As
I suggested above, this league is one of the weaker BCS conferences.
Playing geographically side by side with the mighty SEC, the
differences between the two are striking.
There are a couple of exceptions -- programs that, for the most
part, have been traditional powers. But
even they (Virginia Tech,
Miami
, and FSU) struggled this year. VT
had a good season by most standards, but given what Frank Beamer has come
to expect from his guys, I’d say the 2009 campaign was a disappointment.
Georgia Tech was impressive, but was rolled by both Georgia and
Iowa
to close out the season, making it tough to give the ACC any kudos.
And there were far too many mediocre and lousy teams.
If forced to rank the conferences based on 2009, I’d put the ACC
below the other power conferences and would be hesitant to put it above
the Big East or the Mountain West.
Mitchell: The
ACC took another hit this year as they have further cemented themselves as
one of the weaker BCS conferences. They came out 3-4 in bowl season
highlighted by Virginia Tech’s thumping of
Tennessee
in the Chick Fil-A Bowl. Clemson scored a nice win over
Kentucky
and
Florida
State
had a big win over
West Virginia
to close out Bobby Bowden’s historic career. The ACC’s best went into
the Orange Bowl and lost to a streaky
Iowa
team who was the second place team in the Big Ten. Also
Miami
suffered a tough loss to
Wisconsin
in the Champs Sports Bowl when many thought they would win. There is hope
for the ACC though as Jimbo Fisher seems to be building a power at
Florida
State
after a very strong recruiting class he just landed in
Tallahassee
. Also, Randy Shannon seems to have
Miami
going in the right direction. Frank Beamer always has Virginia Tech
competitive, Butch Davis is doing well at
North Carolina
, David Cutcliffe has Duke on the rise, and I like Dabo Swinney at
Clemson. I think the ACC is about to rise up and change the perception.
Bigalke:
It’s funny to think about... this conference ended up finishing its bowl
season better than the Pac-10 and yet it still languishes in the doldrums.
The problem is when its elite teams match up with other big-name
non-conference opponents. The wins of the 2009 bowls for the ACC --
Clemson over 7-5 Kentucky, Virginia Tech over 7-5 Tennessee, and Florida
State over 9-3 West Virginia. The last of the trio we’ll discuss more
later, but all in all it isn’t a distinguished group of vanquished
opponents. Conversely, the teams to have beaten ACC opponents in bowl
games -- Pittsburgh (19-17 over North Carolina), USC (24-13 over Boston
College), Wisconsin (20-14 over Miami), and Iowa (24-14 over Georgia Tech
-- are an elite lot that, except for the Panthers in the Meineke Car Care
Bowl, were obviously head and shoulders above their opponents. All things
considered, the ACC did nothing to improve its standing in my mind, and
the ACC most definitely slid below the Mountain West and the Big East this
season. If the BCS were insistent on keeping the balance at six
conferences with automatic bids, I think that the
Rocky
Mountain
schools are a much more deserving lot than the Atlantic duds.
The Seminoles sent Bobby Bowden out with one last
victory in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day. After decades at the helm
in
Tallahassee
, Bowden will no longer patrol the sidelines for
Florida
State
. I’d love to hear your thoughts
on the legacy Coach Bowden leaves behind and what you think about the
manner in which the administration aided his decision to retire...
Mitchell: When
you think
Florida
State
, what’s the first name that pops into your head? Bobby Bowden and that
will never change. Bowden is
Florida
State
. He built up the program in
Tallahassee
. From 1989-2000, Bobby Bowden led the Seminoles to 10+ wins in each of
those years along with a top 5 finish. That’s a run of dominance that
may not be equaled again in college football. But since then,
Florida
State
only had one 10 win season and that was in 2003. It was clear that Bowden
wasn’t the coach that he used to be, but I still believe that the
University did him wrong. Sure, I agree that it was time for Bowden to
retire, but after leading the Noles to 316 wins, they owed letting him
stay as long as he wanted and let him go out on his own terms. In the long
run it will end up being the best move for the team, but once again I
wasn’t happy to see him forced out. I do have to say I love the way the
team responded in the Gator Bowl to send Bowden out with a victory and
avoid a losing season since his first year on the
Florida
State
sideline back in 1976.
Strobl: I’ve
said this before -- were Bowden any other man, he would have been fired a
decade ago. I have a lot of
respect for his ability and the tradition of winning that he created in
Tallahassee
. Some of what he accomplished
might never be achieved again. But
all good things must end, and over the past decade Bowden has accumulated
an 85-44 record. At first
blush, that may not strike you as a negative.
But consider that those 44 losses in ten years are about the same
number he had had in the twenty-two
years prior! Bowden joined FSU in
1976, and while his teams did fairly well, it wasn’t until 1987 that his
hard work began to pay off in earnest.
From ’87 through ’99 (13 seasons) Bowden teams had a combine 17
losses. They won at least ten
games each year and never lost more than 2 in a season during that span.
But after an 11-2 year in 2000, things went south.
Fourteen losses in the next four seasons would have likely been
sufficient to give any other coach his walking papers, but the university
rightfully respected what Bowden had done for its program.
And so he stayed on- enjoying some success, but never really being
a factor on the national stage.
Florida
State
allowed itself to become less than relevant, and worse, it tolerated
multiple legal woes, rules infractions, and academic and behavioral
issues. From my perspective,
it seems that Bowden lost control of this program earlier in the decade
and never quite got it back. I
think FSU gave him more rope than it should have, and the fact that he was
all but let go after the end of 2009 was the right move and long overdue.
Again, none of what I’m saying should take anything away from his
overall status -- Bowden was one of the greatest coaches this game has
seen. And as I said, his body
of work may never be duplicated. But
it was time for him to hang it up. He
couldn’t see that, but thankfully, the school did.
Bigalke:
Don’t get me wrong, I agree that Bowden overstayed his legacy. But a
strong legacy it remains, with a run over a decade and a half that has
never been paralleled in college football. Turning the backwater school
into a national powerhouse, Bowden was the catalyst for
Tallahassee
’s appearance on everyone’s radar in the world of college football.
Without the winning tradition he instilled, are we discussing this school
as one of the big winners of National Signing Day? Of course, that
tradition and reputation for excellence bit him in the ass over the past
decade as inconsistency marred the new millennium for the Seminoles. But
the good name of Chief Osceola hasn’t been tarnished enough to dull its
allure for prize recruits; Bowden has created a program that will remain
strong moving forward in his retirement.
Of course, it is always hard to follow up in the
footsteps of a legacy like Bowden. How
do you think
Florida
State
will fare going forward with new head coach Jimbo Fisher?
Strobl: If
early recruiting efforts are any indication, I’d say Fisher will be
fine. Personally, I don’t
see him as the next great coach at FSU, but
rather a good rebound solution for the short-term.
How short will depend on his success, and given the relative
weakness of the league -- and especially the Atlantic
Division -- he could do very well for himself.
No matter how well things are going, eventually complacency and
stagnation set in. Change is
necessary for everyone, and this transition simply had to happen.
I expect the move to re-energize the program and vault
Florida
State
back to the top of the division, which automatically means opportunities
to compete for a BCS berth. If
Fisher can take advantage of those by winning key games, he’ll carve out
his own legacy and emerge from Bowden’s shadow.
Mitchell: It’s
always hard to replace a legend. Just ask Ray Perkins who had to replace
Bear Bryant at
Alabama
. Even now at
Alabama
, coaches are compared to Bear Bryant. Since Bryant retired in 1982, only
two coaches have been thought of as successful, Gene Stallings and Nick
Saban. Every coach since Bear at the Capstone have been compared to Bear
and have had to walk in his shadow. The same thing is going to happen at
Florida
State
for every coach that comes after Bobby Bowden. To be honest, I didn’t
think too highly of Jimbo Fisher and how he would fare in replacing Bowden
in
Tallahassee
. But, I have recently changed my mind and think he will do a fine job at
Florida
State
. If his recruiting class this year is any indication of things to come
then he should end up having the Seminoles on top of the ACC very soon.
The thing is, recruiting is only one part of coaching. Is he going to be
able to coach up the talent that he has at
Florida
State
like his old boss at LSU Nick Saban, or will he struggle in coaching the
talent like Ron Zook as? Only time will tell.
Bigalke:
Yes, recruits are obviously excited. But I’m going to temper my
expectations for the Seminoles for the next couple of years. After all, it
isn’t like Jimbo Fisher set the ACC ablaze in his four years as the
offensive coordinator in
Tallahassee
. Fisher’s arrival from LSU as the OC and the coach-in-waiting coincided
with the height of the downturn.
Florida
State
, after going 36-16 the previous four seasons prior to Fisher’s arrival,
was only 30-22, with three 7-6 seasons in the mix. This also was the
period when Bowden’s grasp on the team slipped, with Fisher being given
increased duties as he prepared for the transition. The school has grabbed
some phenomenal recruits this National Signing Day, but I’m not going to
hold my breath until they finally win another ACC title.
After a roller-coaster nine years in
Charlottesville
, Al Groh is no longer the coach of the Virginia Cavaliers after his final
season ended in a 3-9 debacle. A two-time ACC Head Coach of the Year, Groh
has taken his skills to an opposing ACC school as the defensive
coordinator under Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech. Do
you think that new head coach Mike London will be able to right the
Cavalier ship?
Mitchell: Mike
London served under Al Groh at
Virginia
, and was a solid hire by the Cavaliers. He went 24-5 in his two seasons
at
Richmond
, but to be honest I think it was the wrong hire. I think that
Virginia
should have made a run at another former assistant and current Temple Head
Coach Al Golden. But, it was still a solid hire by
Virginia
, but I don’t see him doing any better than Groh did. I mean, we have to
remember that it is
Virginia
. I don’t see
Virginia
ever being a perennial contender in the ACC, but I’m sure
London
will lead them to a few bowl appearances in his tenure.
Strobl: As
we’ve gone around the nation league by league, a familiar theme has
reappeared. In each
conference, there are certain programs that just cannot and will not win
with regularity. These
programs are not on the same level in terms of recruiting prowess, and
don’t draw the talent it would take to close the gap between themselves
and the league’s elite.
Virginia
is one of these programs. Each
year the Cavs have a couple of good games and a couple of bad games -- the
rest sort of fade into anonymity. They
(usually) beat the teams they should, lose to teams that are superior, and
maintain a status quo near the bottom of the ACC.
I have great respect for Mike London, but I don’t see that
pattern changing any time soon. Not
because he lacks the ability, but because there are obstacles in front of
him that would be very difficult to surmount.
At the very least, Virginia Tech,
Miami
, and Georgia Tech are set up for sustained success in the immediate
future. At best, UVA is going
to be competing for third and fourth place in the division.
Right there with them is a steadily improving Tar Heel program, and
a Duke team that seems to be moving in the right direction under David
Cutcliffe.
London
has his work cut out for him. His
first goal should be to get back to winning seasons.
Bigalke: I
agree. Al Groh’s arrival came amidst great fanfare, and indeed we saw
the team surge to two straight bowl wins in his second and third seasons
in
Charlottesville
. But the Cavaliers never seriously contended for the ACC crown in his
time on the campus that
Jefferson
built, finishing in the end-of-season Top 25 just twice in nine years.
Only once were they even the runner-up in the conference, finishing second
in their division another time. By all measures, I fear you might be
right, Matt. The pecking order obviously has
Virginia
somewhere lower on the list, and building a consistent winner -- while not
impossible -- is inevitably more difficult given the recruiting
disadvantages. Those disadvantages aren’t going to go away just because
the school hired a new head coach, as good as Mike London no doubt is at
his job.
The seat was burning just as brightly under Ralph
Friedgen as the Terrapins ended the year even worse in the ACC at 2-10,
yet the
Maryland
coach managed to keep his job for another year. Like Groh, Friedgen became
a head coach in the ACC at the beginning of the decade in 2001; unlike
Groh, he will see his tenth season. Did
Maryland
make the right call in retaining Friedgen?
Strobl: It
was fine to retain him. A
coaching change wouldn’t substantially improve
Maryland
’s position within the conference. I
think Friedgen is a solid coach who had a bad year, and while he’s never
going to elevate the Terps to be a perennial contender, he’s good enough
to keep them in the mix most seasons.
I do think that if he stumbles again, he’ll be out.
His 2010 needs to be significantly better than this year was, but
like
Virginia
,
Maryland
has some divisional competition that is in a much better position.
Florida
State
and Clemson look to be the current powers and
Boston
College
should improve next season as well. That
leaves
Maryland
,
Wake
Forest
, and NC State jockeying for spots 4-6.
Tom O’Brien is a good coach who has been stymied thus far in
Raleigh
, but steady improvements have been made behind the scenes.
The Terps are in a tough situation and I don’t see it getting any
easier for the Fridge.
Mitchell: To
start with, I was thinking it was time to move on for
Maryland
, but once again I have recently changed my mind after giving it some
thought. Sure a 2-10 season is rough, but he deserved one more season to
pull it together with the Terps. Remember in Friedgen’s first three
seasons he led
Maryland
to 10+ win seasons in each season including a conference title in 2001.
He’s led them to six bowl appearances in his nine seasons at
Maryland
. He’s gone 66-49 in nine years with the Terrapins and pulled in a solid
recruiting class this season. Friedgen deserved another year and I’m
glad to see him get that year. If the Terps miss the postseason next year,
then it’s time for
Maryland
to move on without Friedgen.
Bigalke:
Just like at
Virginia
,
Maryland
is one of those schools that are never going to be a perennial
national-title contender. It just isn’t going to happen... the school
simply doesn’t have the tradition or the desire to expend the resources
necessary to propel it to top-flight status. In that context, I understand
the logic behind retaining Friedgen -- unlike Groh, he has won an ACC
title and taken the Terrapins to a BCS game. He has also taken
Maryland
to three double-digit win seasons. The problem is that all those came in
his first three years on the job, with the conference title coming in his
inaugural season. If change is inevitably necessary when an act goes
stale, as it did at both
Florida
State
and at
Virginia
, then Friedgen would be a prime candidate for the ouster. It’s a tough
call, but at least the Terps won’t have two coaches still on their
payroll...
The ACC Year in Review part 2
Submitted 2/8/10
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