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Since the beginning of time, or at least since 1953, ACC football ain't got no respect. This season isn't helping things, fellas.
Florida State is bearing down on the league title, which would give FSU the league's automatic entry into a BCS fray, despite the very real possibility that the Seminoles could have four losses and be unranked for the holidays.
If that happens, Maryland will go down as one of the more hard-luck teams of the 2002 college football season, and the ACC will go down, period.
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The Underdog Is Finally Getting Some Love |
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About the only thing college football pollsters love more than an underdog is a surprise team, so how do you explain the indifference toward TCU -- which has been among the biggest underdog surprises all season?
As of this week, only nine teams remain in Division I-A with one loss or less. Every one of those nine teams has been ranked, but TCU was last to get into the Top 25.
Technically the Horned Frogs tied one-loss Boise State last week for that honor, but Boise State entered the Nov. 11 coaches' poll at No. 23, one spot better than No. 24 TCU -- hence, it says here that the Horned Frogs have been the least-respected winner in college football this season.
You think TCU coach Gary Patterson cares? Think again. He sounds like he poor-mouths his team -- to his team -- more than any poll could.
"We feel like we're not going into any game right now, even the Tulane game a week ago, where we're the favorite," Patterson says.
Without much fanfare, and despite having to replace not one but two starting quarterbacks -- Casey Printers transferred, and Sean Stilley has been injured -- TCU has steadily taken control of Conference USA. The Horned Frogs can clinch a share of the league title Saturday at unpredictable East Carolina, which has fared better within the conference (3-2 league record) than outside C-USA (0-4, for an overall mark of 3-6).
Assuming it can get past the Pirates, TCU would win the league title outright the following week with a victory at home against 2-8 Memphis.
Even at 10-1, TCU probably can expect no better than to go to the Liberty Bowl, which gets the Conference USA champion. Because C-USA isn't among the six power conferences with an automatic BCS bid to its league champion winner, only a C-USA team that is ranked somewhere in the Top 10 would have a chance to garner an at-large bid to a game like, say, the Orange Bowl.
Sadly for the Horned Frogs, they could have been that team. They could be 9-0 right now, probably ranked near the Top 10 and poised to move higher with victories in the next two Saturdays against ECU and Memphis. With back-to-back victories in October against traditional league powers Louisville (45-31 on the road) and Southern Miss (37-7 at home), the Horned Frogs would have enough credibility at 11-0 to clamor for a BCS bid.
But it won't happen, because they blew a fourth-quarter lead in their first game of the season -- before the emergence of backup quarterback Tye Gunn and true freshman running back Lonta Hobbs -- to Cincinnati. TCU led that game 29-14, despite committing 16 penalties for 102 yards, and had Cincinnati fans leaving the stadium with six minutes left. But Bearcats quarterback Gino Guidugli led another of his trademark comebacks, capping it with a 35-yard touchdown pass (and then a two-point conversion on a sneak) with 1:36 in regulation, and a 14-yard touchdown run to win it 36-29 in overtime.
"After we lost to Cincinnati, we knew the only way for us to win a conference championship was to take each game one at a time and win out," Patterson said. "And that's what we've done to this point."
-- Gregg Doyel
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That's getting ahead of things, but not by much. Only a few things would have to happen:
Florida State beats NC State on Saturday.
Entering November, the No. 8 Wolfpack was the ACC's best team, best story and best hope. Three straight losses later, NC State is clinging to the fading hope of a Peach Bowl bid, taking the luster off its tussle with the Seminoles. An FSU victory is no certainty, but the Seminoles have defeated Georgia Tech, Maryland and Virginia -- the three teams that beat NC State -- by a combined 98-42.
Maryland defeats Virginia this week and Wake Forest the next.
An FSU victory over NC State would give the Seminoles the league title outright, possibly one game ahead of the best team in the league, Maryland, which had the misfortune of playing Florida State in mid-September. Unsettled then at quarterback and tailback, the Terps lost 37-10. Maryland hasn't lost since, reeling off eight straight victories after adding one quarterback (Scott McBrien), two tailbacks (Bruce Downs and the now-healthy Bruce Perry) and dominant return man Steve Suter to a stingy defense. If the Terps finish off Virginia and Wake Forest, they would be 10-2, 7-1 in the ACC, and probably headed to the Gator Bowl.
FSU loses its regular-season finale to Florida.
The Gators have been unpredictable, losing to Ole Miss and LSU while beating Tennessee and Georgia, but they have won their last four games. If the Seminoles beat NC State and lose to Florida, they would be 8-4 entering, most likely, the Orange Bowl.
And that would be a black eye for the ACC rank-and-file, who have suffered in comparison to the mighty Seminoles since FSU joined the league in 1992. The ACC's reputation wasn't anywhere near the Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 or SEC before the Seminoles joined, either -- even if Georgia Tech (1990), Clemson ('81) and Maryland ('53) have claimed national titles since the league formed in 1953.
FSU coach Bobby Bowden balks at such talk, of course.
"There aren't any easy (ACC) games any more," he says, although the weakened condition of the Seminoles must share some blame.
Even though FSU already has clinched a tie with Maryland for the ACC title, and owns the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Terps to claim the league's BCS bid, Maryland does have a BCS chance. The BCS can take Maryland over Florida State if they tie for the league title and the Terps finish the season ranked at least five spots ahead of the Seminoles -- a likely scenario if Maryland wins out, while Florida State loses out.
Around the ACC
Clemson
Coach Tommy Bowden says CB Justin Miller, who leads the ACC with seven interceptions, "is as good as I've ever seen as a true freshman." ... The Tigers can enhance their postseason chances -- and eliminate South Carolina's -- in the third-longest running active series in Division I-A. They have played every year since 1909.
Duke
LB Ryan Fowler recorded a career-high 19 tackles last week against Georgia Tech. ... LB Jamyon Small (knee), the team's only senior, won't be able to play on Senior Day against visiting North Carolina. His career ended last week against Georgia Tech. ... UNC has won the last 12 games against Duke, the longest streak in series history.
Florida State
After considering pulling true freshman Lorenzo Booker -- the No. 1 tailback recruit in the country last year -- out of his redshirt season last week, the Seminoles didn't play him against North Carolina and now probably won't.
Georgia Tech
The Jackets are off this week, giving them two weeks to prepare for their finale against Georgia. ... Kelley Rhino is second all time in the ACC with 1,191 yards on punt returns.
Maryland
TB Bruce Perry (groin), the 2001 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, is back but has not replaced Bruce Downs, who needs five yards against Virginia to reach 1,000 for the season. They are sharing time. ... The Terps haven't won at Virginia since 1990.
North Carolina
Reserve DT Carl Smalls has been suspended from the team for disciplinary reasons, and the former South Carolina transfer might be finished at UNC. ... TE Bobby Blizzard had 100 receiving yards last week against Florida State, the most by a UNC tight end since 1979. ... QB Darian Durant (thumb) might return after missing four games.
NC State
Tight end Sean Berton (broken hand) will play against Florida State, then have surgery -- then play in the bowl game. ... QB Philip Rivers is 46 passing yards short of 3,000. ... OG Shane Riggs (knee) and CB Marcus Hudson (ankle) are questionable.
Virginia
Since 1957, Virginia has averaged nearly 100 more yards rushing per game when it has beaten Maryland (214.8) than when it has lost (117.4). ... In one-plus seasons, Cavs coach Al Groh has 12 victories -- four against ranked teams.
Wake Forest
The Deacons play Navy after two weeks off, which should allow injured players like LB Jamie Scott and WR Fabian Davis to return. ... CB Quintin Williams has two different breaks in one of his hands, and might play this week with a thick wrap on his hand that will make interceptions all but impossible. Then again, Navy doesn't throw very much.
Around Conference USA
This is a bit weird, but Army does travel to Memphis for the second consecutive season. ... The Cadets don't care -- they broke their season-long losing streak last week against Tulane. ... Cincinnati gets another crack at Hawaii, 51 years after beating Hawaii 34-0 in 1951. ... Both teams are hot, with Cincinnati having won three in a row, Hawaii five. ... The Rainbows leads the country with 520.9 yards of offense per game. ... East Carolina blew a number of second-half leads last season, but Saturday's opponent was an exception. After opening a 27-3 lead at halftime, the Pirates held on to win 37-30. ... After being knocked from last week's game with a concussion, QB Paul Troth has been cleared to return against TCU. ... With 1,337 rushing yards this season, Houston RB Joffrey Reynolds is third on the school and league single-season lists. He need 25 carries to get to 277 for a Houston record. ... Houston S Hanik Milligan had his streak of games with at least 10 tackles end last week at 21, but he needs just 11 tackles this week against South Florida to reach 400 for his career. ... Louisville leads the country with eight blocked punts this season, to go with two blocked extra points and a blocked field goal. ... In other special teams news, the Cardinals' Broderick Clark has tied the league record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns. ... Memphis carries a six-game losing streak into its game Saturday with Army, but on the bright side, the Tigers have never lost in three meetings with Army. ... QB Danny Wimprine has especially fond memories of Army, having thrown for four touchdown passes in Memphis' 42-10 victory last season. ... Southern Miss has beaten Tulane the last three times they have played, and seven of the last eight meetings. ... This is the longest-running series in C-USA, the Golden Eagles and Green Wave having played every year since 1979. ... TCU has never been to Greenville, N.C., before this Saturday's game at East Carolina. ... The Horned Frogs defeated the Pirates 28-14 in the 1999 Mobile Alabama Bowl, when TCU was in the WAC. ... Tulane has gotten eight touchdowns from its defense (six) and special teams (two), with at least one in each of its six victories. ... The Green Wave will be the only C-USA team to end its season this weekend. ... UAB has never beaten Louisville, but then, the teams have played just twice, in 1999 and 2000. ... Winning Saturday would give the Blazers their third season in a row with at least six victories.
Gregg Doyel covers college football for The Charlotte Observer and can be reached at gdoyel@charlotteobserver.com.
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