ACC football in the Triangle might not be terribly good, but it shouldn't be boring this season, either.

N.C. State opens Saturday under new coach Chuck Amato, North Carolina begins Year Three with second-chance coach Carl Torbush, and Duke embarks on its second season with Carl Franks and his pyrotechnic offensive system that mostly fritzed out in 1999.

What'll happen between now and November? Who the heck knows? But expectations aren't high.

Basketball season, this ain't.

Most preseason publications put Duke eighth or ninth in the nine-team ACC, a notch or two above N.C. State. North Carolina was deemed the best of the Triangle bunch, generally predicted to finish fifth or sixth in the conference.

Torbush, frankly, is glad to be back. He nearly losing his job last season, which began 1-8 and ended with job-saving victories against N.C. State and Duke.

The victory against the Wolfpack not only saved Torbush's job, but it probably got him an offensive coordinator. N.C. State fired Mike O'Cain after the season with a seven-year mark of 41-40 -- but 0-7 against North Carolina -- and Torbush quickly hired O'Cain to run his offense.

"I know how close I came to not being here," Torbush says. "And how close Mike came to staying where he was."

	Ronald Curry and North Carolina hope to snag the fifth ACC bowl spot.

The teams might not be terribly good, but the offenses should be exciting in the Triangle. O'Cain, who turned unsung Jamie Barnette into N.C. State's career passing leader, gets to work with a legitimate NFL prospect in UNC junior quarterback Ronald Curry. Amato hired Brigham Young offensive coordinator Norm Chow to redesign the Wolfpack attack.

Duke, meanwhile, ought to have a better grasp of Franks' offense with senior quarterback Spencer Romine back. Still, the knowledge of Romine, a pre-med student, might not be enough to offset heavy losses at receiver and tailback. The Blue Devils open against East Carolina -- a tough assignment, even in Durham, where ECU fans will drive two hours to fill the place.

North Carolina gets Tulsa and N.C. State plays Arkansas State, games that might not tell us much about the Tar Heels or Wolfpack if they win -- but will tell us all we need to know if they lose.

Around the ACC
Clemson: Senior safety Robert Carswell, a preseason Thorpe candidate, is questionable for the opener Saturday against The Citadel with a sore right thumb. Another starter, center Kyle Young (right foot) also is questionable. ? Third-string receiver Mike Seth will transfer to a Division I-AA team. ? Junior guard Neely Page (bulging disk) and sophomore linebacker Travis Roberts (asthma), both reserves, have career-ending afflictions.

Duke: B.J. Hill, the leading rusher over the past two seasons and a projected starting safety this season, is a redshirt candidate because of a knee injury. ? Opening foe East Carolina beat Duke 27-9 last season in Carl Franks' first game as the Blue Devils' head coach. ? Unless the game is a sellout -- an unlikely proposition -- Duke has refused to grant East Carolina permission to televise the game to its fans in the Greenville, N.C., area.

Florida State: Kicker Matt Munyon faces a challenge for his job after missing his first extra point attempt, then two short field goals, in the opener against Brigham Young. Competition is coming from Chance Gwaltney and Brett Cimorelli, the favorite before suffering a preseason groin injury. ? FSU wants to redshirt two reserve quarterbacks, junior Jared Jones and freshman Chris Rix, and go the season with seniors Chris Weinke and backup Marcus Outzen if possible. ? The Seminoles, off this week, visit Georgia Tech Sept. 11.

Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets will not make up their stormed-out game against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech announced Monday. ? Tech could play 10 true freshmen Saturday against Central Florida, including linebackers Hobie Holiday, Daryl Smith and Keyaron Fox. ? Watch true freshman Jonathan Smith, a receiver and punt returner.

Maryland: Good news for the Terps: Senior tailback LaMont Jordan (1,632 yards in 1999) is qualified academically. ? The quarterback situation remains in limbo, with incumbent Calvin McCall being challenged by junior college transfer Shaun Hill. ? The Terps open Sept. 9 against Temple.

North Carolina: Senior walk-on Jeff Reed will be the kicker, but the punter for Saturday's game against Tulsa is a coin flip between scholarship freshman Blake Ferguson and sophomore walk-on John Lafferty. ? Senior linebacker Brandon Spoon is the first person ever put on the preseason watch list for the Butkus Award for four years. ? Freshman tailbacks Brandon Russell and Andre' Williams are second and third on the depth chart behind a redshirt freshman, Willie Parker, who is recovering from a sore back. ? Tailback Domonique Williams, the emergency quarterback in season-ending victories against N.C. State and Duke, will transfer after being moved to third-team fullback last week.

N.C. State: True freshman Philip Rivers will start at quarterback over junior college transfer Olin Hannum. ? Last year's leading tackler, free safety Brian Williams, has been moved to cornerback. ? Starting tackle Scott Kooistra will miss the first month with a knee injury.

Virginia: The $86 million renovation to Scott Stadium, to be unveiled Saturday in the Cavaliers' opener against Brigham Young, features 44 luxury suites and a new capacity of 61,500. ? Cavs fans could get their first look at highly recruited quarterback Bryson Spinner, a redshirt freshman listed as a co-backup to starter Dan Ellis. ? Virginia has lost reserve linebacker R.C. Crosby to grades and moved two other reserves linebackers, John Duckett (to fullback) and Raymond Mann (to defensive end).

Wake Forest: Senior cornerback Keyshorn Smith, one of only two returning starters on defense, will miss the season for academic reasons. ? The Deacons had better be wary of Division I-AA Appalachian State, their opening opponent Thursday night. Appalachian is loaded on defense. ? Sophomore C.J. Leak makes his first start for the Deacons after signing with them instead of Notre Dame.

Gregg Doyel covers the ACC for The Charlotte Observer.