Crystal Ball Run’s jaunt through the conference coaching ranks continues again today and yes, I get to get into the mix with the ACC. The league does not have an Ohio State or an Alabama, and most certainly no Texas type job, but there are some right fine jobs in the conference.
As is the standard disclaimer with these articles this week; we’re not ranking the coaches, people. Before you get your panties in a bunch about how bad Dabo is I implore you to read better and calm down. This is the jobs on their own merits. Money, recruiting, dedication to the cause and the like are the factors here. Not the coaching acumen of Paul Johnson and his steadfast commitment to doing things in a way that stopped working when Nebraska got mollywopped by Miami in the Rose Bowl.
Here are the preludes to the ACC: Big Ten, Big East, Big XII, SEC
1. Florida State
This is the crown jewel of the conference. The Seminoles are one of a handful of football schools and while they are not the money churning entity that their cross state rival Florida is they do have all of the intangible advantages that the Gators possess. To say their recruiting territory is fertile is an understatement. The Noles have access to not only the prime Florida recruiting territory but their location makes them a prime target to invade South Georgia and Alabama is well. If you follow recruiting at all, then you know how great those areas are for kids who can ball.
Throw in the Seminoles tradition and you’ve got something that most other jobs in the nation don’t have. They’re used to winning because that’s all they’ve done in the last few decades. Sure, there is the lost decade but even in that time they were pulling in kids who can play, just failing to develop and put things together on the field. Now, the program is coming into it’s own off the field; new nutrition program, new training table, new strength and conditioning practices. This job is at the top and while a few schools have a had more on the field success of late the fact is where ceilings are concerned Florida State is the school that is most capable of getting a BCS title.
2. Clemson
Some would go Virginia Tech here, I don’t. It is not just that Clemson has won a National Title, or that the Tigers play in a big stadium that is as close as the ACC gets to the SEC. No, they get the nod because of the inherent advantage their location gives them. Two hours from North Carolina and the Tigers have done work in the Old North State. Two hours from Atlanta and in North Georgia, Clemson is in the fray with the Dawgs and Vols when it comes to getting the kids. Then of course you have their home state of South Carolina where we’ve seen elite talent year after year.
Clemson wants to win and their issue has not been talent; it has been putting things together on the field. The squad has talent and top notch athletes. Talking to an NFL scout about Clemson’s pro day is one of the beauties of being in this industry and they all marvel at what the players can do on the track and in the weight room. Now the school needs to capitalize on the monsters they have on the roster, make the push towards winning a BCS Bowl.
3. Virginia Tech
Everyone talks about how Boise State and other non-BCS schools do so much more, with so much less than the big time powers. Well, Virginia Tech has been that school, and they do so much more on a week in and week out basis by playing in the ACC. Frank Beamer has helped push this job towards the upper echelon of college football and now they reside in a place that is absolutely, uniquely special. From a recruiting standpoint Virginia Tech is in a quality spot. As a state Virginia produces their fair share of talent. Elite kids that can play come out of Virginia every single year. The Hokies can’t grab all of them but they have enough to produce a firm base for their program. The Hokies also have ample access to North Carolina kids and their roster reflects the dipping into NC for a couple of recruits.
They’re not a money making machine but their fans are truly loyal. They give this job a special charm and a stable spot amongst the best.
4. Miami
The U is one of those jobs that people look at and tend to just slot as one of the nation’s bests. In theory it is. The problem is theory is not reality. It is still one of the top one third jobs in the ACC but it is not elite in today’s college football world. Miami’s luster has been eroded the reality of college football in the 21st century. It’s about money and television now folks. Money, as in the Canes don’t have a lot of it. That limits what they can pay and what their facilities look like. No on campus stadium always hurts you in the recruiting game, because those kids are visiting a packed house in Florida and then walking out with the players on their visits. At Miami they getting on a bus to go back to Coral Gables and it just is not the same.
Television has also played a role in all of this. Unlike the 1980’s and much of the 1990’s college football is not purely a regional affair. There is no more “State of Miami” as far as recruiting goes. Those kids are not just choosing between Florida, Florida State and The U. The kids are now looking all over the country, at programs they have seen play on ESPN on a weekly basis. Kids know what else is out there and if they feel that they fit in somewhere else, then they will go somewhere else. The talent is still rich surrounding Miami, the problem is they are now fighting with everyone from FSU to Alabama and USC for kids who used to be shoe ins for the Canes.
5. Georgia Tech, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia
Yes, four jobs rank fifth in the ACC. They’re too close to separate as each has their own fatal flaw that does not allow it to move ahead of the other.
Georgia Tech is broke and they have some pretty strong academic standards. That limits what they can spend and what they can bring in. They are forced to combat Georgia, Alabama, Clemson, Auburn, Florida State, Tennessee and South Carolina for kids and in that race they, more often than not, are the odd man out. They do have tradition on their side, unfortunately the kids being recruited in today’s world were not born when the Jackets won their last national title.
North Carolina is a basketball school. They have made the upgrades and the facilities are truly pristine; but when you go on a visit and the stadium is only 60% full at the start of a game for a 4-1 team, the fans let you know that it doesn’t actually matter. It just doesn’t matter in Chapel Hill the way it does other places. That said, there is ample talent to be had and Butch Davis proved that if you can get kids on campus then North Carolina has a shot at landing almost anyone.
North Carolina State’s only true drawback is that they are the second school. They have great facilities. They have great fans. They love their football team and they want to win. Being second in the state has made it tough for them to get the bulk of the players they need to take that next step to success; an ACC Championship.
Virginia is a job most folks don’t readily associate with being a good job. It is in the mix with these other three schools because it is just that; a solid middle tier job in the ACC. They’ve got money, tons of it; and as we’ve said with Virginia Tech the state of Virginia has talent within its borders. The Cavaliers have sent plenty of guys on to the NFL and for them it boils down to getting coached up and maximizing what they can do with their resources.
9. Boston College
For a long time Tom O’Brien made this job look a heck of a lot better than it actually was. Now the reality of the job is setting in as they close in on almost a decade in the ACC; tough place to achieve at a high level. The recruiting lands are not that great and the athletic department is not exactly flush with cash. The Eagles are, at the best of times, third or fourth in the big Boston sports market; and that’s being generous given the regions undying infatuation with their pro sports teams.
10. Wake Forest
Tough academic school that is almost always a “non-factor” when it comes to recruiting against their in-state peers like UNC and NC State. But they have solid facilities and a fanbase that just wants to be “not awful” in the ACC. This team is one, like Northwestern, that must capitalize on developing talent and playing a sound scheme to be successful. But the job gets the nod at ten because they truly appreciate any success their coach will bring them.
11. Maryland
This ranking is not because of Randy Edsall and the disaster that’s occurred in the last year or so in College Park. They pull a low ranking because a job that should be in the middle of the ACC has seen itself lowered thanks to sloppy financials. The school just cut several sports and still is having money trouble. In today’s college football if you don’t have the cash you cannot pass go and that’s where Maryland stands. They need the next ACC television contract to return them to where they should be as a gig.
12. Duke
When “get to a bowl” is the battle cry for your job, as it has been a Duke for the last two decades, you know you’re not exactly in great shape. Combine that with the tough academic standards and the overwhelming basketball is all that matters attitude and you see why this is the toughest job to get a quality coach to take. Unlike basketball, football takes more than a couple key players to be successful and when you don’t have the pieces it is near impossible to reach the six win mark, let alone achieve at a high level.
