Game 1

[Hazard]

Rarely, if ever, is the very first game of the NCAA football season get people pumped up the way that the Florida States vs. Miami game has. Looking at the schedules for the teams, if Miami wins this first game, they have clinched the ACC. One team's season will be more or less ruined after week one, which is something that makes college football so great. Thoughts on this very exciting game one, week one, of the NCAA college football year anyone?

[Grok]

FSU will win this one.  I don't say this from a sentimental viewpoint, but Miami's defence was decimated by graduation and draft, while FSU mostly got a year older and experienced.  Unless history changes, no team has won more than 5 in a row in this series, and Miami has won the last 5.  That's not one of my reasons, just an observation.

Also, FSU @ Miami is in week 1, but there are about 4 or 5 other games prior to it.  All the "special preaseason" games.

Nonetheless, I think the ACC winner will have at least one ACC loss.  The top of the ACC is now heavier than the top of the SEC, where it has been nearly impossible to win the conference with no conference losses.  FSU, Miami, VaTech, Virginia, Maryland, NCState ... any of those could beat any other and it not be a big upset.  Well, maybe not NCState now that Rivers is gone.  GaTech and Clemson are not crappy either.  Compare that to the top of the SEC .. the ACC should forever more be a 1-loss conference champion now, like the other top conferences.  Add Boston College next year and it gets worse, because of the conference championship.

[Hazard]

Well I tend to agree more with Jim Rome, that the winner of game one between FSU and UM will be the ACC conference championship barring massive unforseen circumstances.

[Grok]

Haha.  Well, that's a nice disclaimer at the end.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, I will be a billionaire by the end of June.

(end of June arrives, I'm not a billionaire)  WTF?  I didn't see that coming!

Jim Rome's guess is as good as many people's, but not necessarily as good as some people's guess.  You're better off listening to me about the ACC, and to Jim Rome about pro sports.

The ACC is an order-of-magntitude more competitive this year than ever before, with the two new additions, Miami and Virginia Tech, both competing occasionally at (VaTech) or consistently above (Miami) FSU's level.  Now instead of a solid 2 or 3 teams, the ACC has a solid 4 or 5 teams that can compete for top-20 poll positions.  I repeat -- look to the SEC, Big12, BigTe(leve)n about how often a team runs the conference table.

[Hazard]

Well I mean look at the schedules for the big contenders. Besides Miami and Florida, FSU doesn't exactly have a killer schedule and historically a little trouble with Clemson but they get them at home so its not that bad.

Miami has it a little bit tougher with FSU and Virginia Tech to worry about the most, and they have to deal with Georgia Tech which is never a set in stone win/loss, but they do have to travel to Virginia but if they can pull it together it shouldn't be able to stop them.

Then take a look at Virginia Tech, they start their season with the USC Trojans have to go to Georgia Tech, home against Virginia and then away at Miami.

Virginia has Clemson, they have to go to Florida State then home against Miami, then two back to back away games to finish the season at Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech.

What I'm trying to say out of all of this is looking at their schedules and history, I can see the winner of this very important Game 1 between UM and FSU to be the winner of the ACC. Because even if you tack on another conference loss to FSU or Miami the winner will still have the head to head tiebreaker win.