Worth a read as they talk a good deal about the ACC.
The opening of the piece notes that Michigan started 2021 unranked and reached the Playoff, while both UNC and Iowa State started Top 10 and finished, respectively, 6-7 and 7-6.
Chris Low is big on Miami. Heather Dinich thinks Moo could be undefeated when the Wufs play Clemson.
The most surprising and correct statement is by The Dinich herself: "It's been a rough start for Jim Phillips as the ACC's commissioner, with Clemson's playoff run coming to an end in 2021 and three of the league's bowl games getting nixed. But here's something most folks don't remember: The ACC actually had three 10-win teams last year (Clemson, Pitt and Wake Forest) and might've had a fourth if NC State's bowl game vs. UCLA wasn't nixed due to COVID-19. Add in an improving Florida State, a renewed Miami, and talented (if underperforming) teams in North Carolina and Louisville, there's no lack of depth in the league. The question is whether any of those teams can actually step up and blossom into something special. Phillips desperately needs a strong season to build some real energy behind his "football first" mantra."
It seems the ESPN writers know that ACC football quality is definitely better than Pac football and at least as good as the Big 12 (with OU and Texas). They do not state that the lack of fans per team, even the Big 12, hurts the perception of ACC football all the time, especially when it does not have a team in the Playoff. Doing so would lead to talk about TV deals. And ESPN writers want to avoid that if possible.
The opening of the piece notes that Michigan started 2021 unranked and reached the Playoff, while both UNC and Iowa State started Top 10 and finished, respectively, 6-7 and 7-6.
Chris Low is big on Miami. Heather Dinich thinks Moo could be undefeated when the Wufs play Clemson.
The most surprising and correct statement is by The Dinich herself: "It's been a rough start for Jim Phillips as the ACC's commissioner, with Clemson's playoff run coming to an end in 2021 and three of the league's bowl games getting nixed. But here's something most folks don't remember: The ACC actually had three 10-win teams last year (Clemson, Pitt and Wake Forest) and might've had a fourth if NC State's bowl game vs. UCLA wasn't nixed due to COVID-19. Add in an improving Florida State, a renewed Miami, and talented (if underperforming) teams in North Carolina and Louisville, there's no lack of depth in the league. The question is whether any of those teams can actually step up and blossom into something special. Phillips desperately needs a strong season to build some real energy behind his "football first" mantra."
It seems the ESPN writers know that ACC football quality is definitely better than Pac football and at least as good as the Big 12 (with OU and Texas). They do not state that the lack of fans per team, even the Big 12, hurts the perception of ACC football all the time, especially when it does not have a team in the Playoff. Doing so would lead to talk about TV deals. And ESPN writers want to avoid that if possible.
