ACC Roundtable: Week 3 Review

This week's installment of the ACC Round Table is hosted by the fine folks at Block-C, formerly known as Danny Ford Is God. They're our Clemson representative, run by Willy Mac and Chili, two dudes who've never met a curse word they didn't like.

Following are their questions and my answers. You'll be able to find their compilation of all the Round Table's answers over at Block-C later this week. Enjoy:

1) Does this weekends OOC performance for the ACC negate that first weekend's total bed sh*tting performance? Why or why not?
No, and not because I think the ACC didn't play well...it's because the notion of the ACC as a "bad" football conference is so thoroughly ingrained into the collective subconscious of college football fans across America that virtually NOTHING can derail that notion in just one short week. It was a great week for the league, and far better for the league than week 1 was damaging for the league. FSU's win over BYU was HUGE, VT's come-from-behind win against Nebraska was great and Carolina's win over ECU helped. But group think is a very powerful thing to overcome, so if the ACC is to gain some steam in turning the public perception tide, they need this week's results to equal or surpass last's. Because from here on out it's almost exclusively in-conference matchups until bowl time, meaning the league's chances to prove its worth outside the league will be limited.

2) Continuing the weekly theme of predicting the conference outcome, who'll play in the ACC CG?
Boy, it's tough to pick against FSU and Miami. They both looked great offensively in their opening matchup against one another, and Miami put a whoopin' on Georgia Tech last Thursday night and FSU crushed a top-10 opponent. I think both teams have questions defensively, but those would be my two front runners. I still have high hopes for State, and the one thing to remember at this point in the Atlantic is that both FSU and Clemson each have one loss. State, yet to have played a conference game, is without a loss at this point. With three manageable conference games to start (Wake, Duke, @BC) could end the month of October against the Seminoles on October 31st with a very key game in the Atlantic division race.

3) Is Miami a legit top ten team? Why or why not?
Beyond the top 5, are there ANY legit top-10 teams out there? I feel like most of the folks at the top of the list are there by default by virtue of teams ahead of them losing rather than what they've proven on the field. Miami's two performances have been no doubt impressive, but I'm not yet ready to declare them "back" or top-10 caliber. Their defense looked suspect at times against FSU, and though they shut down Georgia Tech's offense, so did Clemson. I have been extremely impressed with their offensive line play, moreso than Jacory Harris. Give a good quarterback four seconds in the pocket to make plays and he'll look like a Heisman candidate...put a great quarterback behind a lousy offensive line and all he'll do is finish tied for fourth in the conference every season and lose to Maryland on Senior Day when they foolishly present his retired jersey to him BEFORE the game. Sorry. Anyway, we'll know A LOT more about Miami and its legitimacy after they travel to Blacksburg and face a very strong defense on the road.

4) If you had to declare an ACC MVP right now, who's your top guy?
Do I have to? I guess Jacory Harris by process of elimination. Jonathan Dwyer has been shut down and injured early this season, Russell Wilson looked average against South Carolina, Thaddeus Lewis isn't living up to expectations at Duke and C.J. Spiller, aka Mr. Big Ass Poster, has been good-but-not-Heisman-good thus far. Christian Ponder--Harris' most logical competition for the award at this point--looked great for a half against Miami and performed well last week against BYU, but he struggled on third down (5-14) against Jacksonville State. Harris has performed very well in two big wins against top-25 competition, so I'll give him the nod.

5) Women, whiskey, and miles of travelin' is all that I understand. What are three things you understand, blogger friends?
My wife'll tell you I've never understood women all that well and I'd be hard pressed to argue the point. I'm a beer drinker by nature but I do love a good road trip. I understand why cheap beer is superior to the fancy stuff, the finer debating points of North Carolina barbecue and its superiority over all other forms of sustenance, and that--grab your Kleenex, fellas--being a father of three is what I was put on this planet to do and that it's what I work hard to excel at.