As of this moment, there are three undefeated teams (in conference play) in the ACC Coastal - Pitt, UNC and Duke. Granted, they will all play each other later this year - but - none of them play Clemson or FSU this year. GT is dropping like a rock and VT is still faltering (and UVA is still awful). Miami could be a factor - but we have to wait and see. Pitt and Duke are currently ranked. If you work out the math and the potential probabilities, this is why that it is possible this year for the ACC to not have enough teams bowl eligible for all its contracts. If Pitt, UNC and Duke win out against the conference (except when they play each other obvious), then this will most likely happen. That is not necessarily a bad thing if one of those three win out completely and get to the champ game with an 11-1 record (Pitt would have to beat ND to do that).
But this is why currently FSU's year to date record is so suspect to many. The combination of FSU's weak OOC schedule and the poor performance of the ACC in games against FBS schools this year (in spide fo the conference record of the three top coastal members) have further damaged the perception of the ACC. If those three top Coastal schools were in any other conference - any other conference - they could all be in the top 20. But winning conference games in this conference is not valued very highly.
At this point, FSU beating GT will be ignored and then beating SU after that will be invisible.
The ACC has to do things differently - and Swofford was initially correct - expanding to 14 teams requires this conference to have 9 conference games. He is not all powerful as some believe and was voted down by the members. We are currently locked in by NCAA rules to have these mandatory round robin divisions, but if that rule changes as predicted, the ACC will have to come up with something that makes sense for this group of members. If FSU wins out the conference this year, I suspect that the other Atlantic members would push for a change (even though it's the Coastal that always looked inept in the past)
But this is why currently FSU's year to date record is so suspect to many. The combination of FSU's weak OOC schedule and the poor performance of the ACC in games against FBS schools this year (in spide fo the conference record of the three top coastal members) have further damaged the perception of the ACC. If those three top Coastal schools were in any other conference - any other conference - they could all be in the top 20. But winning conference games in this conference is not valued very highly.
At this point, FSU beating GT will be ignored and then beating SU after that will be invisible.
The ACC has to do things differently - and Swofford was initially correct - expanding to 14 teams requires this conference to have 9 conference games. He is not all powerful as some believe and was voted down by the members. We are currently locked in by NCAA rules to have these mandatory round robin divisions, but if that rule changes as predicted, the ACC will have to come up with something that makes sense for this group of members. If FSU wins out the conference this year, I suspect that the other Atlantic members would push for a change (even though it's the Coastal that always looked inept in the past)
