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ACC on the line this weekend -- why?

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Posted: Friday September 10, 1999 10:22 AM

CNN/SI college football analyst Trev Alberts answers your questions weekly during the season, including on-air during CNN's College Football Preview, Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. ET.

To submit a question, click here.

Don't you think it's sad that the ACC championship is going to be decided the second week of the college football season?

I know everybody's going to say it's a long year and whatever, but realistically, those are the top two teams in the conference. All offseason as a player, your No. 1 goal is winning your conference. That's what your trying to do. So many times, coaches have told me, it's so hard to fight the rest of the year to get your team emotionally to understand you can still have a great season. Because suddenly your goal, what you dreamed about, is over in September.

Either Bobby Bowden or George O'Leary earns all the money they make after this game. If you lose, it will take every amount of genius to get your team back. If you're looking for examples of this, look no further than Arizona State last year. And I think Arizona is going to fall into that this year after I watched them have to come back to beat TCU.

I've been wondering for the longest time, why Ohio University insists on an triple option offense that gets them nowhere. Granted, they had one of the most potent running games in the NCAA a few years ago, but they also set an NCAA Division I-A record for 0 passes in a game.
-- Jacob Jones, South Solon, Ohio

In all honesty, you see a lot of teams -- like the academies - that get by with less talent with those types of offenses, because teams don't see that every week. Take for instance, Air Force, which is always pretty darn good, You can get by with literally two or three athletes on the entire offense. I think I'd do something like that at a place where it was difficult to recruit. Ohio was awful earlier this decade; they're pretty competitive now.

Hey Trev, after that whooping the Miami Hurricanes put on Ohio State, do you think that the speed of the 'Canes and the other East Coast teams is too much for the other conferences to handle?
-- Brian Palatnick, Charlotte, N.C.

No. I don't think the overall speed of Miami had much to do with its win. If you really looked at the game, when the Hurricanes got in the I-formation, they were really able to pound ball at OSU's line. Yes, Miami has speed, but to say the Big East has more speed than other conferences is nuts. But Miami certainly has added a lot of speed, and that's why I think they're the class of the Big East.

After watching Texas A&M this past weekend I have come to realize that they are the dark horse this season. They finally have a big play receiver in Bethel Johnson and a backfield that includes Toombs, Hardeman, and Hall. How do you see A&M finishing the season? I think they will be tasting Sugar again.
-- Jonathan Finke, Dayton, Ohio

I don't think the Aggies are a dark horse, I think everybody knows how good they are. I think they win the Big 12 South. The biggest difference from the past is their QB situation -- Randy McCown is able to actually throw the ball. They were always a good running team and toward end of last year were actually able to move the ball throwing it. And I think Mike Hankwitz, their defensive coordinator, is one of the best. His game day adjustments are phenomenal.

Considering Michigan's emotional win over Notre Dame last Saturday, do you think that Michigan has a chance to win another national title?
-- Geoff Lewis, Michigan

It was a great win. It was Michigan reestablishing itself. I think Michigan has a great team, but my national championship winner is Penn State, and it happens to play in the same conference. I just think Penn State is the class of the Big Ten, but there's no question Michigan is right there. The key for the Wolverines: They only have a chance if Anthony Thomas is healthy and they can pound the ball.

After week No. 2 of college football, don't you think it's about time that the Mid-American Conference got some measure of respect? Check out the Marshall-Clemson and Miami of Ohio-Northwestern games!
-- George Garber, Lima, Ohio

I don't know about lack of respect; I've always respected them. If you looked at the polls, Marshall was in many preseason Top 25s. Everybody knows about Chad Pennington and Doug Chapman and the 10 returning starters on defense, and everybody knows about Travis Prentice at Miami. What hurts those MAC teams is they don't have a television contract as a conference. But as long as they keep scheduling the Kansas States and Clemsons and win some of those games, they certainly have my respect.

Who is the best quarterback combination in the NCAA?
-- Bryan, Oakville, Ont.

The best quarterback combination is Joe Hamilton at Georgia Tech. I'd take him over any combination you can come up with. You want to look at a kid who makes all the plays and is a great leader, if you take him off Georgia Tech's team, realistically, what is Georgia Tech? They've got to be middle-of-the road ACC. If he goes down and beats Florida State in Tallahassee, he could win the Heisman on Saturday.

 

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