Quick — when was the last time an Atlantic Coast Conference team played for a national championship?
Those of you with weak long-term memory probably don’t recall 2001, when Florida State fell to Oklahoma 13-2 in the Orange Bowl.
That same season happens to be the last time the league produced a Heisman Trophy winner, when Seminoles quarterback Chris Weinke brought home the hardware.
In fact, the ACC hasn’t even had a Heisman finalist since Weinke (Miami’s Ken Dorsey made it in 2002, but the Hurricanes were still a part of the Big East at that time). Since expanding from nine to 12 teams between 2003 and 2005, the ACC has been largely a disappointment in the grand scheme of college football.
This might finally be the year the league breaks through. For the first time since 2005, there are five ACC teams ranked in the Associated Press’ preseason top 25 poll.
There are five returning conference players who have rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, an all-time high.
There are eight returning starters at quarterback, including five on the watch list for the Davey O’Brien Award, which is handed out to the best quarterback in the country at the end of every season.
“This is a quarterback league,” said Frank Beamer, Hokies head coach.
There are plenty of reasons for optimism this year. Here are some to watch for in the ACC this season:
FLORIDA STATE AND MIAMI
We thought the Hurricanes had returned to dominance for a hot second last season when they started 3-1, including wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. They didn’t finish quite as strong, ending the year with a 9-4 record.
Jacory Harris is back for a second season as the starting quarterback, and he’s hoping to cut down on his 17 interceptions from 2009.
Miami’s defense is as fast as the Hurricane defenses of old, and the recruiting class from 2008 that was ranked No. 1 by Rivals.com has matured and is ready to live up to the hype.
Florida State, meanwhile, will try to move on without Bobby Bowden, who retired after 34 seasons as head coach of the Seminoles. Jimbo Fisher steps in, and has Heisman darkhorse Christian Ponder leading the offense.
Ponder, who is healthy again after missing the end of last season with a separated shoulder, was the only ACC quarterback to pass for 300 yards per game last season.
“When (Florida State and Miami) are strong, our league is perceived as stronger as a whole,” said John Swofford, ACC commissioner.
Not only do both programs need to return to the forefront of college football, but the league needs them to as well.
HOKIES’ NATIONAL TITLE HOPES
“Our goal is to win a national championship,” Beamer said last month at ACC Media Kickoff.
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