The ACCs last gasp

I wrote here last week that it was early in the season and the ACC had plenty of time left to show the world how good (or not) it really is, and though there are still several marquee match ups still to be played (Florida-Florida State, Clemson-South Carolina, Wake Forest-Vanderbilt) after week two one has to wonder how BAD the ACC really is. Yes, the conference had a win over a SEC team when Wake edged Mississippi in Winston-Salem. Problem is, Wake was playing at home as an 8 point favorite over a supposedly middle of the road SEC team and had to squeak by. Then came the Maryland loss to that powerhouse Middle Tennessee. Ouch.

So, after two weeks here is the ACC non-conference totals:

vs. FCS Teams 10-0
vs. SEC 1-3
vs. Big Ten 0-1
vs. Sun Belt 0-1
vs. Pac 10 0-1
vs. MAC 1-0
vs. C-USA 0-1
vs. Big 12 1-0

Total non-conference record to this point: 13n-7. Take away the 10 FCS wins and you are left with a 3-7 record. Three wins over FBS teams in two weeks. Two of them by Wake Forest (pounding hapless Baylor and then edging Mississippi on a last second FG). The other ACC win? Boston College over Kent State. Are you kidding me? No wonder the conference is looked upon as a joke by national pundits.

This week is another chance for the ACC, with a televised game on Thursday that pits UNC against Rutgers. Then on Saturday California is at Maryland and Virginia is at Connecticut. The ACC will have to win two of those to gain some semblance of respectability back. If they lose all three, this conference may not recover it's reputation for some time to come, deservedly so.