Thanksgiving is coming...

...here is what the ACC teams are thankful for.

Boston College- That some stability has returned to the Heights. To say BC had a rough offseason is an understatement...they lost their head coach, their incumbent QB, and their best defensive player. Many thought that those losses, coupled with the loss of the DT tandem of BJ Raji and Ron Brace to the NFL, would be too much to overcome. Well, it hasn't been always sunny this season (injury bug, Josh Haden transferring), but thanks to a new coach, a former baseball player, a 2 star RB, and a freshman LB have turned in a respectable year so far and have BC fans optimistic about the next few years.

I also want to add that BC should be thankful for the current status of Mark Herzlich. There was a lot to be worried about when it was announced that he had cancer...now, he is getting close to the end of his fight as he announced on College Gameday that he was free of cancer.

Clemson- That they have UVA as their final ACC game...the team known better for choking in key games needs to win this weekend to lock up the Atlantic Division for the first time since the ACC expanded to 12 teams. Clemson fans can breathe a little easier knowing their last game is against UVA, at home. They could always choke, but playing a shitty team to lock up the division is always something to be thankful for.

Duke- That they were actually relevant in the ACC for most of this year. Their 3 ACC wins is one fewer than their total ACC wins in the last 7 seasons. They'll need a win over either Miami or Wake Forest to be bowl eligible...I think most Duke fans can be thankful that they can actually get a whiff of bowl-eligibility.


Florida State- That the end is in sight for Bobby Bowden. FSU fans have been pretty ruthless when it comes to throwing the man that made their program what it is under the bus, but there is no denying that he should probably have hung up the headset a few years ago. This year was the breaking point and boosters finally stepped up and said that enough is enough. Bowden will probably be back next year, but at least they're making steps in the right direction.


Georgia Tech- That Paul Johnson knows what he is doing. There were many people that laughed at the thought of the option working in the ACC, the highest praise that Johnson and GT received at the time was that it would be a while before GT was competitive because of the philosophy switch. Now the Jackets boast arguably the best offense in the country, let alone the ACC. Also, Johnson has shown that he can be effective on the other side of the ball, switching GT from a 4-2-5 to a 4-3 defense that has paid off big time.


Maryland- That Fridge is gone at the end of the season...at least he should be. OC James Franklin has already been pegged the successor to Fridge, but the time has come for new blood there. There really isn't anything to be thankful about this season so the best Maryland fans can come up with is that changes will be made and next season will be better...it can't get much worse.

Miami- That not only are the Canes good this year, they will only get better next year. Larry Coker didn't do much at Miami other than win a National Championship with Butch Davis' players. Randy Shannon appears to have turned that around at Miami and, with all the youth on that team, should have a National Championship contender next year. Also, Miami fans can be thankful that the players have kept their swag on the field and there haven't been daytime gun battles or helmet-swinging, skull stomping brawls.

North Carolina- That they have Butch Davis...so even if they can him for being a lousy gameday coach, they'll probably win a National Championship with the guy who follows him. Even though they have had a subpar season, Butch Davis has been tearing it up on the recruiting trail since he got to Chapel Hill, his class is small this year but he turned in the 9th best recruiting class in the country last year according to Rivals.com.


NC State- That the staff is recruiting well...I guess you could look at it this way, they should spend more time coaching. Nonetheless, where NC State has failed on the field it is compensating for by bringing in the best recruiting class among the NC schools and the 4th best in the ACC.

Virginia- That Al Groh will be gone at the end of the season...he has to be. The list of candidates for the job should make UVA fans optimistic. They haven't really had a problem getting quality players, the NFL Draft could tell you that. Candidates like Richmond HC Mike London and Florida DC Charlie Strong shows that this job is definitely high on many coaches' lists. With all the other positions being spoken for (that idiotic "coach in waiting"), UVA is going to get a good coach.


Virginia Tech- That Bud Foster will be back at VT in 2010...I know he has expressed interest in the Memphis job, but this is the same story every year. Bud Foster's name gets thrown around for every opening in America and sure enough, he is back at VT the next year.

Wake Forest- This is the team that has the least to be thankful about...they lost Aaron Curry and Alphonso Smith last year and they are losing Riley Skinner next year. The incredible run Wake has made the last few years appears to be coming to an end. So I guess Wake fans can be thankful for the fact that Grobe was able to put a team together that won the ACC in 2006 and was good for another few years. Who knows, maybe Wake will rebound sooner rather than later.