Ten games that matter for the ACC

Will the Gators be celebrating again on Nov. 29?

Quick name the ACC's last important nonconference win football.

You remember Maryland's win over 10th-ranked Rutgers last season, right? Nevermind Rutgers went 8-5 and finished tied for fifth in the Big East, that was huge for the ACC. It was almost as big as Boston College's double-overtime win over BYU in 2006.

Get the point? It has been awhile since the ACC won a genuine game in the national scheme of things (you know, that BCS losing streak being eight games and all).

Alas, this football season offers the conference a shot, or 10, at proving its not the worst among its BCS brethren. These 10 games will go a long way in determining the ACC's national reputation.

1) N.C. State @ South Carolina

Aug. 28: The only way for the ACC to get any respect is to beat SEC teams. The ACC went 3-4 against the SEC in 2007, after going 1-5 in 2006. Wake Forest has accounted for half of those wins (and should add two more this season — Ole Miss, Vandy).

But Wake, as one of the ACC's best teams since 2005, beating the bad SEC teams isn't impressing anyone.

South Carolina's not even in the same ballpark as Steve Spurrier's dominant Florida teams but there's still a name-brand value in beating the Ol' Ball Coach. The opener, on the road with a rookie quarterback, might not be the best chance for the Wolfpack, but at least there's a chance.

2) Alabama vs. Clemson (@ Atlanta)

Aug. 30: Clemson's the best team in the ACC and Alabama might be the second-best team in the SEC West, which makes them, at best, the fourth-best team in the SEC.
In no uncertain terms, the Tigers have to win this game in Atlanta. Tommy Bowden's teams have always responded so well in those situations.

All kidding aside, Alabama will be better in Year 2 under Nick Saban and in an opener when teams aren't playing their best, the Tide is certainly capable of beating Clemson, which has four new starters on the offensive line.

Not that the ACC's football reputation can get any worse but what would happen if Clemson went 8-0 against the ACC and 0-2 against the SEC?

3) USC @ Virginia

Aug. 30: Look, Virginia is not going to win this game but if the Cavaliers can be competitive against the Trojans, like Virginia Tech was in losing the 2004 opener 24-13, that would be respectable.

What the ACC, and UVa, needs to avoid is a 50-14 dance number Pete Carroll is more than willing to hang on any intersectional opponent (ask Arkansas) to impress pollsters .

4) James Madison @ Duke

Aug. 30: Duke isn't supposed to win any football games but the first game with a new coach and a veteran team against a I-AA team might be as close as an expected win for the Blue Devils as there is.

Except, James Madison might (note the qualifier to that statement, App fans) be the best FCS team in the country, and are ranked as such by at least one publication. The Dukes return 15 starters on a team that won eight games and would have ended Appalachian State's national title run in the I-AA playoffs if not for a late goal-line fumble.

I know what you're thinking: If Duke loses, even to a I-AA team, it's just Duke and it doesn't matter.

Except, part of the ACC's image problem is that Duke is so bad — the worst I-A team in the BCS era in fact. Once (I know, I know ... if ever) Duke becomes competitive, the ACC's image will improve.

5) UNC @ Rutgers

Sept. 11: Before Greg Schiano, Rutgers was the Duke of the Big East. Twenty-six wins since 2004 and three consecutive bowl trips have changed the Scarlet Knights' fortune (and made Schiano a fortune).

Beating Rutgers doesn't make a season, as Maryland proved in 2007, but this game is huge for UNC, and by proxy, the ACC. See when UNC's good/great it's good for the ACC. The only way UNC is going to be the "sleeper" of this college football season is if they win games like this, especially early in the season to gain confidence.

UNC needs to win games on the road, period, to become a top 20 football program. That hasn't consistently happened, and only once outside the state of North Carolina, since Mack Brown left.

If the Heels beat Rutgers, they'll be set up for at least an eight-win season. If not, it's the same old struggle to get to six wins.

6) Cal @ Maryland

Sept. 13: Cal's been good to great under coach Jeff Tedford and the Bears might be the second-best team in the Pac-10.

Maryland didn't fare well in its last game against a Pac-10 team — a 21-14 loss to Oregon State in the Rice-a-Roni Bowl.

Cal didn't fare well in its last trip across country — a 35-18 loss at Tennessee in the 2006 season opener.

7) Virginia Tech @ Nebraska

Sept. 27: Nebraska is going to be better under Bo Pelini. He might not be Tom Osborne — and it's time to face facts here, Nebraska fan, those days are over — but he's a definite upgrade from Beau Callahan.

Problem for the ACC is Wake lost to a pedestrian Cornhusker team last season in Winston-Salem, albeit without the services of Riley Skinner. This will be a tough trip for an inexperienced VT team.

8) UConn @ UNC

Oct. 4: UConn actually tied West Virginia for the Big East title in 2007. The Huskies also gave Wake everything it wanted in the Tire Bowl. Yet, UNC fan assumes this is an automatic W. Why?

UConn has 17 starters back from last year's 9-4 team, including quarterback Tyler Lorenzen.

This is also a lousy spot on the schedule for UNC. The week before, Butch Davis makes his first trip back to Miami and the following week Notre Dame comes to Chapel Hill.

This is the very definition of a trap game for UNC and exactly the kind of game teams still learning how to win tend to lose.

9) South Carolina @ Clemson

Nov. 29: Ya think Steve Spurrier would love to get an 11-0 Clemson team looking ahead to the ACC title game, or the BCS title game?

Plus, Spurrier's 1-2 against the Tigers. South Carolina fans redefine loyal but if Spurrier can't deliver against the SEC, he needs to keep up his end of the bargain against the hated Tigers.

10) Florida @ Florida State

Nov. 29: Not only am I predicting a Florida State upset but I know the final score: FSU 13, Florida 9.

In 2006, UCLA kept rival USC out of the BCS title game with a 13-9 win during the final week of the regular season.

In 2007, Pitt kept rival West Virginia out of the BCS title game with a win during the final week of the regular season. You wanna guess the score? Yep, 13-9.

The Noles get Florida in Tallahassee the final week of the regular season. The last two scores from the games at FSU — Florida 20, FSU 13 in 2004 and Florida 21, FSU 14 in 2006 (Florida's national title season).

Florida put it on FSU 45-12 last season in Gainesville. In a rivalry like this, where the majority of the players from both teams know each other and played high school and pee wee football against each other, those type of routs can backfire in the next game.

Bobby Bowden gets his last hurrah then announces his retirement before the bowl game.