N.C. State isn't alone with its complicated quarterback situation. Virginia, with two less starting candidates than the Wolfpack, needs to replace Jameel Sewell, who was ruled academically ineligible.

Scott Deke or Peter Lalich or Marc Verica will start for the Cavaliers when USC visits on Aug. 30. Who knows? In a shocking turn of events, UVa coach Al Groh isn't offering any clues.

Lalich, who played well in the team's first scrimmage and pushed Sewell early last season, would be the logical choice but logic's not a given with Groh.

Remember last season when another Bill Parcells/Belichick disciple played the hide-and-go-fish with the starting quarterback? That worked out well for Charlie Weis and Notre Dame, didn't it?

Virginia's football team has lost enough this offseason — Chris Long, Jameel Sewell, Jeffrey Fitzgerald — but the Cavaliers may have lucked into a new kicker.

Yannick Reyering, an All-ACC soccer player for the Cavaliers, exhausted his futbol eligibility but not his football eligibility. A knee injury has given Reyering second thoughts about his Major League Soccer career, at least a postponement while he gives American football a kick.

UVa won five games by two or fewer points in 2007 in part because of the excellent work of departed kicker Chris Gould. The Hoos could use a break after losing Sewell and Fitzgerald to academics. Reyering, who's 24, might just be that break.

Update (2 p.m.): Looks like Raycom got the message. They have taken the release down from their web site.

StateFansNation discovered Raycom's press release about their television schedule for the 2008-09 ACC basketball schedule.

That's great, except the ACC hasn't released the schedules yet. Ooops. Raycom's mistake is our gain. We still don't have all the dates — but you can find the ACC-only opponents here —  but this is a start.

Also note, the later start time, 8 p.m., for the "early" weekday games, which used to start at 7 p.m.

Raycom's since removed schedule is after the jump.

Since we don't have Brett Favre to obsess over, the ACC blogosphere needs a topic to get us to Aug. 28. Last month, ESPN steered the subject to the "toughest" places to play in the ACC.

I offered these numbers in the post-expansion era, but they are pittance compared to this research by Patrick Stevens of the Washington Times (which is experiencing some server issues right now so keep trying if it doesn't work at first). If you haven't done so already, bookmark Patrick's D1scourse blog.

Patrick ran the numbers through 20- and 10-year cycles and compares home records to road records, which tells us which team plays measurably better at home — the true mark of a "home-field" advantage.

Getting lost on two wheels proves a joy in Southwestern Virginia.

I'd like to. Suggestions?

Virginia quarterback Peter Lalich was in court this week on separate charges for unlawful alcohol purchase (he's under 21) and driving without a license in his possession.

Legally, the charges will be resolved next July if Lalich doesn't get into any trouble between now and then.

On the field, Lalich is swimming up stream as UVa readies for practice. The team's media guide lists Lalich, who backed up Jameel Sewell last season, as the third-string quarterback, behind Scott Deke and Marc Verica.

GREENSBORO, Ga. — Clemson's the preseason pick by the media to win the ACC. The Tigers, who went 9-4 in 2007, received 51 of the 65 votes to win the ACC Championship Game.

Clemson took home 59 of the 65 votes to win the Atlantic Division. Virginia Tech, with 58 votes, was the runaway pick in the Coastal.

The voting process may need to be reviewed though. Miami, Georgia Tech and Virginia each got a first-place vote in the Coastal.

2008 ACC Football

Thursday, Aug. 28
Jacksonville State @ Ga. Tech, 7:30
Charleston Southern @ Miami, 7:30
N.C. State @ South Carolina, 8
Wake Forest @ Baylor, 8

Saturday, Aug. 30
Va. Tech vs. East Carolina (@ Charlotte), noon
USC @ UVa, 3:30
Delaware @ Maryland, 3:45
McNeese State @ UNC, 6
James Madison @ Duke, 7
Boston College vs. Kent State (@ Cleveland), 7:30
Alabama vs. Clemson (@ Atlanta), 8

The Worldwide Leader has joined the ACC blogosphere and Heather Dinich made quite a splash with her rankings of the toughest places to play football in the ACC.

N.C. State fans are less than thrilled with Dinich, who more than capably covered Maryland football for the Baltimore Sun and Penn State football for the Centre Daily Times before joining ESPN, because she put Carter-Finley Stadium 11th on her list.

Wolfpackers, and other ACC fans, also took umbrage with her decision to put UNC's Kenan Stadium at No. 4.