The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is home to many great football programs. Such teams include the Florida State Seminoles, Miami Hurricanes, Clemson Tigers, and Virginia Tech Hokies. There's only one problem though. These teams are not what they used to be, and long story short, suck compared to the powerhouse conferences of the SEC and the Big 12. FSU, being ranked at an average of 8 in the top 25 polls this season, has manhandled this conference for the entire season with an ACC record of 7-1, with Clemson coming in with the same record, having their only loss given to them by FSU. Since the ACC is such a big conference and has to cover alot of ground on the east coast, it was decided way back when to split it into two separate regions, the Coastal and Atlantic divisions. Florida State and Clemson are both in the Atlantic division, and have both had very worthy seasons, finishing the regular seasons well within the top 25. The Coastal side of the ACC, however, has been a huge mess the entire season. The top three records are all 5-3 and they belong to Georgia Tech, North Carolina, and Miami. Now, not that this takes away anything from the prestige and history of the Atlantic Coast Conference, but to only have two teams in the tops 25 out of 12 solid teams is nothing to be too proud about. There were times in history when the ACC was better than the SEC; producing powerhouse national championship teams. Florida State had a great run in the 90's with and undefeated season and two national championships. Miami was a force to be reckoned with, and Virginia Tech was known to pull many heartbreak upsets from time to time. So, what happened to all this skill and glory? And why does the SEC seem to dominate the sport of college football nowadays?
The answer is really within how certain teams go about the recruiting process, and the help that those teams get that is slightly out of their control. Sure, any team can offer a top recruit a substantial scholarship offering cost benefits and apparel and such, but it really comes down to the players decision to where he will end up. And long story short, that skilled and top-ranked player is going to want to go to a skilled and top-ranked university to play; a school with a history of college greatness and lore. FSU is one of these schools without a doubt, and it is no surprise that they consistently pull in the number one ranked draft classes year after year. Many SEC schools pull in good recruits as well, just because they are that good and the history of the conference that they play out of is so rich and well known. In other words, college football is beginning to become monopolized in a way, and it will be difficult for, say teams in the ACC, to fight against the tide and make a name for themselves. Miami and Vtech are not what they were, not even close. I believe that for the ACC to get back on the map and get some respect as a football conference, that they will need to step up their recruiting substantially, and begin acting like they belong in the same breath as the SEC. One day the roles will be reversed, and computers will know to show a little more respect.
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