CFI: ACC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME PREDICTION

CHRISTOPHER J. KRESGE
ACC COASTAL INSIDER

Can you really predict anything in college football this year? Probably not, but at this point in the season, you can start to gauge where teams are heading at least mentally and which way their momentum is leaning.

So, that all being said, this is what I see for a showdown in Jacksonville for the ACC Championship game:

CLEMSON vs. MIAMI

Go ahead and choke on your ham and Swiss sandwich, but that is the way it is going to end up and here are my points:

Clemson is starting to play on all cylinders after a little bump in the road against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, both games were indicative of Clemson’s horrific special teams play and nothing else. What wins championships? Defense! And Clemson has one of the fastest and hard-hitting in all of college football. They have Duke this week, followed up by Wake Forest then at home, Boston College. Duke will be road kill this weekend and while Wake is a better team than what we are use to in the past, they are still no match for Clemson in the valley. Then Boston College comes to town. Now, I am well aware Boston College controls their own destiny, but they escaped in Blacksburg with a win and still have to play a much more talented FSU and Miami team. One, if not both of those teams will beat Boston College. Clemson will be so ready for this match up at home if Boston College comes in with one lost, it will be chaos in Death Valley that night. As unpredictable as Clemson has been over the years, the one constant they have shown is the ability to win big games at night at home.

Miami in the championship game? Not Virginia Tech, not Virginia? Yes and the sole reason I am making this prediction is the leadership and no-nonsense attitude of first year coach Randy Shannon. Every quote, interview, sound bite all year coming out of Coral Gables is that Coach Shannon will not tolerate quitting or half hearted efforts by anyone on the football team. And I truly believe the team has started buying into this philosophy and are starting to get that swagger back. They will over-match NC State this week. Then Virginia plays November 10 in the Orange Bowl for what will be the last Canes game ever at the infamous OB. Guess what Virginia, you lose and lose bad that night. By that point, the only two remaining games will be at Virginia Tech and at Boston College. I am predicting that the wining ways will cause momentum to shift their ways and beat a Virginia Tech team that has been overrated all year that has got a lot of injuries weighing them down and a Boston College team that will be out run all day. My only concern is the cold weather at that point in the season, but Randy Shannon is the man to get them motivated even if they had to play in Alaska.

My prediction for the winner? Not yet, let’s wait and see my first prediction come true.

PHOTO CREDIT: University of Miami Sports Media Relations Office