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"Just based on the differences in the offenses, Thomas won’t come close to the numbers put up by last season’s Heisman winner. But that doesn’t mean Thomas can’t come close to the number that matters most — the one appearing in the Win column in the conference standings at the end of the year."

It was an interesting last month for Georgia Tech, as committed recruits came and went. On the bright side, the Yellow Jackets worked overtime to add a pair of three-star linebackers right before National Signing Day to solidify their class. Nick Menocal of Miami (Fla.) Belen Jesuit Prep flipped his commitment from Miami, while Anthony Harrell flipped his commitment from Wake Forest the night before signing day. On the offensive side of the ball, the Yellow Jackets feel that quarterback Vad Lee is the perfect fit to run their offense.

"The conference allocates a specified amount for teams in a BCS bowl ($1.7 million for the Orange Bowl) for expenses, while teams heading to non-BCS games receive $1.1 million in expenses. The conference pools together the bowl payouts from its teams and deducts the expenses described above. The remaining money is then divvied up evenly into 12 slices for the league's schools."

"I know it is frustrating for fans (believe me I know—I probably travel to more ACC football games than anybody) when the six-day holds are in place, but in the big picture I think it is a good overall compromise with our TV partners that ultimately delivers the best overall result for all concerned more times than not."

"So that’s the bad news: I can picture the remaining three Coastal leaders — Virginia Tech, Miami (Fla.) and Georgia Tech — win the division before I see the Heels taking such a step. However, let’s not discount the potential of a defense capable of leading this team to victory every Saturday."

Note that in 2009, it was the ACC Championship Game that featured two of the league's top three offenses piling up 73 points and 883 yards of total offense while the best defenses in the high-flying Big 12 beat each other to a pulp in a 13-12 clinch-fest.

But that was characteristic of a conference that opened with a 38-34 thriller in its marquee rivalry, setting the tone for the entire season. The No. 1 offense ran for 300-plus yards in wins over both the first and second-ranked defenses. Georgia Tech and Florida State traded blows a in a lightning-streaked, 93-point, 1071-yard shootout that ended with a single punt by either team. At one point, Wake Forest's Riley Skinner, who entered the year with zero 300-yard passing games in three full seasons as a starter, passed for at least 350 three weeks in a row. Duke's Thaddeus Lewis went over 300 (usually well over 300) in six of the Blue Devils' last eight games, joining Philip Rivers as the only ACC quarterbacks ever to pass for 10,000 yards in a career.

Phil Steele's preseason All-ACC team came out and Georgia Tech quarterback Joshua Nesbitt is on the fourth team behind Christian Ponder, Tyrod Taylor and Jacory Harris, in that order.

"Here are the facts, folks, and I hope my friends in the ACC are reading this down in Amelia Island. If the Big Ten goes to 16 teams, the Big East is going to be out of the football business. The SEC and the Big Ten dominate the marketplace. They will get their money while the Pac-10, Big 12, and ACC are going to be scrambling for what’s left."

"They (Virginia Tech) are the Obi Wan Kenobi of the ACC."