ACC's Outcome Hinges on Luck of the Straw

ATLANTIC DIVISION: The division epitomizes the wacky parity in the league. Four of the six teams received first-place votes in the ACC preseason media poll. (And don't tell Maryland it won't be a contender.) Yes, Florida State is the favorite, but not a clear favorite. If it's anything like last year, consistency will be a foreign word. You won't find a national contender among the six. Take Maryland at Wake Forest on Oct. 10: Does it have division title implications? Or is it a matchup to avoid falling into the cellar? Probably both. Fast-forward to Halloween, when North Carolina State visits Florida State. Clemson plays Florida State and North Carolina State in November -- that's when everything will shake out.

COASTAL DIVISION: Don't hand the title to Virginia Tech just yet. Each team has a legitimate weakness and vulnerability. (Virginia alone has several.) Four teams believe they can finish first, and hopes of three -- Georgia Tech, Miami and North Carolina -- were bolstered after Virginia Tech lost running back Darren Evans to injury early in camp. Unlike the Atlantic Division, we're going to know early in the season who is for real. Georgia Tech, a team slightly under the radar, needs to survive a tough September, when it visits Miami and hosts North Carolina. Expect the division race to boil down to Oct. 17 in Atlanta, when the Yellow Jackets host Virginia Tech. The only seemingly don't-watch game is Oct. 31, when Duke visits Virginia. Neither team is expected to make a bowl game, much less contend in a deep division.