| | By Gregg Doyel
Special to ESPN.com
Not in a long time has the ACC been a democracy, but this year, maybe more than ever, the league comes down to a stark contrast between the haves and the have-nots.
The Florida State Seminoles have.
The other teams have not.
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Mon., August 14
Ann Bowden has a problem. As the matriarch of the redoubtable Bowden college coaching dynasty, Ann finds she has a different problem than last year, but one no less significant. When Bobby (Daddy) Bowden and the four boys (sons Terry, Tommy, Jeff and Jack) were spread all over the country last year, she couldn't rest until all their scores had been reported. Now they are all concentrated at Florida State, Clemson and ABC, which should simplify matters. Not so; you see, Tommy's lil ole Clemson team really did put a scare into Daddy's team last year, losing by just a field goal, 17-14. This year, Daddy is closing in on Bear Bryant's record and trying to beat JoePa in the process; any drubbing from one of the kids would be downright disloyal. Ann has undoubtedly discussed this with her son Tommy, who probably chuckled, hugged his Mother and said he'd try not to run up the score too much.
Mrs. Bowden's problem may be the ACC's issue soon, because if Clemson can beat Florida State the Seminoles would be eliminated from the BCS Orange Bowl hunt. The big question is whether Clemson can avoid the malaise that haunts immature programs over the long haul of a season. North Carolina, Virginia and Maryland are slippery slopes for the Tigers and it will be their consistency in these efforts that will tell their tale.
The fact that Clemson is the first legitimate threat to Seminole dominance since FSU entered the league, combined with the names of the two coaches, creates more than just a little drama in the ACC.
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"The gap has gotten bigger," concedes Virginia coach George Welsh, aware of Florida State's whopping 62-2 mark in ACC play since joining in 1992.
Coach Bobby Bowden's Seminoles, the defending national champions, return 13 starters from a team that went 12-0 last season and outscored its opponents 412-174. Among others, senior quarterback Chris Weinke is back -- bidding for his second national title and first Heisman Trophy.
The rest of the ACC is in shambles. Georgia Tech mounted a mini-threat last year behind quarterback Joe Hamilton, but he's gone. Virginia also lost a 1999 Heisman contender, tailback Thomas Jones, to the NFL. Two years after scaling to 11-1 heights, North Carolina hit rock bottom at 3-8, including a loss to Division I-AA Furman. N.C. State, which beat Florida State two years ago, has a new coach (Chuck Amato) and a new depth chart on offense.
Who does that leave? Well, it leaves Clemson, which went 6-6 last season, its first under Tommy Bowden, who may become the ACC's No. 1 coaching nemesis for dear old dad. Clemson, which threw a 17-14 scare into FSU a year ago, returns eight starters on each side of the ball, including ACC defensive player of the year Keith Adams at linebacker.
Expectations are high in Death Valley, although not necessarily with the best of reasons.
"People expect us to go to a BCS game," Tommy Bowden says, referring to the bowl package that pairs up the country's best 10 or so teams. "That's crazy. We were a .500 team last year."
Yes, but this is the ACC, where a .500 challenger to the FSU throne may be the best the league has to offer.
Gregg Doyel covers the ACC for The Charlotte Observer
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