Rarely in this world does quality make up for quantity. More is good, bigger is better, and so forth. That’s just the way it works.
The ACC had such an anomalous weekend, as the only non-conference matchup on the docket was Duke taking on Vanderbilt in Nashville. But here’s where the quality over quantity thing comes in — the Blue Devils won, snapping a six-game skid to the ‘Dores.
Sure, you may sneer at the paltry 10-7 win, but this is Duke we’re talking about here, upsetting one of the hottest SEC teams that is led by one of the hottest names in coaching, Bobby Johnson. Who else in the conference do you think can do that? At this rate, Duke (4-3 overall, 1-2 ACC) will become bowl eligible before Clemson, assuming the Tigers make it at all.
C'est la vie in college football’s insane asylum, the ACC.
In conference, Virginia (5-3 overall, 3-1 ACC, currently atop the Coastal Division) continues on in its path as the scariest team in the ACC as it beat a ranked North Carolina last week and now a ranked Georgia Tech in Atlanta. The Cavs’ only conference loss? Duke.
At this point you can’t deny the immediate impact of new coach David Cutcliffe, who is only in his first season in Durham. Who says you have to wait three to four years to see improvement? You make a top hire and he’ll take you to places you haven’t been since forever right out of the gate. Duke is proving this. Someone please pass this memo on to Clemson, because with the success of the conference’s new coaches (UNC’s Butch Davis, Georgia Tech’s Paul Johnson, Boston College’s Jeff Jagodzinski and now Coach Cut) the pressure is on Tiger athletic director Terry Don Phillips to sign a primo coach if Clemson is to have any future shot at the ACC crown.
Next week is another dry spell, as there will be no opportunities for ACC teams to bolster its mark against non-conference foes. Only four intra-league games slated, as Miami visits Virginia, who will probably win by a lot, Florida State travels to Atlanta to take on Paul Johnson’s Yellow Jackets, Clemson travels to Beantown to lose to their nemesis

Boston College again and finally Duke and Wake Forest will get it on. The way Duke has looked all season and considering that Wake can’t score points, expect another Blue Devil win in Winston Salem.
The ACC, scoffed at in years past because its teams couldn’t compete out of conference, now sports a 33-10 non-conference mark (11-7 BCS). There’s not a lot to laugh at anymore.

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