Many factors go into a team winning a conference championship. It takes skill, enough strengths to overcome weaknesses, great team chemistry, and luck. In 2004, the Hokies had all of the above and managed to win the ACC in a season in which many questioned whether or not they would be in the top half of the league. Whoever wins the crown in 2005 must possess many of the same characteristics as the 2004 Hokies.

Because of 2004, and the amount of outstanding players the Hokies are returning, they are going to be picked in the top three of the ACC for the upcoming season. However, 2004 also proved that the previous season meant nothing, as Tech rallied from a poor Big East finale to win the ACC. There are a few things we know about the 2005 Hokies. They have plenty of skill, and a lot of strengths on the team. However, will the strengths be enough to overcome the weaknesses, will they have the same great chemistry, and will opposing DBs keep blowing coverages (cough**James Butler**cough) when they’ve got the Hokies on the ropes?

Most people think the race will come down to Florida State, Miami and Virginia Tech, and I’m inclined to agree. However, this series of articles will examine all of the ACC schools that have any chance at all of winning the ACC Championship. Thus, we’ll focus on nine teams, and leave Duke, UNC and Wake Forest out. The first article focuses on Maryland, Clemson and Georgia Tech.

The Terps had a tough season last year, only going 5-6, but Ralph Friedgen won over 30 games in his first three seasons in College Park, so we'll give them the benefit of the doubt and talk about their chances to win an ACC championship.

Only ten starters return for a team that played good defense but didn’t have the talent at quarterback to pull off another winning season for Friedgen. As the season went along, it became obvious that quarterback Joel Stratham was not the man to lead Maryland towards the top of the ACC. In a horrible stretch of games beginning with Georgia Tech, the Terps had games where they scored 7 against the Yellow Jackets, 3 against NC State, 7 against Clemson, 20 against Florida State, 0 against UVA and 6 against Virginia Tech. Only the Florida State game was a win. Maryland then finished the season off with a 13-7 win over Wake Forest.

For those of you who have been following the ACC for awhile, that’s a pretty shocking development from a team coached by Ralph Friedgen, who was an outstanding offensive coordinator at Georgia Tech.

But last year is over, and Maryland looks to use 2005 to turn their program around and get it rolling in the right direction once again. However, with what they have coming back, that doesn’t look like it’s going to be easy. Not only did the Terps lose some good players to expired eligibility, but they also have already lost a key part of their team in leading returning rusher Josh Allen, who might be forced to sit out all of the 2005 season with a torn ACL. With Allen’s injury, Maryland’s leading returning rusher is Mario Mellis, who rushed for 124 yards and one touchdown in 2004.

The starting quarterback, at least at the beginning of the season, will likely be Sam Hollenbach. Hollenbach started the season finale against Wake Forest in 2004 and went 16 of 27 for 164 yards with no interceptions. Stratham’s problem last year was his 8 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in ten games. However, he is the returning starter, so he will be in the mix for the starting job.

Sophomore Jordan Steffy will also be in the mix, and Friedgen sees him as the quarterback of the future. Steffy was suffering from a nerve problem in his right (throwing) shoulder and arthritis in his right knee, but the knee is currently not a problem (according to published reports) and the shoulder has been fixed with surgery. Steffy has gained 20 pounds since last season and is physically ready to compete for the job.

It is almost impossible for quarterback play to be worse for Maryland than it was in 2004, so this group should be better this year. How much better remains to be seen.

The defense loses defensive end Shawn Merriman, a first round draft pick by the NFL, but should still be a solid unit, and will serve as the strength of the team. D’Qwell Jackson returns at linebacker, and he is an outstanding player, despite being undersized. One player to keep an eye on for Maryland is Gerrick McPhearson, a senior cornerback. McPhearson started the last five games of the 2004 season and has been timed at a 4.28 in the 40 yard dash. He is the only returning starter in the secondary and could emerge as an All-ACC caliber player.

Without a doubt, the strength of this team is at tight end. Vernon Davis is the most athletic tight end in the ACC, and maybe in the country. Maryland uses Davis in a variety of ways, including tight end, H-back and fullback. This season Friedgen wants to use a true fullback as a major part of the offense, so look for Davis to see more time as a true tight end. Derek Miller will also see a lot of time, and he could be the best run blocking tight end in the ACC.

This one is tough to choose. You know about the quarterback and running back problems, but the Terps will also be starting three sophomores on the offensive line, and they replace three starters in the secondary. Ultimately, I’ve got to go with quarterback as Maryland’s main weakness. If the Terp signal callers turn the ball over as much as they did last year, Maryland will be staying in College Park for the second consecutive holiday season.

Maryland’s key to having a successful season and putting themselves in position to have an outside shot at the ACC Championship is improving their turnover margin. The Terps lost nine fumbles last season and threw 16 interceptions. The Maryland defensive recovered ten fumbles, but intercepted only six passes. With as many close games as Maryland had last season, turnover margin played a major role in their failure to appear in a bowl game. Maryland’s quarterbacks must cut down on their turnovers, and the defense must find some playmakers in the secondary for Maryland to have a good season.

There is only one word that comes to my mind when I think about Clemson. They are an enigma. After beating Wake Forest in double overtime to begin the season, the Tigers dropped four consecutive games to Georgia Tech, Texas A&M, Florida State and Virginia. The last three of those four games were on the road. They followed up those losses with four straight wins, including a 24-17 victory at Miami. The week following the big Miami win, they lost to Duke. They immediately followed that terrible loss with a win over arch rival South Carolina. Clemson was bowl eligible, but as self punishment for a brawl in the South Carolina game, they elected not to accept any bowl invitations.

In short, we don’t quite know what to expect with this team.

That holds true again in 2005. Clemson lost 13 starters, which means they have some holes to fill. But on the other hand, they only lost 17 total lettermen, which is the 2nd fewest in the ACC. They’ve got some starters to replace, but it looks like they have some experienced backups to plug into the lineup.

Clemson will head into the 2005 season with two new coordinators. Rob Spence, who is known for his high powered offenses at Toledo, will head up the offense. Spence is Tommy Bowden’s fourth offensive coordinator in seven years. Vic Koenning will become the new defensive coordinator for Bowden. His new defense will focus on speed and will use some new types of players, such as a combo defensive end/outside linebacker, and a strong safety/linebacker, which is similar to what the rover used to be in Virginia Tech’s system.

Despite his bad 2004 season (7 TDs, 17 INTs), I’m going to say that the strength of Clemson’s team is quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. The intangibles that a senior quarterback brings to the table are very important. Whitehurst is capable of much better numbers than he put up in 2004. (He threw for 21 touchdowns and 13 interceptions as a sophomore in 2003.) With Spence joining the Tigers as offensive coordinator, Whitehurst is poised for a very good senior season. Spence’s offense revolves around high percentage passes and making good reads, something Whitehurst should excel at as a senior.

Clemson's linebacker corps is undersized, plus they lost ACC Defensive Player of the Year Leroy Hill. The 2005 projected starters, Tramaine Billie (6-1, 205), Anthony Waters (6-3, 235) and Nick Watkins (6-2, 210) are undersized as a group, and must use their speed to gain an advantage. In fact, the entire Clemson defense is undersized, with the biggest starter, nose guard Cory Groover, weighing in at 280.

I think the key to 2005 for Clemson is whether or not Tommy Bowden keeps his hands off the offense and allows Rob Spence to do his thing. Bowden has a history of tinkering with his team's offense, and at times his offensive coordinators do not truly coordinate the offense. Spence is a proven offensive coordinator, and Bowden just needs to step back and trust the men that he has hired. If Whitehurst can get a hot hand, there isn’t a team in the ACC that the Tigers aren’t capable of beating, and they can potentially finish in the top half of the Atlantic Division of the ACC.

However, their schedule is against them. They don’t play a gimme until Oct. 22 against Temple. Also with their loss to Duke last year, I suppose nothing can be considered a gimme. Clemson’s September schedule is tough, with home games against Texas A&M, Miami and Boston College, while the Tigers must travel to Maryland. October begins with two consecutive road trips to Wake Forest and NC State. November isn’t exactly easy, with a home game against Florida State and road games against Georgia Tech and rival South Carolina.

Georgia Tech is a team that many are predicting to be the surprise of the ACC this season, and I agree that they are very talented. They were inconsistent in 2004 but showed that they could play with the big boys when they nearly knocked off Virginia Tech and Georgia. With 14 returning starters, including 8 on an already very good defense, the Yellow Jackets are looking to make a move up the ACC standings. They closed out 2004 in strong fashion with a 51-14 victory over Syracuse in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Georgia Tech’s offense should pack plenty of big play punch in 2005, with quarterback Reggie Ball, tailback P.J. Daniels and wideout Calvin Johnson all returning to the starting lineup. Tech’s offense should be very balanced this season. Ball is a very dynamic quarterback, but will need to cut down on his turnovers (18 interceptions last season) to be successful. Ball will also have to be more accurate, as he only completed 49.7% of his passes in 2004. P.J. Daniels might be the best running back in the ACC, and Calvin Johnson probably owns the same title for the wide receiver position.

Defensively, Georgia Tech should be very good at every position. They took some hits along the defensive line in the offseason because of injuries and academics, but they do return Eric Henderson, one of the ACC’s best defensive ends. And with the outstanding linebackers behind them, even if there is a drop-off in play up front, it likely won’t be that noticeable.

One thing that could (and probably will) kill the Yellow Jackets is their schedule. Georgia Tech has to travel to Auburn, Virginia Tech, Miami and Virginia this year. They also host Georgia. Auburn lost a lot of top notch players, so that game is winnable, as is the game at Virginia. The Yellow Jackets are also fully capable of knocking off Georgia. But winning at Miami and Virginia Tech will be tall orders to say the least, especially with an inconsistent quarterback. However, Georgia Tech is more than capable of winning all of their ACC home games, and probably should win all of them.

Of the schools previewed in this article, Georgia Tech has the best chance to make some noise in the ACC race.

I’ll have to go with the defense, although I can agree with other views as well. With the offense being wildly inconsistent in 2004, the defense was able to hold the team together, keep opposing teams out of the end zone on many occasions, and will the team to a winning record. There was some attrition in the offseason along the defensive line, as well as Reuben Houston in the secondary, but this is still a pretty stacked unit. It should be one of the ACC’s best in 2005.

The offensive line is probably the biggest weakness for Georgia Tech this season. They only return two starters, and moved Mansfield Wrotto from the defensive line in the spring because of the lack of players. They have since moved Wrotto back to the defensive line because of player attrition. Georgia Tech could end up starting three sophomores and a freshman up front.