Will Florida State and Miami finally meet for the ACC Championship in 2015?
By Jack Crosby
Miami
The Hurricanes will undoubtedly have a little tougher road in their path. As opposed to the Atlantic Division, the Coastal Division has a little more parity and should be the more competitive of the two.
Sophomore quarterback Brad Kaaya returns this season to head the Miami offense after what was a phenomenal freshman season. While he took his lumps at times, Kaaya threw for 3,198 yards with 26 touchdowns and 12 interceptions with a 58.5 completion percentage. With four other returning starters on offense, this group could make some strides in the upcoming season, although maybe not enough to carry them to a Coastal title.
On defense the Hurricanes return a total of six starters from a unit that ranked 37th in the nation in scoring defense, although there’s no telling how much the loss of linebacker Denzel Perryman, the heart and soul of the unit, will take its toll.
Coming into the season Georgia Tech is the favorite to make yet another trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship Game, and with good reason. Returning to lead the vaunted Paul Johnson triple-option offense is the dynamic quarterback Justin Thomas, and they’re coming off an absolute superior performance against Mississippi State in the Orange Bowl. Miami and Georgia Tech will indeed meet one another on Nov. 21.
Then you have the likes of the Duke Blue Devils, who can never be counted out as long as David Cutcliffe is around; The Pittsburgh Panthers, who have a talented offensive unit and now a defensive-minded head coach in Pat Narduzzi; And while Virginia Tech struggled last year, Frank Beamer somehow always finds a way to put something together when he needs to.
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