ESPN College Football

The following is a breakdown of the teams I project to win their respective conferences. The conferences are also ranked in order of strength, from best to worst. Each summary below is not only an explanation as to why I project these teams as conference winners, but also a brief explanation as to why the conference is ranked where it is.

The ACC is stacked, and it's only going to be stronger when Boston College joins in 2005. If QB Chris Rix can play with more consistency, the Seminoles will win the conference. Miami has problems of its own at quarterback but owns a built-in advantage with a home game against the 'Noles to open the season on Sept. 16. The depth of this conference is what impresses me the most. Virginia is a quarterback away from becoming a top-five team; Maryland continues to overcome massive turnover under Ralph Friedgen; Clemson finished the 2003 season as strong as any; and N.C. State might be a surprise team if T.A. McLendon can stay healthy and Jay Davis can play as well as his potential promises. Even though Virginia Tech is rebuilding this season, Frank Beamer's squad will steal a couple of wins from conference foes. North Carolina and Duke are pushovers, but Georgia Tech and Wake Forest were competitive at times last season and should be improved.

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