QBs the talk of ACC media day

As we've gone through our ACC previews on the site, the new QBs have been a constant theme.

And it definitely didn't escape day one at the ACC Football Kickoff without most every offensive player being asked about it.

Seven teams have new QBs - Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech, NC State, UNC, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

And Miami has a QB competition between two players that shared starting duties last season in senior Jacory Harris and sophomore Stephen Morris.

One of the elder statesmen of the ACC, Maryland sophomore Danny O'Brien, figures being one of the experienced ones will help.

"There’s no substitute for experience," said O'Brien. "I always pride myself on watching a lot of film and being prepared. But there’s no doubt, the experience of playing week in, week out is invaluable."

MD QB Danny O'Brien at ACC Football Kickoff

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Experience is something first-year starter FSU QB E.J. Manuel has. He's started six games in his career and is feeling confident about this season.

"I feel ready," Manuel said. "A lot of first-year starters haven’t played a whole lot.

"We have so much talent that we will have a good season."

Junior Duke QB Sean Renfree knows well the role of being a backup with starting experience and being the man the next season.

“Only thing that will change for him is the expectations," Renfree said. "(Last season) E.J. just came in and just played. E.J.’s (now) going to have to deal with the talk.”

Renfree had words of advice of the young QBs though.

"Play the game. Sometimes, the first year guys - especially last year for me - they start to think too much. They struggle a little bit – they start to overthink it."

Georgia Tech players' reaction to the vacated 2009 title

Remember that 2009 title game?

It was a shootout to the end with Georgia Tech pulling it out 39-34 despite a monster game from C.J. Spiller.

GT's Jones on vacated ACC title

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The record books remember it differently now with the NCAA's move to vacate the ACC title from Georgia Tech for violations of NCAA rules and not fully cooperating with the investigation.

Georgia Tech running back Roddy Jones was on that 2009 team and faced the media Sunday.

On the recent news: "We really didn’t know what was going on," said Jones. "So when we found out, we were a little surprised."

He had heard the NCAA investigators were on campus, but was one of a few that had any idea what was going on.

Jones isn't fazed by the NCAA's move though.

"It doesn’t affect me a bit. I get to wear the ring. I get to tell people we won the ACC Championship in 2009."

ACC reputation in sore need of marquee OOC wins

Conference commissioner John Swofford set the tone in his media forum by calling on the ACC members to pull off the big out of conference wins this season.

The players picked it up from there.

Fresh off a 40-12 Orange Bowl loss to Stanford this January, Virginia Tech wide receiver Danny Coale said of the ACC's prominence: "Not as good as we could be. We have a lot of great teams across the board. It certainly doesn’t help when you lose a Orange Bowl game, and lose by a pretty large margin. There are a lot of solid, marquee games this season to turn that around a bit."

That Orange Bowl blowout loss still stings for him.

ACC's reputation

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"Sure, you sit back and thinks sometimes – what happened? But then you remember that’s a great team. We just simply didn’t play well enough. It’s embarrassing when you lose and you’re representing the ACC in a big-time game like that."

That coupled with the earlier loss to FCS-level James Madison last season are games Coale points to as motivation in his senior season to raise the reputation of the ACC and his Hokies.

"I think we have a lot of great teams – we just haven’t showed it in national games," Coale said. "We have a great conference – I’m proud to play in it. We just have to show it better."